Spectra vs Mono ?????

[Mac Attack]

Hello All, Happy New Year from your Northern Brother. It's time for yearly maintenance both for the "Patron" and my rods and reels. Debating which way to go when it comes to filling my antiquated reels with fresh line. Most of my trips are to Catalina and Santa Barbara Island. What do you guys have on your setups? Go mostly spectra? a combo? Keep the heavier reels with mono? Reels consist mostly of Newells (my buddys give me a hard time but I love the way they fish) I hear Spectra with a topshot of Flourocarbon????


Thanks


Mike
Patron

[NoSlack]

All my reel are 3/4 full of spectra. In the winter I take the top shot off 3 or 4 rigs for cod fishing. Top shots are no longer than 50 yard for the trolling reel and up to 100 yard on the bait sticks.

Mike

[Professor]

All my reel are 3/4 full of spectra. In the winter I take the top shot off 3 or 4 rigs for cod fishing. Top shots are no longer than 50 yard for the trolling reel and up to 100 yard on the bait sticks.

Mike

What he said

[Knot Now]

What he said

I am converting to what he said, execpt top shots to 25 feet.

Phil

[Time Out]

I'm converting to Mike's set up most of my reels have 100 yards of top shot over spectra

What knot is every one using I'm having some trouble with it

Russ

[Freespool]

I'm converting to Mike's set up most of my reels have 100 yards of top shot over spectra

What knot is every one using I'm having some trouble with it

Russ

I run all spectra except for a 100' top shot of mono. For the connection I use a short piece of hollow core spectra and splice the mono and solid core inside of that. It is ultra smooth and you don’t even feel it go threw the guides. I use to use a bimminy to make a loop in the spectra and tie the mono on with a reverse Albright on anything smaller then 80#. That works fine on the small stuff but I just don’t like it on the big stuff. Now that I have got a lot of practice doing the splices they are just as easy as a knot and way smaller.

[Time Out]

I remember we had a seminar at the mission bay marlin club about using hollow spectra to tie to the leader. Do you use the metal rings to clamp the ends of the line or do you just slide it in?
Russ

[Freespool]

I remember we had a seminar at the mission bay marlin club about using hollow spectra to tie to the leader. Do you use the metal rings to clamp the ends of the line or do you just slide it in?
Russ

I just slide it in about 3' and use the tag end of the main line to serve the connection. The only special tool needed is about a four-foot piece of single strand wire. Then I slide the mono in about 5’ and use the tag end of the spectra to serve the connection.

[Mac Attack]

Do you have a favorite Brand name?????

[Freespool]

Do you have a favorite Brand name?????

I like Powerpro (solid or hollow) or Jerry Brown (hollow) and the cheapest I have found it is on-line @ cabbagekey. They are a couple of bucks cheaper then Squid Co + no tax and free shipping.

Keep in mind you only need about 10' of hollow per reel when pricing.

[Mac Attack]

Thanks everyone

Do you prefer hollow or solid??




Mike

[Honeygirl]

Depends on what you fish for! If you have 100 feet of top shot, now all you have is real expensive backing. I'm what you would say New school (I guess) been fishing since I was 8 and never not owned a boat, mono is the way of the past. Are you going to fish the island mostly? I fish 65lb spectra and 55 or 65lb floro, with an 8 foot top shot. I never have a problem getting bit and cuts through kelp. When I fish tuna I Drop my top shot down to 30 or 40lb. I feel it helps make the bait swim more natural. I have dived while my friends are fishing and the floro 100percent disappears. I never use hallow, I don’t like Jerry Brown personal I Think its to slick I tie my own knots if they fail I only have me to blame and Have a shop put it on. It needs to be put on tight or you have back lash hell.

On my trollers I do have a 100 feet of mono because I want the stretch and Zack(FireEscape) will fish mono for butts because of the same reason.

I tie a bimini to worm knot. then a small amout of glue on my knots. Joe

http://www.leadertec.com/tipsandtechniques/fishing_knots/knots_Bimini.html

http://www.blackwaterinternationalinc.com/tech_tips_worm_knot.html

[DOGHOUSE26]

Thanks for the knot link Joe, it's one of the things I can't do for shit! New knots take me days to learn!


1141 PM Joe still working in the lab, I'll send Julio by tomorrow for a few grams of rock, the border has been catching everything lately!

[Honeygirl]

Very special deal for you!!! HAHA Sleep at work lately has been unheard of. For some reason people crash there cars in the rain. JOB SECURITY!!! The knotts are hard till they click then there 2nd nature. Joe

[Freespool]

I have to agree with Joe except I am partial to the JB. When I made my previous statement about the 100’ top shots that was more of a generalization. I use 100’ on most of my trollers. For bottom fishing (rock cod) I use about 50’. For inshore and offshore live bait fishing anywhere from 5’ to 20’. I usually start with 20’ and end up with 5’ after retying. For fishing inshore in the kelp with swim baits the last two years I have been using a kelp cutter rig (straight green spectra) no leader and have had good luck with it.

Also when I am on the boat and need a new top shot fast I still use the bimminy to the reverse Albright or worm knot (same knot). I have had this combo tested and it is a 100% connection. When it comes to knots there are a lot of great ones out there but if the technique is wrong they will fail.

This topic seems to come up often, how do you guys feel about having a class on the subject? Maybe a few other subjects could be covered also.

[Honeygirl]

Whats your guys reason for the longer topshot on the bottom fishing? I dont fish rock fish that often.

As for the Jerry brown It feels flat and slick to me, I cant get my knots to not slide off when I'm tieing them. maybe its just be me. Joe

[Mac Attack]

Stopped by my local tackle shop. Didn't realize the $$$$$ of Spectra. I have over 15 reels that need new string. OUCH!!!! Will more than likely do 2/3rds Spectra and the rest straight mono.


Thanks





Mike

[Professor]

I’ve been using spectra for 15 years now for both fresh and saltwater fishing. I’ve use all the connections mentioned and then some. 80# and up is all hollow core JB. 60# and down is solid of various brands. All of mine is green but that’s just me. The white is scary but is much easier to work with. 80# and up is all splices and loop to loop connection. 60# and below I use a uni to uni connection with an occasional Albright or some variation of an albright. The longest topshot is trolling and that’s about a 100’. At least it’s a 100’ at the start of the season. Flylining baits I start at about 15’ of fluro and retie when it gets to about 5’. Iron I use about 10’ of 50 or 60# mono. Jigs for calicos and rockcod ganions are straight tie to 50# and 80# respectively. Because spectra is hard and doesn’t compress like mono knots it does have a tendency to slip. That’s why I use more wraps and add a drop of superglue or zap a gap to the knot.

[REEL NASTY]

I have heard from a few people that you do not want to use Spectra on the Newels I was told that it gets so tight it will break the grafite spools. Just what I have heard not sure if it's true.

[Knot Now]

Stopped by my local tackle shop. Didn't realize the $$$$$ of Spectra. I have over 15 reels that need new string. OUCH!!!! Will more than likely do 2/3rds Spectra and the rest straight mono.
Thanks

Mike

It will last and last....you will save in the long run
My rock cod spectra is over 10 years old.
much cheaper now than when I got it 10 years ago.