Swordin 101!

[Hannaman]

We do get a few Down the Hatch mostly on those bigger fish that just eat and keep swimming like they don't know there hooked. We do keep drags tight (8lbs ?) on dead baits and loosen up on the Livies. A couple of benefits to using 20-25 pounds of drag at strike is 1) when a fish can roll it off at strike you KNOW you have a solid fish on. A fish at 120 pounds won't move it much. 2) When you do get that fish over 200 pounds plus... you have the heat to stop him from reaching bottom or spooling you. A couple of times we had a fish run non stop from the get-go and we barely stopped him in full drag with not much line left. Fishing light drags keeps you guessing to much on what you got on your lines. A 50 pound fish will tear 10 pounds off like a big fish would. We do get plenty of small fish also but when they get to the boat they are some green mothas.
I also don't fish with crew much...I like being the one man show with my clients.

[flatbottom]

Somewhere some how swording 101 was side tracked to let me piss on your roses. Dude walk a little straighter with your nose pointed higher and maybe you would of missed the other hundreds and hundreds of threads here too. Deep C again I am ready for the classic posts you type.Watch and learn dude this Deep C guy got your attention with his writing savvy but you didn't grasp the lesson. Its all in how you type it not criticize it.

[Deep C]

Now I'm not going to say you are wrong in ny way. I've taken swords to around 300 on the light drag and have noticed no apreciable difference in them than the ones on the heavy. I often hold the theory that fish find a different gear box when the drag is heavy.
A perfect example would be a slob blue we hooked a few years back in the MA500. The fish was working pretty hard on a 130 set at 17lbs for the bite. When my angler threw it up to 32 the fish bolted into a mad dash. I had the boat flipped around and running at it with half of the spool out. The angler was a hard head and I knew his next move before he made it. He pushed the drag all the way into the kitchen where 65lbs would have been even with a full spool. To my surprise the fish really hit the afterburners and proceeded to run it to the knot with me chasing hinm at near twenty. So drag did nothing to slow and everything to get that fish's adrenaline pumping harder... I had the same thing with another blue and a sword on an 80w...
Just a theory based on some observation. Not set in stone... Again. We get few pulled hooks... Have never come close to being spooled. Had them run down 2/3 or 3/4 but not to the bare metal since I lightened up...

[Hannaman]

Now I like that story on the ma500. I have never been on big Blue and i'm still waiting. Now with lighter drag you might not of scared him like that but what happens when he sees the boat? How many non-stop runs is he going to make and how much longer will they fight? Most of my larger Swords are coming up close to dead, I can see when your Blue marlin fishin you don't want that.
I'm fairly active on the Sword grounds usually 2-3 times a week consistantly, I can tell you are just waiting for your turn on the big boys. But you do have to get out alot. Whenever your going out give me a shout and I'll let you know where they were biting last. Our winter is basically over and I can tell you that if your on the Tinkers, put one on every hook because thats basically all their eating. I cut up a fat 200 lb fish early in the season and his belly was full of dozens of them. That was my clue. As summer approaches its back to squid and Runners. When I get a chance I'll post some rigging.

[Trudge]

Cary,

How often do you check your baits?
Do you ever run a night trip and then run a day trip the next day?

Signed
Your charter three weeks ago.

[Hannaman]

Im sorry Trudge if your trip didn't measure up how you wanted it. Not everybody can have that perfect trip. BTW you guys costed me $2,600.00 to replace my lower unit that had line caught up in it when you guys were trying to catch bait. I did go out the next morning only to have my lower unit blow up and mercury wouldn't cover it because of the fishing line.

[Trudge]

Sorry but that was not us...."I probably am having a bad week since I just lost my starbord lower unit as I made it out to the Sword grounds a few nights ago and 2 weeks before that I lost the other one"

We were out three weeks ago and none of the lines we were trying to catch bait on lost any line or tackle.

If you want to thru this on line let me know. If not my email is listed

We did have a good time Sunday night when we got out even thuogh we did not get any fish.

[Squidnation]

. BTW you guys costed me $2,600.00 to replace my lower unit that had line caught up in it when you guys were trying to catch bait. I did go out the next morning only to have my lower unit blow up and mercury wouldn't cover it because of the fishing line.

What are you using to catch bait? Nylon Rope? How can you blow a lower unit with a bait rig? If you did catch some line why wouldn't you have cleared it right away? Not bashing I am just intriqued as to how a professional can blame a charter for a mechanical error that should have been corrected by the Capt or mate on the spot.

[WAHOONBOX]

Im sorry Trudge if your trip didn't measure up how you wanted it. Not everybody can have that perfect trip. BTW you guys costed me $2,600.00 to replace my lower unit that had line caught up in it when you guys were trying to catch bait. I did go out the next morning only to have my lower unit blow up and mercury wouldn't cover it because of the fishing line.

FOR THE LIFE OF ME......I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS THREAD IS TREATED WITH SUCH CARNAGE

I ASKED DEEP TO MAKE THIS THREAD FOR SFC....SO....... IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING INSTRUMENTAL TO ADD...THEN SOBEIT

NOW YOU GO PLACE BLAME A SPECIFIC BLAME FOR CAUSING YOU TO RUN OVER SOMEONES LINES? ......I'VE CUT MORE MONO OFF MY SHAFTS ,STRUTS,AND PROPS THAN THE CALCUTTA SEAGUAR FACTORY HAS IN THEIR OUTSIDE DUMPSTERS....TAKE YOU COMPLAINTS TO A LAND LINE DUDE!

AND I ALSO THINK THAT WHEN A CHARTER BOAT CAPTAIN STARTS A THREAD ON SPORTFISHERMEN.COM SUCH AS DEEP HAS.....THAT IT IS RUDE FOR ANOTHER CHARTER CAPTAIN TO HORN IN AND ATTEMPT TO STEAL THE SHOW .....NOW ADDING COMMENTARY AND USEFUL REPLYS IS GREAT ......BUT TO EXPLODE A FIVE STAR THREAD INTO A.... "WHO DONE IT-WHO'S TO BLAME?" IS UNPROFESSIONAL AND UNCALLED FOR

I TRIED AND QUICKLY WALKED AWAY FROM THIS CRAP WHEN IT FIRST STARTED ........SORRY AGAIN DEEP.....I JUST COULDN'T HELP MYSELF HERE

[budddavid]

Ark,
Monofilament can easly destroy a seal on a lower unit leading to loss of lower unit lube, then to total failure. It can destroy a cutless bearing on an inboard just as well by restricting waterflow which cooks the bearing.

Like you said however, this is why experienced boaters immediately inspect and remove line of any type fouled around a shaft or lower unit. If say a charter captain is paying enough attention to know that a certain crew lost a rig to his outboard, one would expect he was aware of the potential problem and would inspect immediatly, or at least before the the next day's charter.

Hannaman, I am sorry that you Blew a Seal, I am especially sorry that we had to hear about it.