Private info..how cool is that!!! He should know: two years ago he was asking the same questions you are... :D

The deal is there is nothing new in this. People have been fishing short topshots with spectra for everything from long range cow tuna to rockfish to halibut to paddy and kelp yellows for over a decade now.

As to value I used to respool my mono every year on my reels. Now I have reels that I've had the same spectra on for at least ten years and it's as a good as new. This is especially true for my big game reels I use for sharks and Marlin. Almost ever single quality fish I have caught in the last decade has been caught with spectra with a short top. Though I occasionally have to cut off small amounts of worn line off the top I have never had to replace a whole spool of spectra, like I used to routinely do with Mono

From offshore to kelp to bottom fishing it's the only way to go IMO.

Jim

Jerry Brown is excellent spectra, one of the best made in my opinion. Since it has more strands then power pro it's smoother and does not cut through kelp like power pro, and it's also more expensive. So I'd not only say it's overkill for fishing La Jolla but also not as good in a kelp cutting application.

With my offshore reels I like to fill them with Power Pro then loop to loop in a about 50 feet of Jerry brown hollow Blue which I then splice directly to my short top of Seagar fluorcarbon. The blue JB looks better in the water and get's bit better and I can change these out like old style windons with the loop to loop.

Bottom line it's good stuff but I'd say better for big game or long range applications.

Jim

I'm sold Jim!
I'm starting a Top Ramen based diet tomorrow...I should be able to swing a few thousand yards of spectra by the end of next week...haha
BTW...what would it cost me to get the phone number to your "red phone"..you know the one you always answer?

Good Stuff Jim! I knew you'd know the answer. :you_rock:

casts like izor and cuts as good or better then power pro. for those that have never used spectra, It does cast differently,Be sure to spool it tight, and level, if you don't and you get a birds nest it will sink deep into the spool. if your not sure have it done well worth it. I don't care for power pro because of the wax, it tends to stick to its self, Although i did get the hollow core, I have cast it but not yet fished it. also never cast a dry spool. get a little water on the spool before that first cast. wasn't there a thread about spectra not too long ago? :reel:

here it is
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ead.php?t=9612

So, I'll use the Jerry Brown to fill my jig casting reel and splice in 50 feet of PowerPro near the distal end for kelp cutting. So if I cast 300 ft, the top 50 will be for kelp cutting. :cool:

LOL...

The deal is you just do a reel or two at a time and eventually you get kind of a critical mass going :D

Often when I get a new reel I just take something I'm not using that has the same capacity specs and move the spectra over.

Check this out...
http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/7402/tyrnos2.jpg

I bought those reels at the same time, but see the reel on the left: how the spectra is a lighter color? That spectra is maybe eight years old and it's faded from use to a olive green. It started out it's life for me on a TLD5 fishing offshore tuna, then got moved to a Avet SX that I used for halibut, then got moved to that tyrnos eight.

Still good though. Here's a black I released that day while fishing with it...
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/9949/bigblack2.jpg

I put ton of pressure on that fish to get it up and that old spectra held up just fine.

As to the phone.... LOL

Well that clears up a mystery on my end.

I gather I gave you my shop number. I use a voip phone at the shop and for a while everything kept getting bounced to visual voice-mail where things get transcribed into text and sent to my email. I got several calls that got garbled with chopped up nonsensical text all from the same area code, and I couldn't figure out who they were from. If that was you man... You have my sincerest apologies.

Jim

For me the only reason I haven't gone to spectra w/ a short topshot is because of casting. I hate the knot banging through the guides, killing my distance. What knots are you guys using for short topshots?

Uni to Uni, 10 wraps of spectra around the mono and 3 wraps of mono around the spectra. For the shortest top shots a ball bering swivel works well. I recommend it for top shots to be used with dropper loops and halibut drifting.

one other thing to remember about spectra is the fact you can re-use it once it gets old/discolored..... just respool it onto another reel and you've got new line. the bottom of the spool is brand new and does'nt go bad like mono.:leaving:

Anyone ever try a bimini twist? I worked with a guy at Seaforth that used that for his top shots. Crazy knot man, not something you can tie on a kayak. The dude had his legs and arms busy and took 15 minutes to tie.

The bimini twist is one of the strongest connections but it makes too large of a knot.

I started out using spectra as a backing only, with about 1/2 the spool spec and 1/2 the spool mono. I was a bit nervous about casting the spec or having a knot pass through the guides. But a few years ago I started filling my reels all the way up with spec and only using 3-5' of mono or fluoro as top shot. I have no trouble casting the spec and feel it casts better than mono. Using spec for baybass fishing I realized how many bites I've been missing over the years with mono. With 0 stretch you feel ever thing. Same with deep water coding. I also like the option of using different line tests on the same reel for different applications. I have a sort of calico set up with 30lb spec on a curado 200. I run 10-15lb on it in the bay or local kelp. I recently took a trip to baja where I was casting large jerk baits right in to mangrove roots. I switched the top shot to 30lb fluoro for abrasion resistance and it worked very well. Also the 0 stretch let me really set the hook and keep the fish coming toward the boat. Mike

Holy crap...that black looks like a toad....how big?
The phone thing: No, that wasn't me and sorry about your troubles....Remember Batman? The commissioner had the red phone that only Batman would call.
http://www.techpin.com/wp-content/th...e-batphone.jpg

Anyway, thanks for all the help peeps...much appreciated!

Do you guys always tie a uni to uni or an albright (which takes me 5 minutes to tie)
Or, use a swivel when you're running a short lead of say 2 to 4 feet and you can prevent the swivel from running through the guides?

I use a Bob Sands/Tony Pena knot to join the mono/fluoro to the spectra. It's low profile and passes through the guides just fine. On local stuff I don't use fluoro, just mono. I use a fluoro leader in a pick Albie/Tuna trip.

Use a swivel that has a ring large enough so it will not pass through the tip. And yes, it does take more time to tie a splice, but the time it takes to tie one will decrease with practice.

Hey thats lots of great info right there. You guys answered a few of the Qs i been thinking about as well.. So even if i didnt start the thread I got to thank you all.. Waiting for the weather to get better to go out there again. Cant wait to catch a nice keeper.

Sasha

Extra Braid?
 

So i was wondering if any body has about 12yards or so of braid the wont be useing any time soon that i could buy off you?

here ya go, best I could do at 950 pm :cheers1:
http://www.bigwatersedge.com/bwevb/s...ead.php?t=9733