Aarons new PB

[Aaron Concord]

Chris,
Yep, I was running 5/0 ST-66 barbless trebles...the smaller GT Recorder hooks I forgot on the day to fit the popper properly for fishing extreme ogre drag:-[
I had 16kg of drag on the 10000 Stella from the reel. Not over the tip!
I was just lucky they got around jaw bone in the lower jaw.
If one hook gets stuck in the top lip & the other in the bottom, just their gill flaring head shakes and mouth popping can rip the hooks apart!
I was just plain lucky. I realised I hooked a moose and went for it...knowing the only thing I wasn't completley happy with was the hooks!!
Luck that they stood up to that pressure AND THEY DIDN"T BEND AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Luck....plain luck!!!
Bearing in mind, heavier hooks havn't been around in OZ for more than a couple years in any numbers...you use the heaviest you can get....or better yet....singles   

Cheers

Aaron.

[Greg Burt]

Aaron, I'm being a bit technical here but trying to work a formula using a Bouz Drag Checker off the reel, so by having 16kg of drag from the reel how did you measure that, and what do you estimate it over the rod??
 I tested it last week for the Mooloolaba Billfish Bash and it worked out at 3kg of drag over the rod with spring scales = 2kg of brag with a Bouz straight pull in front of the reel.

PS: The BB was won by Rob Smith, he was doing a gamefish presentation before Duncan's presentation at the Brizzy Boat Show, practiced what he preached

[Brandon Khoo]

you went and bought a Bouz drag checker!
now is that bling or what? 

[Greg Burt]

Bling is catchy

[Aaron Concord]

Greg,
Go the Bling!!!
I scale tested the reel drag via a 20kg Samson Spring scale before heading out that morning in a straight pull and not at a quick pace, come to think of it.
Over the rod, when the fish was lunging in it's final stages it was probably 18-20kg over the rod tip.
When I hooked up, I kept the rod under my left armpit and swung to the right to make sure that there was no slack.
When the GT took off, I still kept it there though pointed the rod slightly skyward to make sure of no slack and to make the fish work hard for the line....I could only surmise that there was 20+kg of drag over the rod.
I have fished enough popping & 37kg stand up gear for blue marlin to know how high I can go.
A Precision Marlin Master 37kg bent butt lifts my heels at around 22kg and I could feel it start on a couple of the power dives....thankfully the coaming stopped me from going in the drink!
No formula when fishing 130 Greg....work out the max you can hold on to and leave it there.
It isn't like scale testing an 8kg stroker for Bills where I fish 2.6kg OVER THE TIP at strike drag while pulling at a reasonable pace.
It's "stop at all costs" setting on those big animals...
I used to feel chuffed when a 20kg GT couldn't take drag....young Olsen stops 30KG fish without a click from the drag setting he uses now....40's and over still pull line.

Cheers

Aaron.

[Chris Young]

Did some drag testing with Duncan & Lowy a while back , one on rod ,one pulling line & one holding drag tester, noticed drag spiked up to 4kg when line was pulled from either the top or bottom of oscilation stroke on 15kg drag setting off the reel  (when line angles get accute from opposite end of spool to line roller) We did not do a thorough test but still quite alarming, tests done on Expedition with std washers , do the carbon washers stop the spikes 

[Brandon Khoo]

from my experience, the carbontex is much smoother

[Aaron Concord]

Chris,

Part of the reason why I use 130lb!!! It's to allow for such variance.

Honestly, when pumping up a spin reel to "max" there will always be a variance depending where the line roller is positioned....any reel where line does at least a 90 degree bend is not going to be as flawless as line coming off a revolving drum reel like a leverdrag.
Even where the line comes off the spool can add or subtract drag when line is cranking out fast.

That's where having a flawless drag, great rod that compensates for the surges and a smooooooth fighting technique allow such large fish to be caught on spin tackle....Crikey, we are talking drag settings reserved for Chair Bent Butt 80 or 130 game gear as strike drag...and I have seen the die, so a CASTING outfit with an "egg beater" than can hold itself together with that much pressure IS a fairly recent advance in tackle.....or we would have stonkered 60kg GT's 20 years ago on our Spinfishers!!!

Once either a Saltiga or Stella is screaming out line, it's going that fast YOU DON'T SEE THE FLAWS...usually a bust up from too little drag too late or Moby Dick ate your popper and was going to cream you know matter what!

Aaron.