Long Distance Plugging Outfit: How Did I do?

[richg]

Gang,

Hope you are well. I had a pantload of Bass Pro reward points stored up and got a postcard that they were going to expire if I didn't use them ?!?!? OK, fine. I ordered a 7000i C3 CT Mag HS, 1500 yards of 30 lb Power Pro and got a 13ft Breakaway LDX. Looking to throw big smiling bills, big dannys poppers etc. Please tell me this is a good combo even if you have to lie

[mantriumph]

I prefer a levelwind reel with mono for lures.

[SurffishNJ]

Very good choices. I would have also gone with a level wind for plugging with a conventional. I now do most of my long distance plugging with a spinner. In addition to that I would have gone with 50# Sufix braid. I have found the 30# being only 8# diameter digging into the spool when a fish is on is a problem. 30 or even 20 is great for the spinners but go with 50 on the conventionals.

Missed the last sentence the combo is PERFECT WOULD CHANGE A THING.

[longcaster]

You will be hating yourself in the morning trying to throw big wood into wind, with a conventional. I don't care how smart your thumb is, you brain isn't fast enough to stop the spool when the big danny stops in mid-air and then tumbles forward. The 13' rod will add misery.

Get the wind at you back or flanking quarter, and you will be king of big wood.

Also with 30lbPP keeping line very tight when you wind back will prevent line digging into the spool. Working pencils can give you tight-loose-tight-loose line as you wind in.

Sorry to bare the bad news, I was there a couple years ago trying to get a 7500C3CS and a Penn Nomad PPT 13' rod to work on big wood, just like you.

[numbskull]

"Distance" and "danny plug" don't go together. !3 ft is an awful lot of rod to throw danny plugs. Getting distance with those is more related to the smoothness of your stroke. A big fast rod makes them tumble. You can feather with your thumb to straighten them out, but don't get greedy, particularly with a conventional.

[dcast]

Originally Posted by longcaster

You will be hating yourself in the morning trying to throw big wood into wind, with a conventional. I don't care how smart your thumb is, you brain isn't fast enough to stop the spool when the big danny stops in mid-air and then tumbles forward. The 13' rod will add misery.

Get the wind at you back or flanking quarter, and you will be king of big wood.

Also with 30lbPP keeping line very tight when you wind back will prevent line digging into the spool. Working pencils can give you tight-loose-tight-loose line as you wind in.

Sorry to bare the bad news, I was there a couple years ago trying to get a 7500C3CS and a Penn Nomad PPT 13' rod to work on big wood, just like you.

Since Rich got the Mag version, seldom should he need his thumb, except upon hitting the water for overrun.

[longcaster]

Originally Posted by dcast

Since Rich got the Mag version, seldom should he need his thumb, except upon hitting the water for overrun.

"D", you ever cast a 3oz Danny into the wind? A big wooden plug can stall & change direction when the wind causes a tumble.

It takes more than a mag or a thumb on the spool. It takes a spinning reel to have any distance, fishing joy and lure time in the water.

Wind in your face, big wood, conventional reel, fun, relaxing, are very hard to use in a sentence.

Wind at your back it is a different story altogether.

[pmbrac]

I just recently switched from a XRA 1322 with a Abu 7500 C3CT to an XRA 1322 w an Emblem pro 550 spinning reel and not only is the spinner MUCH easier to plug with, its also cast farther for me.. You've got a nice set up there, but may find it tiresome to plug with.. A levelwind or spinning reels would have worked better for plugging purposes

[Eagle Claw]

I have an AS 1505 conventional I use for plugging which is similar to the LDX, however I use a smaller Abu 6500 CT mag on it. I also prefer levelwind for plugging but this was set up for max. range. My smaller conv. plugging rods all have LW reels on them. You've got your work cut out for you, using a 7000 series reel for plugs.

Originally Posted by pmbrac

I just recently switched from a XRA 1322 with a Abu 7500 C3CT to an XRA 1322 w an Emblem pro 550 spinning reel and not only is the spinner MUCH easier to plug with, its also cast farther for me.. You've got a nice set up there, but may find it tiresome to plug with.. A levelwind or spinning reels would have worked better for plugging purposes

Don't forget about the retrive speed advantage with spinning. With 5:1 ratio on that big diameter spool, the Emb Pro can really move a lure. It's not really a factor with Danny's but is certainly a factor with other lures, especially metal. With a full spool I think the reel gets about 50" per handle crank.

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EC

[FlatWing]

Rich:

I use an LDX for plugging. I stick to 3 oz minimum weight, and use it mostly for tins, non-pencil poppers, bottle plugs, darters and large spooks, with the occasional large (3 oz?) Creek Chub Pikie.

I find that a knobby magged 6500c3ct allows for longer sessions than an a knobby magged 7000c3ct (I have both), simply because of its lighter weight, and my carpal tunnel. In your situation, I would save up for a 6500c3 (about $80 from my local Wal Mart, made in Sweden, then convert it to CT (ct bars available on-line from several sources, easy to do on a 6500 with a dremel to cut of the levle wind guide), and execute a do-it-yourself knobby mag (search posts on SOL) or by a converted side plate, again available on line. I would then use the 7000c3ct you have on a Breakaway HDX for chunking.

By the way, I chose to ct convert my surf reels, because I leave the more expensive international series ct framed reels for tourney casting. I just can't bring myself to expose that fine a piece of tackle to salt, when I get all the fishing distance I need from the converted reels.

I do agree that 50lb Suffix braid is better that 30 lb suffix or any Power Pro, especially when laying it down with my thumb with a significant fish on. The "cutting" difference between the Suffix tests is diameter, while the Power Pro issue is diameter and stiffness. Also, I always use a full-length mono shock leader in the surf (length of rod, drop and several turns around spool) and I prefer a bimini in the braid before connecting it to the mono with a barrel knot. I don't do this for strength, but rather for shock absorbtion/stretch and the ability to grab when dragging the fish up past the water line. I definately feel that suffix is more compatible with my preffered connection than Power Pro.

I had several reasons for converting to ct in the Surf. First, I got tired of maintaining level winds, not to mention getting jammed up by sand if I got smacked by a wave. I find that passing any shock leader knot thru the level wind is disturbing, and eventually beats the knot to the point of lure loss. Yes I could re-rig before everry session, but I work too many hours, and often fish on short notice, usually after midnight. Bimini's in the dark just aren't any fun.

Finally, once I converted to ct reels, I found that my bird nest problems when casting wind-resistant plugs were virtually eliminated. It has been my experience that casting level-wind conventionals requires a very smooth buildup to power, but even still, if you lay into it with a wind-resistant artificial, it is easy to nest, even with mags full-on, as the sudden spool acceleration will cause the fluff-up to gather behind the level-wind, with a sudden stop being the result. Not having access to filming of my casting, my theory is that the fluff is more easily "pulled out" by the lure when the cage is opened up by the CT conversion. Incidentally, all my conventionals are magged, with the Abu's being knobby, while my shimanos and SL-X Daiwa's are static. With rare exceptions (Shimano Calcutta 400 B) I have found myself needing at least 2 brake blocks with magged level winds, vice none without the level wind, so the knobby mag on a level wind is really only giving me adjustment to maximize my cast when the wind is favorable.

What I should probably mention is that all my conventionals have ABEC 7 or Ceramic bearings, with at least one sideplate removed, and yellow rocket fuel. All my ABU level winds have dual bearings and the cog bearing. Therefore, my 6501c4 ends up as a c6, and my Record r61hc ends up with a total of 9 bearings. Admittedly, all the extra speed might be hurting me, but oddly enough, I find that if I stick to 7-8ft rods and lighter lures, my spool acceleration is reduced to a manageable level. If I ever go back surf plugging with level wind conventionals, my first step would be to go to a thicker oil, maybe even to Liquid Grease.

Hope this info helps.