Question about reels and floatlines

[irtrogdor]

ha! this will be fun... I wonder if you can draw blood over the internet?

I've been reading up on reels vs. floatlines, and I must say that both sides present a compelling argument. I think that for fishing here in baja a floatline is far more safe/practical (in case that big one comes by). But I'm also really drawn to the simplicity of a reel for rocky shore/boat dives.

So here's my question - if I were to by a reel, is it worth it to shell out the $$$ for braided spectra? the other option is braided nylon (which is like 1/3 of the price). Is the nylon to weak? If it is, is it possible to splice twenty feet or so (~7m) as a leader, or do you have to have a solid stretch of line for the whole reel?

Another question - if I stick with a floatline/float setup, what is the maximum amount of line you can have free floating before it becomes a pain in the butt? (this is floating vinyl tube line) Is it really necessary to have extra line inside your float system to land a fish, or can you just fish with 100' of float line and a float?

A side question - Is a 130 cm RA to long for hunting ten-15 pound snapper on a reef? Is it to short for hunting pelagic fish offshore?

Hope that isn't to many questions...

 

[kmo]

Reel line- we commonly use around 40m of 2mm venetian blind cord on our reels here. Very cheap. Guys have caught big cobia, yellowfin tuna, kings, mackerel etc on this outfit. Some prefer the dyneema, but it is way more expensive and at smaller diameters can be rough on the hands. You can still have mono or dyneema for your shooting line which is off the reel. I just tie them together with a bowline through a crimped eye in the mono.

How much line you need probably depends mainly on the water depth you are in. I'll let more float experienced guys answer that. I usually use 25m or thereabouts.

I use my 140cm railgun for everything from mackerel to whiting. It can be a pain on small fish on shallow reefs but you get used to it. 130cm should be plenty for most pelagic hunting unless you are expecting to have to push a spear through the backbone of very solid tuna.

cheers
Cam