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[swimmingwiththefishes]

Hi,

New to the forum and I suppose somewhat to river fishing.  Was fishing the chedder today targeting coho but hooked into a fair number of chum on metal and lost a bunch of it. This was mostly on my spinning setup running straight mainline with 12 lb test on a 15 lb Fenwick rod, there were some rapids in the area which were also an issue. Any tips on a line that can handle a bit more stress, not mess my rod up, but still handle like 12 lb.

Also in the market for a new spinning reel that is light, going to be used mostly for hoes but can deal with the odd spring and chum and that is no more than 150 bucks.  What do you guys recommend on this one?

Much thanks.

[blaydRnr]

12 pounds should be more than enough to handle the average chum...if you're looking for a brand name, Maxima Ultra Green is the standard. How long is your rod and what flex is it? It could be that you need a more flexible rod to help absorb the shock of the fish struggling? Check your guides too, to make sure there are no sharp edges that can fray and weaken your line.

[prairiefire]

Check out Sufix line. I was bringing in chum on 8lb test last week. As for a reel. Look into a Shimano Sedona 3500 or 4000. $60-$80 I think.

[bigblue]

For salmon spinning reel, I found that ones that hold around 200 yds of 10lb test are optimum in terms of weight/performance/capacity balance. I use a Daiwa Tierra 3500 for the past season and it handled well and price range is close to what you are looking to spend. Also, I have used a Mitchell 300 reel which costed $50 and it handled quite well. I think the major difference between the two was the smoothness of the drag system and quality of finish.

[dennyman]

Chum can be hard on fishing gear, especially the ones that are still fairly fresh fish.  Twelve pound mainline, sounds strong enough, and you might even consider some of the braided lines as they are smaller diameter which allows you to put more line on. However, you should also use a swivel at the end of your line. That way you can tie on your leader material be it 8 or ten pound mono,  before you attach it to your lure. That way if you have to break off a fish all you lose is the lure and the leader.  Also be sure to check your knots and leader after every fish you catch. If there is a nick in the line, retie the leader and the lure and you are good to go again.

[JPW]

I use 8lb flouro for chum and have not had a problem, you just need to have a little patience bringing the fish in. That being said, always check your line after each fish. Chum teeth are hard on line, especially flouro and any nick will mean breakage on the next hook-up.  Also, don't go maxima on a spinning reel. In my opinion it has far too much memory. It's great for leader or use on level wind, but in my experience frustrating on a spinning reel.

[nickredway]

8lb Fluro  Worst possible idea for losing lures and / or playing fish to death. Use 12lb minimum line and get them winched in quick.

[JPW]

8lb Fluro  Worst possible idea for losing lures and / or playing fish to death. Use 12lb minimum line and get them winched in quick.

I get fish in plenty quick, but I'm not a wincher. Where is the sport in fishing if you simply winch in?  My point to the OP was simply that the test of the line might not be what is causing the problem. It could be damage from the previous hookup, sudden shock to the line (technique) or bad knots.  If fish are played well (quickly) light line is just fine.  It's winching hard right when the fish turns to run that can be a prob. I would look at line fatigue and technique before switching to heavy duty line. Just my 2 cents.

[bunnta]

what does the term winching mean when your talking about fishing.....

[mzmann]

what does the term winching mean when your talking about fishing.....

"Horsing" or "muscling" the fish in.

[islanddude]

Look at the Okuma reels.They are reasonably priced and of a good quality.Most bright fish are not line shy when using lures.I would use braided main line that would be the same line strength as 20lbs.I would use a 15lbs.fluorocarbon leader. Braided line can be a pain if you are not use to a spinning reel.Use a good ball bearing swivel between your mainline and leader.I use two swivels.I use 17lbs. fluorocarbon Vanish as my leader.You should be able to handle most fish with this set up and be able to release the dark ones quickly.Chum salmon are tackle busters.You might want to upgrade to a rod that is rated 12 to 25lbs.I make my own lures and I like to keep them.

[nickredway]

You don't have to horse the fish in like some bass bubba on WFN, it's still a battle with 12lb + leader and you could easily get snapped off with 20lb leader if you tried to horse a hot fish, I just don't want anyone to be under the impression that using 8lb fluro to target Chum is appropriate because it isn't.

To the original poster I like Suffix Elite line for spinning, it casts nice and has fairly low memory, if there lots of Chum around go up to 14 or even 17lb, if you hook a big toothy chum buck in the current you will get snapped off fishing 12lb quite easily. Also consider using cheaper lures or making your own ie Colorado blades so it doesn't cost you a fortune. I lost $30 of spoons in a couple of hours fishing for Coho at the Stave last year with an 8-15lb Trophy spinning rod and 12lb line. The line wasn't up to the teeth and the rod didn't have enough backbone to turn the fish into some slacker water. Its nice to target coho on light gear but if there are lots of big fish around you might have to beef it up a bit.
Cheers,
Nick

[nickredway]

Also it's a waste of money fishing fluro for Chum period they don't care!!!

[Every Day]

Me reel is a Shimano Soltice (I believe 2500 FLi). Put on 6 pnd untra green and put a 3 foot piece of 10-12 pnd ultragreen or flouro on the end. This will deal with the coho rolls and teeth. Lost very little gear to fish this year, and I don't stress them out, most give me a west coast shower right after I get the spoon out.

I think most of this has to do with my rod though. 8 Ft Shimano Corte light power, medium fast action. The bend in the rod makes it so that the fish hardly ever even take line. I've landed a 25 pnd spring on it already in less than 5 mins. As said they don't really peel much line because the rod absorbs so much shock. Solstice is like $40 bucks and rated for the salt.

Cheers,
Dan

typo editing

[NiceFish]

Me reel is a Shimano Soltice (I believe 2500 FLi). Put on 6 pnd untra green and put a 3 foot piece of 10-12 pnd ultragreen or flouro on the end. This will deal with the coho rolls and teeth. Lost very little gear to fish this year, and I don't stress them out, most give me a west coast shower right after I get the spoon out.

I think most of this has to do with my rod though. 8 Ft Shimano Corte light power, medium fast action. The bend in the rod makes it so that the fish hardly ever even take line. I've landed a 15 pnd spring on it already in less than 5 mins. As said they don't really peel much line because the rod absorbs so much shock. Solstice is like $40 bucks and rated for the salt.

Cheers,
Dan

I've started over loading my leaders as well, it used to be a cardinal sin to do so but for all the reasons you have stated, it's been working remarkably well, hook ratio is way up, and fewer fish are lost. I think a key ingredient to this is you have to have some experience playing big fish, and to know when you can apply some pressure and when not to.