Topics

46

Reel Repair & Maintenance / Heddon 277 Resto

« on: August 07, 2018, 02:58:52 PM »

I picked up this old Heddon 277 really cheap on ebay.
Looked like it was in decent shape and might make a fun vintage surf reel.
When I received it, it was pretty dirty, but felt solid and smooth.







Once I cracked it open I was happy to see that it appeared to be unmolested and in great shape with the original grease. 



I completely disassembled and cleaned everything, and reassembled it with grease and oil where needed.
I tossed the original drag washers and custom fit some carbon washers for it.





Spooled it up with some 14 lb. Cajun Red mono and mounted it on my 8'6" Ugly Stik.
Ready to fish!

47

Reel Repair & Maintenance / Penn Mag 10 build **Finished**

« on: July 18, 2018, 09:20:40 AM »

Since it's been slow in here lately, I figured I'd throw this up for fun.
This is a reel I've been building for the last couple months.  I've thought of it as my catfish reel, but really, it will work great for inshore fish and should be strong enough for some larger stuff as well.
I started with a nice condition, older model Penn Mag 10.  These are great reels right out or the box!  Great levelwind system, 4:1 gearing, factory mag tuned for cast control, and bearings instead of bushings.



I have another one I'm going to be tweaking for bass and stuff, but this one is getting Frankensteined 
My plan is to remove the levelwind to increase the casting ability and beef it up to make a really strong reel in a small package.
(I know, I know... I could have bought a newer reel that will do all this, but what fun would that be?  )


First step was to make a stainless rod to delete the levelwind.






Next, I made some mods to install a Cortez Conversions free spool lever.













I'll continue to add more as I get time.

48

Fishing Talk / Off season targets

« on: July 13, 2018, 04:10:57 PM »

For those of us without boats, what are you planning to target in the shark off season?

49

Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / First Female 7gill 20180709

« on: July 10, 2018, 09:04:53 AM »

After getting some honey-do's done last night I made a quick run out to soak some bait for a bit.  Had a couple hours before the Sheriff would kick me out and I needed a break from the heat also.  I waited for the last few beach goers to pack up and got my first bait in around 8:30. The arsenal was my old reliable Penn 9500SS with upgraded drag, Motive Fab Titanium AR kit, bailless kit and power handle compliments of Sal mounted on a 12" heavy Penn Prevail.  Second outfit is my Ugly Duckling 970 on a 6'6" Tsunami Airwave (not the usual surf setup, but I've been wanting to use it really bad!    )



Conditions were perfect!  Nice high tide right at dusk.  0-1' surf.  Zero salad. No wind.  Actually, I was wishing there was a breeze because it was still pretty hot.  I fished for 2  hours, changing baits on each rod a couple of times, and having no action at all.  At 10:30 I started packing my gear.  As I glanced over at my long rod, I see the line go slack, here we go!  Tighten the drag, set the hook, fish on!  I knew right away it was a sevengill, and it felt like a small one, but I’m always excited to land one of these!  A nice big surge help push it up on the beach and I see it’s a female.  A first for me since all my others have been males.  She taped out at 77.5” and was back in the water swimming away in a couple minutes.





As I was loading the rest of my gear the Sheriff rolled by, gave me a thumbs up, and headed on his way.

Date: 07/09/2018
Species: Female Sevengill
Length: 77.5”
Tide: Outgoing tide
Bait: Bat Ray

50

Fishing Talk / Thursday night crew...

« on: June 29, 2018, 07:52:51 PM »

No reports?

Moving to Friday nights?

51

Classifieds / Shimano Curado 71hg for Trade

« on: June 29, 2018, 09:31:01 AM »

I bought this new a few months ago.  Spooled it with new 30 lb. braid and fished with it twice.
I love this reel and how it casts, but I'm looking to trade it for something with a bit more capacity.
Any offers?

52

General Board / Happy Father's Day

« on: June 15, 2018, 08:37:43 AM »

Happy Father's Day to all you dads on here!
I know it's a bit early, but I probably won't be on here much this weekend since I'll be enjoying my time with this mob 



This year for my dad, I decided to give him a reel.  My dad was born in Ketchikan AK and my Grandpa worked on the fishing boats until they moved to Idaho when my dad was 9.  My dad has a picture of his first salmon he caught in AK when he was a boy.  He's standing with my Grandpa who's holding this salmon that's as big as my dad.  I had this 149 of my Grandpa's in a cabinet and I don't think he even knows I had it.  It was in pretty bad shape.  The post had come loose from the bridge and it had a lot of corrosion on the surfaces.  I replaced the bridge, cleaned it and rebuilt it as best I could.  I'm going to find a little shelf to set it on so that he can hang the picture of him and his dad with his first salmon next to it.

Before:




After:




Those of you that still have your fathers, enjoy them while you can.  Those of you that are fathers, be a father they will enjoy being with.  I only hope that my children grow up to have memories and love for me like I have for my Dad and Grandpa.

53

Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Dad (GilB) Got his first Sevengill! 20180607

« on: June 08, 2018, 09:26:57 AM »

Dad (GilB) Got his first Sevengill! 20180607

   Met dad after work at the normal time to try a new spot out.  It looks promising, with good structure, access, and great conditions, but after two and a half hours we only had one bite on my rod and it was probably a critter. 



   As dusk grew near, we made the decision to jump to another spot.  Conditions were great here too and we started soaking macs at about 8:00.  After a few minutes, I get my first knock down, a long screaming run straight out.  We all know what that is!  Not the target, but after a 10 minute fight I had mid 30’s bat ray on the sand and fresh bait!  I dispatched it quickly and soon we had 3 rods out soaking chunks of bat ray. 
   About 20 minutes goes by and my dad gets a good thump on his rod.  He picks it up, feels a little pressure, and then nothing so he brought it in and rebaited.  I checked the bait on one rod and recasted.  Just as I’m setting the rod in the spike, I saw my other rod do the sevengill shuffle and ran to grab it.  Felt pressure and cranked down in it to set the circle hook and fish on!  Right then my other rod goes off!  I yelled to my dad who ran over and set the hook on a second shark, we got a double!  We fought both fish for about 10 minutes and I got mine in the wash first.  I had him hold both rods so I could get mine up on the beach.  This was a bad decision on my part as he wasn’t able to keep tight on his fish and it was able to throw the hook.  We got to work unhooking, measuring and releasing the one I landed, a 91” male sevengill.







   As I was getting my rods sorted out, my dad got another pick up on his rod.  He actually had this one on for a couple minutes.  Head shakes and tail slaps.  Then it goes slack again.  Grrrrr!  We hurry to get more bait back in the water as the Sheriff usually rolls through around 10:30 to kick us out.  Joe showed up about then and as we’re talking my dad gets another big hit.  He runs to his pole and gets the hook set firmly and it’s on!  This shark is pretty ornery and takes a couple good runs.  After a good battle I was able to get it by the tail and drag it up the beach.  Congratulations on your first Sevengill Dad! 
82.5” male sevengill on a bat ray chunk.







   We packed it up at that point since my dad had a longer drive home.  Joe headed up to try a new spot and I’m pretty sure he pulled an all nighter.  I saw his truck this morning, but when I walked down the beach I could find him.  You ok Joe?
   Great night for us and super happy for my dad’s first sevengill!

xjchad:   Male sevengill, 91”, outgoing tide, bat ray chunk.
GilB:   Male sevengill, 82.5” outgoing tide, bat ray chunk.     

54

Food & Recipe / Getting a smoker this weekend.

« on: May 08, 2018, 02:34:44 PM »

My dad got a smoker from one of his jobs and is giving it to me this weekend.
Not sure what brand, but apparently it's an auto feed pellet kind.
I have no experience, but can't wait to try it!
Any tips or tricks?
Favorite recipes?

55

Classifieds / WTB - Light to Medium Baitcasting rod

« on: April 24, 2018, 01:03:28 PM »

I'm wanting to try my hand at throwing lures with baitcasting gear.
I got a steal of a deal on a Shimano Curado 71HG and I'm looking for a rod to put it on.
I'll be using it for throwing LC's, swimbaits, etc in the surf and harbor.
It DOES NOT have to be high end or pretty, just functional. 
If anyone has an old/extra rod getting dusty in their garage, let me know what you've got and how much you want for it. 

56

Contest & Events / Logan's Bat Fight Trophy

« on: April 08, 2018, 10:05:40 AM »

Since we kept one of the smaller bats for bait, Logan wanted to keep the stinger. I cut it off and cleaned it up, but still wasn't keen on him having it since it was so sharp!
Well he spent this weekend with my folks (his Papa and Baca) and my dad helped him turn it into this cool plaque!

57

Classifieds / Thinning the heard gear sale

« on: April 06, 2018, 10:21:25 AM »

Need to sell off some gear that doesn't get used as much as I'd hoped.

All prices are OBO.

First up are a Penn Mag Power 990.  SOLD
Cleaned and serviced.
Handle and star from Motive Fab.
$110
 

Next up is the 970 I just built.
Build thread here: http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=24160.0
Not sure what it's worth with the mods, maybe $200?




Also have a really nice 113HLW with Ted's handle and shifter.
Have a set of steel high speed gears as well.
$85



St. Croix 1702-5/6 8'6" fly rod with Cabelas Prestige II reel loaded with sinking line set up for the surf.
Used but good condition, comes with case.
$40






Tsunami Airwave Elite TSAWEBC661XHJ  6'6"  50-130 lb. line  2-8 oz. lure
Brand new, never used.
$80


Fenwick SP1084  Casting rod  Obviously used, but decent condition
$30




Penn 155  with lots of upgrades. Build thread here: http://alantani.com/index.php?topic=23555.0
$40






2 Penn Prevail 12' surf casting rods. PRESF2040C12
One is used, decent condition $40
One is used, good condition $60




Daiwa Sealine-X 50HV  Used, not pretty, but mechanically beautiful. New drag and has power handle/knob and one of my prototype mag kits installed.
$45




Avet SX 5.0:1 Services and works great but is older model.
$80




Rainshadow 8' 12-25 lb. rod.  Really nice condition
$80






I'm sure I'll come up with more so keep checking back.
Thank you,
Chad

58

Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / Solo Success 4/4/18

« on: April 05, 2018, 09:17:50 AM »

     After landing the 94" sevengill on Bat Fight day, I wanted to strike while the iron was hot.  With my wife and kids out of town for a couple nights I had the opportunity.  I'd planned to hit the sand right after work on Tuesday and Wednesday.  On my way to work on Tuesday morning I realized I'd left all my gear and bait in the garage    Oh well, headed home after work, did some chores, ate dinner, and headed out for a quick session before the parking area closed.  Fished from 8:30-10:30 and had two legit knock downs.  One that was dropped the bait right away, and one that I hooked up for about 30 seconds before the hook pulled.  I saw it thrashing on the surface, so I know it was a sevengill.  It was about time for the Sheriff to roll up so I packed it in and headed home.
     
     Yesterday I made sure my gear and bait were loaded up before leaving and was ready right after I got off work.  Got to my spot and conditions looked great.  Set up two rods, bait in the water by 5:00. 



     As I'm watching my rods, I see a guy unloading a SUP, cooler, and fishing gear from his car.  I'm thinking, "Maybe I can get this guy to paddle a bait out for me?"  Just as I'm about to walk over and ask him, I see my heavy rod take a bow and then go slack.  That's the right kind!  I grab the rod, tighten the drag and apply some pressure to get the circle hook set and it's Fish On!  As soon as it feels the hook it starts jumping and thrashing on the surface.  After one decent run I got him turned north, then back toward me and I was able to stay close to my rod holder.  I happened to time a large wave perfectly that brought him further up the beach so I put the rod back in the sand spike and went for the grab.  This male was thick and strong, lots of flopping and rolling, but I was able to drag it up the beach a bit and scrambled to get pics, a measurement, and unhook him as quick as possible.  Taped him out at a hair over 85". 
I got him back in the water pretty quick and he swam off strong, leaving me with a nice slap of his tail.





     I rebait and cast my heavy rod, check the bait on my lighter rod, and sit down to bask in the satisfaction of my first solo grinner.  I texted a few guys that I know would be jealous and should have joined me (you know who you are  ).  About 20 minutes later my heavy rod goes slack again.  I grab it, reel in the slack, feel a few tugs, then nothing.  Dang, dropped it.  I leave it there to let is sit another 5 minutes before checking it when I noticed my lighter rod bouncing.  I can see a tail slapping the surface before I even get the hook set!  I get the line tight and the hook set and this one charges straight at me.  I'm reeling as fast as I can just to keep up when it hits the skinny water and turns north.  This setup only has 25 lb. mono main line, so I let him run a bit and follow him up the beach.  I tried to keep my rod in one hand and tail it with the other, but he was not cooperating so I laid the rod down to drag him up on the sand.  This male would not hold still for anything.  He was lighter than the first one, but a bit longer at 89.5".  After I finally get it measured and unhooked, I drag it back in the water still twisting and rolling.  This one kept trying to swim back on shore.  I had to grab it and turn it around a few times and pull it into deeper water to finally get to take off strong. 





I stayed another hour and had one more missed take on each rod before calling it a night and heading home.
Pretty stoked to finally get my first solo sevengill and two at that.

Details:
Male, 85", bottom of low tide, on a chunk of ray
Male, 89", bottom of low tide, on a chunk of ray

59

Salt Water Shore Fishing Reports / VC Bat Fight Report 3/31/18

« on: April 01, 2018, 02:20:23 PM »

Team VC consisted of only my dad, my son, and myself.



I really didn't have any time to scout any spots this year so when conditions looked good when we rolled up to the first spot at about 10am we got set up and went to work. This is still a new spot for me but I knew it had good potential and this time it paid off. Conditions were foggy and overcast, light breaze, little current and barely any surf. The only thing that didn't look good was the water was still a bit brown. We set up five rods with squid and Mac. 10 minutes after setting up, dad gets a run and puts a 37" bat on the sand. 5 minutes after releasing it, he gets a knock down on his other rod and this one goes 48".





Notice he's still smiling here, he caught 7 of the 10 bats and is hurting pretty good today.

I finally get a good run that feels really heavy. After fighting it for awhile I passed the rod to Logan to finish the fight. He did an awesome job playing the fish but I had to ease up on the drag a bit so it didn't drag him out to sea!



I finally got my hands on it and we measured it as our biggest of the day at 48.5"





The action was pretty steady all day and at one time we had a double of 37" & 47" bats going. Logan tag teamed many of them with us and did an awesome job cutting bait, baiting hooks, and playing fish.

I'd had two knock downs that I was convinced were sharks and briefly hooked one that surfaced so knew they were out there. When dad landed one of the smaller bats I quickly dispatched it and carved off a good size chunk. I got a really good cast and let it soak for probably an hour. At about 6:00 the patience paid off as I saw my rod tip bow and then go slack. I brought the line tight and set the circle hook securely in the corner of his jaw. He instantly surfaced, thrashing on the surface and taking a couple good runs. I handed the rod off to Logan and the shark jumped two or three more times as he fought it.



Once it was in the wash I grabbed the tail and slid it up on the beach.



Logan was as stoked as I was! He even came over to touch it. This male 7gill measured out at 94"! After a couple of pics I got it unhooked and back in the water for a clean release.





My dad and I both said this was one our best days fishing and I'm pretty sure Logan agreed.



Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading.
Tom, thank you for putting on this great event! 

60

Reel Repair & Maintenance / CJ's Reel & Rig

« on: March 16, 2018, 10:55:21 AM »

Hey guys,
I know most of you are DIY'ers, but if you or anyone you know need some help with reel service, repair, or modifications, give me a shout.
Here's my standard price list, but I'm willing to haggle will cover the return shipping if you're not local.



I'm also offering an adjustable mag kit now that can be used on most reels. 
The price is $30 + shipping  or $55 installed if you get the reel to me.







Good luck out there!