| Author | Message | ||
| Hawlin_bass
Bluegill Username: Hawlin_bass Post Number: 255 Registered: 1-2005  Rating: N/A |
It has been years since i fished the gulf. Friend had invited me and my son to join them for a week long stay at galveston and fishing almost every day. One of the guys has a boat, so weather permitting we'll be going offshore alot. if it is bad, we'll do some jetty fishing. Question for you salties: Would my bass rigs (curado reels) be ok to use in saltwater or should i get some different reels? | ||
| Bigun
Lunker Username: Bigun Post Number: 1453 Registered: 8-2004  Rating: N/A |
Redfishing and trout fishing your equipment is just right. Depending on how far offshore and species targeting you may need some heavier equipment. Quit being a mad, little bald man! | ||
| Picou
Wall Hanger Username: Picou Post Number: 2625 Registered: 8-2004  Rating: N/A |
I use my lighter bass gear for the saltwater trip we go on every year -- medium & medium heavy with curados. I'll typically scale back to 10 or 12 pound test. When are you going to Galveston? I'll be there the last weekend of this month thru the first week of August. We will be down West Beach. Every day I wash my reels by filling up a bucket with water and dunking the reels. I read that a water hose can push salt particles down into the reel so that is why I use the bucket.  Thank you Lord for my family and the waters I get to fish | ||
| Hotrods
Minnow Username: Hotrods Post Number: 55 Registered: 12-2004  Rating: N/A |
Mike, I will be at Surfside Aug 3-6. If your around lets get together | ||
| Picou
Wall Hanger Username: Picou Post Number: 2626 Registered: 8-2004 Rating: N/A |
You will be about 15 minutes from me, we should try and get together... We will be about 5 miles east of San Luis Pass. Thank you Lord for my family and the waters I get to fish | ||
| Charles
Moderator Username: Charles Post Number: 916 Registered: 7-2004 Rating: N/A |
No spooning  | ||
| Dean
Crappie Username: Dean Post Number: 537 Registered: 4-2004  Rating: N/A |
I use currado reels on the bay and the gulf. I have a currado reel strung with 20lb and one strung with 30lb that I use for snapper fishing when the current is slow and I can get away with less weight (1oz or less). I have a small/medium size ?ambassader? reel strrung with 30lb line I use for sight casting to Ling and Dorado. Each reel is on Uglu Stick rods I use for trout and reds and flounder. I used castaway for the bigger fighters but they do not hold up well at all. I like the feel of castaway but I will not buy any more. The eyes do not hold up well at all. The ambassader reel and rod combo cought a 49lb Ling, 47lb Ling and a 27Lb Dorado before the reel started showing it was tired and did not want to work right any more. I have since retired that reel. I like light tackle for offshore fishing when possible. I have heavy gear for stronger currents and deeper water (over 60-80ft).. Sounds like a FTN Get Together on the coast!! I would like to get together and do some bay/jetty/gulf fishing if weather permits! Late July - early august is kinda tough in the bay because the watter is getting pretty warm but the fish are definately there to be had! With all of the rain we have had lately the bay might be messed up too. It needs to quit raining for a few weeks for some of the fresh water to run off. Off shore, the gilf tends to get more calm days at this time of year and Doroado start getting closer in (20+ miles). Also - I have a guide friend who can take up to 4-6 people on his boat. Maybe we can all split the cost and have him take us out? http://reelthreel.com/index.html Or maybe we can get several small boats together and run a "Mosquito Fleet" out there? We shouldn't need to go more that 20 to 40 miles out for a great time! Maybe a FTN Tournament? All In A Days Fun!!!  
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| Hawlin_bass
Bluegill Username: Hawlin_bass Post Number: 256 Registered: 1-2005 Rating: N/A |
Thanks for all the info guys. Mike, my friend is setting all this up. We are set to leave the 23rd of this month and we'll get back on the 29th. They have a house rented "somewhere" downthere right on the water. Sounds like one of the canals. Don't know the exact location. Friends went the end of june and loaded up on el dorado, kings and some snapper. Weather permitting, should be an awesome time. Can't wait to see my 13 yr old hook up to a king! I'll talk to hime tomorrow and see if we'll be close to ya. If so, i'll let you know and we'll get together. | ||
| Picou
Wall Hanger Username: Picou Post Number: 2627 Registered: 8-2004 Rating: N/A |
I hope ya'll do well, we will not arrive at the beach intil the 29th so you will already be on your way back up here when we are coming over the bridge. Ya'll should have a great time and the dorado are fun on medium sized spinning tackle... Thank you Lord for my family and the waters I get to fish | ||
| Atthewall
Bass Username: Atthewall Post Number: 688 Registered: 11-2004  Rating: N/A |
When I fished South Florida during the 80s, the locals there stated, "as long as you have 200 yards of whatever, your good to go" LOL! All I can say is, depending what it is that hits your bait, and the waters you fish, you might or might not be spooled up with enough line. Trout, redfish and flounder inshore, your fine without much worry on bass tackle. But once you put about 10+ft of water under the hull, and work off the beach and move further out, things start to change quickly, Very unpredictable IRT to size and species once you clear the jetty ends. The top feeders will run long and hard but it's the bottom crowd that will test light tackle offshore. Grouper, amberjack and the occassional huge Jack Crevalle will bend the rod like no one's business. Some of those huge jackfish feel 50lbslarger than their 25-40lb weight. Jacks fight sideway, 90 degrees to the pull of the line, and hold that position the entire fight, with unbelievable speed. Very much like tuna and they will literally swim sideways to keep that position and hold leverage. The rod's action really comes into play and a power rod, worming type stick our stouter, is a good start. Stouter line is more for control and muscle around the rigs or up in close during the land. If the boat is manueverable and you work as a team on the chase and pump, you can do it with light tackle but you have to stay right on top of them. They won't spool you going down but they will spool you headed off to South America at speeds that blow your mind. If y'all fish offshore rigs, you have to really think bigger reels. A Penn 4/0 spooled with 30-50lb test to lock and turn them before they hit those pilings is a start. Fishing any live bait down near the rigs means, big sharks abound too. If you hang a big grouper, they will go like mad, back to that rig, and find some place to wedge in tight and not budge or simply wrap the pilings. It all depends on what your going to do. Jetties, bass tackle is perfect but beware the South Jetty end, channel side down deep. That's bullred country and some of those brutes will eat a Curado up before you can raise the boat hook and stay with them. Best to drift, but the jetties require a lot of manuevering to stay in position, especially if the tide and wind are working against you. Many ride the hook working that south jetty tip. King Mackerel hang there as well as the periodic tarpon. Tarpon are on the rebound and the Texas State Record was caught off the Flag Ship Hotel Pier last summer in the surf. For offshore, bottom and live bait rigs, medium action, I will typically fish a Newell 338J, spooled with 500 yards of 30lb test mono. An ABU 7500CT Big Game spooled with 20lb Power Pro (300 yds of backing) with 150 yards of 20lb test mono on top for fill. Upper medium action is a Penn 4/0 wide with 700 yards of 65lb test PowerPro and roughly 250 yards of 60lb mono as top shot. Big action is a Daiwa 600H & 900H both spooled with 65lb test PowerPro. The 900H has 1500 yards of 65lb test PowerPro and it gets rigged up on 130lb class standup rod with a fighting belt. Light tackle, I use Curados and an ABU Record 50. 10lb test line mono. Mono in the salt for me is insurance with stretch and give on big fish or explosive strikes made at speed with bigger fish. Your light tackle rods are typically best with Medium to Heavy with fast action. You want to load up the power quickly with enough spine for those final moments in close during the land. You can cheat and get more line cap on light reels with PowerPro but, a top shot of mono around 100 yards is good insurance with it's added stretch. You can cut off the top shot and respool fresh mono only needing that first 100 yards. Always take a couple of new spools of line for refill. You never know if and when your going to get spooled on light tackle. Eventually you get spooled no matter what. Don't discount a huge spinning reel either. If you get into Mahi Mahi (Dolphin) and toss live baits to them, it's one of the quickest ways to make that presentation, no weight but the bait, and always remember the drag will be twice as strong at half spool and beyond, as it runs off the reel as it was with a full spool of line. I don't jack much with a spinning reels drag and prefer to palm the revolving bail for more pressure if needed as the run gets out past 100+ yards. When I clean my bass reels, I lock the drag down hard and dunk them in water as PQ mentioned. Then I shake them to drain and let them dry with the drag locked. Once they dry, I loosen the drag up all the way and wipe them down adding a few drops of oil on the bearings. When you lock the drag, you press the water out during the dunk inside the drag washers, It keeps any foreign object from getting in there as well. Tips from a Puddle Pirate...the coast has been my playground and at one point, my livelyhood. | ||
| Dean
Crappie Username: Dean Post Number: 539 Registered: 4-2004 Rating: N/A |
Nice Article Rob! When can I tale you out there so you can teach me some tricks of the trade? When we cought the 27lb dorado we did chase it down for about 25-30 minutes the first time and we were up on plane and not realy gaining a whole lot of line back. After the second wind the dorado had we finally boated him 1 hour and 45 min after the hook-up. All In A Days Fun!!!
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| Bigun
Lunker Username: Bigun Post Number: 1454 Registered: 8-2004 Rating: N/A |
You really need to get some ABU 7000's Dean or like Rob said some heavier spinning reels. They are just heavy enough to last and light enough to enjoy the fight for ling, durado's, bullreds, and similiar fish. Quit being a mad, little bald man! | ||
| Dean
Crappie Username: Dean Post Number: 540 Registered: 4-2004 Rating: N/A |
I have 2 of the 7000 and 2 penn 330 and a few other bigger rigs. Small stuff is still fun though. When I cought the 2 ling I saw them before I casted to them. The 49lb Ling took us about 45min to land and we had to get him away from the platform before he went into it. The 47lb ling I cought away from a rig and with a guide. The guide got mad when I threw the trout rod at it but it worked out - it took us about 10 minutes to land it. All In A Days Fun - Right! 49lb Ling  47lb Ling  27lb Dorado - Dan in Red cought it on my trout rod.  All In A Days Fun!!!
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| Bigun
Lunker Username: Bigun Post Number: 1455 Registered: 8-2004 Rating: N/A |
Your set up then. Never mind me! Quit being a mad, little bald man! | ||
| Atthewall
Bass Username: Atthewall Post Number: 690 Registered: 11-2004 Rating: N/A |
His boat jockey saved Dean....Big Easy....probably not drinking LOL! I go medium big offshore just for insurance. You can never tell if the crew have it together or not and you never know offshore, could be the new State Record on the other end? | ||
| Hawlin_bass
Bluegill Username: Hawlin_bass Post Number: 257 Registered: 1-2005 Rating: N/A |
Just got back today. turns out we went to surfside, not galveston. fished 5 days out of 6. two full days and the rest were partials. drove all day to get back home and now i'm working all night. will get pictures and do a writeup next week. To say the least, we had a blast! My son and I had a lot of firsts. He got his first king, couple of different kinds of sharks, red snapper, b-liner, tons of baitfish, played tug of war with a dolphin(flipper). I got my first King 45 lbs! sharks and helped with an amberjack. writeup and pics to come. | ||
| Atthewall
Bass Username: Atthewall Post Number: 699 Registered: 11-2004 Rating: N/A |
Excellent Hawlin Bass! Can't wait to see the action! | ||
| Picou
Wall Hanger Username: Picou Post Number: 2647 Registered: 8-2004 Rating: N/A |
Sounds like a great time was had. I'm fixin to head off shore with Dean here in a little bit. We are going out of Freeport as well. Thank you Lord for my family and the waters I get to fish |
