Party boat tuna tackle question

[Beer30]

The PB I tuna fish on will allow braid on your chunking rod as long as you have at least 300 yards of mono topshot. I recommend a Shimano TLD50II. They hold enough line if the fish are deep and/ot if they're big

[Capt Sal]

Originally Posted by Beer30

The PB I tuna fish on will allow braid on your chunking rod as long as you have at least 300 yards of mono topshot. I recommend a Shimano TLD50II. They hold enough line if the fish are deep and/ot if they're big

Most ridiculous thing i hav heard about this so far.Why bother just use mono.

[thecow18]

i use braid backing with 50lb momoi diamond mono topshot...the 50lb breaks at around 80lb....you can fit more line into your spool by using this brand....costs a little more but worth it because now you get to use a smaller reel like a 30w.....I have a 50w as well and it gets pretty heavy....I bring the 50w as a backup but normally use the 30w.....you don't need mono line heavier then this especially if you are only using 40lb to 60lb leader and setting your drag to the recommended setting of 15 to 17lbs at strike for yellowfin.....doesn't make sense to use an extremely heavy main line when your leaders are only 60lbs or less.....if big eyes or swords are biting that night then I will switch over to my 50w with 80lbs monoi main line and use 80lb leader with 20lb drag at strike or slightly more....

also, I agree with the guys above when they say, the rail is your friend. Get a 7 ft rod and use the rail, you will put a hurting on the tuna by using the rail to put pressure on them.....save your back as well....no need for fishing belt.....

setting your drag, the rule of thumb is to set your drag between 20% to 30% of your smallest line. if your mainline if 50lb or 80lb and your leader is 40 lbs......then you need to take the smallest line which is the 40 lb and calculate 40 * .2 = 8lb or 40 *.3 = 12lb, average of about 10lb of drag max 12lbs at strike....if your mainline is only 50lb and its stated braking strength is only 50 and you use a 80lb leader then you need to calculate using the 50 *.2 or 50 * .3 calculation......

I have been using the Okuma Makaira 50w for tuna chunking and it has performed perfectly......I would not hesitate to recommend to anyone the Okuma Makaira reels.....

hope this helps.

[kyle7683]

thanks for all the replies fellas, ended up going with the avet exw30 and matched with a custom bogan rod. Just unsure now on what line to put on? whether it be straight mono or braid with a topshot. The boat im going on requires a 100 yd topshot of mono with braid

[PortlyRedhead]

Originally Posted by kyle7683

thanks for all the replies fellas, ended up going with the avet exw30 and matched with a custom bogan rod. Just unsure now on what line to put on? whether it be straight mono or braid with a topshot. The boat im going on requires a 100 yd topshot of mono with braid

Give yourself at least 200 yards of mono so you can sacrifice 25 yards from a tangle or more from a breakoff under the boat, even if you have a backup reel &/or combo. For bigeye fishing, we use 225-250 yard topshots with long rigger baits fished almost to the braid. After a bite, we feel a lot better once the splice is back on the reel.