Tiagra 80W

[BLenger]

Guys,

I am wanting to set up a Tiagra 80W for tolling Tuna and Marlin and wondering what to spool the reel with? I was thinking 130ld Momoi hollow core with either 130ld or 200 mono. Any suggestions welcome.

I will fish mainly in Okinawa Japan and eventually Australia when I head back from HK.

How much line capacity can I get with either 130lb momoi hollow core?

I will be using a short stand up rod, bent butt.

Thanks
Branko

[ifish42na]

Consider 200lb Momoi hollow braid; 800 yards plus 150 yards 200lb mono topshot.

[kapnd]

Depends...
How strong are you, and how big a fish do you intend to fight?
Spool up some 200# line, get into your harness, and tie the end off to your neighbors car just before he leaves for work and try to stop him! Its good practice for catching big marlin and tuna.
Try to achieve some kind of balance in your tackle, IMO it will be much easier to use if the line, reel and rod carry similar ratings.
I doubt that you will ever begin to use the capabilities of a 200# mainline, so I would trade off for more capacity.
I never spool an 80 for trolling use with more than 100#line, and have not had problems with line breakage or not being able to put sufficient pressure on the fish.
If you are trolling for serious big game on a charter boat, the Capt probably wont allow your rig in the spread anyway, he wont risk loosing a trophy on an unknown quantity. (your rig)
If you are fishing party boats with your own gear, you must, to some extent, maintain a status quo with your neighbors, or risk cutting them off their fish, which are just as important to them as yours is to you.
There's lots of variables, and I would be hard pressed to choose just one rig that would be flexible enough to cover a variety of situations, so keep an open mind...and wallet!
Good luck, Don

[BLenger]

Don,

Thanks for the advise, I just came out of hospital and missed the fishing season after being dragged by my neighbors SUV when I got spooled.... Kidding, I have been a bit slack in reading the forum and just read your reply.

After my post I purchased a Shimano 80W from Fisherman’s Outfitter and had them load it with 150lb Powerpro and 200yds top shot.
I am based in Hong Kong and mainly fish in Okinawa Japan, Jigging for Tuna and started trolling being fairly new to the trolling world.
I started rigging my own lures with good success on hitting a few Marlin but not good enough to land one yet. Landed some nice Tuna, Wahoo and Dorado.

I have been told I should change the top shot and run a shorter leader no more than 10meters from the braid to lure to increase chance of hookup. I’m a bit skeptical however would prefer to have more capacity so may load my second 80W with majority of braid and regulation leader.

Do you have any idea how much capacity of 100 or 130 Braid would fit on the reel, I suspect will also need to run some backing, any suggestions of what to use for backing?

Also some advice on which braid to use would be welcome although I'm happy with the performance or powerpro but not the price. This time around I would not use hollow core and just run a windon from the braid.

Apart from splicing is there any other advantage of hollowcore?

Regards
Branko

[Wasabi]

Wow. I really miss Okinawa. What a great place. Can't believe there are tuna in the area. Would think it would be scowered. Maybe they are just eating everybody elses tuna.

Seriously, I think you got it right the first time. I do my big reels pretty much like you describe. I use Jerry Brown and feel like it's superior but that's not critical.

I would definitely leave the 200 feet of mono on there as a topshot. It allows a bit of a shock absorber which helps to minimize pulling hooks.

I really like the high vis line for the braid. Probably just my old eyes but it sure makes it easier to see my lines. People who don't like it think it's off putting for the fish but heck you're trolling with the mono in the water, not the braid.

If I only had one reel, I'd load it with Jerry Brown Indicator line so that I could also use it for some deep dropping. I just got some of that stuff and it's really cool. It's less hassle than a line counter and more accurate in my opinion.

Good luck.

Did I mention I'd love to go back to Okinawa. Hong Kong is fun but not Okinawa !

Cheers from Mexico !

Richard

[Patudo]

130 braid is something like the same diameter as 50 lb mono - a Tiagra 80W would hold something like 1200 yards of it! I'd probably go with the same 150 lb class braid and the same mono topshot.

What type of boat are you fishing from? and what rods are you matching your 80W reels with?

[kapnd]

Branco,
Those Okinawan SUV's can be incredibly hard to stop, I think you should upgrade to 130# class tackle, and maybe mount a regulation fighting chair in the driveway!
I fish in Hawaii where every trip has potential for a giant fish, and have learned to never tie the end of the line tightly to the spool. When that much line goes out, you need to minimize your losses, and avoid hospital time!

[BLenger]

Wow. I really miss Okinawa. What a great place. Can't believe there are tuna in the area. Would think it would be scowered. Maybe they are just eating everybody elses tuna.

Seriously, I think you got it right the first time. I do my big reels pretty much like you describe. I use Jerry Brown and feel like it's superior but that's not critical.

I would definitely leave the 200 feet of mono on there as a topshot. It allows a bit of a shock absorber which helps to minimize pulling hooks.

I really like the high vis line for the braid. Probably just my old eyes but it sure makes it easier to see my lines. People who don't like it think it's off putting for the fish but heck you're trolling with the mono in the water, not the braid.

If I only had one reel, I'd load it with Jerry Brown Indicator line so that I could also use it for some deep dropping. I just got some of that stuff and it's really cool. It's less hassle than a line counter and more accurate in my opinion.

Good luck.

Did I mention I'd love to go back to Okinawa. Hong Kong is fun but not Okinawa !

Cheers from Mexico !

Richard

Richard,

Thanks for the info, I have attached some pictures of the boat and few fish we caught Jigging and Trolling. We mainly jig for Tuna and troll for Marlin. I manage to get there 3 to 4 times a year. I make my way to Mexico for work and maily stay in El Paso so sould consider dropping a line there.

Regards
Branko

[BLenger]

130 braid is something like the same diameter as 50 lb mono - a Tiagra 80W would hold something like 1200 yards of it! I'd probably go with the same 150 lb class braid and the same mono topshot.

What type of boat are you fishing from? and what rods are you matching your 80W reels with?

I have attached some pictures of the boat in the forum album under Branko, I use ATC rods for Jigging and also Trolling. Few months ago I purchased a nice stand up tuna lifter rod from fishermans outfitter.

[BLenger]

Branco,
Those Okinawan SUV's can be incredibly hard to stop, I think you should upgrade to 130# class tackle, and maybe mount a regulation fighting chair in the driveway!
I fish in Hawaii where every trip has potential for a giant fish, and have learned to never tie the end of the line tightly to the spool. When that much line goes out, you need to minimize your losses, and avoid hospital time!

Thanks, I think will stick to 80W and take small steps before I upgrade.