We're anchored tonight at Georgetown Harbour in the southern Exuma
Islands of the Bahamas. Interesting place, more on that later.

First off, Tim, hope you are safe from the flooding. Is that the
Illinois River that you're concerned about or the mighty Mississippi?

John, sorry to hear that you are getting out of boating. I'm sure
your boat will be a good value to someone and will sell quickly.

Fishing Report - decicedly a mixed bag. The water we have just been
through between the southern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos is some
of the best sportfishing territory in this part of the world. There
are a *lot* of big, well equipped, sportfishing boats near here.
Judging from the chatter on the radio, they are also catching.

We caught a nice Mahi Mahi yesterday, about a 4 ft, maybe 20 to 25
pounds. We cooked up some of the fillets last night and had a shared
fish dinner with some cruising friends that we once again crossed
paths with. That's half the fun of cruising, making new friends and
sharing experiences.

Back to fishing. It has become painfully clear (literally), that I
am not equipped properly, and/or not experienced enough, to boat a
really big fish. We've had our chances but something always breaks
before I can get the fish under control. The last demonstration of
this ineptitude was several days ago. I was trolling one rod, a
heavy duty model with low friction carbon fiber guides. The reel was
a mid-sized Penn-Senator salt water reel spooled up with several
hundred yards of hi tech Spectra braid rated at something like 200
pounds of breaking strength. The "Wahoo Magnet" lure was rigged with
a heavy duty braided wire leader and double hook.

We were trolling the north side of Little Inagua Island in the late
afternoon, just off shore in about 900 feet of water. The fish
struck really hard and screamed off about 100 yards of line in no time
at all while I was throttling back and shifting to neutral. I got to
the rod seconds later and started tightening the star drag as firmly
as I could get it. The fish paused for a few seconds and I briefly
thought that I had a chance of turning him, but almost immediately it
started spooling more line off the screaming reel. You could
literally smell the drag clutch burning and the reel was almost too
hot to touch. I made one more attempt to tighten the drag when
something broke inside the reel and it started free spooling. Within
seconds the remaining line was gone, and the rod which had been bent
at a 90 degree angle, snapped back and clipped me just above the eyes,
leaving a nasty little cut on my forehead. I never even had a look at
the darned fish but it was obviously big and powerful. Unfortunately
it is yet another fish story about the one that got away.

At any rate I need some advice on equipment and technique. What kind
of reel is appropriate for a big, powerful fish? What kind of drag
tension is needed/appropriate with 200# line? How much line do I need
on the reel? What is the right strategy? Are there any good internet
forums for this kind of information? Etc, etc.

Picture of "Wahoo Magnet" lure (not the one that was lost), rigged out
with wire leader, 200# braid and double hook.

http://oi39.tinypic.com/14174o.jpg

Yesterday's Mahi Mahi catch:

http://oi40.tinypic.com/euebdy.jpg

On 6/5/13 8:58 PM, Wayne B wrote:

Back to fishing. It has become painfully clear (literally), that I
am not equipped properly, and/or not experienced enough, to boat a
really big fish. We've had our chances but something always breaks
before I can get the fish under control. The last demonstration of
this ineptitude was several days ago. I was trolling one rod, a
heavy duty model with low friction carbon fiber guides. The reel was
a mid-sized Penn-Senator salt water reel spooled up with several
hundred yards of hi tech Spectra braid rated at something like 200
pounds of breaking strength. The "Wahoo Magnet" lure was rigged with
a heavy duty braided wire leader and double hook.

We were trolling the north side of Little Inagua Island in the late
afternoon, just off shore in about 900 feet of water. The fish
struck really hard and screamed off about 100 yards of line in no time
at all while I was throttling back and shifting to neutral. I got to
the rod seconds later and started tightening the star drag as firmly
as I could get it. The fish paused for a few seconds and I briefly
thought that I had a chance of turning him, but almost immediately it
started spooling more line off the screaming reel. You could
literally smell the drag clutch burning and the reel was almost too
hot to touch. I made one more attempt to tighten the drag when
something broke inside the reel and it started free spooling. Within
seconds the remaining line was gone, and the rod which had been bent
at a 90 degree angle, snapped back and clipped me just above the eyes,
leaving a nasty little cut on my forehead. I never even had a look at
the darned fish but it was obviously big and powerful. Unfortunately
it is yet another fish story about the one that got away.

At any rate I need some advice on equipment and technique. What kind
of reel is appropriate for a big, powerful fish? What kind of drag
tension is needed/appropriate with 200# line? How much line do I need
on the reel? What is the right strategy? Are there any good internet
forums for this kind of information? Etc, etc.


I don't recall the specifics, since it is been many years since I owned
a Penn Senator, but I don't recall any of them rated for line with much
more than 100# breaking strength.

For starters, you were using line beyond the abilities of your reel.

Second, Spectra doesn't stretch, so all the tension is on your rod and
reel. Easy to snap the line or break your rod.

Third, just what would you do if you hooked a really large fish, say
something 200 pounds or more? If it were an edible fish, you'd have a
very difficult time getting it aboard your boat, and, if it were a
predatory fish with big teeth and it were flapping around on your deck,
there's no telling what might happen to you or your wife.

Fourth, if the fish were not really edible, are you going to lean over
as far as it would take to remove the hook from the fish's mouth? You
know how dangerous that could be.

Fifth, it doesn't take 200# line to catch a really large fish. I've
caught 100# to 250# pelagics on 20#-30# test line on a Shimano TLD.

Sixth, if you want to go after the big ones, get yourself a large
capacity lever drag reel and suitable rod, but you are going to end up
paying $500 or more for a new reel, and those are prices from my
memories of years ago. Maybe you need a two speed reel. Even so, 200#
line is way over the top.

Seventh, find out who is the best sportfishing captain for pelagics on
one of those islands you frequent, and charter out for the day with one
who is willing to teach you the tricks of the trade.

On Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:58:49 -0400, Wayne B wrote:

We're anchored tonight at Georgetown Harbour in the southern Exuma
Islands of the Bahamas. Interesting place, more on that later.

First off, Tim, hope you are safe from the flooding. Is that the
Illinois River that you're concerned about or the mighty Mississippi?

John, sorry to hear that you are getting out of boating. I'm sure
your boat will be a good value to someone and will sell quickly.

Fishing Report - decicedly a mixed bag. The water we have just been
through between the southern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos is some
of the best sportfishing territory in this part of the world. There
are a *lot* of big, well equipped, sportfishing boats near here.
Judging from the chatter on the radio, they are also catching.

We caught a nice Mahi Mahi yesterday, about a 4 ft, maybe 20 to 25
pounds. We cooked up some of the fillets last night and had a shared
fish dinner with some cruising friends that we once again crossed
paths with. That's half the fun of cruising, making new friends and
sharing experiences.

Back to fishing. It has become painfully clear (literally), that I
am not equipped properly, and/or not experienced enough, to boat a
really big fish. We've had our chances but something always breaks
before I can get the fish under control. The last demonstration of
this ineptitude was several days ago. I was trolling one rod, a
heavy duty model with low friction carbon fiber guides. The reel was
a mid-sized Penn-Senator salt water reel spooled up with several
hundred yards of hi tech Spectra braid rated at something like 200
pounds of breaking strength. The "Wahoo Magnet" lure was rigged with
a heavy duty braided wire leader and double hook.

We were trolling the north side of Little Inagua Island in the late
afternoon, just off shore in about 900 feet of water. The fish
struck really hard and screamed off about 100 yards of line in no time
at all while I was throttling back and shifting to neutral. I got to
the rod seconds later and started tightening the star drag as firmly
as I could get it. The fish paused for a few seconds and I briefly
thought that I had a chance of turning him, but almost immediately it
started spooling more line off the screaming reel. You could
literally smell the drag clutch burning and the reel was almost too
hot to touch. I made one more attempt to tighten the drag when
something broke inside the reel and it started free spooling. Within
seconds the remaining line was gone, and the rod which had been bent
at a 90 degree angle, snapped back and clipped me just above the eyes,
leaving a nasty little cut on my forehead. I never even had a look at
the darned fish but it was obviously big and powerful. Unfortunately
it is yet another fish story about the one that got away.

At any rate I need some advice on equipment and technique. What kind
of reel is appropriate for a big, powerful fish? What kind of drag
tension is needed/appropriate with 200# line? How much line do I need
on the reel? What is the right strategy? Are there any good internet
forums for this kind of information? Etc, etc.

Picture of "Wahoo Magnet" lure (not the one that was lost), rigged out
with wire leader, 200# braid and double hook.

http://oi39.tinypic.com/14174o.jpg

Yesterday's Mahi Mahi catch:

http://oi40.tinypic.com/euebdy.jpg

Don't know what reels you're using, but I've got a couple of these I'd part with for $75 each plus
shipping.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Okuma...290134028.html

They're mounted on Penn Senator 3135RS rods, which I'd throw in for another $60 each.

http://www.pennfishingstore.com/penn-3135rs-rod.html

They probably wouldn't land one of these though:

http://tinyurl.com/l3jgd8g

John H.
--

Hope you're having a great day!

On Thu, 06 Jun 2013 07:55:01 -0400, "F.O.A.D." wrote:

On 6/5/13 8:58 PM, Wayne B wrote:

Back to fishing. It has become painfully clear (literally), that I
am not equipped properly, and/or not experienced enough, to boat a
really big fish. We've had our chances but something always breaks
before I can get the fish under control. The last demonstration of
this ineptitude was several days ago. I was trolling one rod, a
heavy duty model with low friction carbon fiber guides. The reel was
a mid-sized Penn-Senator salt water reel spooled up with several
hundred yards of hi tech Spectra braid rated at something like 200
pounds of breaking strength. The "Wahoo Magnet" lure was rigged with
a heavy duty braided wire leader and double hook.

We were trolling the north side of Little Inagua Island in the late
afternoon, just off shore in about 900 feet of water. The fish
struck really hard and screamed off about 100 yards of line in no time
at all while I was throttling back and shifting to neutral. I got to
the rod seconds later and started tightening the star drag as firmly
as I could get it. The fish paused for a few seconds and I briefly
thought that I had a chance of turning him, but almost immediately it
started spooling more line off the screaming reel. You could
literally smell the drag clutch burning and the reel was almost too
hot to touch. I made one more attempt to tighten the drag when
something broke inside the reel and it started free spooling. Within
seconds the remaining line was gone, and the rod which had been bent
at a 90 degree angle, snapped back and clipped me just above the eyes,
leaving a nasty little cut on my forehead. I never even had a look at
the darned fish but it was obviously big and powerful. Unfortunately
it is yet another fish story about the one that got away.

At any rate I need some advice on equipment and technique. What kind
of reel is appropriate for a big, powerful fish? What kind of drag
tension is needed/appropriate with 200# line? How much line do I need
on the reel? What is the right strategy? Are there any good internet
forums for this kind of information? Etc, etc.


I don't recall the specifics, since it is been many years since I owned
a Penn Senator, but I don't recall any of them rated for line with much
more than 100# breaking strength.

For starters, you were using line beyond the abilities of your reel.

Second, Spectra doesn't stretch, so all the tension is on your rod and
reel. Easy to snap the line or break your rod.

Third, just what would you do if you hooked a really large fish, say
something 200 pounds or more? If it were an edible fish, you'd have a
very difficult time getting it aboard your boat, and, if it were a
predatory fish with big teeth and it were flapping around on your deck,
there's no telling what might happen to you or your wife.

Fourth, if the fish were not really edible, are you going to lean over
as far as it would take to remove the hook from the fish's mouth? You
know how dangerous that could be.

Fifth, it doesn't take 200# line to catch a really large fish. I've
caught 100# to 250# pelagics on 20#-30# test line on a Shimano TLD.

Sixth, if you want to go after the big ones, get yourself a large
capacity lever drag reel and suitable rod, but you are going to end up
paying $500 or more for a new reel, and those are prices from my
memories of years ago. Maybe you need a two speed reel. Even so, 200#
line is way over the top.

Seventh, find out who is the best sportfishing captain for pelagics on
one of those islands you frequent, and charter out for the day with one
who is willing to teach you the tricks of the trade.

=======

Mostly good observations and advice there Harry, but we're on our way
home now with little or no time to stop and smell the roses, buy new
reels, find a charter captain, etc.

Why? Because I've always wanted to catch a really big fish - sort of
a bucket list kind of thing. Since we're out in "big fish" country
anyway, why not try to catch one?

If we caught a nice, big edible fish, I could probably tail rope it
and get it onboard with the dinghy hoist after a shot of rum to the
gills.. I think most big, dangerous, inedible fish get "released at
a distance" after a few photos.

I got the 200# braided line because I was tired of break offs with
100# mono, and got a reasonably good deal on a 2,000 yard spool of the
good stuff. I haven't had any break offs with it yet but clearly the
point of failure has moved to the next weakest link - the reel in this
case.

On Thu, 06 Jun 2013 16:35:22 -0400, John H
wrote:

Don't know what reels you're using, but I've got a couple of these I'd part with for $75 each plus
shipping.

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Okuma...290134028.html

They're mounted on Penn Senator 3135RS rods, which I'd throw in for another $60 each.

====

That sounds like a fair price but it's beginning to look like I'll
need something more like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Tiagra-Wide-LR.../dp/B00080XE5K

Mucho dinero but these missed opportunities are expensive also. Most
of the blue chip sportfishing boats seem to be using similar looking
reels. I need something with enough capacity that the fish can run
for at least a minute or so without spooling out all of line or
burning up the drag clutch. I'll probably need to beef up my rod
holders also.

It will be interesting to see what the next weak link turns out to be.
- probably technique. :-)

I once saw a 900 lb giant tuna that had been caught by a guy and his
wife from a 20 ft open boat with no fancy equipment. Wish I knew how
he did it.

On Fri, 07 Jun 2013 01:42:05 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:28:08 -0400, Wayne B
wrote:

I got the 200# braided line because I was tired of break offs with
100# mono, and got a reasonably good deal on a 2,000 yard spool of the
good stuff. I haven't had any break offs with it yet but clearly the
point of failure has moved to the next weakest link - the reel in this
case.

If I ever start fishing again I would put braid on my spinning rod. It
looks like pretty good stuff. We used it for flying a tethered balloon
about 300 yards up and out. It was a hoot for the kids.

I got this picture of our house
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/balloon/Our...ls%20house.jpg

I got this one when we started reeling it back in
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/balloon/Pel...%20horizon.jpg




I use braid in the bay. Strong and thin, and can cut your hand or fingers if you try to pull it in
with a fish on. Not every mono knot works with braid. Hard to cut, most scissors or nail clippers
won't do the job - unless brand new. Needs a sharp knife. But size-wise it's probably ten times
stronger than mono.

Oh, you can't use it in your weed-eater either. What a downer.

John H.
--

Hope you're having a great day!

On Fri, 07 Jun 2013 01:42:05 -0400, wrote:

On Thu, 06 Jun 2013 18:28:08 -0400, Wayne B
wrote:

I got the 200# braided line because I was tired of break offs with
100# mono, and got a reasonably good deal on a 2,000 yard spool of the
good stuff. I haven't had any break offs with it yet but clearly the
point of failure has moved to the next weakest link - the reel in this
case.

If I ever start fishing again I would put braid on my spinning rod. It
looks like pretty good stuff. We used it for flying a tethered balloon
about 300 yards up and out. It was a hoot for the kids.

I got this picture of our house
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/balloon/Our...ls%20house.jpg

I got this one when we started reeling it back in
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/balloon/Pel...%20horizon.jpg




========

Cool. What kind of camera setup were you using? Relaying live
images back to the ground? I could probably do that with one of my
WiFi webcams if powered by a battery.

On Fri, 07 Jun 2013 07:16:26 -0400, John H
wrote:

size-wise it's probably ten times
stronger than mono.

====

Yes, you can get a lot more on a reel. That's why I started using it
because I was tired of being spooled out by big fish. I actually
think it is easier to knot than mono.

On 6/7/2013 7:16 AM, John H wrote:


Oh, you can't use it in your weed-eater either. What a downer.

John H.

What a bummer. Maybe you could rig your weed eater to move your boat
around your yard. ;-)

On Fri, 07 Jun 2013 01:32:10 -0400, wrote:

Did it have a bullet hole in it (bang stick or whatever)

====

I doubt it. He was planning on selling the fish to a Japanese sushi
buyer. He had just arrived at the town dock in Kennebunkport, Maine
when we saw it. The buyers were already on the way and he was
starting to draw a crowd.