Penn International V or Tuna Stick?

[yaames]

I am putting together 4 setups for trolling and chunking for tuna in the NE. The reels will be TLD 50s and I will be spooling them with 50# mono. After talking to a custom rod builder in the area he suggested a seeker 40-100lb blank for my needs. The only problem is I can get the penn rods for a really good price and they dont offer this class rod. My first question is does the tuna stick and int. V use the same blanks? If they dont which would be closer to a 40-100lb rod? If anyone has any real world experience with either rod I would like to hear your opinions.

Thanks
Buddy

[CaptLeoNYC]

Im not too sure if the blanks are of the same construction, But as a fellow NE Tuna guy I prefer using a 1 peice rod compared to a unibutt rod. Also you want to use TLD50'S which is a great reel but have been known to fail under pressure from Tuna over 100lbs due to their graphite frames and sideplates. The frames just can't take the pressure of a diving giant BFT. Here is a pic of two reels destroyed back to back fighting two BFT in the 150lb range. I would stick with either an AVET/TIAGRA,Penn International or even Alutecnos for an all around awesome reel for these brutes.

[yaames]

WOW What did you have the drag set at? What lb line do you use on 50s? I think you just changed my whole setup. The only thing is most of the tuna in the mudhole area are on the smaller size.

Buddy

[CaptLeoNYC]

lol those are not my personal pics, but the story was told that the guys were fishing on a party boat type of charter. With that you must keep the drags fairly tight to prevent your fish running around the whole boat tangling every angler in your wake. No matter what your drag is set at a giant BFT will pull your ass around where ever he wants, but the boats prefer you not to run the same fish all day killing it with fatigue also. Its not that you can't catch good size BFT on a graphite reel, its just not recommended due to its structural integrity. Now a days you can get away with 30W reels instead of 50W's for standup giant BFT battles.

[CaptLeoNYC]

Also you did say your fishing the mudhole which primarily has smaller fish. I live by this code " Its better to have a gun and not need it, then need a gun and not have it". Meaning its better to be prepared for a big fish just incase there is a few lurking in that smaller sized school ready to desamate your graphite reel.

[yaames]

f-it... international 50s it is. You think the 30s would be fine though?

[Capt. Brian Daley]

f-it... international 50s it is. You think the 30s would be fine though?

Yes go with the 30s But there are some big fish in there

[CaptLeoNYC]

definitly go with a 30w reel. I would rather trust a Tiagra 20 or Alutecnos 12 or 20 loaded up with 80lb braid than a graphite 50w reel of any brand for tuna.

[yaames]

Yes go with the 30s But there are some big fish in there

I must have been looking in the wrong place. Want to hook me up with some numbers capt? I could use all the help I can get.


So you guys say 30s hmmmm... I was leaning towards the 50s for a couple reasons though. The price difference is minimal and I hope to get out on a couple head boats this year. What do you guys think?

Thanks
Buddy

[chumtini]

I use 50Ws for just about everything. If you can afford the 50Ws, then thats the way to go IMO. They won't stop a giant. Personally, I don't target giants. I'd much rather catch lots of the smaller 100+ lbers vs. a couple or no fish a year. If your looking for giants, forget reels with a two digit line rating or reels de plastique LOL

We caught a lot of the small 60" BFTs and the 50VSWs performed flawlessly. There are a lot of nice reels out there. I chose the VSWs simply on price (and I thought they were made in the US). Whether I made the right choice or not, remains to be seen. My VSWs were brand new last season and haven't had the test of time yet.

By the end of the season, the 50Ws were loaded with 80# mono over 130# spectra and drags set at max. That might explain what I'm about to show you.

I have a set of tunasticks originally paired with a set of 30s which were replaced with the new 50s. Now I don't want to bash Penn or anything. The rods could have been overloaded, overworked or poor maintenence. Could be a zillion things. Bottom line, they didn't hold up. Needless to say, I was just waiting a line to rub against a rod and snap or worse.

As for the money, you can have a custom rod built for the same or less $$ with better components IMO. The tunasticks are built with std Aftco hd roller guides. The Penn Vs have ring guides which I personally don't like when there's spectra involved. One tiny nick can do a number on the weaves. I prefer the larger wind-on roller guides. I'm also sold on the short curved butts. But thats a whole different discussion.

Anyways, here's some pics of 3 of the 5 tunasticks. Remember, these are NOT new and have caught more than a few fish.

Remember, this stuff is like asking my favorite color. In the end, all that matters is what you think. You got yourself a "quality problem". These are the problems you WANT to have

Good luck with your decision.

-Steve