bear with me on this...

ok so about 3 days ago we revisited an old spot. with in five minutes i hooked into a 3ft+ bluefish. easily the biggest thing i landed this year (sad huh?) any between the blues energy and the currents it turned into one hell of a fight. shortly after i hooked into another.. this time it felt slightly bigger.. in both case line was screaming out at a terrifying pace. so i tightened my drag to with in maybe 5-10 clicks of being all the way.. now since then i have hooked into 3 nice fish. the first two.. slightly over powered by the drag. but still took about 10 yards at a time line. both pulled so hard and had so much force against them that they ripped the hook out during runs. so ok.. maybe i over did it.. but then the third fish.. last night. on its first run with almost full drag nearly spooled me. after four minutes of my spool screaming i started freaking out. nothing i could do but hold on and watch it go. got all the way down to the mono and i started thinking "i hafta stop this some how". but the spool was spinning so fast i was afraid id get hurt. (already cut myself on the first one) either by massive friction burn, or the edged of the holes catching my fingers and cutting em up. also i was certain if i stopped it, it would have snapped the lne. so i just sat back and prayed it would turn.. however 5mins into this run still going full speed... it too ripped the hook out. my friend lost 3 fish this was also.

so two questions.. how should i have attempted to halter that run?
and with this problem of hooks being torn out, should i upgrade to the thick live bait hooks? would that make a difference? i am all ready using 9/0 circles and switched to 9/0 bait holders. both got torn out.

kinda nice problem to have huh? it just really frustrating having nice fish on and not being to land em.

Sounds like your undergunned. What kind of gear?

I dont think bigger hooks are going to fix that problem, try to beef up your set-up.

got a ten ft ugly stick and an okuma epixor with about 325yrds of 50lb power pro on 50 yrds of 30lb mono backing. its not the greatest set up.. but its gotten the job done all year. till now. i cant imagine having to upgrade to a big reel and line combo. since guys can get 50 #ers in on less. im not out gunned.. i'm out matched. never dealt with anything that powerfull before. wish i knew what it was. it has me toiling with the idea that the last one was a small football. they have been known to be in that area.

also.. the probelm isnt the fight.. the problem is they are ripping the hooks out on themselves.. if i upgrade.. wont that just put more pressure on the hooked area and have em rip it out anyway? maybe try trebles or something..

also.. the probelm isnt the fight.. the problem is they are ripping the hooks out on themselves.. if i upgrade.. wont that just put more pressure on the hooked area and have em rip it out anyway? maybe try trebles or something..

AHA.. you are experiencing the #1 problem i have with braid- braid has zero flex, so if the fish is thrashing around, the hook will rip out- If i can, i LOOOSEN my drag when this is a problem- Also, i dont know how large your guides are, but use the longest leader you feel comfortable with- I like 15 feet of mono- obviously you cant use a swivel to connect the leader to the main line, so use an Alberto knot or a double albrite. If your guide rings are small, the knot will rattle out of the guides, so as you cast, try to keep an eye on the knot after a few casts and see if its holding up well- sometimes the knot will frey.

AHA.. you are experiencing the #1 problem i have with braid- braid has zero flex, so if the fish is thrashing around, the hook will rip out- If i can, i LOOOSEN my drag when this is a problem- Also, i dont know how large your guides are, but use the longest leader you feel comfortable with- I like 15 feet of mono- obviously you cant use a swivel to connect the leader to the main line, so use an Alberto knot or a double albrite. If your guide rings are small, the knot will rattle out of the guides, so as you cast, try to keep an eye on the knot after a few casts and see if its holding up well- sometimes the knot will frey.

yeah unfortunately mono is very risky here too.. lots of big blues.. had to put wire on. the only one i managed to land i hada 45lb mono leader on. but it got chewed up pretty bad. almost always have a mono leader on too. but these blues in that area are no joke. actually worth catching. so i'm damned if i do and damned if i dont.. i suppose i could attach a small wire leader to a mono leader.. but i still cant losen the drag to much or i guarantee i will end up getting spooled.. any ideas on what i should use for this mono to wire leader? im thinking 45 mono since the wire is typically 45.. i dunno if i trust much less than that with the current not exactly working for me depending on which way the fish goes.

if your using braid to wire you have zero flex- this is like driving a car with no shocks-

I'd go from your 50 lb power pro to 60 lb mono with an Alberto knot- use 15 feet and then tie a break away clip on- from there you can clip on your steel leader.

If you can casta conventional reel, this leader set up is very friendly- but on spinning just remember the thing about the knots and guides.... you'll hear it clacking through em.

Just target the little ones and you should have no more problems.

thanks nebe. i'm always hesitant to use such long leaders as i dont fully feel comfortable with my knot tying on those. but i gotta do what i gotta do. i will try it out tonight if i can get out. tell ya how it works out. i honestly miss using mono line. but i really dont want any larger of a reel plus the added distance i get it too much to ignore. either way.. if these runs keep up... i'm gonna hafta to have my reel serviced in a week. :fishslap: thinking about bringing some ice water with me to dump on the reel lol. i cringed the last 2 or 3 thinking of the drag burning out. good problem to have i suppose. much better than the lame fights i had earlier in the year. plus making everyones head turn in wonder is fun. you should see some of the eyes popping out of heads. ofcourse then reeling in an empty hook is fairly shameful.

I don't know what you are using for bait
but are you using Mustad 94150 hooks?
reason I ask is if you use a hook like that with a big barb, maybe they will stay on longer.
also you could try using just enough braid for your cast, and more mono for backing so the long runs the fish make have to go against the mono which has more stretch.

wish I could hook fish like that

I hope you have better luck landing them

...so i just sat back and prayed it would turn.. ...


From what I read, your mistake isn't your tackle....it's your technique ...you can't "sit back and pray" it turns..., ,, YOU have to turn it, ...and if the drag was screaming continuously for over 350 yards....you had a boat :wavey:.....even turning a fish sideways helps. In some of the areas that I fish...I have to almost "Pin-Ball" the fish in. There are so many boulders...if I "sit back"...he's gonna crotchet me a quilt. You have to know where your line is...and how to angle your rod in order to leverage him in the direction you'd like him to go in. Even "footballs" pause long enough to turn. We ALL enjoy hearing the drag scream but you have to pay attention and SEIZE the moment when it comes. As soon as he shows a sign of pausing or changing direction, lay into the pole

That big fish owes you one. I think your confident in your tackle -which increases the confidence in yourself, don't go changing it now. Any loss of confidence will work against you. Now is NOT the time to lose confidence in tie-ing knots your not comfortable with. Work on knots, longer leader casting and hook theorys in the winter-time. ...just my thoughts, (which don't count for much as I don't have a clue :biglaugh:)

Good Luck -

Even "footballs" pause long enough to turn. We ALL enjoy hearing the drag scream but you have to pay attention and SEIZE the moment when it comes. As soon as he shows a sign of pausing or changing direction, lay into the pole
Good Luck -

thats the problem here.. he didnt pause.. it was.. a slow take.. set the hook.. SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAM . after 2mins i was in dis belief. the other had run pretty good but this thing was like literally nothing i have ever hooked into. he was right in the middle of the current. and just heading out to sea. no turning. no feelable thrashing about. just pure head on swimming. really all i could do was hold onto the rod. which was a struggle in and of it self. it was quite the sight. when i turned to my buddy with the look of "what do i do?" his look was just as perplexed. then he was like.. "dont let it do that we keep losing em" but really had i stopped my spool. i guarantee it would have instantly snapped. had the hook just stayed i could have landed him as soon as he paused.. but the problem is the hooks not staying in that long. it comes out in the middle of their first run. its crazy. only him and i laying into them. (the place is unfortunately packed.) we just happen to have the one spot in the water. so it would get messy if i started running back and forth.

but its odd. cause a guy next too me landed a 25lber and that thing was no where close to as frisky as these things. he got it in like 5 mins with only 2 little runs. so i cant imagine what we've been laying into. either MASSIVE blues. small footballs. or 50lb bass. though i think the later would be too lazy to take off like that. plus i would think they would feel bulkier. this particular one (more so then the others) felt like a torpedo. i didnt get out tonight. but tomorrow i shall try and repeat.

i am really bummed. but at the same time excited. honestly the thing had me scared straight. i did panic but it ran for so long that eventually i got my bearings. but it was still going. then pop.. just like that the line went limp in the middle of the run. i thought my clip snapped or my knot failed or something lame. but nope the hook simply came out. :wall::wall::wall:

Here's the solution: Next time you head out, bring Mike Laptew with you. He can wait below and film the culprit while at the same time show you exactly what happens. He might even use it in his next video "Stripers gone HAY-WIRE"....:buds:

I've had "Charlie" straighten out a few hooks in my time....so maybe it was a "Charile"..............Bring a reel that can hold 1,000 yards. :buds:

Shark?

hey nebe.. your suggestion worked great. didnt hook into anything nearly as powerful tonight. but i had my share of tugging matches. i felt alot more comfortable having a bit of stretch to work with. plus none of the hooks ripped out tonight. one of the blues actually fought so hard it ripped its gills out.. i dunno how that happened.. my hook was on the other side of it mouth. but it snapped all the connections to the lower lip right off.. damnedest thing. i had to bleed him out and give him away. he was in bad shape. but the hook didn't rip out... lol.

I really believe that you had a shark or a tuna on. No way a Blue pulls like that. They shake their heads and run a bit but 2 minutes is a LOOOOOOOONG time. I'd love to see you land whatever is pulling like that. it's gotta be a tuna or shark.

it's gotta be a tuna or shark.
Or Nebe's legendary "bath mat lunker" :jester:

-spence

hey nebe.. your suggestion worked great. didnt hook into anything nearly as powerful tonight. but i had my share of tugging matches. i felt alot more comfortable having a bit of stretch to work with. plus none of the hooks ripped out tonight. one of the blues actually fought so hard it ripped its gills out.. i dunno how that happened.. my hook was on the other side of it mouth. but it snapped all the connections to the lower lip right off.. damnedest thing. i had to bleed him out and give him away. he was in bad shape. but the hook didn't rip out... lol.


Thats great! I am glad i could help you out. I went through this problem 2 years ago when i was fishing nightly and was into big fish often- I was dropping a lot of them and realized why... no bounce- The ironic thing is this year i have dropped a bunch of nice fish because i have been too lazy to rig up that leader set up-

When Im in the groove so to speak I learn not to take chances, but if Im not, and fishing is a luxury not a given nightly event, I tend to get less methodical about the details- I focus more on wondering where i should go to find the fish and not about "I know there are big fish here, now i am going to bring the meat stick and heavy terminal tackle".

I agree with the shark hypothesis. A buddy of mine hooked into something last year that he couldn't turn or do anything with, thinking he was under gunned I went out with him the next night and I hooked the thing twice, with a VS 250 and 10 ft lami triflex. I had the same thing happen to me, ran straight out hard and fast, he was pouring water on the reel as it was running, i didn't have the drag to tight, figuring that with the 250 i had plenty of line, just as the fish slowed and I thought i had it turned, the line went limp. had a second pick up and the same thing happened, only the run wasn't as long. I was using eels and the second time i had the pick-up and it was slow, similar to a large bass and then once i set the hook it took off. I could really feel the weight of the thing before it turned and ran, and it was heavy, put a bend in the rod all the way to the butt. I've caught 40 lb bass on this rod and this felt easily double the weight. maybe more.
I'm convinced it was a shark.
I have also heard that large rays get hooked in the wings and take off like that and fisherman have no way to stop them.
Anyway, good luck, id like to know what it your fighting!

There was an article a couple of months ago in OTW about sharking from shore. It mentions that people sometimes think they have lost the Stiper of a lifetime when it was really a Brown shark on the other end of the line. These sharks can get pretty big and swim in close to shore at night. It's frustrating to not know what the big thing on the end of the line is when you lose it, but it's also one of the most exciting things about fishing.
I lost a huge fish a couple of years ago on a tube and worm and some heavy duty gear and leadcore line. It took a long slow run and I couldn't turn it to save my life. Finally, I started moving it after about 5 minutes, and then it swam towards the boat. I couldn't reel fast enough and it spit the hook. I am convinced it was the biggest Bass I have ever hooked, but never got it close enough to see it. One of the things that motivates me to keep at it is knowing that the next time, I might get that huge fish.
Keep it up and listen to the advice here, and let us know when you land that monster.

Also, could it have been a seal?

Dont know what that big one was, but as Piemma said, somethings wrong,

Just to compare - I have been using a light st croix, 10lb mono, Shperos 4000, 50lb mono leader and have landed over 50 (im not exaggerating) blufeish the last two weeks. 20 were from the surf and all fish from the surf were over 8lbs, some much bigger. I can imagine a drag screaming that much on a blue.

I also dont get using 50lb braid, seems like overkill. 20lb mono is all you need in my mind.

I've pretty much switched to 50lb powerpro with a long mono leader.
I have been able to, using a priest to wrap around, pull most of my rigs out of what ever they were hung up in. I do put the sinker on a 20 lb mono loop tho if I am bottom fishing.

If you told me you were on the cape, I'd bet anything it was a seal.

Have also hooked into tuna from shore out there on occasion that have done the same thing.

Either way, you're losing your line unless you cut it.

definitely wasn't a seal. havent seen any seals in the area since may. and theres no sign of them now.

i like the 50lb braid around here. cause it's one of those. "ya never know what your gonna get" areas. my buddies and i have landed about 9 different species and counting so far. i prefer the casting abilities of braid too. the 50lb power pro is the diameter of 12lb mono. i can cast it much further than the 20lb mono i was using before. i would throw 20 lb stuff on.. but thats even more like a razor blade when tight. it's over kill yeah.. but i've decided that with the benefits of the spool holding more line and getting better casting distance... over kill isnt a bad thing. would never catch me using 50lb mono. 20lb max. but if i can get better performance AND the extra of having stronger line.. ok.
tell ya one thing.. what ever took it the other day would have snapped 20lb mono in a second. either that or spooled me.

it's hard figuring out what it was considering the spot. some know it very well. all i will say is it's 35ft deep at low tide.. and nearly everything that goes in or comes out passes through it. so it could have been ANYTHING. highly doubt it was a seal though. from what i felt.. it didnt feel ""heavy"". like when bass fight it feels like pulling a brick in. a moving brick. where as blues feel like pulling in a small missile. you know what i mean. it felt more like that blue type. where it power came from its ability to move. as opposed to its power coming from being big and heavy.