Help - Fishing For Alungi

[bigboy]

Thanks very much ramio. I can say that fishing is my life. I had my first boat when i was 12 years old and now i have my second boat and i go out with a big friend of mine on his fishing boat. I also go out with it on my own often because it is like the boat is mine.

I find fishing very relaxing and i try to take it very seriously.

Hehe i suprise many people often :p

[Gazzetta]

Hi guys,

just a quick one, when you buy these suqids which are ready with some line tied to a single hook, do you change the line and hook or not ? Is it too thick the line they come with and is it better to put a multiple hook then a single one ?

Thanks

Chris 

[skip]

Chris,

I didn't used to but considering the fish we have around here 130-180lbs mono is too heavy I reckon as the line becomes very visible. I'm slowly changing mine all out to 100lbs Blackwater fluorocarbon shock leader line, keeping the single hooks.

Some guys run 80lbs fluoro, and some 50lbs mono on the lures to keep diameters down and therefore visibility down.

I intend to rig some of mine with left over Momoi Diamond 50lbs mono which breaks at around 90lbs and has a diameter of 0.75mm.

Not sure about the hooks, always got on fine with singles.

[The_Gaffer]

Chris,
I would change the line.  personally I use the 60lbs flourocarbon leader, tied to twin stainless steel hooks.  As mentioned befor I use the 40lbs Momoi diamond as main line.  The reason I use 60lbs and not lighter is that just in case I get a strike from a BFT, I would possibly have a chance of landing it.  Best I did till now was a couple of yrs back when I caught the 92kgs BFT on 40lbs main and 60lbs leader...still not even a European record!!!

[skip]

Joe, didn't realise you are a fan of double hooks?? You reckon they are better than a single J?

[The_Gaffer]

Yes I am, always have been. They provide a higher hookup rate. The only lures which are not rigged with double hooks are the dojo peche destroyers, since the manufacturer does not recommend them due to the swimming action of the lures.

[Gazzetta]

Pros and cons of using a triple one ? like the ones rapalas come with.

Chris 

[Simon G]

with a trebble hook the fish can get leveredge and throw the hook single or double are better and you have less chance of hooking yourself as well

[camkev]

Bhal ma gara lili!!!!!

[malvizzu]

Gaffer / Skip. Hopefully this year I will do some albacore fishing for the first time. I have read all posts further up but can't come to a decisive conclusion what to use. Can you make a summary of what I need - type of rod, type of reel, main line, leader line, length of main line in spool, length of leader, type of lures?

[camkev]

will come and show you if you want malvizzu,cause dont have a boat at the moment   If you want we can meet and show you some stuff.And i think on the first pages of this topic there is a complete set up that would be useful.Try and read all the topic and for sure you find something!!

[The_Gaffer]

Gaffer / Skip. Hopefully this year I will do some albacore fishing for the first time. I have read all posts further up but can't come to a decisive conclusion what to use. Can you make a summary of what I need - type of rod, type of reel, main line, leader line, length of main line in spool, length of leader, type of lures?

Malvizzu - Trolling for Albacore can become very addictive, so be prepared.  Lets start off with the basics;  
Rod...as a beginner, I would choose a 20 to 40lbs medium fighting trolling rod.  Okuma 1976 has just imported a number of good rods, ranging from Okuma to Penn Senator rods.  I personally have 6 Penn senator rods, which might be a bit more expensive then Okuma, but thats just my choice.  Both makes of rods have rollers and guides, so it basically down to personal choice. A high end choice would be the Shimano talavela rods, which I also use.  You can purchase these over the net from Cabelas.com

Reels:  again, a very wide choice to choose from, but you can narrow down the search to Okuma and Penn.  again, Okuma 1976 has a wide variety of reels available for Albacore fishing, ranging from the Okuma Classic model, to Okuma Titus, also Penn senator reels.  I personally use the Penn 114's, but Penn113's are also good.  (still use a couple of the for my short corner rods) but then again, thats just personal choice. High end choice could be either the Penn International Gold series or Shimano Tiagra reels.  I personally use the Shimano Tiagra 30w, and Nick has a couple of Penn International Series reels.  Both very highend, sort of overkill for Alungi trolling, but then again, you need peace of mind if you hook up a BFT! 
Main Line:  Nothing beats Momoi Diamond line.  I introduced this line to the forum way back, and today, I believe most of the anglers here use momoi.  Personally I use momoi diamond main line, becoause of its superior breaking strength and stretch.  Go for a 40lbs line, momoi comes in 3 different colours, hight visibility yellow, blue and clear.  Again, personal choice, I use high vis yellow.  Depending on the reel configuration, spool your reel to maximum.  try and go for a reel that takes more then 350mtrs, ideally 500mtrs.  Why, because of while trolling for alungi (albacore) you get hit by a Blue fin tuna, you'll need all spare capacity to fight the fish.
leader line:  There are alot of makers out there, personally I go for either momoi or PLine.  Go for the 60lbs florocarbon leader.  length of leader should be approx the length of the rod.  
Always tie your lures to the leader, and attach the leader to the main line using a stainless steel barrel swivel clip.  Go for a swivel with at least 200lbs breaking strength, you don't want that swivel failing if you hook into a BFT.
Lures:  Haha, sensitive subject, but I have used a variety of lures, some more successful more then others.  Aim for at least 4inch in length, and try out different lure types.  I've caught on rapalas (red head ones), soft plastic lures (williamson and Pakula) feather lures by H&H, and a host of other lures. Colours vary too, depends on time and type of day.  The darker the day, the darker the lure.  here again, its down to personal choice.  Feel free to send a PM, and we can meet up and visit my fishing den, I have no problem whatsoever showing you some rigs and tricks and tips.  and you don't even need to feel obliged to take me out, I have my own boat to do that!  

[caldaland]

now thats what i call help! anyone complaining about membership fees!

[The_Gaffer]

Well said Caldaland.  Thanks for the support.

[malvizzu]

Thanks for the quick reply guys. At the moment I'm without the boat cause it's still on order to be started hopefully next week. Checked the high-end reels and to be honest they are far out of my budget, especially the Shimano Gold. Gaffer why do you prefer the Momoi Diamond line (mono right?) instead of a braided line which gives same strength with less diameter?