Sunline Super Braid & Siglon V Mono Spooled Up

This week I have spooled up with a couple of new variants of lines I already operate with. Sunline Super Braid PE#2.5 30lb and the Sunline Siglon V Mono 4kg / 8lb. I also use both these lines on my Daiwa Ryoga 1016HL baitcaster, with the Super Braid in 20lb, and the Siglon V in 14lb.

The 30lb Super Braid has been spooled on my Van Staal VS150B. This is the first time I have loaded a line onto this reel. It does have a bit of an ugly shape to the line lay, which can be corrected by some hand winding of the backing onto the spool first. With a monster capacity, there is a lot of backing to put on! First attempt is by no means perfect, hopefully I will even it out better in future spooling. This line is going to get a good workout, with deep wading, submerged reel, in amongst the surf. I went with the Super Braid as I wanted something tough, reliable and up to the job.

The 8lb Siglon Mono has been loaded onto the factory spool of my Daiwa Ryoga 1016HL. I wanted a lighter version to compliment the 14lb I have, for presentation of smaller lures and weights. The 14lb has already proved itself to be very capable of fighting the Wrasse in amongst the rough stuff, so I am confident this 8lb mono will be more than up to the job. With the line coming in 300m spools, you can load up a couple of reels with this mono, depending on your reel size.

DUO Designed by Ultimate Organizer

Over the winter months, I managed to get my fingers on a few more lures from the DUO range. With the decision to fish 2013 with heavier, bigger tackle, it made sense to get some of the heavy hitters from DUO. With the Bass starting to show here and there, and the imminent arrival of consistent numbers, here is a look at what will be hanging out of of the mouth of those silver predators in the coming months.

DUO Tide Minnow Surf 150 (29g)

DUO Tide Minnow Surf 135 (24g)

DUO Tide Vib Slim 140 (32g) / DUO Tide Minow Slim 200 (27g)

DUO Tide Minnow Terrif RS 125 / DUO Tide Minnow Slim 140 (18g)

DUO Press Bait 115 HD (36g) / DUO Tide Minnow SSR 140

DUO Rough Trail 130S (29g)

DUO Larus Minnow 95 (34g) / DUO Tide Minnow Slim 105 Heretic (15g)

 DUO Tide Minnow 75 CD (11g)

My DUO army for 2013

Be sure to check out the various online media sites for DUO, as they add more and more content each month, giving you the chance to see the full range, and how the lures work in action;

• DUO website
• DUO Facebook page
• DUO Twitter
• DUO Youtube channel

Major Craft Volkey Vs Wrasse

Weather this week has been amazing, with brilliant sunshine, and little to no wind. The sea, whilst still cold, has been very flat and crystal clear. A short after work session was on the cards, fishing locally in South West Devon, with the tide pushing from low.

It was a good chance to get some more time on the water with the Major Craft Volkey Big Lake Custom Series VKC-70/BL 7' / 3/8 - 1.5oz. Paired with a Daiwa Ryoga 1016HL, freshly loaded with a spool of Sunline Siglon V Mono 14lb. 

Target species was Wrasse, fishing amongst the deep kelp strewn gullies, left by the receded tide. Kept it simple with a 7g Texas rig and a size 1 wide gape weedless hook. No need for a leader with the mono, quick and easy. I fished the whole session with just one type of lure, the Ecogear Minnow M. I had good success with it towards the end of last year, and Luke at cornwalllurefishing has been really smashing the Wrasse with it lately. Conditions were pretty much perfect at the waters edge, oily calm water, blue skies and evening sun. 

The action came fast, with 11 Wrasse being landed, and a couple lost. The 7g rig plus lure would be at the suggested lower end of the rods capability, but I found casting and working the lure slow close to and along the seas bed to be very good. The rod tip is more sensitive than maybe the rating suggests, and easily transfered small bites into big hook ups. 

It has been a while since I had fish landed in numbers, hopefully the hard winter weather is now behind us, looking forward to a great season. A good first outing the with Sunline Siglon V Mono, cast well, and no problems with the Wrasse dragging it in and over the rough stuff, will get some more time with it in the coming weeks. The rod proved a great tool, breaking the fish out from the deep kelp cover, whilst still enjoying the fight. Should prove a good tool when hunting for those monster Wrasse.

Van Staal VSB150

Part of my go big plan for 2013 is to get out to those marks that even a good pair of chest waders just wont allow you to wade deep enough. I have more wetsuits than I know what to do with, and this year I am gonna use a couple of them in my fishing missions. Fishing sandbanks till the tides in, crossing estuaries, reaching those rocky outcrops that are just too far, all in my plans.

So I need a reel that can take the abuse of constant dunking, even swimming. Using my Shimano Stella SW5000 is out of the question, and a name that pops up time and time again when looking into this kind of fishing reel abuse is Van Staal, and in this case, it's the VSB150 I have managed to get my hands on.

Yes it's big, heavy and agricultural in it's mechanical winding, polar opposites to my Stella in terms of smoothness, but it's built to be tough, and do a job no other reel I own does. Line capacity is massive, and I am going to have to be artistic with the backing to get the desired line lay, the final 150m will be some of the tough and reliable Sunline Super Braid in 30lb. Thats all for now, more to come when it's spooled and put into use, as long as the sea temps keep rising before I take the plunge!

Refresh and Reload

The downtime in fishing for me at the moment seems to be dragging on. However, a lack of fish locally has coincided nicely with a very busy period at home and with work, so at least I don't feel like I am missing out (too much!). With thoughts of getting out there again soon, spare time has been well spent preparing some new and old lines for the season ahead.

THE NEW

Sunline Siglon V Mono 14lb

Sunline Super Braid PE2 / 20lb

Sunline Momentum 4x4 PE1 / 16LB

The Sunline Siglon V mono is a new line to me. It has been loaded onto the factory spool of my Daiwa Ryoga 1016HL baitcast reel. This will be getting a good test run on the Wrasse, putting it in amongst the rough stuff, see how it fairs.

Similarly, the Sunline Super Braid has also been loaded onto my Daiwa Ryoga 1016HL, but on the RCS shallow spool. Again, a braid I have not used before from Sunline. It has also been a good couple of years since I last used a 4 strand braid, having favored the 8 strand variety more recently. Looking forward to trying it out, and testing it in comparison to it's 8 strand companions.

The Sunline Momentum 4x4 in PE1 / 16lb is a line I have used before, a bit of a favorite of mine. I have not had the chance to load it up yet, but it will be going on a Daiwa Certate 2500 reel, and will be used for light plugging duties on my Daiwa morethan Branzino Urban Side Custom rod (8'7 5-24g). 

A couple of lines I have refreshed are the Sunline Momentum Small Game PE and the Rockfish PE braids. Both lines have been carefully stripped off the spools, new backing added, and then spooled again in reverse, so the line that was previously buried, is now on the top, fresh and ready for action. Both these lines add themselves so well to the light game applications. I use the Small Game PE 8lb (pink) from 2g LRF duties up to sub 10g ultra light plugging. Sensitive, very thin, but strong, it gives me great confidence. Similarly the Rockfish PE in 10lb breaking strain (orange), used for light jig head work, fishing the bottom on the open coast is no problem with the right tackle, this line has helped me pull some great fish up to the top.

It does take a little effort to reverse your lines, but in the interest of longevity, and also keep the spool filled correctly, all helps towards making the most of your tackle. Although this year I will be taking a strong interest in using the heavier gear, there is very much still the time and place for a more finesse approach, and the two braids above will be at the forefront of my light game tactics.

DUO April 2013 Contest – YouTube!

During this unseasonally cold and windy start to the UK Spring, the guys at DUO over in Japan have been busy working away on their YouTube channel, creating some great media for your viewing.

So far they have some great series of vids along the lines of fishing in action with DUO, and some really good videos showing the action and profile of DUO lures in the water, a real help to you when deciding on what lure to purchase for differing situations.

In light of this, the DUO April 2013 contest has it’s focus on YouTube. In order to enter, all you need to do is subscribe to the DUO YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/DUOJPN and send a confirmation mail to duocontest@gmail.com with your details. The deadline for the contest is 27th April, and the prize as usual is a selection pack of lures as seen below.

The DUO YouTube channel is sure to have plenty of great new material added in the future, and also be sure to check out all the other ways below you can access DUO for info and updates;

http://www.duo-inc.co.jp/en/

http://www.facebook.com/DUOJPN

https://twitter.com/DUOJPN

Sunrise Wrasse Mission

Early start to make the most of a spring high tide, saw me down on the rocks, overhanging some of West Cornwalls beautiful rough grounds. The weather was predicted sunny, last of a pumping ground swell surging through the clear water, it had been a while since I was able to fish this stretch of exposed coast.

It was the first outing in the salty stuff with the Major Craft Big Lake Custom rod, and I was looking forward to using its power on some Wrasse, who inhabit these granite boulder and kelp strewn waters. Paired with the rod was a Daiwa Ryoga 1016HL baitcaster reel, spooled with Sunline Castaway PE1.5 / 25lb. Rigged up a few Ecogear soft plastics, but the one doing the business today was the Ecogear Power Dart Minnow. Usually I rig this lure on the specific Power Dart jig head, but they are also effective Texas style, and the first fish today came from a drop shot rig.

The second fish was a decent size, my best Wrasse for a while. It gave me a chance to put a bend in the Volkey rod, and use its power to break the fish from its heavy cover. Shortly after landing this fish, the weather decided to change for the worse, as the Westerly winds picked up, and the swell increased, making conditions tricky, so called it a day.