Over the years I've been told to NOT submerge the reels but instead rinse them under luke warm water and use dish washing liquid to clean and finish with another light rinse of water and then shake them off and let dry in the dish rack. After they dry off I will loosen the drag all the way off and store them in a cool dry place. I've never heard of any of the top reel repair guys that do that....Very interesting
I thought I was the only one who brought as much gear as you! I have super OCD and bring way too much gear especially on multi-day trips and made a promise to scale it down and your video is perfect for me. Now I have to scale down my tog jig cases!....Lol
Great tutorial! What knot do you connect your braid to your top-shot and how long is it? If you use a top-shot do you use flouro or straight mono? Is the leader material for the snelled hooks flouro or perlon and if so what pound test? One more question...What pound test do you use on your reel for bait and jigging for tog?.....Thank you
Hello @JigEmUp! Thank you for checking out the video. Before I answer your questions, I’d just like to say that we don’t jig much at all. Having said that, here are the responses to your questions. -for braid to top-shot connection, we use the FG Knot. We use about a 15ft length of mono. Depending on where we’re fishing, our top-shot ranges anywhere from 40-80lbs. - we use both fluoro and stalk leader for our snelled hooks. Like our top-shot, depending on where we’re fishing, our leader will be anywhere from 50-100lb test. -Our bait reels have anywhere from 30lb-65lb test braid, and 40-50lb test mono.
Thank you so much for the quick response in answering my questions. I was out yesterday with my buddy on a High Roller trip on the Starstream VIII in Freeport but unfortunately neither one of us caught the pool winner but we had tons of laughs and as usual the mates and Capt.Anthony were hard working and top notch in finding the fish. Looking forward to the next one!@@iblackfish211
Thank you for watching the video and commenting. I try to use the sidewinder as much as I can because I feel that the slow retrieve aids in the survival of the fish upon release. Enjoy!
Good rigs. I have tried the T knot and seen zero difference in bites. Does look cooler and cleaner but i dont think the fish care one way or the other. I do like the snafu when i know there are bigger blackfish in the area although a simple single rig off a dropper loop will still catch those fish. All about having good bait and being in the right area as always.
Hello Nature Green! Thank you for taking a look at the video. This is perfect for fluoro and mono lines but I do not recommend it for braid lines, as the gap at the top of the hook can sometimes cut right through the thinner diameter of the braids. When tying braid direct to a hook, I use the Palomar Knot. Hope this helps. Tight Lines!!
Hello Fred! Thank you for checking out the video. That reel is called a sidewinder. It was popular in Sheepshead Bay back in the day due to its ease of use and maintenance.
Thank you for watching the video. In this particular video, I used Peace Token 6/0 Black Label Octopus Hooks. They are similar to Gamakatsu in terms of sizing. Depending on where I am fishing, I will use sizes 3/0 to 6/0. Hope this helps!!!
Hey Ronnie! Thank you for visiting the channel. A “belmar” rig, as far as I know is any rig where a snelled hook is attached to a main line in a manner where it shoots off at a right angle. There are many ways to complete this “attachment.” I learned this method and have been using it since. Some use loop-to-loop for their “attachment” as well. Best thing to do is figure what’s easiest and most effective for you!
For your slimfoo rig…after you tie the figure 8, why cut the loop? Could you leave the larger loop and use that for the loop to loop connection to the mainline?
Hey Dan, thank you for visiting the channel. You’re right in that you can leave the loop in tact for a loop-to-loop connection but I find that the sinker or the hooks themselves can go through that bigger loop at times, making for less extra untangling that needs to be done.
Awesome video, thanks for giving us some insights of how you and the wife are always well prepared. Love my Engel cooler as well. Keep up the great videos
I am honored to be included in your video by name. Note that, in addition to cranking the handle as fast as you can, spin. the spool as fast as you can in free spool to spin out the water in the bearings. An another very important thing to note is that all internals of the reels are greased with a water proof grease. I use Evinrude Triple Guard. All carbon fiber drag washers are considered "wet drags" as they are well coated with Cal's Universal and Drag Grease, which keeps water from infiltrating the drag washer and creating corrosion between the carbon fiber drag washers and metal parts (metal drag washers and the main gear).
Good video, thx. On the snafu and in-line snafu, what pound test for a stiff leader are you using and about how far are the snelled hooks from the knot? Looks like about 6 inches. Sometimes I think my bait floats too far up, 10 inches or so, from the bottom and out of the strike zone. Thx
Thank you for your comment! For the slimfoo, six inches is all I need and 40-60lb test line will suffice. For the snafu, length of snell will vary, but the line test is usually heavier since you want the the hooks to spread apart.
My shock leader for braid to mono connection is anywhere from 30-50lb depending on where I’m fishing. The leader for the snelled hooks range from 30-100lb test, also based on conditions. The double-line loop ranges from 40-60lb.
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