Since the cat is out of the bag

[Porter2]

My favorite was the all metal Garcia Mitchell 300. Trying to remember but think 300A was the cheaper version? The metal reel had a good drag, ease of adjustment, lightweight. No bail hiccups. Some reels had a bail hiccup that required you to push and completely flip down. Anyways I never used the mentioned above and it was probably a great reel I never got to try.

 

[JesseC]

You guys need to get with the baitcaster program!

 

[Evan B]

You guys need to get with the baitcaster program!

Oh I'm very with that program. My spoon rods and several others are baitcasters.

Most the spinning reels in my photo are on my saltwater jigging rods. I do have one of those with an Avet, the rest with spinning reels because it's easier to manager during tuna chaos.

 

[Nick Clayton]

Oh I'm very with that program. My spoon rods and several others are baitcasters.

Most the spinning reels in my photo are on my saltwater jigging rods. I do have one of those with an Avet, the rest with spinning reels because it's easier to manager during tuna chaos.

Curious what you find easier about spinning reels during Tuna madness?

Lever drags and their ability to quickly back the drag off when tangles occur sure make life easy compared to spinning reels, IMO.

 

[Evan B]

Curious what you find easier about spinning reels during Tuna madness?

Lever drags and their ability to quickly back the drag off when tangles occur sure make life easy compared to spinning reels, IMO.

1. I've never had to deal with tangles. Fingers crossed.
2. I don't fish live bait
3. Jigging is much easier on a spinning reel

 

[Nick Clayton]

Yeah, I know a lot of people who prefer jigging with spinning rods. I'm just not one of them. Just never feels comfortable to me.

I also prefer to fight albacore with the rod in my left hand, at least with gear rods, and I'll be damned if I can reel a spinning reel with my right hand lol

 

[Chadk]

Here are 3/4 of my collection or gear and fly. Missing the bigger salt gear rods and few collectable fly rods and at least 20 fly and gear reels not attached. I still have an old crappy spinning rod that I caught my very first salmon on when I was in my teens. Remember it clearly - fishing in the pouring rain on a small river near my house that had a run of spring king salmon. Slammed a hammered silver spoon. Anyway, I digress...

 

[veilside180sx]

A mix of my buddies and my rods. I keep all my additional blanks and fly rods separate..in addition to what's pictured.

 

[wanderingrichard]

A mix of my buddies and my rods. I keep all my additional blanks and fly rods separate..in addition to what's pictured.

View attachment 7379View attachment 7380

Wow, you have your own tackle store. With all my stuff, I might be able to only fill 3 of those racks

 

[wanderingrichard]

Yeah, I know a lot of people who prefer jigging with spinning rods. I'm just not one of them. Just never feels comfortable to me.

I also prefer to fight albacore with the rod in my left hand, at least with gear rods, and I'll be damned if I can reel a spinning reel with my right hand lol

Just the opposite here, Nick.. right handed, reel left.

 

[Nick Clayton]

Just the opposite here, Nick.. right handed, reel left.

That's how I learned to fish, and for most things that's what I prefer. Fly fishing wise I have to have the rod in my right hand and line in my left. It wasn't till I started working charters that I got comfortable with reeling gear rods with my right hand. Now I can use either no problem, with the exception of a spinning reel. I just have to reel left handed there.

With Tuna I have come to prefer reeling right handed, mainly because the reel hand gets the bulk of the work when playing albacore. The rod is basically tucked into my waist and I use my legs and whole body more for lifting with the rod, so having the rod in my dominant hand isn't as important. I can swap around if needed, but that's how I prefer.

 

[clarkman]

damn, during one of our tuna trips last year, I was jigging with a gear rod that was right hand wind. I had to hand it off once I hooked a fish because it literally looked like I had never seen a fishing rod before and someone handed it to me with a 15lb albacore attached....

Maybe some day I'll learn to reel with my right hand, but until then....

 

[Nick Clayton]

damn, during one of our tuna trips last year, I was jigging with a gear rod that was right hand wind. I had to hand it off once I hooked a fish because it literally looked like I had never seen a fishing rod before and someone handed it to me with a 15lb albacore attached....

Maybe some day I'll learn to reel with my right hand, but until then....

If I'm perfectly honest I am really not very into playing tuna on gear rods at all. The chaos of a wide open bait stop is a hoot, and moving all around the boat to avoid tangles and all that is awesome, but catching the damn things on gear rods in itself just doesn't do much for me.

I love hooking them and then passing them off and letting someone else do all the work

When I was a deckhand, one captain I worked with for a couple years and myself used to play a game where we'd hook a fish and then find sneaky ways to pass the rod off to the other, especially if it was a big fish. He got me good at one point... hooked a big ass 33-35 lb donkey, then got in the middle of a multi rod tangle. I was dealing with other shit as it was a wide open stop of chaos, so he backed the drag off and while looking like he was going to be undoing a big tangle he yelled "Nick take this..." and handed me the rod over his shoulder. Since the drag was backed off I didn't realize he had a fish on, and that it was huge. I took the rod and stood behind him waiting for him to grab lines and start undoing the tangle, but he just started laughing. Took my brain a second or two to register, then I pushed the drag lever forward and came tight to the fish. He laughed so hard he couldn't stand up for several minutes as I broke my back on that stupid fish. Good times.

 

[Chadk]

I think my collection is average - but I'd say my rack is unique...

 

[wanderingrichard]

I think my collection is average - but I'd say my rack is unique...View attachment 7384

Is that a Gila Monster on that heat rock ?

 

[wanderingrichard]

If I'm perfectly honest I am really not very into playing tuna on gear rods at all. The chaos of a wide open bait stop is a hoot, and moving all around the boat to avoid tangles and all that is awesome, but catching the damn things on gear rods in itself just doesn't do much for me.

I love hooking them and then passing them off and letting someone else do all the work

When I was a deckhand, one captain I worked with for a couple years and myself used to play a game where we'd hook a fish and then find sneaky ways to pass the rod off to the other, especially if it was a big fish. He got me good at one point... hooked a big ass 33-35 lb donkey, then got in the middle of a multi rod tangle. I was dealing with other shit as it was a wide open stop of chaos, so he backed the drag off and while looking like he was going to be undoing a big tangle he yelled "Nick take this..." and handed me the rod over his shoulder. Since the drag was backed off I didn't realize he had a fish on, and that it was huge. I took the rod and stood behind him waiting for him to grab lines and start undoing the tangle, but he just started laughing. Took my brain a second or two to register, then I pushed the drag lever forward and came tight to the fish. He laughed so hard he couldn't stand up for several minutes as I broke my back on that stupid fish. Good times.

My very first albacore kicked my fat out of shape butt. What made it bad was I was #1 on the roster. So I was the morning comedy act.

 

[Chadk]

Is that a Gila Monster on that heat rock ?

A young Savannah Monitor lizard on a log.

 

[wanderingrichard]

A young Savannah Monitor lizard on a log.

View attachment 7386
View attachment 7385

Ahhh, better details in these shots.
Will it stay small, like under 3 feet or do they get bigger ?

 

[Chadk]

Ahhh, better details in these shots.
Will it stay small, like under 3 feet or do they get bigger ?

they can get over 4ft. This one will probably only get a little over 3.

 

[clarkman]

A young Savannah Monitor lizard on a log.

View attachment 7386
View attachment 7385

Hell yeah!

I had one of those in college. Coolest little dinosaurs out there. Mine never did calm down. I ended up moving into an apartment when I moved to Portland, and couldn't bring him with me (he was close to 4' and 25-35lbs at that point).

I've been tempted to get another, but I'm content with a couple of boas (one is 24 years young this year) as they don't take up as much space and are much lower maintenance).