Overloading 50VSWs

[backman]

dacron is a waste - my old 80 over 80 setup was 100 yards mono over 500 yards dacron and I did it to keep a fresh topshot, not for additional line wear. The blue I broke off was 500 yards out and I paniced as the spool got thin and went to full. I'm guessing I had 34+# drag at the reel and over 50# due to line drag from the blue cutting the water out in the boondocks. The break was due to line fray, possibly bill related, possibly due to older fray and wear, in the doubled up bimini. If I had the additional 200 yards braid would have given me I possibly could have got the fish under control w/.out going to full and losing it.

Steve - FWIW - I have seen a 50 w/ straight 80 mono spooled twice; both times when canyon chunking and a sea monster; likely one of those eastern canyon 3-400 early season giants ate a deep bait and kept on going and going and going. I have never seen a 50 w/ braid spooled on Y2K+ small giants.

On the other hands when I have fished on OPB where real giants and $$$ was the target; its been 80's or 130's every time.

I'm comfortable w. the fact that if one of the few 600 pounders left jumps on one of my 50's I'm getting spooled; but I'm also confident that with a 3-400 pound fish that I can 1) run it down before 700 yards vaporizes and 2) put 35# drag on it with a regular 50 and have a chance at the end game.

Of course once you have cut up a 380# bluefin and had the fun of giving away about 200# of meat you'll vow like me to release the next one that comes along. You could have skated on my deck from all the melted in tuna fat for 2 weeks after that experience. Crab's in Falmouth Harbor ate all winter off the rack

[Fighting Irish45]

dacron is a waste - my old 80 over 80 setup was 100 yards mono over 500 yards dacron and I did it to keep a fresh topshot, not for additional line wear. The blue I broke off was 500 yards out and I paniced as the spool got thin and went to full. I'm guessing I had 34+# drag at the reel and over 50# due to line drag from the blue cutting the water out in the boondocks. The break was due to line fray, possibly bill related, possibly due to older fray and wear, in the doubled up bimini. If I had the additional 200 yards braid would have given me I possibly could have got the fish under control w/.out going to full and losing it.

Steve - FWIW - I have seen a 50 w/ straight 80 mono spooled twice; both times when canyon chunking and a sea monster; likely one of those eastern canyon 3-400 early season giants ate a deep bait and kept on going and going and going. I have never seen a 50 w/ braid spooled on Y2K+ small giants.

On the other hands when I have fished on OPB where real giants and $$$ was the target; its been 80's or 130's every time.

I'm comfortable w. the fact that if one of the few 600 pounders left jumps on one of my 50's I'm getting spooled; but I'm also confident that with a 3-400 pound fish that I can 1) run it down before 700 yards vaporizes and 2) put 35# drag on it with a regular 50 and have a chance at the end game.

Of course once you have cut up a 380# bluefin and had the fun of giving away about 200# of meat you'll vow like me to release the next one that comes along. You could have skated on my deck from all the melted in tuna fat for 2 weeks after that experience. Crab's in Falmouth Harbor ate all winter off the rack

Yeah we lost our blue as well. I asked one of the charter members to start clearing lines and the line came in contact with the blue line (the dacron part of my line) and with all the tension it broke with about 500 yds of line out. After that i was not a true believer in Dacron.

Plus my main objective to putting braid on my reel was a) add more line on my reel; the 80lbs dacron was thicker in diameter then the mono (since I ordered it from a mag it was hard to tell) b) refrain from respooling my 4 international 50's after every season. After that I don't think i accomplished either of my goals.

What knot did you use to connect your mono to braid?

I got a lot of criticism for using the braid, what was your main objective for using braid & mono?

[chumtini]

I'm comfortable w. the fact that if one of the few 600 pounders left jumps on one of my 50's I'm getting spooled; but I'm also confident that with a 3-400 pound fish that I can 1) run it down before 700 yards vaporizes and 2) put 35# drag on it with a regular 50 and have a chance at the end game.

I'm comfortable with that Sounds like the consensus is stay with the standard drags.

Irish, I loaded 350 yds 80# JB hollow core spectra to 350 yds 80# mono. It's thin enough to let me load 700 80# onto a 50W I used a standard topshot connection - 5' of mono spliced inside the HC, served with kevlar thread. Then, the knotless loop-to-loop connection.

Funny you mention the double bimini. Not sure I trust the offshore swivel knot.

[backman]

The objectives of braid are 3 fold.

1. allow a "safe" 25# drag in the 25-33% of line strength range
2. go from ~500 yards of straight 80 to ~ 700 yards of mono over braid
3. Make it both easy and cheap to change out a 50 yard top shot 1-3 times per season based on wear.

I carry a spare spool of 80# topshot on board and while I too serve the mono into braid under normal circumstances I will and have successfully quickly doubled up the braid with a spider hitch and then done a 12-15 turn albright with a lock from the doubled up braid to the new top shot.

This allows you to reload a rod on the water if you lose or fray line.

[Fighting Irish45]

Irish, I loaded 350 yds 80# JB hollow core spectra to 350 yds 80# mono. It's thin enough to let me load 700 80# onto a 50W I used a standard topshot connection - 5' of mono spliced inside the HC, served with kevlar thread. Then, the knotless loop-to-loop connection.

Funny you mention the double bimini. Not sure I trust the offshore swivel knot.

Thanks guys I used the Biminni to bimini and Im not sure if I like it. What don't you like about the offshore swivel?? I had a tuff time figuring out how much dacron and mono I had on each reel. I bought 3000yds of each and didn't know the best way to make sure they were equally applied. Any suggestions???

[chumtini]

I picked up one of these after busting a buddy for using one

http://www.rapala.com/products/acces...ry=Tool+Series

Slicker than snot.

As for the offshore knot, I was bored waiting for all this weather to pass and did a little testing. This is new 80# momoi to a 20 turn bimini to a cats paw (aka offshore knot). I stretched the line to 70#s. It held up, but you can see where things are about to go wrong.

In the 1st pic, you can see one side of the double is longer than the other. This is because the bimini starts to slip as the double line stretches as seen in the 2nd pic. I think what happens is the cats paw slips and cinches down on one side, then boink. Or, I just suck at tying knots

Remember, this is brand new line, just off the spool. Not line that's been soaking in water while pulling tuna bars for hours.

[Fighting Irish45]

That knot looks good to me. I use biminis on all my rigs to maybe i should just stick to a plain on palomer

[chumtini]

I'll take a pic of the other end. You'll see that the load is now on a single strand of the double line and what's happening at the cats paw. Interesting stuff LOL ...when the weather blows and you can't get out

I'm going to try a dab of super glue on the bimini. A double bimini would solve it too. A shorter loop might also minimize the stretching. Or, use a different knot to the swivel, up against the bimini and eliminate the chance of the bim slipping

idle hands....

[Fighting Irish45]

I'll take a pic of the other end. You'll see that the load is now on a single strand of the double line and what's happening at the cats paw. ...

My comment on the knot looking good was regarding the actual biminni. I can definitely tell the loop with the Offshore swivel knot has slipped. When you tightened the Offshore swivel was the loop equal in length on both sides or did it just slip with pressure?