Finally due to popular demand, myself and Togmaster, will give you our insight about MONEL & STAINLESS wire, and the type of backing used on your trolling reels, with a small mention on downriggers.
First lets just explain what monel is. MONEL wire is a highly resistant material to corrosion, that is nickel based, with traces of copper, manganese and iron. Compared to standard stainless wire, when you handle it, it is softer, but noticeably, heavier.
MONEL, is superior to stainless when trolling in strong tides. It will sink deeper, bellies better, and has a nice sweep when trolling. It goes on your reel easily and does not kink. Monel knots must be checked and changed after every trip, since they have a propensity to break. This is very important to remember. Monel also is preferred when trolling in deeper water (water 40 feet plus).
STAINLESS, is the preferred wire for use when their is very little current or when you have slack water periods. It is harder to spool and will kink. Stainless will not belly when let out. It holds up much longer to the elements, and to rough handling.
The key thing to remember is to choose the wire based on the amount of current....the more current you have, the greater the reason for using a monel outfit. For this reason, the smart troller will carry 4 outfits, 2 with stainless and 2 with monel.
The most common way to use wire is to work either UMBRELLAS, BUCKTAILS and SPOONS.
Again you should choose which wire you want to use based on the amount of current you have. But contrary to the above rule about the amount of current, if you are BUCKTAILING, you should use stainless instead of MONEL no matter what the current is doing. Bucktailing, due to the way the lure is worked, wears monel knots and wire very quickly. Stainless holds up very well when bucktailing.
Another factor to consider, is water depth. Here in the NY BIGHT, the TIN CAN and BLACKSIDE (SANDY HOOK/FLYNNS KNOLL area) water depths rarely exceed 30 feet. Montauk on the other hand, has many areas where you troll sometimes in water almost double the depth we troll at in the Bight. If you are using stainless and only have the standard 300 foot wire section, and want to get deeper, you can add a drail, sometimes upto, 8-10 ozs to get the umbrella rig deeper. Many fishermen are now buying stainless in bulk spools, and now spool up their 113H red 4/0 Senators with 400 feet of stainless wire. This will allow one to fish deeper without adding drails. If you want to fish less wire for the same depth of water though, monel is the way to go when using umbrella rigs or spoons.
Another important element when spooling up your trolling outfits, is the type of backing. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS FILL YOUR REELS WITH 60LB MONOFILAMENT AS YOUR BACKING. You want a strong line that holds up, especially if you run out all your wire and are into your backing constantly. I do not know how many times i hear of guys losing all their wire, when the knot connecting the wire to the backing breaks! You can get away without changing this knot as often with mono as compared to dacron. But, this knot should be checked after a few trips, and if necessary, retied.
Another element to consider with backing is that both mono and dacron absorb and hold the saltwater. Mono though it holds water, does not hold as much water as dacron. Dacron is literally a sponge, and when it gets wet with saltwater, you will have this lying against your chromed, or aluminum spool. You will eventually see a galvanic reaction between your stainless/monel and your chrome over brass or aluminum spool. This is one big reason why you do not want dacron as your backing. Of course you can spool your wire line off you outfits when you come home, but i do not know of anyone who does this. If you do troll infrequently its a good idea, to get bulk empty monofilament spools and pull your wire off your trolling reels. You will preserve your spools much better when you do this. And if you want to change your backing, by far, buy monofilament (ande pink, trilene) in bulk 2lb spools in 60lb test...it is the most cost efficient way to buy backing.
Trolling wire, and consistently catching fish is a art. The 3 main factors when trolling:
SPEED-DIRECTION-LENGTH OF WIRE
must always be remembered. Most of all, attention has to be made when making turns when trolling with wire, especially over rough bottom, or around wrecks and rockpiles.
One alternative to trolling is buying one or two downrigging outfits. During the last few years, i have seen more people purchase and use downriggers for trolling. Factors such as getting to the exact depths, fishing deeper water, ease of setting up, and the sport of fighting fish without wire or heavy outfits, are some of the main reasons why downriggers are becoming more popular. I prefer to use a downrigger if i was trolling for the simple reason is that i can use a lighter reel/lever drag reel and one of my regular bluefish/striper rods. This is something to keep in mind for fishermen just starting out with trolling, as a alternative to using wire.
If you need a wire refill their are a number of tackle shops that fill your 113H reels up. You can also buy premarked wire from places like SHARK RIVER, website: <srmo.com> and spool your reels yourself.
I like to thank Mr.Duck again...you are the best!
EC NEWELL MAN*
First lets just explain what monel is. MONEL wire is a highly resistant material to corrosion, that is nickel based, with traces of copper, manganese and iron. Compared to standard stainless wire, when you handle it, it is softer, but noticeably, heavier.
MONEL, is superior to stainless when trolling in strong tides. It will sink deeper, bellies better, and has a nice sweep when trolling. It goes on your reel easily and does not kink. Monel knots must be checked and changed after every trip, since they have a propensity to break. This is very important to remember. Monel also is preferred when trolling in deeper water (water 40 feet plus).
STAINLESS, is the preferred wire for use when their is very little current or when you have slack water periods. It is harder to spool and will kink. Stainless will not belly when let out. It holds up much longer to the elements, and to rough handling.
The key thing to remember is to choose the wire based on the amount of current....the more current you have, the greater the reason for using a monel outfit. For this reason, the smart troller will carry 4 outfits, 2 with stainless and 2 with monel.
The most common way to use wire is to work either UMBRELLAS, BUCKTAILS and SPOONS.
Again you should choose which wire you want to use based on the amount of current you have. But contrary to the above rule about the amount of current, if you are BUCKTAILING, you should use stainless instead of MONEL no matter what the current is doing. Bucktailing, due to the way the lure is worked, wears monel knots and wire very quickly. Stainless holds up very well when bucktailing.
Another factor to consider, is water depth. Here in the NY BIGHT, the TIN CAN and BLACKSIDE (SANDY HOOK/FLYNNS KNOLL area) water depths rarely exceed 30 feet. Montauk on the other hand, has many areas where you troll sometimes in water almost double the depth we troll at in the Bight. If you are using stainless and only have the standard 300 foot wire section, and want to get deeper, you can add a drail, sometimes upto, 8-10 ozs to get the umbrella rig deeper. Many fishermen are now buying stainless in bulk spools, and now spool up their 113H red 4/0 Senators with 400 feet of stainless wire. This will allow one to fish deeper without adding drails. If you want to fish less wire for the same depth of water though, monel is the way to go when using umbrella rigs or spoons.
Another important element when spooling up your trolling outfits, is the type of backing. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS FILL YOUR REELS WITH 60LB MONOFILAMENT AS YOUR BACKING. You want a strong line that holds up, especially if you run out all your wire and are into your backing constantly. I do not know how many times i hear of guys losing all their wire, when the knot connecting the wire to the backing breaks! You can get away without changing this knot as often with mono as compared to dacron. But, this knot should be checked after a few trips, and if necessary, retied.
Another element to consider with backing is that both mono and dacron absorb and hold the saltwater. Mono though it holds water, does not hold as much water as dacron. Dacron is literally a sponge, and when it gets wet with saltwater, you will have this lying against your chromed, or aluminum spool. You will eventually see a galvanic reaction between your stainless/monel and your chrome over brass or aluminum spool. This is one big reason why you do not want dacron as your backing. Of course you can spool your wire line off you outfits when you come home, but i do not know of anyone who does this. If you do troll infrequently its a good idea, to get bulk empty monofilament spools and pull your wire off your trolling reels. You will preserve your spools much better when you do this. And if you want to change your backing, by far, buy monofilament (ande pink, trilene) in bulk 2lb spools in 60lb test...it is the most cost efficient way to buy backing.
Trolling wire, and consistently catching fish is a art. The 3 main factors when trolling:
SPEED-DIRECTION-LENGTH OF WIRE
must always be remembered. Most of all, attention has to be made when making turns when trolling with wire, especially over rough bottom, or around wrecks and rockpiles.
One alternative to trolling is buying one or two downrigging outfits. During the last few years, i have seen more people purchase and use downriggers for trolling. Factors such as getting to the exact depths, fishing deeper water, ease of setting up, and the sport of fighting fish without wire or heavy outfits, are some of the main reasons why downriggers are becoming more popular. I prefer to use a downrigger if i was trolling for the simple reason is that i can use a lighter reel/lever drag reel and one of my regular bluefish/striper rods. This is something to keep in mind for fishermen just starting out with trolling, as a alternative to using wire.
If you need a wire refill their are a number of tackle shops that fill your 113H reels up. You can also buy premarked wire from places like SHARK RIVER, website: <srmo.com> and spool your reels yourself.
I like to thank Mr.Duck again...you are the best!
EC NEWELL MAN*
