Some Thoughts continued from yesterday....1/25/2021 : Juls WFA Blog
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Some Thoughts continued from yesterday....1/25/2021

by Capt Juls on 01/25/21

Yesterday, I talked about what rods I use for trolling, and mentioned that I spend more on the reel than I do on the rods. Don't confuse price with quality. Higher prices do not alway equate to a better product. 


With that said, I started trolling with the Diawa SG27LC's, which proved to be bullet proof for the most part, and lasted for years. They were only 50.00 to 60.00 twenty years ago when I started building my arsenal. Now, they run about 100.00-110.00 each. Sure, you can find deals on them from time to time, or even find used ones at a great price, but that's the going rate right now for a new one.  

I've started replacing them with the Shimano Tekota 500's though, but because of their high price tag (200.00-210.00), I haven't replaced all the reels yet.  All my trolling rods are using the Tekota's, but my dipsey rods are still using the Diawa's.
The drag system on the Tekota's is very smooth, and has held up for the years that I have been using them.  They changed the design of the reel last year, so my reels don't all match, but the quality hasn't changed, so that's the same. :)

I run mono line on the trolling rods that I use with the Off Shore inline planer boards and I run 30# Power Pro on the Diawa's that run the dipsies. 

A 6 foot mono leader is run behind the size 0 dipsies I run. I do use a snubber with the dipsies too. Do I really need to? I don't know, but I'd rather be safe than sorry if a big fish hits. It gives the hard running dipsey a little give, so any hard tugs are cushioned by the snubber.  "It's better to have and not need, than to need and not have", I always say. :)

My Off Shore boards are set up to stay attached to the line until I take it off at the boat. Since I teach my customers how to set and run the boards, I don't want to use the set up that lets the line release from the front arm, because it wouldn't take much to lose a board, if a customer doesn't get that back release attached the way it should be. Having to pull everything in, and go find a board (especially if it's rough out), is just a pain in the butt. It's just one less thing to worry about.

I run the Snapper (OR-18) release on the front of the board and the red (OR-16) release with the pin in the center on the back of the board. I also run my boards with the Tattle Flag system. 

When trolling, I put the longest leads to the outside and the shortest leads on the inside. That allows me to bring in that outside board in behind the inside boards without having to clear those inside boards first. Does it prevent tangles every time? No, of course not. The fish's actions will have a say in that matter. ;)

But, most often, it works.  TIP: Sometimes, the board that has a fish on will need to be let out a little(slowly...keeping tension on the line) to give it more space to clear the other boards. Then, what I have my customers do, is move to the opposite corner of the boat, and point the rod tip as far forward out that side of the boat as possible. This pulls the board across at an angle further back than it would if a person was pointing the rod out of the same corner of the boat that the fish is coming in on.  

Most eater sized fish will come to the surface as they come in, while the bigger fish try to stay deeper. It's the big girls that will catch other lines on the way in, so if you think  you have a big fish on and it looks like you might tangle, then clear those inside lines if you need to. Yes, it's more work, but it's worth it so you don't lose a potential trophy fish. Every fish is different, so reading the boards and determining what needs to be done at any given time needs quick thinking and execution.

Well, that's enough for this morning. I'm out of coffee, the dog needs a walk, and I need to get on with the day, so that's the end of today's thoughts. 

I'll think of something to update the blog with tomorrow. :)

Stay tuned....

Capt Juls


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