CALSTAR Black West Coast Series Southern California 655XH RS/RT

It has always been my dream to get a shot at a cow tuna.  To even attempt to play with one of these massive Yellowfin Tuna, I knew I need to have the right gears.  This means having conventional outfits that can withstand the extreme pressure of battling 3 digit monsters and efficiently do the job.  I'm afraid spinning reels just don't have the line capacity for higher rated spectra lines needed  to do battle with these magnificent fish.  I've already acquired an Accurate DPX2 50, and I 'm thinking of buying a DPX2 30 to fish 80lbs.  I've also been looking at  various west coast rods like Seeker and Calstar that have been proven to catch cow tuna on long range trips.  I'm quite interested in the rail rodding technique.  It gives the angler maximum leverage against monster tuna by using the boat rail as a fulcrum while reducing the amount of pain and fatigue on the angler.  It also allows the angler to battle these behemoths without the aid of a full harness, allowing more freedom to move around the boat fast to follow the fish.  So I went to our local tackle shops to check out some of the rail rods.  Most of the designed rail rods are long, at least 6'6" to 7+ feet one piece rods.  They're massive and quite heavy.  They're designed with longer length so that the line will stay clear off the boat and not rub against it as the fish do its death circle by the side of the boat.  As most west coast style rods, their grips are longer but reinforced to protect the eva foam material when you rail the rod.  They're well built with metal reel seats and heavy duty guides. I'm quite sure they're really up to the task of hauling 3-digit monsters easily.  They're really heavy compared to the Japanese jigging and popping rods I'm used to. After handling some at the tackle shop, I didn't feel comfortable as I envision fishing them with a heavy 50 or 30 size reel attached to it.  Another thing that kept me from getting one is the length for transport especially when you're flying to your fishing destination.  I wish they make butt-jointed rail rods, that'll be awesome!  So I checked out other offshore rods used by most long range anglers.  I wanted a rod that's lighter, shorter, and well-proven by anglers.  A shorter rod that I can also fish using the rail.  I've looked at Calstar's short Boomer Jr. and liked it very much.  It's equipped roller guides.  Then I ran across the Calstar's West Coast series SoCal 655XH RS RT.  This one's even lighter in weight than the Boomer Jr.  It's equipped with graphite Fuji reel seat, and features roller guides for the stripper and tiptop, the rest are conventional guides.  It is rated for 40-100lb line.  Length is 5'5" but with the gimbal, it's more like 5'7" in length.  I love the feel and the action, and immediately took one home!  I think I'll be happy fishing this rod and can't wait to take it out on a cow tuna trip.

 To protect the eva grip from getting messed up when I rail this rod, I got some Rod Wrap to wrap it for protection.  The black colored wrap was not available; fortunately they have some in teal color.  A perfect match with the color scheme of the rod.  The Rod Wrap is tacky and improves your grip.  It's easy to apply and comes with finishing tape to secure the end.  It uses no glue for installation.

 

Well, I just can't help it, time for a couple of deadlifts with 15lbs and 20lbs weight just to give me an idea of the action of the rod when loaded.   I know it could take more than 20lbs, but I'd reserve that for the real cow tuna.  Of course, I'm still waiting for my custom acid rod using the Tunamax Parabolique XH blank to get done. Hope you liked this post. Go get some!

                                           15LB Deadlift

                                         20LB Deadlift

Jigging for Amberjacks (aka Reef Donkies)

When the vertical jigging craze started, one of the best pound for pound fish to target was the Amberjack (AJ).  It has the shoulder to muscle your rod almost to its breaking point and make your reel scream for mercy.  Go head-to-head with a bruiser AJ with mediocre gears, the outcome is inevitable--you'll lose and will go home with a broken rod or reel.  I had a chance of jigging one of the best AJ spots in the US at Wilmington North Carolina.  Anglers have reported that this is the place where you'll get bit at almost every drop when the conditions are right.  They say at times, anglers would quit due to tired muscles before the morning is even done.  I have to say, it's true!  When I went on a 2-day fishing trip there, we were only able to go out jigging on the first day as the weather was turning gnarly.  In fact by the time we got to the spot about 60 miles offshore, the water started getting rough, the swells were getting bigger, and the current was getting strong.  Despite the less than ideal conditions, on my first drop of a Smith Nagamasa jig, I immediately got hit, drag was screaming, and suddenly pop!  Busted my 130lb mono leader like it was a piece of thread. Bye bye Nagamasa, another donation to the gods of the deep.  I immediately tied on another jig, this time a no-name cheaper jig I got from a fishing show.  I dropped it, and after a few pumps and cranks I was picked up again, and it was game on!  After a couple more hookups and release, the water turned to worse and we decided to move a bit closer to land.  I decided to switch to a heavier jig as the current was just too strong.  I tied on a pink 400gm River2Sea Zero Dropper.  After a few drops, I hung another nice one, quick photo op and release, and that was pretty much it.  The bite just turned off as the weather was turning from bad to worse in a hurry.  We decided to head back in.

 

The Gears

I brought along 3 spinning combos on this trip: Stella 20000FA/Smith AMJ S52EX, Stella 8000PG/Shimano Blue Rose 250gm, and the VS VSB250/Shimano T-Curve Deep Jig 400.  Since my VSB250 and T-Curve were both new, I decided to use this combo first and ended up using it the whole time.  I was quite impressed with the VSB 250 loaded with 80lb Daiwa Boat Braid..  It truly is a powerful reel, and can take alot of punishment.  The drag is smooth and strong.  The gear ratio at 4.25:1 is good for jigging.  If I could change one thing, I'd prefer a round power handle knob like those of the Stella or Saragosa.

The Shimano T-Curve Deep Jig 400 is the first 2-piece jigging rod I've encountered.  I saw it on the rod rack at Melton tackle and immediately checked it out.  I anticipated that it was going to be heavy because of the thickness of the blank, and the metal spigot connection.  I was quite surprised that it was light!  This rod was designed by Ian Miller, and built strong for jigging in Australian waters.  The guide bindings used are threads made of carbon fiber.  Indeed this is a jigging rod designed to take on any monster it may encounter.  I was truly amazed at the power of this rod as I played tug-o-war with some nice AJs. 

 

So what jigs worked?   I think any type of jigs would work for AJs.  The most important thing is to be in the zone.  Thus, a fish finder is definitely a must for vertical jigging.  Although most jig anglers prefer knife jigs for AJs.  On this trip, I brought along different kinds of jigs, but only used the Smith Nagamasa (which I lost on the first drop), a no-name jig, and the heavy River2Sea Zero Dropper.  I usually prefer to drop pink colored jigs first.  The pic below from left to right is the Nagamasa, River2Sea Zero Dropper, and the no-name jig.  Except for the Smith Nagamasa on the pic, the other two are the actual jigs I used on this trip.

Gear Review: Accurate Boss Extreme DPX2 50D Reel -- The "DAWG"

Well, I finally pulled the trigger and spent some hard earned stash for my first cow tuna reel; the DAWG 50.  This kind of heavy reel is new to me as I've always been a spin angler.  Although I also own a couple of those E series Accurate Boss Magnums which I've fished only a couple of times, this DAWG 50 is a different breed; surely a monster in proportion and weight.  I was planning to get the Avet HXW Raptor; a more affordable alternative for sure.  But as luck would have it, they stopped making it in lefty.  But then I got luckier when Charkbait said they have the DAWG 50 in true lefty in stock, and in their unique CB candy apple red color.  Nice!  My two Boss E-series were just put together backwards to make it lefty.  I sure hope the DAWG 50 would be good enough in my quest to get a shot at a cow this year (keeping my fingers crossed).  For starters, it has three ant-reverse dogs instead of the AR bearing.  The AR bearings used in Accurate reels have been the weakest point in their reels.  Now with the DPX2 series, that weak point has been eliminated.  Kudos to Accurate, they finally listened to the users!

The DAWG 50 is a solid beefy reel.  I was able to spool 650 yards of 100lb Toro Tamer solid braid.  There is no AR bearing on the DPX2 reels with the exception of the 600 series which have an AR bearing and triple dogs for vertical jigging to eliminate back play.  Cranking the handle you'll hear the soft clicking sound of the engaged dog.  With three dogs, should one fail, the next dog is ready to engage. There is some very minute back play since it it s straight anti-reverse dog system.  The operation is smooth and it has excellent free spool.  It also has Accucast which helps eliminate backlash on the cast.  A nice feature for anglers like me who mostly use spinning reels.  Overall, I love this reel and can't wait to take it out on a cow tuna trip.

So now I'm thinking, should I use this with a harness or should I try rail rodding?  I already have a Tunamax XH blank being made into an acid rod by Jim Racela (aka J.AkuHed) that'll be perfect with a full harness.  Hopefully it'll have the backbone to lift big YFT. So now maybe I need another rod and reel to fish the rail.  Maybe another DAWG 50 or go full throttle with an ATD 30T?  Aaarggh!  Just to get a shot at cow tuna surely gets expensive fast!  As the saying goes "You wanna to play, you gotta pay!" 

                                                                Boy, that's huge!

                                                            Set the drag at strike to 20lbs.