Setting up for Game

[exhail]

Hi Raiders,

I'm about to begin setting up for offshore game. The targets will be tuna, sharks and small marlin. I fish out of a Haines signature 5.5 with a Honda 130 and 100lt of fuel so I'm able to get out wide enough and take extra fuel if weather permits.

My heaviest rigs at the moment are 6500 daiwa excellers on saltiga rods, they are spooled with 60lb braid. I use these on some of the offshore reefs jigging and live baiting for kings. I also troll skirts and divers with these which they are fine for.

My plan and approach to conquering another species using a new technique, is to gather info, gear up, then get a pro out with me to show me the ropes. The knowledge i've gathered so far has lead me to the following understanding;

The reason for new rigs is the need for line capacity while using mono, which is needed for stretch on strikes from larger fish, and when fishing with around 900m of line i'd rather be dealing with mono.

Im currently looking at Daiwa 50w reels as they are in my price range but a little cheaper than Tiagra's of the same class. ( and i love my Daiwa gear, salt and fresh.) I Haven't looked into rods too much yet but will probably get some 24 kg outfits built which my old school LBG buddy swears by.

I Have out-riggers and am looking to run three rigs at a time when starting out. I'm looking for suggestions/advice on the spread combination in regards to rods and reels. Do you usually run the same size all round? Charters i've been out on have used a larger rig shotgun to the rest such as a 80w. I'm assuming they were running a larger lure off the larger rig in the hope that the bigger fish would take it.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Cheers Hoods

[finin]

For starters you ar going to need more than 100lt of fuel, when you solve that, then come back with the question again and i will gladly help you out!

[Kiwi]

Well this is a can of worms opened!

Tackle is personal preferance depending on line weight and brand loyalty.

I am a Shinano addict so I vote Tiagras all the way

30 wide for 30lb/15kg line and 50wide for 50lb/24kg.

I tie a short double with a Bimini knot then use a wind on leader to attach to a 3 metre trace for both lures and livie rigs.

A lot of people are using the stellas etc for livies rigs but as far as I know over heads for trolling lures.

Thats a start.

Cheers Rowan

[underdog]

dont know what port you are fishing out of but places like jb and shellharbour /kiama offer some good fishing in fairly close if you are limited by fuel capacity.there is a cd out called between the line, the information is aimed at beginers and is excellent.

you dont have to spend a bomb on gear when starting out.work your way into it.tlds are fairly cheap as are tynos combos.we have knocked over plenty of 30 to 40 kg tuna on tld 25s,and plenty of marlin on the tld 50s with 15kg line on them.

when looking for marlin run small lures (8 inch)and light gauge hooks and you will have a excellent hook up ratio.we havent missed a hookup in three years using this technique although we have pulled the hooks/straightened them a few times.we rarely fish heavier then 15kg line for marlin unless the blues are about.after the first run push the drag up to 50% line capacity and you will knock over most fish well under an hour.stay downcurrent of the fish and make them work

if you find bait stay with it.many times you will find bait in an area and it will be fairly spread out.stay with it !!!.i guarentee you at some stage it will start to stack up and when it does its usually because there is something harassing the bait.hopefully marlin

follow the bite.its a big ocean full of deserts.we rarely go gamefishing unless we know something is going on.it can be a very unrewarding past time if you are not prepared to travel up and down the coast chasing the bite.sometimes a port can go a whole season with barely a fish seen as the good water misses that area meanwhile a couple of hundred kms north or south it can be going off.

hope this helps

cheers matt

Edited January 19, 2011 by Fezza
link to other forum

[bc560kk]

You also mention that you have outriggers. With a set up like that you will be able run 5 outfits. short corner, long corner, sort and long rigger and a shotgun. You will find lots of tips if you google lure spreads etc, also try googling some of the well know brands like pakula and that will point you in the right direction.

good luck.

[The Baker]

Go the Shimano tyrnos 30's or 50's they have got great drags in them and you save the $$$$$$$$$