# When to and not to use your clicker?



## BlueWater (Jun 14, 2011)

Now that im new to the convetional world im wondering about the clicker feature.

When do you use your clicker and when do you not use it? I am assuming that when used it does not damage anything. Mainly womdering if used for only certain species of fish?

Both reels in question would be a Penn Jigmaster 500 and Penn 525.


----------



## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

turn it off when while you cast and when reeling, and if your soaking bait turn it on when you have the drag backed off to where it just holds ...


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

Clicker is just a bait out alarm,that alerts you to a fish biting you junk.. Certian species? no any species that you would leave your rod setting there in the holder on the boat,against rail on pier,or in a sandspike on the beach to catch... Damage can be done to the clicker itself if you were to turn it on while casting all the time or constantly reel with it on as surfchunker said...


----------



## SteveZ (Nov 30, 2006)

Clicker? What's a clicker?  Hah, I couldn't hear a clicker if I had to.  On the beach I use large circle hooks and spike my rods with the drag almost fightin' tight...when the rod goes down it is fish on! Ya just hafta use good spikes seated so the biggies don't pull 'em out.


----------



## bronzbck1 (Jun 13, 2007)

There is no spike strong enough to hold a car hood ray or big shark. Drag backed off clicker on. When you get a bite, clicker off tighten drag and reel it in


----------



## luckyOC (Apr 3, 2010)

I agree with steve and bronz....
for the rocks and reds.... I like the no clicker method that steve has... fish fighting tight with me isn't with the drag clamped down... my ratio of fish lost cause of the hook popping out has decreased with this method.
Now when im targeting biters, heck i never target car hoods LOL.... ill keep the clicker on, drag a little loose.


----------



## SteveZ (Nov 30, 2006)

bronzbck1 said:


> There is no spike strong enough to hold a car hood ray or big shark.


Ya can't lock your drag down but you CAN have it so tight ya can't hardly get the rod outta the spike AND they won't pull it out. And you CAN catch car hoods & biggies this way, at least stuff small enough to handle with a surf rod. But I repeat...you have to have a good spike and you have to seat it really well.


----------



## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

bronzbck1 said:


> There is no spike strong enough to hold a car hood ray or big shark. Drag backed off clicker on. When you get a bite, clicker off tighten drag and reel it in


You need some better sand spikes then or atleast dig them in further, 2in pvc or even better galvanised. I took my penn 209 and stuck my spike in to test it, locked the drag down and it slipped before my sand spike even wigggled good


----------



## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

SteveZ said:


> Clicker? What's a clicker?  Hah, I couldn't hear a clicker if I had to.  On the beach I use large circle hooks and spike my rods with the drag almost fightin' tight...when the rod goes down it is fish on! Ya just hafta use good spikes seated so the biggies don't pull 'em out.


Yep, gotta agree here. I don't target big fish, but they do bite, anyway. And like Steve, I can't hear a clicker. I just keep a constant eye on the rods, never walk more than 20 or 30 yards away. Drag set just tight enough to not cause a break-off in the time between the hook-up and picking my rod out of the holder. (that's kind of critical - you can lose a fish pulling the rod up and out of the spike if you're locked down too hard - it creates just enough tension, sometimes)

I used PVC, and I don't have a problem with any fish pulling the spikes out. Of course, I put 'em in with a mallet...


----------



## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

solid7 said:


> Yep, gotta agree here. I don't target big fish, but they do bite, anyway. And like Steve, I can't hear a clicker. I just keep a constant eye on the rods, never walk more than 20 or 30 yards away. Drag set just tight enough to not cause a break-off in the time between the hook-up and picking my rod out of the holder. (that's kind of critical - you can lose a fish pulling the rod up and out of the spike if you're locked down too hard - it creates just enough tension, sometimes)
> 
> I used PVC, and I don't have a problem with any fish pulling the spikes out. Of course, I put 'em in with a mallet...


if it was a saltist you could hear it


----------



## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

surfchunker said:


> if it was a saltist you could hear it


I've got 2 Abu's with vintage double-leg clickers, and an Avet Raptor that both have louder clickers than a Saltist. I assure you, sitting 15 feet away, (between 2 or 3 rods) I cannot hear them. That being said, good peripheral vision beats hearing any day, in my book...

I don't drink at the beach, so clickers are not a necessity for me.


----------



## SteveZ (Nov 30, 2006)

surfchunker said:


> if it was a saltist you could hear it


Huh?


----------



## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

don't get me wrong I love me Abu's, but that's why the saltist always gets spiked on the far end and it's still louder than the Abu's


----------



## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

surfchunker said:


> don't get me wrong I love me Abu's, but that's why the saltist always gets spiked on the far end and it's still louder than the Abu's


Like I said, the one I claimed to be louder than a Saltist is a VINTAGE Abu, (from an old 6000C) fitted into a modern reel. The Saltist clicker ain't got a thing on this one:









I never used a clicker before, and couldn't figure out what was so special about them. So I put this one in, to see if I could put 2 and 2 together. (loudest one I ever heard on this size reel) Still ain't figured out why some fellas find them to be so necessary, but I'm willing to let it rest on the "to each his own" principle...


----------



## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

Clicker is to let you know when the line is going out

Offshore mates like you to leave the clicker on when you are hooked up to a fish that is capable of stripping you so they know when the fish is taking line, and if they need to adjust the boat speed or direction. 

At night in the dark you can not see your rod tip and if it is a Drum pier all the clickers are on

I can't hear as well as most too many guns, rock and roll, construction noise and ex girl friends screaming at me took most of my hearing.

If it is real windy on the planks I will admit to not hearing a clicker, so I fish with fellas with good hearing or else I stay real close to my reels, spent plenty nights sleeping under my heavers after the pier cleared out, caught my best two Drum dead asleep under my rods.

Woke both nights to the sound of a 9000 smoking it towards Africa...............Big Eddie on the other end making tracks


----------



## rocket (Dec 1, 2008)

Garboman said:


> Woke both nights to the sound of a 9000 smoking it towards Africa...............Big Eddie on the other end making tracks


Nice. That definitely beats waking up to an alarm clock.


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

bronzbck1 said:


> There is no spike strong enough to hold a car hood ray or big shark. Drag backed off clicker on. When you get a bite, clicker off tighten drag and reel it in


 Ya put the drag on "semi fighting drag"... It's all to personal preference,but I like mine with both clicker and "semi fighting drag".. As Garbo said,sometimes ya can't see the rod tip at night...



Garboman said:


> Clicker is to let you know when the line is going out
> 
> Offshore mates like you to leave the clicker on when you are hooked up to a fish that is capable of stripping you so they know when the fish is taking line, and if they need to adjust the boat speed or direction.
> 
> ...


 Pier drum: ya gotta have a clicker.. 9000 clicker was da chit,and it would wake up the dead.. ALTHOUGH, Clyde could have his screaming and couldn't hear it from 15' away..


----------



## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

Garboman said:


> Clicker is to let you know when the line is going out


Well, of course it is... But it don't do ya any good if you can't hear it. (yes, I have some hearing problems, or at least it's a convenient excuse)



Drumdum said:


> Ya put the drag on "semi fighting drag"... It's all to personal preference,but I like mine with both clicker and "semi fighting drag".. As Garbo said,sometimes ya can't see the rod tip at night...


I don't do much night fishing. If I do fish at night, I will put a glowstick on the rod. My eyes are my life, so that's why I don't have much use for one. I don't take anything away from someone who CAN make use. (it's just that I can't)




Drumdum said:


> ALTHOUGH, Clyde could have his screaming and couldn't hear it from 15' away..


I can relate.


----------



## BlueWater (Jun 14, 2011)

Didnt expect to get this much feedback on this topic but glad there were some great responses.

When the family loads up to go the the beach, I generally dont always have an eye on the rod as it soaks. But I am atleast always at a close proximity. This would be the main reason as to why id use the clicker. But when im out by myself my eyes very rarely wander away from the rod, unless the occasional nudiest walks by. An that sometimes can be the worst mistake you ever make! 

Now I hear every mention setting there drag. Does anyone actually test the drag with a weigher, or by hand? I generally just do a pull test but i can assume thats not the most accurate 

This maybe a dumb question but how can one lose a fish when taking the rod out of the spike?


----------



## surfchunker (Apr 10, 2006)

most just do it by hand


----------



## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

BlueWater said:


> This maybe a dumb question but how can one lose a fish when taking the rod out of the spike?


A big fish and an overtightened drag can create just the little bit of extra line tension when you are pulling the rod out of the spike that it takes to snap him off. It depends also on the angle of the spike, I suppose.

Imagine a fish hooks up... He's running, and already got your pole dancing. YOu go over to pull the rod out of the spike, and the line is already pulled tight. If you are set to full drag, with no give, you're gonna pull it just a bit tighter pulling it out of the spike. Or, at the very least, he's got that much more time, before you can either tip the rod to him, or adjust the drag - whichever the case may be. First time I ever fished a pier, I had a big black drum snap me off before I could even pick the rod up. Drag locked down too tight. I learned.


----------



## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

My 9/0 senator is llike a drum as for clicker noise. And if you cant hear you clicker, make a shark alarm and use it


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

solid7 said:


> Well, of course it is... But it don't do ya any good if you can't hear it. (yes, I have some hearing problems, or at least it's a convenient excuse)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 Ears are that bad,as to not hear a saltist,sloosh,you may need a hearing aid..

Ole Clyde needs one,but he's close to 80,so I would guess he sees no need in it.. He's got freinds that yell at em...  Their gonna have Rodanthe fixed up with new end next year,can't wait to hookup with my ole freinds up that way,on what is probably my favorite drum pier... 

Yeah,some folks even use bells as well as glowsticks.. You're talking annoying when you live on Hatteras where the winds blow hard 90% of the time.. Glowsticks work,but clicker works better when it's blackarse dark.. Or hold the dern thing all night.. Too lazy to do that all night anymore,unless they are chewing up the beach,so I just have the drag set close to fighting drag,and keep an ear out for the clicker close by.. An excellent "shooter built" sandspike helps as well...


----------



## Drumdum (Jan 6, 2003)

BlueWater said:


> Didnt expect to get this much feedback on this topic but glad there were some great responses.
> 
> When the family loads up to go the the beach, I generally dont always have an eye on the rod as it soaks. But I am atleast always at a close proximity. This would be the main reason as to why id use the clicker. But when im out by myself my eyes very rarely wander away from the rod, unless the occasional nudiest walks by. An that sometimes can be the worst mistake you ever make!
> 
> ...


 No the pulltest isn't the most accurate,but it is the most practical.. Ya don't want the thing on FULL fighting drag,or at least I don't,but much more than just "lineoutmode".. I use a j for drum,the method has worked better for me than just a loose lineout drag,because I'm on top of the rod and close by 99% of the time..If striper fishing have found a "true" circle hook to be a must.. With a circle (drum or striper) using a drag that is somewhat tighter,the hook will do it's job even before you get to the rod.. 

All jmo,both sides have good points about clickers,this is just what I do...


----------



## solid7 (Dec 31, 2010)

Drumdum said:


> Ears are that bad,as to not hear a saltist,sloosh,you may need a hearing aid..
> 
> Yeah,some folks even use bells as well as glowsticks.. You're talking annoying when you live on Hatteras where the winds blow hard 90% of the time..


Ironically, it's the wind that gives me trouble. Hearing the clicker over the sound of wind and water, that is. I never really thought that the beaches here were as rough as Hatteras, so it may be that my hearing just is that bad.

I'm pretty much just a beach fisherman, and yeah, 20-25' between rods is definitely an issue for me. When I fish, I live next to my rods, and I don't get distracted.


----------



## SteveZ (Nov 30, 2006)

Drumdum said:


> Ears are that bad,as to not hear a saltist,sloosh,you may need a hearing aid..


Got two of 'em but don't like 'em too much, especially on the beach. They're always bongin' & gongin' at the wrong time, wantin' new batteries or to take a rest or some dang thing. So I use the little glow sticks, the inch-and-a-halfers. Works for me.


----------



## wdbrand (May 24, 2007)

If my bungus was a spike and I stuck the rod in it with the clicker on, I wouldn't hear it. I have to rod watch every minute they're out.


----------



## Plug (Feb 5, 2004)

BlueWater said:


> When do you use your clicker and when do you not use it? I am assuming that when used it does not damage anything.


The absolute best time to use a clicker is when your buddy is just on the verge of deep sleep in his chair. Sneak over to the truck, grab an unused rod out of the rack, clip on a sinker and make a short little lob cast with the clicker on. It's even better when there's a libation resting on his belly. However your no damage assumption may prove painfully wrong.

Seriously, besides a fish-on alarm they are handy when rigging. Instead of backing off the drag to pull out line turn on your clicker and throw the reel into free spool. Just don't do it on a pier. It will not make you popular.


----------



## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

Plug said:


> Seriously, besides a fish-on alarm they are handy when rigging. Instead of backing off the drag to pull out line turn on your clicker and throw the reel into free spool. Just don't do it on a pier. It will not make you popular.


As a guy if shark fish with says late at night when somebody does that or starts reeling in a rod, "THERES A BUTTON FO THAT U KNOW"


----------

