Today I went to the semi-local (I live in Fort Walton Beach, FL) Bass Pro Shop in Destin (which, to most of us
here in FWB, might as well be an alien planet), and bought a rod & reel combo (rod looks and feels fine for
fishing off of our local bridges, reel is a Shakespeare 50 and it's pre-wound with 14# test, which I'm
guessing is going to snap as soon as something larger than a jelly gets on it).  I didn't see this until I got
home and had it all opened, but the package actually calls it freshwater gear, but again, the rod looks
typical of what I see locals fishing with from the bridges (for those who didn't see my intro, I've been using
cast nets exckusively since 1993).

Anyways, I'll mostly be after speck (speckled trout, which I just discovered is also known as spotted sea
trout), sheepshead, redfish, and, although out of all of the time I've been at the Destin bridge with my
bridge net (first cast net I ever made, back in '93---13.5 foot 18.5 lb) I've only seen one shark, a very big
one at that, I wouldn't mind hooking a decent sized shark.  I know the line is too light for even a small
shark, but what about the others?

Should I (on 1 March when I have money again) go to WalMart and get more line and/or a new reel?  If so how do
I attach a new reel if I need to get one, and if I need new line, how do I respool the reel with the heavier
line?  This reel is NOT the kind you have to use your thumb to keep the line from tangling---it's the kind
with a rotating bit that spools the line back up as you rewind it (which I hope I did right when I finally
managed to get it all setup...I just positioned the line so it went under that and then out to the eyes on the
rod).  The line itself is so flimsy that even a half blood knot (which I'm sure has a name) came loose the
first time I tied the hook on, making me wonder what knot I should have used.  Right now, it's one side of a
blood knot, as before, with a hard knot on top, just to "make a point" to the line.  :-)

Thanks,
   --jim

Posted By Barresi on 15 Feb 2013 09:15 AM
Hey Jim..I did a quick google search on that reel you mentioned...It does look more like a freshwater set up. But don't worry, you can use it. Just remember to rinse it off with fresh water every time you use it in the salt, whether or not it gets soaked, you must rinse it off. Now as far as your main line..I would definitely re spool. I'd go with 20lb Big Game Mono from Berkley or Ande 20lb or 30lb Power Pro Braid. And remember to always use a leader..50lb flurocarbon leader should be fine for what you mentioned...expect for the bigger sharks...lol Good luck!

1) I've forgotten...what's a leader (in this context, obviously)?

2) How do I re-spool the line?

3) Would I be better off just getting a new saltwater reel anyways?

Remember, until yesterday, and on charters (last was a 16SOW Intel group trip in 2000, I think), I haven't touched a rod/reel for about 20 years....  I've forgotten far more than I remember....

Btw, it also won't work for those giant rays I mentioned in another post.  Huge manta rays and what look like stingrays, except that they're too large---I estimate (from 35' up on the bridge) that whatever kind of ray they are, they have about a 25 to 30 foot wingspan, look like stingrays but according to my searches, can't be, and like the manta rays, showed up at one and only one time of the year (around August/September, if I remember correctly).  I knew better never to throw on them (or the shark, which I think was about a 6' tiger), as they'd just shred my net.....

Hmmm...that makes me wonder.  I know mako is good eatin', but how about tiger sharks?  :-)

I've never bought a cast net except for a little bait net that I ended up never using.  :-)   I DID sell a few back when I had all of the stuff to make them.  The primary things I'm missing now are the cooker for the leads, molds for the leads, the equipment to make the molds, and the willingness to work so close to molten lead...many risks there that I'm no longer willing to accept (lead poisoning from the vapor, possibly even with a mask, and worse, what happens if even the tiniest bit of moisture falls into that pot of molten lead...the last time I was making leads, that happened...I flew backwards and barely missed getting severely burned).  Sooner or later, I'm going to have to get back to it, but not anytime soon.