[reeltime46]

This weekend I was trolling parachutes with lead core line and frayed the line after a half an hour. I am sure it was my fault for not reeling in or letting out a portion of the line every 5 minutes. I would like to switch to wire line. Could I get some suggestions on specific rod and reels suitable for wire trolling.

Many thanks

 

[B.Attitude]

Reeltime,
I know I'll get a lot of slack about this but I use 7' Seeker wireline rods.Most guys will tell you that you need a 8,9 or a 10' rod for trolling spoons(to get the right action)I actually started with 6 1/2' ST.Criox rods and caught tons of big bass on them,I only have these Seekers for about two seasons now.As far as reels go Penn 4/0's are great for this type of fishing even though I am a Shimano man.
paulie

 

[togmaster]

Right you are Paulie

100% correct Paulie I fish only with the smaller 6.5ft rods and have old Fenwick?s from the late 60's early 70's which were my uncles who commercially fished bass.The long trolling rods are made for the chair not stand up. Number one you fight the fish not the rod. 2) You get great action on spoons with the lighter tipped rods. And 3 the 3/0 or 4/0 red specials is the way to go. So don?t feel alone on this one. Many guys also keep the boat at a fast speed when hooked up. You know as well as I it takes a lot of energy to reel in a fish doing 5 knts. With 300ft of wire out. I do not do this. First thing is I clear all other lines then bump the boat in and out of gear. This way you fight the fish not the boat. Many in experienced fisherman may not like to do this because yes you could pull the hook on the fish but I have got it down and very rarely do. The secret is to not pump the fish you need to reel consistently with out a stop or jerk. If you do stop you must bring the tip up at all times or bye, bye birdie. As far as wire go to your local tackle shop and let them spool it for like 25 bucks 350ft. min. I like to go with 400ft. if there deep. The rule of thumb is 10FT. of wire for every 1 ft. of water. Also make sure you have a carbo tip or a roller guide. All guides should be roller or carbo or rollers. Over time if there not the guides will cut into the other materials. The longer trolling rods do give you a better spread so if you?re going to use the smaller rods make sure you get a set of reliable rod holders on the lowest angle to the water as possible. They go into your existing rod holders and give you a better angle on spoons and other lures. As far as parachutes you don?t need rod holders. Jig them in the stern or side of the boat hope this help s good luck.

 

[reeltime46]

Paulie and Togmaster ... Thank you very much for the advise.

-john

 

[B.Attitude]

Togmaster

DO you or did you ever hear of bending to adjust or tune your spoons? I never did this,just adjust weights to swim better.I also sand blasted all my spoons,primed them and they have wild custom paint jobs on them.Then I use clear epoxy on them and they last for years without chipping.I use the big Lupo,Reliable and Montauk brand spoons.Someone I know from Staten Island told me he bends his spoons and is very successful with big bass.Also he doesn't use the swinging treble hook on them either.Strange?

 

[togmaster]

Tuning

Hey Paulie Tuning is very important when using a spoon! If the front is heavy she will dive if it is moved towards the rear it will climb.So you want the spoon more bal. in between both. sometimes I like to have mine a bit top heavy to keep the spoon right off the bottom. But make sure your not draggin the bottom. You can tell when you drag the bottom by the tip! so that is why tuning is a very important part of using spoons. also speed is the secrect. I adjust my speed to the tide wind and depth. I just don't say 3 or 4knts' It is important to watch the tip and see the acxtion your rod is showwing you. Eventually you will get the right system for your spoon to work right Hope this helps?

 

[B.Attitude]

Togmaster,You are right about the proper speed.I don't really watch my tach or speedometer,I watch my rod tips.I pretty much have spooning down,it was just that I was wondering about bending the spoons.I don't practice this at all and I've had lots of success.Also I've heard of guys running a parachute about 4-5 above the spoon off a drooper loop.Does this hurt the spoon action at all?Thanks for all of your previous answeres.
paulie

 

[togmaster]

Nothing but the spoon

Paulie you have it down you tell me if you attach something to the line will it change the action? Yes of course! So I would stick to just the spoon. Putting something in line will change the bal as well as the action. so you wold have another job to get it right.

 

[paulh]

something else I'll add for wire line trolling in general. A softer tip rod not only is essential for bunker spooning but will help you land more fish when trolling with wire. A stiff tip will force the wire to make a hard bend where it comes over the tip top. anglers drop the rod since they can't reel, it's not the weight of the fish it's the bend in the wire preventing it from coming through the top. Seeker 6.5 - 7' rods are great general purpose wire line rods. In general for bucktailing a shorter (5.5 - 6') rod is easier to work. For shad rigs, a little heavier action may be called for, especially in heavy tides. Just remember to have a soft tip and wire line will become more bearable to fish with. PS Penn 113H is the way to go.