Spinning on offshore fish.

[clutch_kick]

The Lampuki season will soon be upon us, and I am sure that many of you will be searching for the brazilian beauties in earnest.

I am sure that a few of you have used spinning gear on Lampuki, and from what I have heard it was succesful.  Unfortunately not everyone is familiar with the technique and in my opinion it is much more fun and it will certainly save you a few cents of fuel.

In my case I use a medium spinning rod that has a casting range of 15-42g and I use 25lb braid on a 5000 size reel.  This is left on standby rigged up with a 20 to 40g casting jig, or a lure that is in the region of 90mm to 120mm.  Just troll another rod normally.  Once you find the shoal just idle the engine get the fish aboard, and quickly ge tthe spinning rod into the water. You can easily have 3 to 4 fish in succession before you must move again.  If you have a friend along, then you will basically catch the whole shoal, just make sure there is one fish in the water hooked at all times.  Unfortunately if you lose one as most of you know, the fish won't bite again, so you'll need to move off.

This technique works very well on Tunnids, and i suggest that you guys try it in the coming season, it is perfect to get secondary hits.  Especially for the Oris competition.  You'll need a 7' to 8' tuna popping rod, a fast 6000 or 8000 reel with 40lb braid, and a selection of casting jigs that range from 60g to 100g or even some large poppers if the fish are feeding at the surface on a baitball  While you are reeling in the Albacore, chances are the rest of the shoal is following it, that is the time to cast.

Try it guys it will save you some fuel from having to do repeated passes over the same spots and it is a million times more exciting than trolling.  If anyone wants some help just contact me and i'll guide you towards the right gear.

[skip]

Does anyone get the 7' to 8' tuna popping rods here in Malta, like the OTI ones but ideally cheaper!! I got a Daiwa 7 foot popping rod from the US that I will be trying out this summer

[Moonwalker]

Does jigging work with lampuki too?

[maltembu]

All I can tell you is once Four pukas around 6 feet  came running up after the jig but I had no bites from them... Naturally I freaked out..   

[clutch_kick]

Does anyone get the 7' to 8' tuna popping rods here in Malta, like the OTI ones but ideally cheaper!! I got a Daiwa 7 foot popping rod from the US that I will be trying out this summer

I can offer you MajorCraft popping rods Skip.



OB-77PG    Length: 7'7"   Pcs: 2   Line(PE): 3>5   Lure(g): 40>80   Max Drag: 8Kg
OB-710LC Length: 7'10"   Pcs: 2   Line(PE): 4>6   Lure(g): 60>100   Max Drag: 8Kg

[clutch_kick]

Does jigging work with lampuki too?

yes jigging does work with lampuki.  obviously stick to light jigging.  No use dropping a 150g or 200g Jig next to a FAD.  I would stick to a max 80g Jig, on 35lb braid, no heavier.  Remember the thicker the braid you use, the more pronounced the effect of current will be on the lure, thus you will lose control of the lure quicker.

[robby017]

according to carlo leone, jigging pro for yamashita, we don't need more than 20lb braid for dentex, amberjack and groupers...... therefore, fur puki we'll even be safe with 15lb braid i believe.

[clutch_kick]

according to carlo leone, jigging pro for yamashita, we don't need more than 20lb braid for dentex, amberjack and groupers...... therefore, fur puki we'll even be safe with 15lb braid i believe.

Robby, Carlo is very right, but for somebody still starting out I would not recommend such light gear.  It is easy to get heavy handed and tighten up the drag a little too much. You will lose the fish, and the expensive lures too, and it will only serve to discourage you.  Once you get the hang of it, you will automatically move onto lighter gear, for better sport.

[robby017]

come lampuki time we go try it out clutch_kick

[clutch_kick]

Definately.  i'm happy to help anyone who would like to set up their gear for these techniques.

[maltembu]

what is the difference between popping rods and spinning rods ?

[clutch_kick]

what is the difference between popping rods and spinning rods ?

Popping rods are really just strong spinning rods that are mainly used to target pelagic fish from boats, and for spinning in tropical waters.  They differ slightly from spinning rods as such because they have a softish tip and very strong backbone on the rods to fight strong fish.  When they are in 2 peices they usually come in an offset design, rather than the normal two peices of equal length.  This gives you the advantage of ease of carriage and similar characteristics of a one-piece rod.

[benri]

some very interesting and informative reading clutch_kick. Thanks!

[robby017]

20lb? seems rather risky. It might be ok for dentex which usually only fight for a few seconds, but with AJ s and grouper?? Groupers will always try to regain their lair and big mama AJs will ram themselves into the bottom or any under water obstruction to try and break loose. So it mostly slightly overtight drags and a tug of war till you get them into open water. Plus its not right to leave fish behind with a piercing and a dangling lenght of line

a number of us were there when we heard it........ 17kg grouper/ amberjacks reahing 40kg and numerous dentex..... simply using a high quality 20lb braid and if i'm not mistaken 10m of 40-55lb flourocarbon as leader

[Moonwalker]

What is the use of using such thin braid when you still have 10m of much thicker flourocarbon?