How to Professionally Spool Your Offshore Fishing Reel: From Splicing Braided Line, Top Shot, & More

[@dennisross3477]

That is crazy. I have never gone big game fishing and had no idea that just spooling up was technical. Puts my salmon and steelhead fishing preparation in perspective

[@Tight--LiNeZ]

When dealing with the pressures large game fish can pull, everything must be perfect. Everything is tested before fishing. One of my Swordfish battles took 16hrs. A Sword makes a Marlin feel like a salmon in comparison. Impossible to explain the sheer power & torque they produce. You just have to experience it, and be in decent shape, as the next day you can't move due to sore muscles, and sore ones you didn't know you even had. A full game harness is a must, as human arms can't hold the rod, & harnesses allow your legs do the work pumping the rod, which are much stronger than arms, saving your arms for cranking the reel & leveling the line (Game reels don't have a levelwind system, as it would just get blown to pieces when the fish peels line off the spool). If you hook a big Mako shark, the speed in which they pull line off your reel is something to behold. Any weakness in any of your tackle & big game fish will bust you off. Big salmon are awesome to catch & fight really hard, but even the biggest King Salmon is just a puppy compared to big game fish. Like an order of magnitude bigger pressures, so big game reel's drags & line has to be up to the job. Yes all very technical, but if you're gonna do something, why not do it properly? There's no "it will be alright" (or as we say in NZ "she'll be right mate!") when it comes to setting up game fish tackle. Imagine tying your line to a motorcycle travelling at 20mph, speeding up to 50+mph & trying to stop it. That's what a big Mako feels like. Imagine holding a human off the ground tied to your rod for hours. That's what a Swordfish feels like pulling straight down, & they don't. Fights can go on for over 25hrs. Then at the end you Swordfish may get eaten by a mako just before you get it to the boat, and your left with just a head. Like the one I have mounted on the wall. Not for office job type men, that's for sure. If a man doesn't naturally have calluses on his hands, they aren't the kind of man who could handle a Swordfish battle, unless they used an electric reel that is. Winding up 600m+ of line, with a huge amount of pressure isn't everyone's idea of fun. So marlin trolling would be a good middle ground to have a go at. Very exciting when you hook up & it leaps out the air. If that doesn't get your blood pumping & your hands shaking, then you're not alive mate!!

[@Yelladog78]

Geez that's a huge reel! I need one like that to intimidate my catfishing buddies lol

[@saltwaterfishinguniversity]

LOL, I'd love to see one of these with a giant Cat! 😄

[@docj5031]

Love the video, excellent educational topic. I do have one question, did he "SPLICE" the 200lb diamond braided line to the 50 yards of "MONO CUSHION" underneath as he did the Top Shot?

[@saltwaterfishinguniversity]

Yep, same splice Doc, but only about 8'. Thanks for watching and hope you'll stop by again!

[@StephenWheeler-m8g]

How does he attach the original 50yrds of mono to the reel. What type of not does he use

[@zenpro8164]

how do you "initially" tie/secure the heavy thick mono line onto the reel to get started

[@saltwaterfishinguniversity]

Hey Zen Pro, thanks for the question. The key to securing the mono to the reel is made with an "Arbor" knot. Here's a simple tutorial you can watch for that:kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5TScnmVn9ijfdE Tight lines my friend!

[@zenpro8164]

@@saltwaterfishinguniversity ok thank you my friend :)

[@jaydenpitt953]

How long does the mono last before it needs to be changed?

[@saltwaterfishinguniversity]

Generally, assuming the line hasn't been damaged, you're likely around 2 years Jayden before replacement. Of course, some would say less or more than that number, but that's the general rule of thumb we follow.

[@jaydenpitt953]

@@saltwaterfishinguniversity thanks for the info 😁

[@leversforever9748]

For me I top the real ( conventional reels ) off with new mono, the following season I normally take off 50 to 100yrds to get to line that hasn't been exposed to sunlight. I use Pink Ande Premium Monofilament it get's lighter in color after one season ( depending on use) so I remove discolored line and repeat for one more season and then start over, I've doing it this way for more than 40 yrs.

[@JeffSmith-eq3kc]

@@saltwaterfishinguniversity interesting. Maybe I'm throwing money away but mono is super cheap in the scheme of offshore fishing. I have been known to change out my mono after one trip. I buy 3,000 yard spools of Momoi Diamond and run through it like crazy. It's like the cost of running my boat halfway to the Gulfstream! I've just always believed once that mono stretches it's a liability.

[@Tight--LiNeZ]

Use Powerpro Hollowace. I have never found a bad patch in it, ever. All other hollow-core braids I have found defects in. It's smoother too...

[@saltwaterfishinguniversity]

Thanks for the suggestion DJ👍

[@adammcgeorge3538]

No glue used during the splicing to glue the mono into the hollow braid?

[@nickgallivan988]

What size lines and and how much of each do you recommend for the penn 50s and the pen 80s

[@saltwaterfishinguniversity]

A lot depends on the experience of the anglers on the rod Nick. For inexperienced, we'd likely use 80' on the 50. For experienced anglers, 50 on the 50. On the 80 reels, we'd use 80 line for experienced, likely the same or higher for lesser experienced anglers.

[@ChachoGSX]

So how much of that top shot was used?

[@hayscib03]

what rigging floss strength do you use?

[@PLP-DIY]

A lot of us shark fisherman in Texas use some 80-100lb 4 or 8 strand solid core braid. I’ve never used floss and don’t plan to unless it’s secure baits to hooks.

[@PLP-DIY]

What brand reel spooling machine is that?

[@andrewperkins3373]

South chatham, I have one too but it uses a cordless drill. The have different options available for every budget..

[@zainpazz9999]

Y’all are funny but it’s very educational

[@saltwaterfishinguniversity]

Thanks Zain, we try!😄

[@Oo7Hola]

If the line coming out of the water on to your reel is wet. Why are tackle shops and guys that do it them selfs not getting these spools wet when spooling their reels?

[@saltwaterfishinguniversity]

Likely because that would be incredibly difficult to do.

[@ktmdays]

Why only 1050 ft total for a 130 u can put more then that on a 80

[@saltwaterfishinguniversity]

Certainly add whatever you're able KTM. Tight lines!

[@Arcturian1111]

Dude you confused me

[@Yakplanet_tv]

Yall catching whales not fish lol