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Ok, I didn't see a topic or anything pertaining to what I'm going to ask, so I'll just ask it here, and if needbe, mabye someone would direct me to the correct place. I've been fishing for about 2 and a half months now, and I bought a shakespeare synergy 10 rod, closed face reel. I had several fish break my line, so I decided I needed to get some heavier line. I switched to some 30lb. spiderwire stealth high performance braid. It wouldn't cast period, the line just stuck when I hit the quick release button. So i bought a shakespeare alpha open faced reel, in hopes it would fare better. slightly, but not what I had hoped for. It would cast about 10 or 15 feet of line and catch. I put some 20lb. line on there, it did the same thing. I bought some shakespeare 50lb. test line, and it also didnt do well. About the same results ensued. I'm getting pretty pissed, because I need heavier line, but I can't find a reel that will cast it out a decent distance. I don't have a boat, so I have to fish from shore, or a pier, where the only way I'm gonna get even a nibble is if I cast out a long long way. So If someone could help a newb out, in any way, it'd be much appreciated.
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First you don't need heavier line. Common mistake if you never have fished before. You are snapping the line because you are hitting into heavy fish and you have your drag set too high. I say the best line size is to look on your fishing pole it will list the lightest test lb. line and the heaviest test lb. line then put on line that is 2 lb test lighter then the heaviest you can put on. Also make sure your reel is rated for the test line. It should say on the side of reel xx lb. test line xx yards which means it can hold that much line when it is full. Ok now onto why you keep snapping your line you have the drag set to high. Your drag is how tight your line is. the tighter the line the faster you can wind it in but the problem with the drag being set to high is that it is easy for the fish to snap the line. lower the drag to much and the fish will just pull the line out until it is all gone. So you want to set your drag not too high and not too loose. Ok so to set your drag there should be since it is closed face some sort of knob or dial that turns. right tight left loose. Ok so set your drag by turn the knob until starts to loosen where you can pull it out by hand then tighten it very slow so it is very hard to pull it out but you still can pull it out. Now your drag is set where the line won't break. Now to learn to fight the fish yes you really have to fight the fish. OK when you hook into a fish pull up on the pole like you see in the fishing shows. Watch one if you have never seen one to see what I mean or find something on youtube to watch to get the concept. Now pull up until you think your pole is near breaking then let it back down but wind the line in as you let pole back down wind it in fast when you are doing that so there is no slack. Don't be surprised if you don't land them the first few times. It takes practice. You may get him in or you may lose it. the lb test line does not mean it can haul up that large of a fish it means that that much pressure can be taken before it will snap. You can haul up any fish on almost any line as long as you play with the drag correctly and you fight the fish. Post pictures when you get your first fish. If you can't find how to set the drag on your reel call the company and they should be able to help you. Have fun. Oh real quick tieing a hook you should stick the line through the eye hole then wrap it around the hook a few times then stick it back through the eye hole and a loop should show up then you stick the line through the loop and pull tight and that is a good simple tie that only gets tighter when pulled. It won't break where you tie the line.
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thanks a lot for the help. tomorrow i'm gonna go get the correct line, and hopefully catch some fish with my pole. i've caught a catfish and several others with my friend's pole. when working in the mornings id be down at the boat docks where everyone fishes, and id engage in conversation with some guys fishing there, and they all say they've caught catfish, bluegill, etc. I never get any activity, i guess nightcrawlers dont work that great, or im just makin more newb mistakes. wouldn't be surprising. wrong bait, wrong technique, wrong hook sizes, something im sure. this morning a guy i talked to said that there were a whole lot of catfish around the area, so i gotta hook one sooner or later. at the spot i fish, i've caught one fish, a big bluegill
. anyway, thanks alot for your help, and i will be employing the advice soon. hopefully a fish will bit the worm, and i can fight it. when i caight the catfish when my friend's pole, her lil bro grabbed it and did most of the fighting fo me.
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also, will the spiderwire high performance braid lines work if they are the correct size, or should i go ahead and just use the monofilament lines?
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Welcome aboard Simp and thanks for the question. As was mentioned, you probably have the wrong line for the reel that you are using.
If you are on a pier and need more line capacity for a spinning reel, I would suggest getting an Okuma CD90 reel. It will hold plenty of line for the type of fishing that you are doing.
If you are new to fishing, you should use your other reel with 6lb line so that you can fish the Bluegills or as was mentioned, use a little heavier main line with a lighter branch line.[cool]
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thanks, its nice to be able to come somewhere and ask questions in which you'll get actual helpful advice. coming from my friend's arrogant spiteful little brothers, its hard to trust. in fact, they're the ones who told me to get the spiderwire 30 lb line.
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What species are you fishing for the most?? I could suggest some different lb test lines for you and maybe some other combos to add to your collection.[cool]
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mainly cats. ive both read and heard (this morning, actually) that there is an abundance of them in the tennessee river, and when i ask someone how they're doing, they almost always say they got some catfish. so any suggestions will be sweeeeeeeeeet.
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Now that I know where you are fishing, I would bump up to the Okuma CD90, put that 30lb braided line and use a 25lb mono leader at about 10' long.
If you decide to fish lighter stuff then I would just use the other reel that you have or get another set up all together.
I have seen some big cats out of the Tennessee. There are some nice Blues that come out of there from time to time. They can get big.[cool]
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yeah by the dams theres supposed to be some huge cats. being a newbie, i must confess, i havent a clue what a 25 lb mono leader at 10' is...im trying to learn this stuff lol.
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Sorry about that.
What I meant was to tie a 10 foot piece of 25lb test to the end of your braided line. You may want to tie a swivel onto the braided line first and then tie the monofilament line to the other end of the swivel.[cool]
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i already have some 50 lb test, would that work instead of 25? also, does the tying them together not make them weaker? ill have to look for a swivel tomorrow.
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You would never want to add a larger size leader on to a smaller main line.
There are a couple different types of knots that you could use to join braided to mono. It is easier for a newbie to use a swivel. I would still recommend the 25 attatched to your 30lb braided instead of the 50.[cool]
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Welcome to BFT Simp, be sure to go to the cat fish board for some ideas on bait. Questions are always welcomed at BFT.
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ahh, never use a bigger lead than main, got it. and thanks gdn.
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That rule goes for any generel fishing. It changes when you are shark fishing.[cool]
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if your pole and reel can handle it go with 12 lb. test line. trust me it is more than enough to land you a monster cat as long as you set your drag correctly and you fight it. Don't worry about losing the big one. I have gotten catfish around me by fighting with them on 12 lb. also if you set the drag correctly you should have more than a match for anything. you get to fish down south lucky. I heard they get really huge there. Fighting them can be tiring. Course I am getting ones that are dwarfed in comparison to the ones down south. My biggest was 2 and half feet. I missed getting into the top 5 channel catfish in PA this year by 2 inches. Good luck with getting your monster catfish. Be ready for a fight and hang on tight as you can to your fishing pole. Try dragging a minnow on the bottom with a sinker or fishing weight they are same thing. Slowly wind it back in. You should get some hits like that. Just be ready for something that might go for hours if you use 12 lb test line and they get as big down there as I have heard.
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I usually go with the flouroclear 12 lb....it's all about the drag, you have to get the fish tired before you try reeling in all the way. Screw around with your drag until you feel you can let a fish run, while not taking all your line and not snapping it
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the only cat i ever caught i caught with cutbait, about 30 seconds after i cast out i got a hit. if i could catch some little fish, i'd use em for cutbait. i dont know if i have a minnow or not lol. i just cut em and cast em. if i knew exactly where to get minnows, i'd go to that spot more often. but i don't know of too many places yet where i can go fishing. right now its pretty much my local pier. but people catch catfish there all the time. if i had a boat i'd be better off, but i dont have one. the whole drag issue is one ill definitely work on, cuz i want to catch some fish when i go out by myself to fish. just out of the blue, any special baits you guys know of? i use nightcrawlers to try and get the little fish, but they never bite the hook, just nibble the worm off.
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and i hope good luck from another fisherman is better than a bystander's lol. dude keep catching cats like that you're bound to get in the top 5. my friend's lil brother said he's heard of catfish as big as buses down by wheeler and wilson dam...not sure if i actually believe that, but there is a hell of a lot of food for em down there he said.
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