seeing a certain someone the other day got me thinking again. will you be ready the next time that fish of your dreams inhales your offering?

is your line free of frays? is your drag set propperly? are your hooks strong/sharp? how are your knots? is your leader strong enough? do you have a safe and secure plan to land her?

you just never know when she will come to you. sure, this may be your first season in the surf. or, your largest fish to date was that 20#er last fall. but you just never know when the opprtunity will present itself. it may not be as "sporting" as some may enjoy, but i try to over-gun my gear. on the CT river in the spring, i have been using 65# braid, when others use less. i make sure my drag is set properly every time it crosses my mind. i inspect the leader and all connections after every fish and evry few casts. the way i look at it, i have lost far too many good fish to stupid mistakes!

take that extra step to insure you have the upper hand when the opportunity presents itself!

Yes - I'll be ready - the only thing I run shorter on is the line strength. I run 20 -30# mono but will actually make the jump this year to braid...

I reline FREQUENTLY, check the knots (right Cutty guys ;) )... I NEED to be ready! I've missed the fish of a lifetime too and want to be ready for round 3...

Good post

Ah, the joys of braid! I made the switch from Fireline to Power Pro last year. Lost 2 nice (I;ll never know how nice) fish on the hook set due to the line burying in the spool. This was after catching a few 20 lb. fish. The best way to spool is to tie the line to a 100 lb kid and reel him in. Set the drag a few pounds higher than you normally would. I usually use a leader of lesser pound test as snags become a problem, especially on a drifting boat. Don't wrap the line around bare skin!

Nope I,ll never be ready, gears always half /ass, lines too

light, seldom changed, etc, etc,

over my life time I<ve lost 4 fish that I feel any or all could have been the one////////// I,ve rethought the fights over & over again in my &/% mind and It just wasn,t meant to be///////
now in the scope of life ,it doesn,t matter to me when I go fishing I catch fish but i have FUN<FUN<FUN<

Ita always a adventure @@@@@@@@@@@@@

:happy: :happy: :happy:

Originally posted by Team Rock On
The best way to spool is to tie the line to a 100 lb kid and reel him in.

:laughs: :p

I will be trying braid this season as well. I am concerned about this line burying itself. Even IF you spool it tight initially, as soon as you cast a plug you will put the line on the spool with out a lot of tension. Thus you're set up to bury it on the next fish ... right?

..just like anything else....

YOU'LL GET USED TO IT!!

...just a suggestion, ... Don't start off with PowerPro - try Fireline first - a little more user-friendly :)

PowerPro is less - forgiving -

I am suprised to see how many people haven't switched to braid yet. Once you switch you will never go back to mono. 65lb braid way outcasts 20lb mono. You cover more water and catch more fish! I use 65lb Whiplash myself...To bad it is discontinued! I NEVER, ever lost a fish due to the line burrying in the spool. Put the line on as tightly as you can...

After you spool it initially, it softens quickly and I've never had a problem after casting. Fireline takes much longer to break in. it's really stiff for a couple of outings. Fireline also tends to fray rather quickly. They only make Fireline up to 30 lb test now too.

Love for fishing and being prepared is why we spend countless hours behind this screen. But not all of us. Some will never change their ways. If your a mono man with the right shocker and fresh line at all times, then your chances are just as good as the guy with braid(my opion). It also comes down to experience. Have these two anglers side by side(mono/braid) switch poles and the more experienced angler will proably out fish the other.
You talk to guys before the age of braid...they did just fine. To me its foolish not to change and upgrade in you passion. I hear ya Lapinski.....I often think back and say how could I have done things different....and it often boils down to ME being not prepared.

WOW Clammer over 1000 posts you old fart.

yo,Greg, no #$%@
the price of a long winter, best drop off soon////////////////

Probably not, for a lot of the same reasons Clammer listed -- not enough attention to knots, changing line, etc. But as each season passes, I can tell you I get a little closer, as I step my game up notch by notch. I can also tell you that this site gets me that much closer, picking up general knowledge and posts that make me reflect on my own habits.

I am also a mono/spinner, and this year I plan to make the big leap to Fireline as one of my improvements

Braid or Mono... It all depends on the type of fishing. I use both some cases never mono some cases never braid.

I'll be the first to admit braid rules, especially for my type of fishing, however there are times you DON'T want it. Today was a good example, as was Thursday, when two different guest with braid finally caught after picking up my spare rod. Light mono is the key and I'm now using 6 lb stren flurocarbon, which is light but without much stretch. That way I kind of get the best of both worlds. Fishing 3/8-1/2 jigs with 4 inch plastic in 30 feet demands light line to get it down fast, braid isn't the best stuff.

Good day, with 5 people in my boat :(, 2 invited guests and two surprise guests from Orange Mass who drove 3 hours on a crap shoot to see if I was there. We all caught, but it was amusing at times. Mike from the CT board had big fish with a 27 incher coming late in the day, I also boated a couple 8 lbers and a ton of schoolies.

The deep freeze is returning so it will be back to work and my painting...double yuk.

Fishing of the surf I strictly use braid, 65lb Whiplash for the last few years. Fishing Rhody, Cuttyhunk, Block, Martha's or other Rocky shoreline I would not even dare to use 30 lb Fireline. Off the sandy beaches of the Cape, fireline will do, although I personally don't use it. I want as much abrasion resistance as possible when fishing the rocks...Believe me , 65lb Whiplash is much more abrasion resistant than the 30lb Fireline...I'm not using 30lb Fireline and then saying " A monster fish broke me #^&#^&#^&#^& Ain't happening!
Advantages of Braid: Increased Distance due to no memory
Increased sensitivity
Instant hook-ups..No delay
More strength

I use pretty heavy equiptment and I don't hesitate to muscle a fish in, especially when eelin' and I'm dealing with a single hook. Pluggin is a bit different. Rather be overgunned than undergunned, and believe me, I have had fish make me look stupid even when I thought my equiptment was overkill....Never know what you're gonna hook in the Ocean.
I'll stick to a high capacity reel such as a VS, 65lb Whiplash, 60-80lb Orvis Mirage Floro, 130lb test Spro Swivels, and a Gamakatsu 7/0(#18417) Hook, when fishing those areas along with a big dark eel!

Originally posted by CowHunter
Rather be overgunned than undergunned, and believe me, I have had fish make me look stupid even when I thought my equiptment was overkill....Never know what you're gonna hook in the Ocean.

the day i switched over my line this past year from braid back to mono this happened to me. i don't like to use braid on crowded b'ways in RI, so i spooled up with 25# mono. about 5 casts into the night, i got schooled! i was so used to what i could do with the braid, that i had no chance on that fish. oh well, another one for the memory books instead of the picture books....