Dang Level Winds and Braided Line

It was a beautiful day in the Bay yesterday. The guys caught plenty of fish including several sharks that they wanted. They also missed quite a few nice fish. The power pro got bound in their level wind reel so tight we couldn't get it out. The picture above isn't that clear, but if you look close you can see the bind on the left and the wind guide is to the right. Level winds and braid are great for losing big fish.

Some people love their braid and level wind reels. Here is some advice from a braid devotee:

captdallas2,

I have used braided lines for years and used to have some of the same issues you seem to be facing. Here are a few things I have learned about braided lines over the years:
1. Braided lines must be spooled on the reels very tightly. A good test is to press down on the spool with your thumb. If it feels at all soft, then the line is not tight enough. When respooling braided lines, I have someone hold the spool with enough tension so the rod bends. That way the line goes on tightly and the spool feels hard. No digging in that way.
2. Use braided lines based on line thickness and not strength rating. For instance, 65 lb braided line typically has the same thickness as 14 lb mono. So, if you normally use 14 lb mono, then use 65 lb braided line. 12 ln mono typically equals 50 lb braid and so on.
3. Braided lines need maintenance. Watch it for frays especially when fishing around weeds or rocks. I imagine this will apply more to in-shore fishing.
4. Its important to put at least 10 yards or so of mono backing on the spool before spooling with braided lines to keep the whole spool from slipping. A similar diameter usually works well and a blood knot does the trick.

When Muskie fishing, I use 80 or 100 lb braided lines, which typically are in the 18 to 20 lb diameter range. I put the lines on tight and check for frays before every outing. The heavier line allows smoother and longer casts, less dig-ins, and much better durability.

Based on your picture, it may be the line on your reel just needs to be re-spooled tighter.

Good fishing. =)

I still say level winds and braid sucks.
Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Chicago Joe's Christmas fishing Vacation

Chicago Joe spends his Christmas vacation in the Keys with his family. They had fished with me in the past at Seadog. I ran into Joe at the Kmart last year and he booked me for this season. Joe and crew like action and shot at big critters.

Doc and I took Joe and his sons Joey and Tom fishing the Bay Sunday on Flatlines. Joe has fished the Bay before, but we caught one of those magic days where bait was everywhere and you could see Mackerel skying in every direction. Needless to say we had plenty of action. Unfortunately the big fish won most of the battles. We did boat one smaller lemon shark.

Yesterday we set out on a 29 foot cat he rented from Vacation Boat Rentals. Sweet boat but it took me a while to get used to her. With the winds at 20 knots we went down to the seven mile bridge to get out of the wind. Again we had plenty of action and the big fish won. Three or four large sharks managed to pull hooks or break 60 braided line. This reinforces my opinion that braid on level wind reels is not the way to go for big sharks. When a big one takes off the line tends to get in awkward angles on the reel defeating the drag.

The wind is howling at 30 knots this morning so our options are limited. One good thing about spending a week or more in the Keys is that one or two butt ugly days won't ruin your whole trip. This weekend should be prime time for sailfishing which I think Chicago Joe might enjoy. Stay tuned.

Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas

Start of the New Season

Now that I had to put on long pants and a sweat shirt, that means the new season has started. It has been pretty slow for the past few months. Now I am looking forward to putting a few dollars in my pocket and a bunch of fish in the boat.

What's hot right now is Sailfish. They are pretty thick on the reef right now. Live bait is the ticket because there is bait everywhere. There also quite a few king mackerel in the same areas a still a few dolphin and wahoo.

The Bay is just now getting right for the big spanish mackerel. The bite starts about 8 miles back in the Bay. Plenty of good size mangrove snapper are in the tall grass back there too.

The yellow tail bite has been great if the current cooperates and some nice mutton snapper have been coming home for dinner. So everything is coming together for a fine season.

When you get a little tired of freezing your butt off, come on down and do a little fishing. Marathon in the Florida Keys should be your next fishing vacation destination. Join us for charter fishing, fishing guide trips or our fishing 101 so you can fish on your own with better success.

Tight lines,

Capt. Dallas