Sniper in the deep?

[REEL PLEASURE]

You've had a great morning with the Sniper producing several slobs and the box is filing up. The crew wants to go to the deep looking for whitey or a blue one.

What do you do with Old Salty as you move across the 100 fathom line? Keep it out? It's a great teaser and will produce in the deep just as well as it does in 20 to 50 fathoms over structure. Pull it in. Counterproductive when the goal is billfish.

What's your experience with the Sniper in the deep?

Reel Pleasure

[WAHOONBOX]

YOU SAID: "GOAL IS BILLFISH"

9 TIMES OUT OF 9 TIMES....I PULL THE SNIPER UP WHEN I APPROACH 68-70 FATHOMS ........THE SNIPER SETUP SYSTEM WITH AN OLD SALTY 16 OR 24 IS NO MATCH FOR A BILLFISH BECAUSE OF THE DRAG REQUIRED TO SLOW DOWN SPOOL CREEP.........NOT TO MENTION TERMINAL GEAR WILL 'BE IN THE WAY" ALMOST IMMEDIATELY IF WE GET A BILLFISH ON.

WAHOOS GENERALLY ARE A SHALLOW DWELLING FISH ANYWAY....

TUNAS AND MAHIS ARE ALSO IN THE DEEP AND WILL HIT THE PLANER BAIT IN A NANNA SECOND....BUT YOU DID SAY ..."OUR GOAL IS BILLFISH"

TAKE IT UP DUDE....YOU CAN PLACE THE SNIPER'S RIGGED BAIT INTO A BUCKET WHILE AWAITING YOUR RETURN BACK TO DA SHALLOWS.

[tunatamer4]

I'm with Marty on this one. Target Bills if that's the quarry. Although the planer will not spook them, it can be a PITA at hook-up time.

A couple of weeks ago we had a double of 450-500# girls come to play. One took the left long and the other inhaled the center.(What a sight to see two animals such as these grayhounding to the horizon)

The planer was down and was fouled with some grass and would not trip. Luckily it was only down about 50 feet,but having to slow the boat enough for someone to crank it in gave one of the girls enough opportunity to throw the steel.Not to say she wouldn't have anyway, but we were concentrating on getting the planer up instead of focusing on the fish.

We managed to bill the other and send her back on her way with a toothache and hurt feelings.

PUT IT UP>

[WAHOONBOX]

HEY TUNATAMER, I MISSED HEARING ABOUT THAT DOUBLE HEADER REPORT! BRING IT ON HERE DUDE!

[nautiduck]

Still learning my lures and baits could one of you put up a picture of a "Sniper"? Actually is there a thread somewhere on this the most holy of sites that shows the different rigs lures and baits. I know alot of them are spread all over but maybe we could start one with pics and descriptions.

[REEL PLEASURE]

Box

Thanks for the reply.

The sniper rod/tiagra 80 has been a great addition and really kept meat in the boat last year, just as your vids and posts promised.

While I knew better than to use the sniper system as a direct line to the bait while bluefin fishing, I was too stupid to think about the consequenses of a blue one jumping on the old salty bait or wrapped around it while trying to clear the 150 feet of line!!

As was said, best to keep the spread for the bills and accept the occasional mahi/tuna that jumps on a surface bait.

I can't tell you how much I have learned and laughed while "lurking" in your world. Thanks again for all that you share

REEL PLEASURE

[Gut Wrench]

we generally always leave the planer down,we have caught a sailfish or 2 while it was down and it did not get in the way....now with that said we have never hooked a blue yet..

we do try to clear the planer if at all possible and usually i am the one doing that(thank god for auto pilots)...

[austin ensor]

lots of drag= missed bills never got a bill on the deep planer.

[tunatamer4]

Box-

It was during the Wrightsville Beach/Bluewater Spring Challenge. We had "two" anglers aboard, myself and another mate, and the skipper.

A pretty uneventful day as far the meat was concerned, a few gaffer mahi and a couple of hoos.

At 12:30 the left long pops while I was making a sammich and the rod doubles and reel screams.One of the anglers yelled "BIG F-IN HOO" At that point the ocean opens up and the bridge rod starts a howling. A DOUBLE! We never saw the fish, just a lot of whitewater.

I started over to clear the planer and the thing wouldn't trip. That's when they showed themselves. As if it were syncronized, Two Big Girls come up, 30 feet apart, making their way away from us leaving a path of foam and the planer won't trip. Slow the boat to a crawl to crank in the planer.

While the lines got cleared, one came unbuttoned and the other settled in for the fight. One of the anglers made his way to the tower to film and get pics while the other held on to the rod crying "This thing is going to pull me the F_ _ _ over!"

Knowing he was sick we told him if he didn't think he could stick it out, there was NO SHAME in giving the rod up. He QUICKLY said "Take it."

Now the dilemma. Only myself and Jeff in the pit, who will it be? Jeff gave me the nod and I jumped in the chair. The yellow boat starts blacksmokin and I start acrankin. She never showed herself again untill Jeff got the leader. Within 26 minutes of the hook-up we were sliding her beautiful head away from the hull to fight another day.

It was a special day for four reasons.
1- It was the first blue one I've ever reeled in.
2- It was the first Jeff and I have gotten together (we've been trying to get one for ten years together)
3- It was the first one caught on NURSES STATION.
4- She made our day and gets to fight another time.

[Lowcountryboy]

Not really sure about Blues, but we have caught Whites and Sails on the meat plow. I have caught too many Wahoo and Tuna with the sniper rig off of deep weed lines to want to pull it in. But then again we are fun fishing in a small (31') boat, so really we are trying to maximize our meat tally, stick fish are just an added bonus.

Speaking of the planer rig, Box what happend with Old Salty's new planer you mentioned a while back? You said it should be called the Fluro Blade. Do you know when it is coming out? What's the scoop?