Hit the beach early AM with my friend Jerry (Shark in the dark) today.
CONGRATS TO JERRY FOR HIS FIRST SOUPFIN!
Now that we have that out of the way here is my story.
After Jerry got his 1st Soupie and a Bat I proceeded to hook up on my first real shark.
It was crazy because it did not run initially, at least not hard enough for me to notice that he was on, What I did notice was my line which was headed north all morning had suddenly moved south but my line was just idle.
When I reeled on it my rod just bent over like the sputnick weight was stuck on a rock or something. I pulled to get it unstuck and we were off to the races.
And I mean off, this fish pulled so hard and so fast that I was caught off guard. The tail slaps on my line were almost non stop, I started to tighten the drag down because he was not stopping and all I could do was watch my line continue to disappear at an alarming rate. The drag was so tight that I thought the line would break, the spool was "HOT".
I finally got him stopped and could see the bottom of my spool, at least I thought I had him stopped. As I started to try and get some line back he ran again and that was it. 30 secs later I hear the "SNAP" and it was over. I got spooled. Just did not have the drag I needed to stop him.
I guess the lesson is that I am going to have to learn how to cast a conventional reel if I am going to continue to hunt these beasts.
Anyways it is always a great day fishing with Jerry whether we are catching or just fishing we always have a good time.
Any advice would be so helpful.
Thanks for the read.
This is the end result. Lol!
(http://i159.photobucket.com/albums/t127/rfkenney/Spooled_zpsyhijyc8v.jpeg) (http://s159.photobucket.com/user/rfkenney/media/Spooled_zpsyhijyc8v.jpeg.html)
Unless you have an extremly large thumb, then that reel spool looks quite small for your target species. Whats your best guesstimate on how much line you had on your spool ,what kind of line was it spooled with and what is the max drag pressure rating for that reel? You don't nessarily need to go to a conventional but would have to at least upgrade to a heavier model spinner with more line capacty and more max drag rating. It does you no good to fish a 65lb braid if the reels max drag is only 15lbs, you might as well step down to a lower diameter line and gain some line capacity.
Getting spooled sure does make you come back for more though, huh?
Thanks for the insight Joe.
I am difinitly going to upgrade.
What is a good drag to work with for these beasts?
Sounds a bit more like a monster bat, but either way, that adrenaline rush is hard to beat!
Like Joe said, may want to look into upgrading. You don't nessesarilly need to go conventional, a good quality spinner can still work.
Sounds like a nice fish for sure.
We'LL GET EM NEXT TIME BUDDY... ;) ;)
Yikes!
Big bat spooled you. Will happen again until you upgrade. IMHO, you need a minimum of 300yds of 30lb line.
Rob has got a lot of bats on that rig...it was roasted ... The reason it was so foggy this morning...hahaha
That's a heart breaker... but as mentioned by Joe... I think you need a little more spool capacity. ;D
Oh well, as Quint says in JAWS... "You Lose One, You Rig One".
: shoresurfer June 04, 2016, 04:32:07 p
Thanks for the insight Joe.
I am difinitly going to upgrade.
What is a good drag to work with for these beasts?
I you want someting with at least a 25-30# max drag but 40#+ won't hurt.
Like pinoyfisher suggests as well, you should have at least 300yds of line on your spool of at least 30lb. An easy way to do it is 150yds of a 50lb braid (since 150yds is a standerd braid spool length) and then 150+yards of 30# or 40# mono top shot. Your braid will only touch water after a fish peels off at least 50yds on the initial run.
Here's 7 or 8 spinnig reels that all have enough line capacity and max drag listed from low to high price. Personally I think the Daiwa Emblem Pro is a good overall value, but I love the baitrunner feature on reels when I fish them from a spike in the sand also
Penn Conflict Spinning Reel CFT8000
http://www.amazon.com/Penn-Conflict-8000-Spinning-Reels/dp/B00EOTC934/ref=sr_1_1_m?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1465111387&sr=1-1&keywords=Penn+Conflict+Spinning+Reel+CFT8000 (http://www.amazon.com/Penn-Conflict-8000-Spinning-Reels/dp/B00EOTC934/ref=sr_1_1_m?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1465111387&sr=1-1&keywords=Penn+Conflict+Spinning+Reel+CFT8000)
Daiwa Emblem Pro EX 5500 Spinning Reel, Silver
http://www.amazon.com/Daiwa-Emblem-5500-Spinning-Silver/dp/B00MUHD2NS/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1465110661&sr=1-2&keywords=emblem+pro (http://www.amazon.com/Daiwa-Emblem-5500-Spinning-Silver/dp/B00MUHD2NS/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1465110661&sr=1-2&keywords=emblem+pro)
Shimano Baitrunner 12000D Spinning Reel
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Baitrunner-Spinning-Reel-4-8/dp/B005CSYVDM/ref=pd_sim_200_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51dU-WBiEaL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=12VZEGQR7GP64D208M4B (http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Baitrunner-Spinning-Reel-4-8/dp/B005CSYVDM/ref=pd_sim_200_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51dU-WBiEaL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=12VZEGQR7GP64D208M4B)
Shimano Ultegra CI4+ 14000 XT-B Surfcasting Spinning Reel with Baitrunner System 8)
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Ultegra-Surfcasting-Spinning-Baitrunner/dp/B00FZ0R37I/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51YkEQnvoUL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1V3YXXKWGQYMZVQ88HSA (http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Ultegra-Surfcasting-Spinning-Baitrunner/dp/B00FZ0R37I/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51YkEQnvoUL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1V3YXXKWGQYMZVQ88HSA)
Shimano Aero Technium 12000 XTB Magnesium
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Aero-Technium-12000-Magnesium/dp/B0093N7BZC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51sEhFnxxML&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0XN4JVY6V6HSYZBJVSES (http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Aero-Technium-12000-Magnesium/dp/B0093N7BZC/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=51sEhFnxxML&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=0XN4JVY6V6HSYZBJVSES)
ZeeBaaS ZX2-27RS Silver Spinning Reel
http://www.amazon.com/ZeeBaaS-ZX2-27RS-Silver-Spinning-Reel/dp/B00820Z35W/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1465112956&sr=1-1&keywords=zeebaas (http://www.amazon.com/ZeeBaaS-ZX2-27RS-Silver-Spinning-Reel/dp/B00820Z35W/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1465112956&sr=1-1&keywords=zeebaas)
Shimano Stella STL 18000 SWB HG Reel :o
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Stella-STL-18000-Reel/dp/B00BVB8ECI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_24?ie=UTF8&dpID=51UdbWLWt7L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1D40R78S8JKZAJC6NFPR (http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Stella-STL-18000-Reel/dp/B00BVB8ECI/ref=pd_sim_sbs_200_24?ie=UTF8&dpID=51UdbWLWt7L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1D40R78S8JKZAJC6NFPR)
Good Luck on your upgrade hunt, let us know what you decide on...
JOE
Great read Robert. I was gonna meet up with you guys, but the fish were biting and it was hard to leave. Next time you will be better prepared, now that you know what to expect. You will be fish on!
Thanks to all who replied.
It may have been a big Ray but I am sure I felt the tail slaps in the line. You never know for sure till you beach the beast.
Denny uses a Penn Spinfisher 7500, holds 325 yards of 50 lb braid and has 35 lbs of drag. His is three years old and still works like new, plus they'e only around $150 on Ebay. Just my 2 cents ;D
I have found this reel I think may work.
It is a Penn Spin Fisher SSV8500LL
Here is the details.
Model Mono Cap. (yds/lb) Braid Cap. (yds/lb) Bearings Max Drag Gear Ratio Line Retrieve Weight
SSV8500 440/20 • 300/30 • 250/40 650/40 • 540/50 • 470/65 5+1 35 lbs 4.7:1 42(in) 31.6(oz)
Let me know what you all think.
Thanks for the help.
: vdisney June 05, 2016, 12:40:28 p
Denny uses a Penn Spinfisher 7500, holds 325 yards of 50 lb braid and has 35 lbs of drag. His is three years old and still works like new, plus they'e only around $150 on Ebay. Just my 2 cents ;D
Thats what I am looking at only the 8500 LL which has the bait feeder system.
Looks like I am on the right track.
Thanks for the help.
That'll work, good reel
: vdisney June 05, 2016, 02:54:23 p
That'll work, good reel
Thanks for your help.
: shoresurfer June 05, 2016, 02:08:50 p
I have found this reel I think may work.
It is a Penn Spin Fisher SSV8500LL
Here is the details.
Model Mono Cap. (yds/lb) Braid Cap. (yds/lb) Bearings Max Drag Gear Ratio Line Retrieve Weight
SSV8500 440/20 • 300/30 • 250/40 650/40 • 540/50 • 470/65 5+1 35 lbs 4.7:1 42(in) 31.6(oz)
Let me know what you all think.
Thanks for the help.
I think that's your new reel! Great value.It has the drag and line capacity to get the job done. Be sure to get the LL model as that indicates the Baitrunner feature which is, for me, is huge when you want to have the option of letting the fish take some line before you set the hook. Looks like you could put 300 yards of 65lb braid and another 100 -125yrds of 30 or 40 lb mono top shot. It's very doubtful you would have been spooled with that kind of yardage and braking power on your reel.
JOE
: LONGCAST JOE June 05, 2016, 03:48:48 p
: shoresurfer June 05, 2016, 02:08:50 p
I have found this reel I think may work.
It is a Penn Spin Fisher SSV8500LL
Here is the details.
Model Mono Cap. (yds/lb) Braid Cap. (yds/lb) Bearings Max Drag Gear Ratio Line Retrieve Weight
SSV8500 440/20 • 300/30 • 250/40 650/40 • 540/50 • 470/65 5+1 35 lbs 4.7:1 42(in) 31.6(oz)
Let me know what you all think.
Thanks for the help.
I think that's your new reel! Great value.It has the drag and line capacity to get the job done. Be sure to get the LL model as that indicates the Baitrunner feature which is, for me, is huge when you want to have the option of letting the fish take some line before you set the hook. Looks like you could put 300 yards of 65lb braid and another 100 -125yrds of 30 or 40 lb mono top shot. It's very doubtful you would have been spooled with that kind of yardage and braking power on your reel.
JOE
I think I am headed to ebay. :)
Thanks again.