National Championship

Recently I competed in the National Guard FLW College Fishing National Championship on Ft. Loudoun lake in Knoxville, TN- one of the biggest bass fishing tournaments of my entire career. With a first prize of $100,000, it was not something my partner Kevin and I were going to take lightly. Representing North Carolina State University's fishing team, we spent a large portion of the month prior to the event on the lake practicing and learning the lake. Thanks to some thorough homework, we were able to find some excellent areas that we really felt good about. We were catching fish on Strike King Flat Shad crankbaits in Chartruese/Black back using Hi-Seas Grand Slam 12lb monofilament. 


Come the first day of the tournament, one of our key areas was ruined by cold water runoff, but we were able to use a few of our backup spots to catch enough fish to put us in 7th place after day one, two spots away from making the top 5 cut which was made after day 2. Going in to Day two, with the same conditions, we hit the same areas that we caught our fish in the day before. Unfortunately, for some reason, the fish were just not eating right. We were able to hook up with several fish, but they quickly shook off- they were not eating it right. We tried other areas, adjusted the lure and color selection, but we could not buy a keeper bite! Unfortunately we were not able to put things together on day two, and did not make the top 5 cut. 


On Monday, the final day, instead of moping around about our poor performance on the prior day, I volunteered to take two soldiers fishing. I took them to the same exact areas that I fished the day before, and we WHACKED them! Both of the soldiers caught the biggest bass of their life- and I personally had 14lbs on my best 5 fish. The funny thing about it was that the biggest bag brought in by the final day competitors was only 10lbs. Its sad that we were not able to catch them on Day 2 like we did on Day 3, but I cannot complain about having a great time with two soldiers that deserved a great day on the water!


-Ben Dziwulski, collegiate angler from NC State University

How deep is DEEP?

I made mention of deep drop fishing in my last blog “Braid Rules!” and got some emails asking “how deep can you fish with the right gear?”

Deep drop fishing comes in three varieties— Deep, Very Deep and Extreme. I have had the opportunity to cover the bases using a mix of human and electric powered reels and they all have their appeal, not the least of which is you never know what you might drag up from down there!

DEEP starts around 250 feet and extends to 500 feet. A high-speed conventional reel and a rod capable of handling sinkers up to 24 ounces will do the trick. Depending on where you fish theses depths can give up codfish, pollock, haddock, a variety of groupers and snappers, gray tilefish, wreckfish and amberjacks.

VERY DEEP goes from 500 to 800 feet. If you’ve got the stamina, a heavy conventional outfit that can handle sinkers up to 4 pounds will work, but a moderately sized electric reel makes for a lot less work. It also means no possibility of a recognized world record fish because the IGFA does not recognize electrics as legal sport fishing tackle. These depths can hold golden and gray tilefish, snowy grouper, wreckfish, yelloweye snapper, wolfish, weird eels and a host of oddities you’ve never seen before.

EXTREME is 800 feet or more and really separates the men from the boys. Big electric reels are expensive and boat handling is critical to hold position over structure. The deepest I’ve fished was in the Bahamas and we caught beautiful and very tasty queen snappers in 1,300 to 1,500 feet of water and a very rare six-gill shark over 500 lbs.

There is one thing all these rigs have in common—braided line. Without the thin diameter and low stretch of Grand Slam Braid you would never be able to see or feel a fish hit at those depths, never mind set the hook. On conventional reel and smaller electrics 80-lb Grand Slam Braid is ideal. On middle-weight electrics 100 to 150 lb. is the way to go. On the electric reels capable of raising a truck off the ground you don’t want to use anything lighter than 200 lb. To go deep, use the line that gets the job done – HI-SEAS Grand Slam Braid. 

Braid Rules

I like fishing with braid! It’s great line for a wide variety of fishing situations from freshwater to extreme deep-drop fishing for denizens of the really deep!

Before HI-SEAS Grand Slam Braid was available to the public, I was testing prototypes of this Spectra wonder line to make sure it met the performance standards fishermen expect from HI-SEAS products. It didn’t take long to determine it was everything an angler could want in a high performance braid and much more. I used it on baitcasting, spinning and conventional reels and it performed beyond my expectations in all instances. Since going on the market, I continue to use it for all kinds of applications and it just keeps proving itself.

It’s great in light tests on spinning tackle with all kinds of artificial lures, for surfcasting, on baitcasting reels for everything from live bait to artificial lures, on light conventional outfits for trolling, heavy stand up tackle for battling oversized tuna and marlin, for butterfly jigging and even as backing on big game fly reels. I was using 80-lb Grand Slam Braid when I broke the world record golden tilefish, which was caught in almost 700 feet of water! The line is so stretch free that I could feel the lightest bites that far below the boat.

The performance characteristics of Grand Slam Braid make it a versatile line. Its thin diameter, extremely low stretch, superb sensitivity and solid abrasion resistant qualities have made it the go to line for fishermen everywhere.

HI-SEAS recently introduced Wildfire, a new kind of Spectra braid that has a fused outer sheath that makes it perform more like mono in some applications while retaining the great qualities of Grand Slam Braid. It’s still very thin, low stretch and has great sensitivity, but the fusing process gives it a rounder profile and smoother outer surface. It is quieter going through rod guides and works extremely well with the same knots that work in mono. The more I use Wildfire the more I like it especially on freshwater size spinning and baitcasting tackle. It casts great and hook sets are quick and positive. If you’ve been thinking about trying a Spectra braid, but are worried about having to tie special knots forgetaboutit! Get Wildfire and it will spoil you from the first time you use it.

Caputi’s Blog Tip:

Trolling deep diving plugs like Mann’s Stretch Series or Rapala X Rap Magnums is a great way to catch a variety of game fish. To get the depth the plugs are rated for use Grand Slam Braid. Its thin diameter cuts the water and lets the plugs dig deep. 

-Gary Caputi

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Thinking About Braid

I used braided line for the past few years on the big guns, Tiagra 30 WLRS' for tuna, wahoo, etc. Played around with it on my king mackerel reels but never took a liking to it until Hi-Seas came out with the Grand Slam red braid.

Started thinking about it all winter and thought of the upside and downside to using braid. The biggest concern was how to overcome the stretch factor of mono and prevent from pulling hooks on the speedy kings who get hooked all over their body most of the time, rarely in the mouth.

The plan is to use 30 to 40 ft. of  20 to 25 lb. Quattro Flouro carbon leader for stretch, use a Red Phillips knot  to connect the 50 lb. test red braid to the leader. Rigged a reel just like this yesterday to chase Cobia in seas that were too rough to sight cast, so we anchored up with no luck.

If you  live in warmer climes and can catch kings, try the above set up and let me know how it worked for you by leaving a comment!

Thanks for reading, 

Captain Stanman

www.captainstanman.us 

Thoughts on Knots

Of all the things you need to know to be a successful fisherman, knots are probably responsible for creating more confusion and anxiety than anything. I have one friend who has fished with me for years who still asks me to tie one specific knot even though I’ve shown him how to do it dozens of times, and it’s not a particularly difficult one to tie or remember. He just has no confidence in his ability to do it correctly. Weird but true.

For new comers to the sport, knots can be a conundrum because there are so many basic knots capable of doing the same thing and so many different opinions on which ones work best. It can really make your head spin if you let it. The funny thing is fishing knots don’t have to be a source of confusion. Most are not hard to learn, you just have to be willing to practice a little.

Here’s some simple advice. Forget about trying to learn dozens of different knots (unless you are a knot collector, and I have met a few over the years) and instead just learn to tie the few you’ll need. I figured out a simple truth a long time ago—it is far better to know how to tie a few knots really well than to know how to tie lots of different knots poorly. Tying a simple knot that might only be rated at 85% of the breaking strength of the line perfectly will serve you better than trying to tie a more complicated knot that is rated at 100% of the line strength, except you tie it so sloppily that it only tests out to 50%! Get the picture?

There are plenty of resources for selecting and learning to tie knots—books, pamphlets and even animated websites. You can call or email AFW/HI-SEAS and request a free booklet on the subject. But all the information in the world is useless unless you’re willing to practice tying the knots you want to use. Get some line, sit down with the resource, and start tying following the instructions. Once you understand the procedure, close the book or website and keep tying it from memory. Tie it a few dozen times examining each knot carefully to see that it cinched up properly. Test the knots to see if they slip or if they are strong as they should be. Only after you are confident in your ability to tie a knot perfectly should you start using it on the water.

I purposely keep my repertoire of knots to a minimum, but I can tie all of them quickly under almost any fishing conditions and feel confident that they will perform. It is so rare that I loose a fish because of knot failure that I can’t remember the last time it happened. So, learn to tie a few knots really well, go fishing, and stop worrying.

-Gary Caputi

Cliff Pace, 2nd Place Winner of the Alabama Charge, accredits HI-SEAS with his success of 70 pounds, 4 ounces

Cliff Pace (2nd, 70-4)
I fished the main river where there was a lot of current. My area ranged from 5 to 10 feet deep with a lot of underwater current breaks — rock, snags, humps, whatever. The fish were tucked in behind the breaks.

A lot of the guys were catching tons of bass. I wasn't. I was picking them off one at a time. I'd find a spot, take a fish from it and then come back in an hour or two and do the same thing again. That worked for me all four days.

The key was to drag a 1/2-ounce V&M football jig — green pumpkin — with a plastic trailer as slow as possible over, through and behind the current breaks. It was a matter of having the patience to stick it out. If you pulled it up off the bottom, the current would wash it away.

I tossed my jig with a 7 foot, 3 inch CastAway Grass Master Braid Heavy XP rod and an Abu Garcia Revo reel (6.4:1 gear ratio) spooled with 15-pound-test Hi-Seas Fluorocarbon line.

My line gets a lot of the credit for my performance. Hi-Seas makes a tough, abrasion-resistant product. I needed that in all the heavy stuff I was fishing. I never broke off or lost a fish that mattered all four days.

-Courtesy of bassmaster.com

-Photo by James Overstreet

Opening Day: A Fishing Tradition

The term “opening day” has just one meaning for fishermen and that’s the kickoff of trout fishing for a new season. It’s a right of Spring, a cause for celebration, and a ritual all rolled into one - and this year was no different for millions of anglers. In my home state, Opening Day fell on April 10th.

About a week before, the ritual began by dragging out the tackle for a preseason tune up. Considering I spend most of my time chasing saltwater fish big enough to eat the average size stocked trout, around here the rod, reel, and lures certainly seem diminutive by comparison. But matching the tackle to the fish is what makes fishing fun.

I had to clean the dust off the tiny spinning reel, give it a shot of lubricant and replace the old line. I spooled it with HI-SEAS White Lightning in two-pound test, a line so thin I don’t know if I should put my glasses on or take them off to see it when tying knots. It’s a very limp line, which is important when you know the water is going to be cold and after the winter we had, the streams would be freezing!

The rod is a 4-1/2 ultra light, very short, but ideal for casting under overhanging branches to reach undercut banks where trout like to hide. With such light line it’s a good idea to check the guides for nicks or cracks. I absconded with an old pair of my wife’s panty hose and cut a few pieces of material out of it. You can detect any defects by running one through the guides and feeling for snags on the cloth.

Then I checked my waders to make sure there wouldn’t be any unpleasant surprises when I stepped down into the stream and located my vest, which still had plastic tackle boxes filled with tiny spinners, plugs, and other goodies to make sure they were stocked with everything I would need.

Come the fateful day I met my neighbor at 5 AM and headed to one of the lesser known streams the state stocks nearby and was in hip deep water when the season officially opened. We fished for a few hours catching an even trout between us, keeping a few for dinner, before driving to a diner for a late breakfast in celebration of another annual rite of passage. After the opening day rush subsides in a week or two I’ll sneak back to the stream for a few hours of fishing before or after work, but this time I’ll bring the fly rod. Hope you had a happy opening day, too.

-Gary Caputi