Quote:
Originally Posted by AlloyToy  What's the smallest reel that will hold a spool of 45# lead core?
My experience is all wire, but with the kids getting older and independent......LOL........wire is not the thing to hand them.
I'm thinking lead core would be easier to pay out and fish with....... |
Alloy,
I went the other direction.... My boys are 8 and 9 (my daughter is 11, but she doesn't fish as much as the boys) After years of trying lead core for them, next to wire for me, I switched to all wire.... and taught them how to handle it.
I found wire much, much, much more effective in any depth greater than 20 feet.... and this is after several years of side by side comparisions. I did troll bucktails a lot, but the kids have trouble snapping them for very long. Last year I decided after watching an early season worm hatch, to go with T&W all year long.
While I don't think T&W is as effective as bucktails in the spring, my thinking is that T&W fished correctly is better than bucktails fished incorrectly (due to small muscled kids getting tired)... This year I had fairly consistent luck with T&W even in the spring.
Wire line, while it can be a PITA, is the most effective at consistent depth control. It can be taught to small kids with some patience. One of last summer's biggest thrills for me was the day I told the kids, "Dad drives the boat. You guys do all the fishing..." They put the worms on the tubes. They let out the wire (asking what depth we were at so that they knew how many shots to let out) They battled and caught a half dozen or so keepers. They released them to catch another day. (I did unhook one crazy bluefish to save some small finger injuries).
The rods I have always used are the Cape Cod Rod Company (Red Top) wireline rods. They have a parabolic bend in them and they are great for snapping bucktails. The down side for me was the butt section length. It was so long that the kids arms were too extended and the reel was "face level". Not exactly the best fighting position.
This winter I had some custom wireline sticks made for the kids at a reasonable price (for wireline rods). They have an 8 inch butt and a faster tip (the kids fight more effectively with softer rods). They are also five and a half feet.... I can't wait to watch them try these out next spring. They should make fight good size fish a much more comfortable experience for the little guys....
There are a billion ways to catch these fish and everyone has "their way." Almost all these ways work. The key is finding what works for you, and not what works for the next guy. Trial and error is half the fun....
Mike