I recently built 2 spinning rods for a a couple of friends. they are 8 foot seekers and they paired them up with the new finnor offshore reels. The plan is to use them on our next 5 day on the shogun. I also just built one for my self. a calstar t270. wat does everyone think about using spinning gear on yellowtail/tuna?

A calstar 270? Why not? I've seen
Capt. Norm land a 40 yellofin on a bass rod w/12lb. test.
Sure will be fun to watch though...

I have seen plenty of Spinning rods on the San Diego Party Boats. Sea Foth even had some as rentals and probably still do. Last trip I was talking to a pretty smart guy who had a lot of fishing time who said they were complete crap and conventional was the only way to go. I have never really had much expierience with Fin Nor, but they gave been around forever and are supposed to be a good brand. Spinning reels cast farther than conventional and don't backlash.

I suppose the most important question would be how much did you spend on the reel? I don't know what you mean by t270, but the WC270 looks like a great rod for your application.
I would say you will probably enjoy your new rig very much.

just my opinion, fin nor is a quality reel, but i dont fish spinning in the longer trips.

The fin-nor has been compared to the best reels in the world by Salt Water Sportsman. I'd try one just for the thrill of it. (wait until some fish are on the boat, or you might get a few remarks)

You didn't say what the model was so we cannot tell you how well it will work for a specific application.

Spinning gear is used everywhere in the world for big fish, except San Diego. There are new reels out there that have unbelievable drag systems and can handle just about any fish under 200lbs. Stella's, Saltiga's and the new Accurate Twin spin are remarkable reels. Jigging for tuna, Kingies (our Yellowtail-Very large ones), GT, amberjack and the sort with spinning gear has around for a long time decades. You just need the right equipment. In Florida, spinning gear is used all the time for Big tarpon, amberjacks, African Pompano, Kingfish, sailfish and just about anything else you can catch out here.

Also, take a look online and look up japanese jigging rods. The prices will astound you. However, fisherman have used them to beat 150lb tuna in 20 minutes or less.

For my Guadalupe trip this, I am taking a moderately priced spinning set-up. Fin Nor OFS 85 and a custom made Chaos Spinning rod. The Fin nor has had mixed reviews but looks solid for fish up to 80or so pounds. It can get over get 30lbs of drag although I will stick with 20lbs or less. The rod is rated up to 60lbs. Figure I will throw some poppers to see if I get any takers. Will let everyone know how it works. Fin Nor has been solid so far but haven't tied into anything over 40lbs yet. We'll see.

LT

I carry a spinning rod for bait on LR trips,so maybe i'll try it at Alijos next week

Speaking of the Twin Spin, Accurate was offering a prize to the first angler to catch a tuna over a certain size, but I don't see any mention of it on their website anymore.

quote:

Originally posted by FLLR:
Spinning gear is used everywhere in the world for big fish, except San Diego. There are new reels out there that have unbelievable drag systems and can handle just about any fish under 200lbs. Stella's, Saltiga's and the new Accurate Twin spin are remarkable reels.

LT

Those are the top-of-line spinning reels in $600++ range. There are a few other models in the $150-400 capable of handling fishing in the SD-based sportboats.

After two trips last year, I'm gonna have a dedicated spinning set up for 30-40lb gear/line with a popper. If I could afford it, add another one for deep/vertical jigging. The only decision is how much I can spend on the reel. Visit some of the vertical jigging sites and many of fishermen throughout the world are using spinning gear to catch large fish.

I know there's a charter/trip planned on a SD-based sportfisher (BG90?) that will be a spinning gear-only trip.

I have a Shimano Thunnus spooled with 50# Powerpro on a Seeker Blacksteel 6460 S. I put a gimabal on the rod. If it can handle large sharks and 100+ pound tarpon in Florida it can handle tuna out of San Diego. I will be taking it along on my fall 10 day. Of course I have a good assortment of conventional gear as well. I hope to throw some poppers and light bait with the spinner. Should be fun..

Anyone think a Penn Captiva 6000 could handle a Yellowtail?

For my 2 day trips this year, I have a Spheros 14000 loaded with 65 spectra on a 700M. Should handle most fish we'll run into. I'll stock up on a few poppers and have the metal jigs all ready to go!

For the occasional "firecracker" 5 to 15-pound yellowtail mixed in with the bass, barracuda and bonito on local excursions, the Captiva series reels would be fine.
For trips with potential to catch multiple numbers or larger yellows, I would step up to the Penn Slammer or SSm series spinning reels.
For offshore situations where it might be anything from albacore to 50-95 pound yellowfin, the new Penn 950SSm reel will do "almost" everything the $600-plus reels will do.
For places like Panama where the 200-pound tuna bite the poppers all the time, the premium-priced reels are a better choice.

Thanks Steve. This spinner stuff is for my pop. He just hates them conventionals. I just want to make sure he isn't missing out on any action with gear he can't use well.