[togmaster]

Here is a good question and still is one to be proven 100%.
Do you prefer to fish with light or heavier wire to the hook?

Years back when you could go to 500x500 and nail 5 or 6 mako's a day we always tried diffrent types of rigs. After 2 or 3 years we found more mako's on a light coffe wire then on stranded or heavier gague wire. We never went over the 180lbs wire.
So i was wondering if anyone has seen a diffrence or not?

 

[B.Attitude]

Hey Tog,
I perfer the 278 lb. coffee colored single strand.I tried the heavier single(400 lb) but its tough to work with.I find it more brittle than the lighter stuff.Occasionally I would snap those rigs while trying to make the haywire twist.Jusy my .02
paulie

 

[MakoMatt]

Tog, I agree with Paulie on this, kinda like the story of the 3 bears, the 180 is a little light, over 400 is a little heavy, but right aound 280 in just about right!!!!! These guys are not line shy.

MakoMatt

 

[MakoMike]

Tog,
I usually stick with the Number 19 wire between the swivel and the hook. Never use stranded, a good mako can chew right through that stuff.

 

[leakyrivot]

chewing through stranded

Are you saying that a Mako will chew through 400 lb test aircraft cable, or just the 150 lb test stuff? I can see how it could be possible over time, like how stripers can wear through mono, but they do make it through that full 3/16?

Jon

 

[MakoMike]

Leaky,
I don't know about 3/16 aircraft cable, since I've never used it. But I have sen them chew through 300lb test cable put out by Americn Fishing Wire.

 

[MIKE TUNA]

Just curious on how some of you guys rig these . If targeting lets say Makos and treshers .

Do you use all wire or cable to barrel leader to the main line or wire to barrel to heavy mono to barrel leader to main line ?

I done it both ways but would like to hear some opinions or other methods .

THanks Mike Tuna

 

[B.Attitude]

Mike,
I use main line to snap swivel/ to 12' of 400lb cable/ to barrel/ to 3-4' of 278lb single wire/ to hooks.
ps.I never use a mono leader instead of cable.Cable is just as easy to handle for the wireman as mono is.
paulie

 

[togmaster]

Diffrent ways?

Well years back I would fish the single strand with a 7 to 8 ft leader, But after seeing the newer rigs with the combo stranded on top and sinlge onthe the bottom to the hook I find this the best to work with. The best reason is it is easier to work with the stranded then sigle for pulling and gloving! and also if you cutoff a hook you dont have to retie the mono tothe swivel you just put the sigle wire onthe stranded swivel and your done. Also when the sharks do there roll the wire can kink and break where the stranded will hold up better here.I fish 180 wire still. Maybe I am stubron but with far and fewer makos around it may make the diffrence. No more 5 to 6 makos a day

 

[MIKE TUNA]

B.Attitude and Mike , You guys make an excellent point !

Although Personally I haven't targeted sharks in a long time . But when I did years back we would use wire to Barrel leader 12 to 15 ft . Then we went to the wire/cable to barrel to mono to barrel leader . Never though of going wire to barrel to cable to barrel leader . That seems like a much better way and I wish I thought of that when we targeted them . Thats why I love this site .
Mike Tuna

 

[624911]

What works and what doesn't

I've tried many different rigs and I can tell you that when I first started shark fishing all I used was straight wire. I caught fish with it and I lost fish with it but I always had problems with kinks in the wire especially when I hooked a Thresher. No matter what, the rig was pretty much trashed after the fight, wheather I got the fish or not. I also tried using straight 300 lb cable and I had two fish chew through it in the middle of the battle. I then used two pieces of straight wire with a swivel in the middle of them and it worked well until it was time to wire the fish. When you have that much wire and its time to wire the fish some of it ends up in the ****pit and is always in the wrong place. It almost always gets kinked. If the fish runs again you have a good chance of breaking it off. For the past 6 or 7 years I've used a rig that is very similar to what I've seen Captain Larry and Mako Matt describe in earlier posts. I use a piece of cable about 9 feet long with a barrel swivel to a piece of wire about 4 feet long. The cable is easy to handle when wiring the fish and doesn't kink and I've never had a shark bite through the wire. The other advantage that I've also seen someone else post in the past is that the swivel between the wire and the cable gives you a good place to hold on to while the gaff man does his or her work. I wont say that I haven't Lost a Mako since I used this rig because I have,but it was because a mono/dacron splice parted and it only happened once. Since then I spool all my reels with straight 80lb test with no backing every year and some reels get completely re spooled throughout the season if they see alot of action.

Thats my .01 if you want my .02 let me know.

 

[MakoMatt]

fishndude, be VERY careful if you are laying the wire in the ****pit when you are wiring the fish, if he makes another run and it takes a wrap on someone it could be bye, bye someone. I think that is how the guy from Delaware who caught all the big Mako's out in the deep bought it, he got himself wraped in the wire and over he went. I think you also run the risk that if the fish runs again, it could grab something on the boat and bye, bye fish.

If I am working with extra wire, I try to lay the wire back into the water when wiring the fish, it's a lot safer if he makes a go for it. As you know there is a lot going on at that point in the battle and it is easy in all the excitment to do something stupid.

Just my $.01

MakoMatt

 

[reelfun]

wind on leader

MakoMatt, exactly as you detail it is a good, proven and safe approach. I just went to heavy (400#) wind on mono leaders and 6-8 feet of 280 lb solid strand wire. I want to know exactly where the wire is and have complete control of it. I just made the switch last year. To date I have not had a problem. But, it is still to soon to say it is THE way to go.

Capt. Larry H

 

[MakoMike]

I do it the same way as Paulie, cable to barrel swivel to 3-4 feet of wire to hook. I'll also secon what Matt said, about making sure the cable or wire goes back over the side when wiring a fish.

 

[Tunatoys]

Wire

I use 275-360# wire to a trap hook set-up with skirt other end to spro type barrel swivel to 275 cable with rattle
to another big spro type swivel.When cutting loose a small shark I have been able to slide the skirt up with the gaff and reuse it.Sometimes I can get 2 or three fish out of the cable half if it hasn't become frayed.
Tunatoys