What would be a good rod blank for White Marlin fishing and or Sailfishing? It seems most charter boats use a roller top and boat guides. any recommendations on either would be great

REEL
LINE TEST
BAIT
LURES
SPEED
ROD LENGTH
THRU-HANDLE or METAL-BUTT?
PRICE RANGE

GIGO, ... -Cliff Hall, FL-USA.

Jesster Brindisi:

Like Cliff said we would need a lot more information to give you the best answers. I would also ask what area are you going to fish? Are you going on a charter or on a private ? Also are you interested in a shot at a I.G.F.A. record?

Tight lines
Bill Rice

20 lb outfits are most common for this type fishing. I would probably not use roller guides in this particular instance, but instead would go with something like LRSG or similar. I'm assuming that most of the fish you'll be going after will be in the 75 lb to 125 lb range? Are you going to be fishing stand up, trolling from a rod holder or casting to them?

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/23/2006 09:21PM by Tom Kirkman.

Whitey/Saildog specific? I'm going to 'guess' that you'll be dead bait trolling. Mr. Tom is right on with 20# tackle (30# max for TARGETING the small bills). A 6'-7' blank is what I'd reach for with 6 1/2' being just about right for my taste. I will also assume that you'll be stand-up fishing as a small billfish fought from a fighting chair just isn't that much fun. If the boat rodholders will accomodate an 8" slick butt, that's what I would use (most small boats have no problems with these). If you're taking this rod (or rods) on trips that you'll be making on larger boats with big rodholders, you may be better off with 10" slick butts for the extra gunwale clearance. Aluminum gimble for durablility and either an aluminum or graphite reel seat. I would like a forward grip in the 12"-14" range for a whitey rod.

Guides could range from LRSGs down to HNSGs, but I might would try the newer HBSGs just to be different. A roller top certainly isn't needed on a rod of this calibre.

The rod/reel is a very small part of this type fishing. Getting whitey to eat is where the difference is made. A naked swimming ballyhoo is death on these fish. Sucessfull hookups go up 10 fold if you see the fish before he eats. Pay attention to the spread! While trolling keep the reels with a very light drag...just enough to keep the line from creaping out. If you see a fish, or bill, come up behind a bait, quickly go to freespool on that reel. Give it at least 5-10 seconds before engaging the drag. If using circle hooks, give him even more time. If the rod doesn't bend, drop back again...and again...and again. Keep dropping back until you get a hookup (at least 5-6 times) or until you see the fish come up behind another bait.

A swimming ballyhoo is the way to go in the mid-Atlantic. This can be the tried & true split bill, a mini-harness like you would use on big live baits for blue marlin, or the Guatemalan (Guacamole rig) style of rigging a swimming ballyhoo. With the Guacamole rig you can have all your hooks & leaders prepaired ahead of time. To me, nothing beats the look of a naked swimmer in the water.

Best of luck!

Jay

I guess I left out a bunch of critical info. So here goes it:

Reel = TLD 20
Line test = 20-30
bait = naked ballyhoo
rod length = 6'6"
stand up fishing while trolling from rod holder - 8" mimimum butt with aluminum gimbal

Most of my fishing is done in the mid-atlantic area but also have opportunities in The Keys now with family down there that own two boats.

Jay, you are correct in that a naked swimming ballyhoo is candy to a whitey. Spotting them before they hit is critical in hook up ratios. Dropping back before he hits the rig usually means one thing - a bent rod!!!!

Now that I am anxious to fish for whiteys in the next few weeks, any recommendations on blanks and guides for this?

Thanks again

Jesster

Maybe something like a Calstar GF765XL or even the Seeker CLB706 with a few inches trimmed from either end.

Have fun!

Jay