Gentlemen,
I need proven input. I was out last Sat and got a +- 28lbs Dog Tooth Tuna. This is the first time I get to test the Riffe reel on my MT3.
I am new again to a reel, ever since I stop using my JBL reel on my old JBL years ago. This doggie is smaller by some 5 pounds than the one I landed at the same place but this one was hit at the gill plate and exited out at the tummy. This doggie didn't seems to feel any hurt compared to the last bigger doggie, I was pulled much harder by a sligthly smaller fish.
I hit it at 90 feet and it dive deep to 120 feet and trying to make circle somewhere at the bottom , I couldn't see the fish but could see where my yellow Kevlar line was going. I was assuming it wanted to ruin my shooting cable at the rock, thus I only allow the line to pay out about 1/3, perhaps 50 feet or so, adding to my 30 feet shooting line and 4+ feet shaft, it was then about some 80 feet away from me.
Since I am not used to a reel and have been fighting fish directly from the shooting line anchor point of the gun, I feel that when a shot is made at a strong part of the flesh, allowing the reel to pay out the line could actually allow the fish more chance to breakfree by making knots on rocks or whatever. Depending on the species of course. If the shot is at soft area like the tummy and the fish is like a King Mackerel which does not have the brain to make knots out of my shooting line and reel line, I think in this case a reel is a winner. Also Mack likes to shoot up to the surface, this make a reel a good choice.
Since my shooting line has been only 23-30 feet longest, I have always been able to at least see where the fish was heading and to visualy confirm ( after some fight ) where it was hit in order to decide if I can do roller coaster ride or swim along to reduce breaking of flesh.
Assuming I pay out all my reel line to a big fish where the sea bottom is only 120 feet ( safe for me a bubble blower ) and it ended up making a dead lock knot out of my reel line on a boulder, it will have the leverage to break free from the spearhead. On the other hand, if I were NOT to use a reel and fight from my shooting line, I could avoid it from making a knot on a boulder easier with such a short cable, at the cost of a roller coaster ride.
A freediver will ascent when a shot is made. This means the reel line more or less will have a free path, less area to tangle. Me a bubble blower will stay at the depth where the shot is taken and will only be able to ascend so very slowly, by that time the reel line will be payed out entirely and could be messed up by the surrounding terrain.
Since this doggie was still strong when hit, I was finning like crazy to stay shallower and instead I went deeper because I did not allow it to take more line off my reel out of fear of boulder entanglement. Since I already payed out some 80 feet of total distance, I could not tug the fish to the direction I intended as easy as when I am not using a reel.
Some of you have been using reels and fight big fish as a freediver, I would be happy to hear some input for a typical fish that likes to head for the bottom and make knots around the boulder. How how ? Thanks.
I need proven input. I was out last Sat and got a +- 28lbs Dog Tooth Tuna. This is the first time I get to test the Riffe reel on my MT3.
I am new again to a reel, ever since I stop using my JBL reel on my old JBL years ago. This doggie is smaller by some 5 pounds than the one I landed at the same place but this one was hit at the gill plate and exited out at the tummy. This doggie didn't seems to feel any hurt compared to the last bigger doggie, I was pulled much harder by a sligthly smaller fish.
I hit it at 90 feet and it dive deep to 120 feet and trying to make circle somewhere at the bottom , I couldn't see the fish but could see where my yellow Kevlar line was going. I was assuming it wanted to ruin my shooting cable at the rock, thus I only allow the line to pay out about 1/3, perhaps 50 feet or so, adding to my 30 feet shooting line and 4+ feet shaft, it was then about some 80 feet away from me.
Since I am not used to a reel and have been fighting fish directly from the shooting line anchor point of the gun, I feel that when a shot is made at a strong part of the flesh, allowing the reel to pay out the line could actually allow the fish more chance to breakfree by making knots on rocks or whatever. Depending on the species of course. If the shot is at soft area like the tummy and the fish is like a King Mackerel which does not have the brain to make knots out of my shooting line and reel line, I think in this case a reel is a winner. Also Mack likes to shoot up to the surface, this make a reel a good choice.
Since my shooting line has been only 23-30 feet longest, I have always been able to at least see where the fish was heading and to visualy confirm ( after some fight ) where it was hit in order to decide if I can do roller coaster ride or swim along to reduce breaking of flesh.
Assuming I pay out all my reel line to a big fish where the sea bottom is only 120 feet ( safe for me a bubble blower ) and it ended up making a dead lock knot out of my reel line on a boulder, it will have the leverage to break free from the spearhead. On the other hand, if I were NOT to use a reel and fight from my shooting line, I could avoid it from making a knot on a boulder easier with such a short cable, at the cost of a roller coaster ride.
A freediver will ascent when a shot is made. This means the reel line more or less will have a free path, less area to tangle. Me a bubble blower will stay at the depth where the shot is taken and will only be able to ascend so very slowly, by that time the reel line will be payed out entirely and could be messed up by the surrounding terrain.
Since this doggie was still strong when hit, I was finning like crazy to stay shallower and instead I went deeper because I did not allow it to take more line off my reel out of fear of boulder entanglement. Since I already payed out some 80 feet of total distance, I could not tug the fish to the direction I intended as easy as when I am not using a reel.
Some of you have been using reels and fight big fish as a freediver, I would be happy to hear some input for a typical fish that likes to head for the bottom and make knots around the boulder. How how ? Thanks.