Topwater Bluefish Fun and New Surf Rod Review 

Josh, I'm also looking to buy the 8ft GSB to pair with the VR50....how did it work out for you?

Although in one of you're other videos you were dropping fish when both hooks were turned to singles, no sign of the rear being changed to a single effecting hook-ups i suppose?

ELITE BASS STICK you are the comment king. Give my videos a look, I think you’d enjoy them!

Daniel Hagerty pliers

Your better of with st croix u can get the same thing cheaper and just as reliable. Lamiglass is overpriced

@@christophersamuels7736 tsunami better value than both.

$499 now!!

I always use the swivel. It's a personal preference.

Depends on the plug. Many of the better plugs these days come with good VMC hooks and are OK. Some good plugs still come with hooks not suited for saltwater fish.

I always try to land fish quickly. It's best for the fish rather than playing them.

I agree getting them in quickly is better for release, if you can handle them and get them back in the water when they get to you.. However, getting them in so quick that you have to tire them out within feet of you (with a mouth full of treble hooks) doesn't seem like the safest method. I also noticed on a few of the fish you brought in, they were getting snagged in the head, body, and gill plate by the belly treble while trashing around in front of you. Which seems counter productive to horsing them in to do less damage. Im not saying what u are doing is wrong, just some observations from your video.

I find the Lamiglas GSB rods to be a slower taper, which I like. I haven't compared to a Legend.

I feel the wire reduces my chances of getting a bass. Plus it's rare that I lose a plug to bluefish. It happens maybe twice a year.

Flatheadfletch thank you for your reply. I have a lami flyrod. About to upgrade my surf gear.

@Flatheadfletch Did you have to pay for shipping both ways on the warranty? With St Croix, you pay $20 each way so $40 each time you need a rod replaced. You have to mail the rod back to them first for evaluation before they decide to replace it.

No problem with this. Maybe the rod is too stiff for penciling? Decent pencil rods have some give in them.

John it’s the airwave elite 10’6 MH spinning. It may be a little stiff but it could also be my technique thanks for the help.

Brendan Woerner it looks like john is popping pretty lightly here. Sometimes the fish will react to that subtle surface splashing, sometimes it’s just not enough, and the fish want giant thrashing splashes. That’s when it can get very tiring. Once you get a fish on, though, adrenaline kicks in and you’ll completely forget about being tired. You can pencil pop for hours when you’re catching fish. Tight lines!

It's very visible and I rarely lose a plug to bluefish.

There is only one, but they changed the ratings. 1-3 would be the most accurate, but 3/4-ounce is fine and I throw live/rigged eels with mine that are more than 3 ounces for sure.

John Skinner Fishing thank you. That one was a head scratcher for sure.

Anthony That rod has a sweet spot around two ounces. Any weight much less than that and you can't load the rod the way it was meant to be loaded. The 12# mono may be a tad light for throwing two ounce weights. In NC the rule of thumb is 10# line strength for every ounce. The guys throwing eight and bait on the point will use 50-60# shock leaders to handle the weight. I'd suggest spooling it with 20# good quality braid (I like Fireline and others like PowerPro...can't go wrong with either!) and try a two ounce sinker on a football field just to get the feel of loading the rod. It takes practice but after a while you can do it in your sleep. If throwing lighter wights like those you mentioned you need a lighter rated rod. The 3500 is a little heavy also. I cast 3/8 ounce jig heads with a gulp curl tail and I use a rod rated for 3/8 - 3/4 ounce with a 2500 reel. Your length is right for close in surf casting. If you are trying to hit the outer bar you need a heaver and a magged casting reel.

OBX Koastie, thanks for the reply! It seems like what you are saying is that I need to start with my rod first and throw around 2 oz of weight to properly load the rod (its sweet spot), then I need #10 line strength/oz of weight so I need at least 20# mono to throw the 2 ounces. Am I understanding this correct? I'm confused about how the reel plays into the sweet spot for the rod. Penn's website says SSV3500 can hold mono at 390/4 250/6 210/8 but what does that mean? Does it mean it can't take 12, 17, 20 or higher # mono or how does that work? I understand sacrificing how much line it can hold, but is there a "Sweet spot" for the reel when it comes to line diameter? From what I am learning about spinners is that the spool lets off hoops and the smaller the spool the smaller the hoops. Then if the line is too stiff it seems to not cast very well if the line diameter is too large. So if I go to a 2500 wouldn't my cast get worse using the same 12# mono? I can understand 20# braid because the diameter is thinner and no memory so that should be an improvement while having the strength to throw 2 ounces.

Anthony . The reel has nothing to do with the "sweet spot" on a rod. You could run a 7500 size reel or a 1000 size reel on the rod and it would have very little impact on your casting distance. The three big factors in casting distance are the loading of the rod, the diameter of the line, and how close to the top of the spool the line is loaded with out being too close! I'd strongly recommend 20# braid if you are going to heavily load the rod with say a Hatteras off-the-ground cast but this rod is mostly designed for throwing plugs and jig heads in the 2 ounce range. For that kind of casting 15# braid would be fine. The numbers on the size of the spool are the manufacturer's recommended line capacity of the spool. Every line manufacturer's line is a slightly different diameter so the numbers are averages. 8# Hi-Seas mono (first to come up in a Google search) is 0.27mm (0.0106299inches) in diameter. 15# PowerPro is .2032mm (.008 inches). So with almost twice the strength you are significantly smaller diameter which means you can fit more line close to the top of the spool. Buy a spool of 15# braid (at least 300 yards) and let the tackle shop load it on the reel. 300 yards should fill this reel just about perfectly. The larger the hoops coming off the reel the more the stripper guide has to bring them down to go through the next guide. The more friction against the stripper guide the more a cast suffers. That is why long distance casters use casting reels...they don't get large loops slapping against the first guide. Your 3500 size reel should work with that rod. But I would guess that a 2500 size would be even better if loaded with braid. Loaded with mono stay with the 3500. The fuller you keep the spool, the less friction on the spool lip as the line leaves the spool and the further you will cast.

OBX Koastie, thanks for the knowledge! This helps a ton when casting from shore which I use mostly the soft plastics (and hard baits, spoons, etc.). I also take it on my kayak and target California Halibut, Bonito, Barracuda, Bass, etc. When I bought the rod, I hadn't yet become a kayak fisherman so I'm trying making the best out of the investment. I do have one more question if I could ask. Related to when fighting a fish, how does the max drag of the reel affect line strength, given the rod can handle it? My guess is that if the drag overpowers the line, then the line could snap, but if the drag does not overpower the line, then the line is less likely to break off. So I"m thinking if I go with 15lb braid as you say, then it would be an optimum fit for my reel which says it has 20# drag.

Anthony Get an inexpensive spring scale. Secure it to the floor. Take the line from the tip of the pole, secure it to the scale and pull with the tip vertically above the scale. Set your reel's drag at 2/3 the break strength of the line. For 15# braid that would equate to 10# drag. Make sure after every trip to back the drag knob off so the spring does not take a et. Count the number of revolutions to back it off (not completely off but enough so that there is little drag left) and then when you go to fish again, tighten the drag that number of revolutions. After a while you will get the feel of what 10# of drag feels like. A couple pounds more or less can be adjusted when you are catching fish. Most reels you can lock down the drag so that no matter how hard you pull the line will only dig deeper into the spool of line. The reels max drag listed is the maximum effective drag. You don't really need to know that unless you are going to load the reel with 30# braid and go after really big fish. Let the reels drag fight the fish. A lighter drag just means you will have to fight the big ones a little longer.

eLBarniO you should buy his book “a season on the edge”. It’ll give you a good idea of where to fish at what time of year. It’s an enjoyable book you can read again and again!

Thanks! just ordered it! His books are very interesting.

J Santiago easy release of fish, less harm

When dealing with feisty bluefish, trust me it makes it a lot easier to unhook them.

Alex Saglamer he will give you a general spot. John doesn’t give exact locations

I put mine in between my thigh and torso rest it on your hip and put the leg you have it on forward it’s the most comfortable position I’ve found for popper fishing

No. I go lighter for albies.

It depends on the setting. A 10-11-footer would be good in rough surf or strong current or where a lot of distance is needed. This was a small water situation where 7-8-ft rods are typical.

@@JohnSkinnerFishing awesome champ

Bluefish are great to eat. I prefer bluefish over striped bass.

ugggh! dude you must love anchovies too well each is own for me its flounder sea bass cod white fish ....

I thought you like anchovies because you didnt like bluefish. Oh well. Flounder and Fluke are good eating also.

its the game taste its what the fish eats! flounder beats out fluke any day...but in ny the shit is gone....I have fished in the 70s where john is now and ......it..is....a.....shame....!!!! of what it was once was....

its the old timers that know dude long island went to crap!!!!