Hi All
I got a all roller 30 to 80 bl rod with a senator 114 Hwl. Will this be a good rockcod rig. Also what type line should I put on the reel?

Hey soakin...

Your setup sounds like one of the old ones we used to use back in the day when you could fish 700 feet deep and have 15-hooks on a line . We used to fish 80# dacron on a setup like that.

Anyway, it's a fine setup for cod. Just be aware we can only fish 2-hook gangions and fish up to 360 feet deep (south of Pt. Conception in season). you can stiull use it, but it may be a bit oversized and bulky. A standard jigmaster (Penn 500) would do the trick, loaded with 30# test, or you can fish spectra (50# or so), which is becoming a more common practice.

You can use that setup also as a trolling piece for tuna on day trips and such.

Mike

The reel will do fine,though a narrow 4/0 is sufficient, and the rod will work OK.

IMO if yer not using Spectra line for rockfishing you're handicapping yourself bigtime & not haveing as much fun as ya might.

Advantages of Spectra for rockfishing are thinner diameter (roughly 1/4 to 1/3 of equivalent mono) and essentially zero stretch.

Less diameter = less drag in the water. This lets you use roughly 1/3 to 1/4 the lead that you'd need with mono or Dacron to stay straight up & down. This means you can also use a lighter, more sensitive rod since you won't be cranking up 5# of lead.

A lighter, more responsive rod also = more feesh in the sack since you can feel the nibbles better.

Zero stretch = more feesh for the same reason. I kid you not. You can feel yer sardine wiggle 300 ft down with Spectra.

I use 50# Spectra on my rockfish reels. Some folks use 80#.

No need to buy a mile of Spectra. 300 yds should be more than adequate. I use Dacron to fill the reel almost full and uni/uni splice the Spectra to it. The knot will probly never get wet.

Terminal gear varies. I like to tie up a bunch of 40# 2 hook ganions at home (4 hooks for Mexican waters) so I don't have to mess with 'em on the boat.

Some guys like to splice 30 yds or so of mono to the end of the Spectra and do it that way.

A good quality ball bearing swivel is essential. Twisted Spectra makes for a gawdawful macrame! Don't worry. If ya use a ganion it will almost certainly break at a knot instead of breaking the Spectra.

I put an Aussie braid at the end of my Spectra & tie on a BB swivel with scissors type snap using a double San Diego knot. Uni works with Spectra, too.

Good luck. I'm betting you'll be shopping for a new rockfish stick soon.

Oh yeah! Yer gonna be wanting an Accurate 3-hole power handle for that 4/0. Makes cranking WAY easier. Stay away from the 8 shooter, though. The round knob is nice, till it gets slimy.

And don't forget some Flex-Wrap for that levelling thumb.

Fishslayer

quote:

I use 50# Spectra on my rockfish reels

I've gone to 65lb spectra on my bottom fish/butt reels. The diameter is not much more than the 50 and it works well up here for rockfish and deep halibut, 90fa and deeper. 80 is too large and has too much restance for deep fishing.

With spectra the Penn 113H is a good choice for deeper fishing.

Hi All
Thanks for the info I'm going to have to respool the old reel with a topstot of spectra. Also What is a 2 hook gangion?
Thanks for all the help

Soakin Bait

i use a seeker w/ roller at first and last, have penn 133h, works great, spooled w/ all 65lb. spectra and a very short mono leader w/ 2 hooks, zero strech and you feel every nibble,, but any 40lb. rod and reel will work just fine.

2 hook gangion just means you tie 2 hooks on your leader..

Thanks guys
Come on Spectra

I use a nice cranking reel like the Penn GTI 330 or 320. Since rock fish is not a fighter and the PITA remains in thumbing the line up nad down hundreds of feet per drop, a level wind reel makes a big difference. I used to use braid for no stretch and instant feel but many cattle barges don't like braid as it tanlges nad cuts the deckies fingers nadn hands. Spooling with 40# mono is a good compromise for stretch and abrasion resistence.

I have a Sumo extended crank handle so I can exert more pressure as needed.

I don't use any special rod. My good old Ugly Stick Tiger 2002 30-60# is just fine. Those stiff Oceanmaster rt/rs 50-80 is great when you're working 300+ feet or more.

A nice chrome hex bar with a plastic twin tail grub in white with a hoochie about a foot above it works well.

some of the cattle boats may not like the all spectra thing, but they sure are more likely to cut mono than a spectra line, i've never had any problems using spectra on any boat... you pay to go on the boats, use what you want to...