Equipment help.

J

JoryWilson

Member
Hello all I’m new on the forum and have gathered tons of information. I have a couple questions and hope to get some good tips.

I will be picking up my first ocean boat next Thursday, depending on a successful sea trial, and am excited to learn to catch fish on My own.

I have collect some islander reels but am unsure what rods to pair them with. Also looking for a couple Hali roads and reel suggestions. Weights length??

Again thanks for the help.
 
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I will probably buy new. As I am too far from the used gear. I have fished lots on charters and know the hook setups and reels I wanted but never paid much attention to the rods.
 
Pacific Anglers your friend. Berry's Bait and tackle in Richmond, Searun in Port Coquitlam, Highwater Tackle in North Van.
 
Since you are going with rather high end reels (Islander) you should match them with reasonably high end mooching/downrigger rods. In my opinion in order of best to very good in the common easy to get rods, that would be; Sage, G.Loomis and Shamano Techniums. I run Sage and G.Loomis myself much of the time. The Fenwicks HMX should be in the group but they had a problem a few years back in that they were becoming known for sometimes exploding under load. Not sure if this was just a bad batch of blanks or what and if that has been resolved and they now should be included in the group. Lots of people like the Techniums and many think they are best for value.

Had a buddy out on my boat, and his Fenwick HMX exploded while playing a feisty 18lb Chinook. All he had left was the rod butt end and reel seat with broken pieces all over the fishing deck and also some bigger rod pieces with the line still running through which I held up for him while he played the fish which we got in essentially without a rod. Posted about that event and others replied that they had the same issue with Fenwick. When this happened my buddy took it back to the store and exchanged the bits of the rod for a new one as Fenwick did have a very good warranty. There is also some view that G.Loomis are not quite as good as they once were but still very good, not sure if they still have the lifetime warranty. No doubt about Sage though but you are looking at about $800 for a rod.
 
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Jory

I personally would buy a couple shimano tekota 300 for halibut reels to pair up with your shimano trevellas.The tekota 300 are bullett proof and many guides use them for tuna as well. Their not a lot of money but stand up to the test of time. Ebay maybe 150-200 us. Throw in some 80 lb suffix or tuff line and bobs your uncle.

Tight lines
Billydoo
 
greenhornet said:
Jory

I personally would buy a couple shimano tekota 300 for halibut reels to pair up with your shimano trevellas.The tekota 300 are bullett proof and many guides use them for tuna as well. Their not a lot of money but stand up to the test of time. Ebay maybe 150-200 us. Throw in some 80 lb suffix or tuff line and bobs your uncle.

Tight lines
Billydoo
Click to expand...
The 300 looks like a pretty small reel? What are you using for test?
 
Fishtofino said:
60-80 lb braid is real thin and you can get lots on the smaller reels. Just use a bit of mono on the spool first
Click to expand...

Also with braid do to it’s thin diameter it has a lot less blow back which is nice.
 
JoryWilson said:
Hello all I’m new on the forum and have gathered tons of information. I have a couple questions and hope to get some good tips.

I will be picking up my first ocean boat next Thursday, depending on a successful sea trial, and am excited to learn to catch fish on My own.

I have collect some islander reels but am unsure what rods to pair them with. Also looking for a couple Hali roads and reel suggestions. Weights length??

Again thanks for the help.
Click to expand...


I’m a Fenwick guy through and through. Run em as walleye rods, pike trolling rods, my salmon rods I run 10’6 HMX medium action, love em.
 
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Hi Jory. If trolling for Salmon most use downriggers; your Islander reels can do this. I'd pair it with the Shimano 10'6" Technium in medium/medium-heavy or similar; works well for me for trolling. I use 20# braid with a 40# mono topshot , so a rod with some give is good.

IMO reels like the Islander are intended to fight a hooked fish with little or no drag; palming the spool while the fish runs & reeling-down tight when you get slack. Put your reeling hand off the handles & back palming the reel as the run will at least head-shake with this much tension. Give the fish a loose drag & let then run/headshake, reel-down tight again when things calm-down. With downriver trolling set the drag just tight enough so that line does not let out.

Depending on where you plan to go fishing, the above trolling set-up catches Halibut real good with fishing within 20 feet ofthe bottom best; Ive caught the majority (except for commercial fishing at 1500 ft) trolling for Salmon close to the bottom - run 1 rod where you expect to get Salmon, run the other deep.


A 2 speed reel is great for bottom fish. Being 68 y/o I just leave the rod in the holder & let the rod pump the fish up. If you are gonna jig, a light weight rod is nice. Once again, it depends on where/how you will fish. At the least, the rod lure/sinker weight capacity must match the weight on lure/sinkers, which depends on on deep you will be fishing. For 300 ft or so, a 6-7' rod, two speed reel with 50# braid is great. Avet makes some nice 2 speeds the are small/light & holds lot's of line. The Shimano TLD 2 speeds are IMO the best, but they are heavy. I like to leave the rod in the holder when fishing like this, so gear weight is not a major issue (at 68 y/o most everything is an issue). Stores that sell Tuna gear are the best place for these rods/reels/line. Or www.charkbait.com
 
What is the purpose of backing and top shots? When I have fished we always run straight mono. Is it cost or something else?
 
ericl said:
Hi Jory. If trolling for Salmon most use downriggers; your Islander reels can do this. I'd pair it with the Shimano 10'6" Technium in medium/medium-heavy or similar; works well for me for trolling. I use 20# braid with a 40# mono topshot , so a rod with some give is good.

IMO reels like the Islander are intended to fight a hooked fish with little or no drag; palming the spool while the fish runs & reeling-down tight when you get slack. Put your reeling hand off the handles & back palming the reel as the run will at least head-shake with this much tension. Give the fish a loose drag & let then run/headshake, reel-down tight again when things calm-down. With downriver trolling set the drag just tight enough so that line does not let out.

Depending on where you plan to go fishing, the above trolling set-up catches Halibut real good with fishing within 20 feet ofthe bottom best; Ive caught the majority (except for commercial fishing at 1500 ft) trolling for Salmon close to the bottom - run 1 rod where you expect to get Salmon, run the other deep.


A 2 speed reel is great for bottom fish. Being 68 y/o I just leave the rod in the holder & let the rod pump the fish up. If you are gonna jig, a light weight rod is nice. Once again, it depends on where/how you will fish. At the least, the rod lure/sinker weight capacity must match the weight on lure/sinkers, which depends on on deep you will be fishing. For 300 ft or so, a 6-7' rod, two speed reel with 50# braid is great. Avet makes some nice 2 speeds the are small/light & holds lot's of line. The Shimano TLD 2 speeds are IMO the best, but they are heavy. I like to leave the rod in the holder when fishing like this, so gear weight is not a major issue (at 68 y/o most everything is an issue). Stores that sell Tuna gear are the best place for these rods/reels/line. Or www.charkbait.com
Click to expand...
Yes I love the islanders. I have fished for many years but never with my own equipment. Lots of things I never really paid attention to with the charters. It’s been a learning experience but so far so good. Just need to hook into some fish.
 
JoryWilson said:
What is the purpose of backing and top shots? When I have fished we always run straight mono. Is it cost or something else?
Click to expand...

The diameter of braid is MUCH smaller than equiv mono - when downrigger fishing you can fish deeper easier. Braid does not stretch, so it is much easier to get a good hook set. Initial expense of braid is more, but it lasts 15 years (unless damaged) making it cheaper in the long run. You mainly need to make sure your mono-to-braid connection does not catch when going thru the guide - ultimate being hollow core braid where the mono is inserted into the braid & attached with a "served connection". Using 40# mono topshot 30-40' long allows you to easily replace the part of line that suffers the most abuse/abrasion, and holds VERY well in the release clip. I am not an Islander fan; have used then a couple of times on charters - drag is difficult to set light & when trolling they creep line. In their defense they were not designed for trolling; probably explains why they are called mooching reels. I am Shimano all-in; moochers/spinners/2 speeds.

As for backing, I was fishing Massett with a guide; he asked be how much line I had. I said at least 500 yards, he said good because 300 is not enough (70 lb fish are the target). Than said, I don't use backing, but some use it to minimize costs. The fewer knots in your rig the better.

Being a learning experience you will ideally be making equipment changes as you gain experience.
 
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