Deep Drop Advice Needed

[Out-Station]

G'day all. I'm keen to broaden my horizon's, new challenges all that!! So starting to kick the tyres and get set up for a bit of deep drop. I have a few specific queries.

1. I'm thinking of going with a tancom bull 1000 size, 80 or 100 pound braid. Is this reel up to the job of say 250 to 400 meter work. Hopefully someone with first hand experience can say. I'll use existing bent butt 24kg rods.

2. What size circle hooks, i'm thinking 10/0?

3. What are the options in terms of weight, is it normal to use an attached sinker or breakaways? what weight etc etc.

Any other tips welcome.

Scott

[thelump]

Scott have only done it once so don't know if this qualifies but we fished 250 - 280m of water but used deck winches as opposed to rod and reel. Used 12/0 hooks and a glow stick just above. I now know you can get little strobe type flashers. We used about 3-4 x 8" lengths of 1"reo bar strung together for weight! Down was easy up was hard work. Caught a couple of bar cod and several green eyed sharks and other ooglies that just looked weird. Good fun???? Juries still out on that one.

[Crunchy]

Search the thread "ooglies of the deep" plenty of tips in there

[cobiaman]

Search the thread "ooglies of the deep" plenty of tips in there

Plenty of "gunna's" in there too....

[lucee81]

Plenty of "gunna's" in there too....

Just had a quick look at that thread as I've never seen it before and it appears to me that you are a gunna in that thread.

[Muddy Toes]

Yeah................a tail gunna

[cobiaman]

Just had a quick look at that thread as I've never seen it before and it appears to me that you are a gunna in that thread.

Hmmmm, havent seen any pics of your bar cod in there.....

[lucee81]

But I've made it half way which is futherer than you.

[Out-Station]

Thanks Lump, I did read the ooglies thread. I'm just keen to know if the specs on the tanacom1000 are really what i'm after. 900 yards of 80 pound braid, about 130m retrieve a minute (no load) and 24kgs max drag. Looks ok to me but I see some of the gear people are using is probably a bit bigger (more load capacity and more line) than tanacom 1000.

Could you use an electric real as an electric downrigger as well, or would the constant weight of the bomb bugger it? Thinking about setting this thing up on a short (say 1m) heavy flexible boom, prob us 37kg blank cutoff out of a bent butt (instead of on a conventional rod) and use it a a downrigger to get some more use out of it. Just a thought at this stage?

Happy to hear any advice or ideas.

[Boat Hog]

Out Station, give Andy Hestelow at Downriggershop a call or email. He's a top bloke and mad keen fisho. Even if you're not actually buying gear from him he will be able to tell you what you need. What works and what doesn't. Contact details are on the website - downriggershop.com.au.

Cheers,

But I've made it half way which is futherer than you.

That's funny - I heard you went all the way ...... must have been about something else .........

[Oceanranger24]

Hi Outstation,
Welcome to deep dropping.
You must like pain. Pain in the arms and pain in the wallet. Three years on and we have finally stopped breaking rods, reels and braid.
Not to mention the engine drive shaft wear with the extended long runs out.

Its really a case of "if it can break, it will'

My advice, get used to buying rods off ebay when they are very cheap to learn what you need to use.
Also consider that when our 60 - 100 kg broomstick rods are bent with tip runner in the water, we would then classify it a bite and start winding.

Sinker size 2 - 6kg are the norm... and I budget losing 4 to 10 per trip

Personally, I love it
Phil

[Noelm]

I used to use an old bent butt 80 game rod, cut down to about 3 foot long, remember when you are using this sort of gear, you need decent rod holders, any weak/cheap rod holders will be useless, there is a lot of weight when you first start winding, as you get near the surface, most fish will 'blow up" and start to float (love that) and you will be just winding in slack line. Sinkers need to be big and cheap, nothing hurts like a couple of hundred dollars worth of braid, a $10 sinker, and $20 worth of hooks and swivels gets snapped off at the gunnel!!! (trust me, I know) I have found Dacron to be better than braid, it does not cut your fingers off if you need to grab it for some reason. I am too stingey to buy and electric reel and just use an Alvey deck winch, hard work, but very rewarding.

[Oceanranger24]

Also bear in mind there is no point going out with a single spool of 1000m of line.
1. If you get snagged, braid loves to break at the rod tip. Why? Because it can!
2 When it breaks, you won't have enough to reach bottom the second time.

Therefore you will need a spare spool or two.

This is of course important because if you have just spent a couple hundred dollars and a hew hours travel to get out, its a bit silly then snagging on the first drop only to need to turn around and go home.

Hope I'm not putting you off

[Oceanranger24]

Also I'm with Noelm, Alvey reef kings and Queens rule. They just have to have two winding handles to retrieve from Deeeep

[odes20]

Just out of interest what about using a electric downrigger ( I mean a good one) to do the hard yards? I have a brand new Canon Magnum 5 St which has pretty good specs. Also where are you guys buying your braid? Sounds like your paying top dollar. Sure you can buy better overseas.

Hope that's not too provocative
Appreciate some feedback on my Downrigger.
Here are the specs.
The Magnum 5 ST features the fastest retrieval rate on the market (250 feet per minute) and a Short-Stop feature that protects the boat from swinging weight. Includes 24" heavy-duty stainless steel boom, and fixed mounting base. Magnum is built tougher and smarter to make you a better angler. Cannon Edge Design features fewer moving parts, one-piece composite construction, a redesigned boom end, protected circuit boards, and easy access to the spool, switches, plugs and mounting knobs.

Features:
250-feet-per-minute retrieval rate is the fastest in the industry
Short-Stop - at the push of button, Short Stop automatically retrieves the weight and stops it at the waterline, so you can get back to fishing without worrying about boat damage from swinging weights
Positive Ion Control emits positive ions from the cable to combat the negative ions from your boat, creating a fish-attracting field of energy
Includes dual axis adjustable rod holder and mounting base
24" heavy-duty stainless steel boom
IP 68 waterproof power cord
Easy spool access
Three-digit depth counter
Integrated ball storage hook
20-lb weight capacity
Includes line release and 250' of 150-lb test stainless steel cable
Corrosion-resistant construction
Limited lifetime warranty