# Spooling my reels



## The Shark Book (Sep 6, 2016)

Hello!

I have come here looking for some advice on spooling my reels, all of which I have posted here are going to be used for some form of inshore fishing. They are:

Penn 505HS Jigmaster: plan on using for big stingrays
Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 7000BGHS: plan on using mostly at Bald Head Island, NC for sharks and bull redfish (dropping baits close in the surf from a kayak and fishing with them from a kayak)
Shiamno TR200G: plan on using for the exact same stuff as the Abu Garcia above
Penn 9/0 Senator: of course, using for sharks (doing a rebuild of this reel right now and upgrading the drag)
Penn Spinfisher 9500: going to be using for shark fishing
Penn Spinfisher 4500: going to be using for surf fishing (mostly bait for shark fishing, but would like to be able to handle a shark or redfish up to 20 pounds - I could also go with a 6500 model here, I don't have this reel yet)
Penn Battle 2500: light tackle inshore fishing
Penn Battle 5000: heavier tackle inshore fishing (jacks, redfish, possibly tarpon, etc)

Now, I am going to get all of these reels spooled or re-spooled. The 9/0 has some crappy old dacron on it (that's falling apart quickly), I don't have the smaller Spinfisher yet, the Battles and larger Spinfisher haven't seen line yet, and the other three conventionals all have some old mono on them. I want to do this well, but cost effectively as well. 

Could anyone recommend some line to go on these reels? For the big stingrays I was thinking heavy braid backing and heavy mono, same setup for all the conventionals actually. Then straight braid on all the other reels. The only problem is that it's going to be nearly $500 to spool all of them - so any recommendations to make this a bit cheaper? Thanks!


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## Adam (Feb 19, 2001)

20lb Berkley Pro-Spec for the 505, 7000, TR200G.
30lb Berkley Pro-Spec for the 9500.
20lb Power Pro for the 4500.
10lb Power Pro for the 2500.
30lb Power Pro for the 5000.

Don't know much about spooling a 9/0 ...maybe 50lb Ande? Somebody will know.


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## The Shark Book (Sep 6, 2016)

Adam said:


> 20lb Berkley Pro-Spec for the 505, 7000, TR200G.
> 30lb Berkley Pro-Spec for the 9500.
> 20lb Power Pro for the 4500.
> 10lb Power Pro for the 2500.
> ...


I was thinking 600 yards of 130 braid and 200 yards of 100 pound mono on the 9/0 but it's expensive... looking for some more advice on that one
I like them all except for the ones in red. Not sure I'd trust 20-30 pound mono for sharks or big rays.


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## The Shark Book (Sep 6, 2016)

Also - P-Line CXX or Berkley Pro-Spec?


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## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

If you are light in the pocket book look on eBay for some of the Dyneema braid for the heavier stuff.. It's coming from China so it will take a few weeks in some cases. Like the 9/0 - 80lb braid.. Be sure you know what you are doing before spooling it. Either use Hockey Stick Tape on the bare spindle of the spool or use some 50 or 60 lb mono for backing. Same for the spinners if you are going with full spools of braid. Smaller monofilament of course.

To save money and braid.. On my smaller spinning reels if I'm using braid I usually will only use between 150 and 200 yards of braid and use a mono backing. You're going to get wind knots from time to time and you're going to loose line, get spooled , broke off and bit off. 

I can tell you are young, so you go have fun fighting those sting rays, and Sharks. Us older fellers will pass!

I used to pin-rig up until a few years ago with 505HS and caught quite a few kings, tarpon, and cobia with it. It's been spooled by a shark or two that I never could or would turn. It's just not built for big sharks or casting.
the The ABU 7000 Drum and Casting Yes.. No Sharks unless you catch one while you are Drum Fishin. It's the best surf casing reel you have in your arsenal. Take Care of it!

X2 with Adam Pretty Much..

If ProSpec isn't in your budget.. The very least I would go with is Berkley Trilene Big Game.. Wally World usually has the best price.. I like the Solar Collector color personally.


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## ez2cdave (Oct 13, 2008)

The Shark Book said:


> Hello!
> 
> I have come here looking for some advice on spooling my reels, all of which I have posted here are going to be used for some form of inshore fishing. They are:
> 
> ...


The information about line has been well covered . . .

One thing does concern me, thanks to DaBig2Na's observation about your age, . . . Safety!

Have you ever fished for sharks before, especially from a Kayak ? If not, you may be placing yourself in great danger.

I suggest that you ask many questions in the Kayaking section of the forum about shark fishing. 

Welcome to the Forum & Tight Lines !


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## Jollymon (May 21, 2015)

If your yakking bait out and dropping it that's fine , But if your looking to hook up with one form it, Well that's something else. You must have a special kayak for that.

It's going have to be wide enough to hold you,your gear, and the Big Set of Balls you have to want to try that.

Safety is always a consideration, Just don't let that keep you from doing something because it's got some risks.


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## pods (Sep 10, 2013)

Use mono for anything non-shark related. It will work fine and lower the cost. BBG, sufix, etc.
Then you can put 600 yards of 100 JB HC on the 9/0 and have a long 80 lb mono topshot. Never had that reel, but you should be able to get a lot on with that combo, at least 300 yards of mono on top of the braid.
If you want braid and want to go cheaper, try some solid braid.
I run 50 lb sufix 832 solid on my casted shark setups (Battle 8ks). Breaking strength is like 90 lbs. Then run a 60 lb mono topshot long enough to keep the braid out of the water.
See here: http://www.paulusjustfishing.com/4linetesting.htm
Just put enough braid on that allows enough mono so the braid never soaks. 
You can spend a ton on shark stuff, and most of it is not really required, except for that 1 fish that is going to spool everything you have anyways. But if you build your entire arsenal for that 1 fish, you will lose out on a lot of fun by skull dragging in smaller sharks with OP gear. Think midsized gear and you will save a ton of $$.


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## The Shark Book (Sep 6, 2016)

Wow, thanks for all the replies! Here's a few of my responses:

For the 9/0, I have developed a plan that I think is a nice, cost-effective plan that will work pretty well. It gives me 800 yards of line capacity, with 400 yards of 130 pound braid backing and 400 yards of 80 pound mono topshot. Why the difference in capacity? Well, the braid is insanely strong and obviously increases my line capacity, meaning anything that is big enough to get into there (I do 100-150 yard drops from the beach, occasionally up to 200 yards) has some strong line to snap - versus, say, 80 pound braid which is a bit easier. Also, comparing 80, 100, 130, and 200 pound braids - 80 pound is the most expensive per yard, followed by 100 and 200 pound, and then the 130. So it's cost effective (400 yards is about $56), strong, and greatly increases my line capacity. The mono is plenty thick enough to hold up to a shark of 10 feet if I play it out right (or so I've heard), which in NC is probably the biggest thing I'm going to run across (a few big tigers and even fewer big hammers). Plus I've got 400 yards of it meaning a shark can make a 200-300 yard run without even hitting into the braid - meaning less of a chance of a break-off. I figure this will cost me $74 to spool the reel, I had projected $92 (IIRC) with the other setup. 
How should I spool a Penn Spinfisher 9500 for shark fishing? The rod is a 12' Penn Prevail rod rated for 20-40 pound line and 4-8 ounces of weight. I'm at a loss for how to spool this thing. Want to use it for sharks so I can fish when the surf is too choppy, nothing over 150 pounds or so, but nothing too tiny either. I'd be willing to go with solid core if it's going to be a bit easier. I've heard that PPro isn't as good once you hit the 40 pound test mark though - after that you should go with a hollow core line like Jerry Brown. 
For the Shimano TR200G, planning on 250 yards of 50 pound PPro (good choice or no?) and then 100 yards of 30 pound mono (again, good choice or should I go 40 pound?). Planning on using for bull reds and blacktip sharks to 6 feet (usually closer to 3-4 feet though, lol). 
For the Abu Garcia, planning on *EITHER* 80 yards of 30 pound mono and 250 yards of 50 pound PPro *OR* 100 yards of 30 pound mono and 200 yards of 50 pound PPro - leaning towards the 100 yards of mono on here, same use as the Shimano above - sound like a good plan?
Still looking into it, but for the smaller Spinfisher and the two Battles I will probably go straight up braid - thinking 10 pound on the 2500, 20/30 pound on the 4500, and 30 pound on the 5000. Still need to figure out cost though. 
Still deciding on the 505HS, but probably similar to how I'm spooling the 9/0 Senator, just different amounts of line

As for shark fishing, I'm mostly yakking baits but I caught an 8 pound sharpnose and 20 pound blacktip off of the kayak in dead calm water, plus I somehow managed a 4-5 foot bull from the same 10' kayak - didn't bring it into the craft though, I pulled it up alongside it and when I realized how inexperienced I was in this, I thought fast and cut the mono in the leader (ALWAYS carry a big, sharp knife with you in your kayak). I don't count the bull as my biggest shark though, because I never got to measure it - I hooked a lemon that was even larger when I was on a dock in Florida, but I was only running 30 pound braid and it rubbed something and snapper - I wouldn't have been able to bring that thing in anyways. So in my book, the blacktip is my biggest so far. 


But when I say shark fishing, 9 times out of 10 I mean yakking baits out, not fishing from the yak. I know what I'm doing there though - I may not have caught too many, but I've assisted others in leadering a few bigger sharks, and gotten the hang of yakking in the surf pretty well. 

I was considering mono backing on the reels but I have heard pretty much everywhere that you have to match the diameters and if I'm using 20-30 pound braid as my mainline then I don't trust 6-8 pound mono to do the same job. I am going to do that on my freshwater setups though, since I fish for bass under 10 pounds and the very occasional grass carp which can be caught on light tackle if you're in open water and can spend time tiring them out. 

I definitely don't want to cheap out on braid. I'm perfectly fine using stuff like Fireline, Power Pro, and Jerry Brown. I have heard that any Power Pro over 30 pound test isn't nearly as good, and you should go with Jerry Brown or a similar hollow core line (such as Diamond) - is this true or no?


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

The hollow core braid is used to splice the mono to the braid. Long range boat websites have the information on splicing. I would splice rather than tie a knot in non hollow core braid. You also want to carry bolt cutters to cut the hook out of the Sharks mouth if you are beaching them and cannot extract the hook. You should find a friend to mind the reel while you yak it out, or to call for help if you have a problem.


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## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

Dude! Between Adam and myself we pretty much advised you on what to do.

All these heavy lines you are talking about.
Your reels don't put out that much Drag. Even the 9/0! 

Mono to braid does not need to be the same diameters when you use the correct knots. 
But you had it pretty much figured out and have plenty of money.... 
Good luck on your Sharking adventures


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## NC KingFisher (Nov 20, 2011)

700yds 100lb solid core, top of with 100 on the 9/0. Or just straight 60 mono. That's gonna catch every shark up to 8ft, anything over your 9/0 might be sweating. My favorite casting rig for sharks is a daiwa Seagate 30 with 20 or 25lb mono. Will handle up to 6ft with ease. Main thing is learning how to yak baits out, how to get good bait, and perfect your leaders before you go all out on line


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## The Shark Book (Sep 6, 2016)

DaBig2na said:


> Dude! Between Adam and myself we pretty much advised you on what to do.
> 
> All these heavy lines you are talking about.
> Your reels don't put out that much Drag. Even the 9/0!
> ...


The only problem I see with the Dyneema braid is that it's super thick, and from the reviews I've seen online it doesn't perform nearly as well as the other competitors - like Jerry Brown, Diamond, or Power Pro. It seems like the general consensus is that it is way too bulky compared to other braids. 

Most of the lines aren't too heavy. The only heavy lines I am talking about are for sharks, bull reds, and big stingrays. Big stingrays and sharks you can't get away with light line, and for bull reds I am only talking about 40 pound solid core. 

The 9/0 senator is going to have a combination of 400 yards of 130 pound braid ($56) and as much 80 pound mono on top of that as I can get (probably less than $20 worth). Could probably do this reel for $75 or less, this was a recommendation (to someone else, not me) on SFSC. 
The 505HS is going to have 150 yards of 130 pound braid (probably close to $21) and then as much 80 pound mono on top of that as I can get. Hoping to do this one for $30 or less
Abu will have 300 yards of 40 pound Power Pro (around $25) plus all the 40 pound mono I can get on there. Hoping to get this done for $30 or less as well
Shimano will have 300 yards of 40 pound Power Pro (around $25) plus all the 40 pound mono I can get on there, hoping to get it done for the same price of $30 or less
Bigger Spinfisher (sorry, just checked - it's an 8500 not a 9500) will have 400 yards of 60 pound braid ($60) and all the 40 pound mono I can get on top of that - want to get it for $75 or less, I'm at $220 or less so far
Smaller spinfisher is going to have straight 30 pound Power Pro, estimated to cost another $25
Larger battle is going to be spooled with straight 30 pound Power Pro, estimated to cost $30 $275
Finally the smaller battle is going to get 150 yards of 10 pound braid and some backing - is it OK to go up in diameter to 6-8 pound mono here without a splice?. This will probably mean that the final price of all of it is $290, plus my FW reels to get spooled, under $325 for sure. 

Thank you for the kind advice, and if I offended I didn't mean it


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## The Shark Book (Sep 6, 2016)

NC KingFisher said:


> 700yds 100lb solid core, top of with 100 on the 9/0. Or just straight 60 mono. That's gonna catch every shark up to 8ft, anything over your 9/0 might be sweating. My favorite casting rig for sharks is a daiwa Seagate 30 with 20 or 25lb mono. Will handle up to 6ft with ease. Main thing is learning how to yak baits out, how to get good bait, and perfect your leaders before you go all out on line


Sorry, posted my response in the time you were writing yours. My computer is about to die and it's getting late, I'll respond in the morning


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## DaBig2na (Aug 7, 2011)

Nope.......Not offended at all Shark Dude..

In addition to what Garbo recommended on having a friend mind the reel while yakking the baits out. I'd suggest a good set of waterproof/resistant walkiie talkie radios so you two can communicate during your bait dropping excursion .


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## Adam (Feb 19, 2001)

I've witnessed and caught several 6-7' biters on drum tackle. That's a 20-30 class reel, 16-20lb mono, and a 50lb shock leader. It happens all the time, from beach and pier.

NC Kingfisher got it right, learn to tie excellent knots before you do anything else.


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

Adam said:


> I've witnessed and caught several 6-7' biters on drum tackle. That's a 20-30 class reel, 16-20lb mono, and a 50lb shock leader. It happens all the time, from beach and pier.
> 
> NC Kingfisher got it right, learn to tie excellent knots before you do anything else.


I never could figure out how to stop the really large sharks from eating one of my baits, most munch and clip the line, a few hang on for what seems like an eternity, you would be surprised how hard it is to break off 20 pound test when there is three hundred yards out and you have good knots. 

Kingfisher has been at the Sharking Game a few years I would listen to him.

I saw the Redhead bring a 10ft sand tiger to Rodanthe pier pilings on a Surf Stick Abu Red 9000, he told me to gaff it (Before Sand Tigers were protected) I said no. It pissed off the Redhead a little bit, but I did not see the upside of killing that Garbo just for the Tourists to ogle. It was and is the largest Garbo I have ever seen and I have seen a few in my time.

As far as Flattosaurus 20 pound is all you need for an afternoon's workout. Seriously tie good knots in quality 20 pound test line to a shock leader, tie the shock to a fence post, walk back two hundred yards and pull on that sucker with all your might using a heaver, let us know when it breaks.

I caught a 12 foot Nurse Shark at the point with my Drum Rod, I thought it was a Cobia, it took me a half mile down the Hook, beached it in total darkness by myself. I told that Shark if he tried to bite me when I was getting the hook out (no pliers) that he was going to spend the rest of his life on the beach. Evidently the Shark spoke English and he let me get the hook out and I revived him and sent him back on his way, we are buddies now.


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## The Shark Book (Sep 6, 2016)

NC KingFisher said:


> 700yds 100lb solid core, top of with 100 on the 9/0. Or just straight 60 mono. That's gonna catch every shark up to 8ft, anything over your 9/0 might be sweating. My favorite casting rig for sharks is a daiwa Seagate 30 with 20 or 25lb mono. Will handle up to 6ft with ease. Main thing is learning how to yak baits out, how to get good bait, and perfect your leaders before you go all out on line


Thank you for the reply! 

1) Which do you believe will result in a better catch rate while still allowing for a "proper" fight. Proper meaning still fun/somewhat difficult to control the shark, but still able to get the shark in quick enough to not do any damage to it. I don't mind doing either, 700 yards of 100 pound braid and the rest 100 pound mono or straight up 60 pound mono.

2) I've heard plenty of stories of sharks up to 10 feet (and a few over) on a 9/0, so I'm sure it could handle it but in NC (at least from my experience, on Bald Head where I fish) there aren't much over 10 feet, and usually between 5-8 feet. So not too many elephants out there to test my gear, but some nice sized, say, rhinos. 

3) The 8500 has almost double the capacity of the Seagate! Do you think I can go with 100 pound mono and 100 pound braid on that reel, or is it a bit too small? Maybe 80 and 80 would be better suited, or 80-100 pound braid with 60 pound mono. The Shimano TR200G and Abu Garcia Ambassadeur 7000 will be used for smaller sharks though - so 20 pound mono will work on those. Almost 300 yards, plus when I get a drag upgrade on there, I'm sure it'll be a beast of a setup for 3-6 footers. 

4) I got pretty good at yakking baits out over the summer, actually never flipped once in up to 3-4 foot waves. Actually, I take that back - I did flip once, but it was on purpose just so I could practice righting myself. I also have one rule with kayaks - EVERYONE involved must have a life jacket on. One guy I fished with taught me this, a guy he was fishing with got hit in the head with the yak when he was helping to launch it and got knocked out. 

5) Bait is one thing I'm working on, but I just bought a 4500 Spinfisher to spool and get bait with. I found when I started fishing that it had to be absolutely fresh or it didn't work. Didn't really matter what it was, so long as it was a decent sized fish piece, but it had to be kept fresh or it didn't work. 

6) I am going to put money into good terminal tackle. I'll make a thread about that actually, to confirm my selections. Plan is 7/0 or 8/0 circles for big rays, bull reds, and sharks to 6 feet and then larger circles from 12/0 to 18/0 for use on the 8500 and 9/0. Not sure what size, what size do you prefer?


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## mdsurffishing (Dec 31, 2013)

9/0 = 130 JB hollow with 50yds of 130-150lb mono
Penn Spinfisher 9500 = 80lb sufix832 and use 15yds of 130lb. hollow braid for a topshot

mostly what your going to get here is recommendations for overall fishing and yes what I listed above would be ridiculous for that, but if you are specifically targeting sharks you should try some of the sites dedicated to shark fishing. You "can" catch a shark on 20lb mono without a wire leader but if you want to increase your odds then you have to gear up for what your targeting.


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## The Shark Book (Sep 6, 2016)

mdsurffishing said:


> 9/0 = 130 JB hollow with 50yds of 130-150lb mono
> Penn Spinfisher 9500 = 80lb sufix832 and use 15yds of 130lb. hollow braid for a topshot
> 
> mostly what your going to get here is recommendations for overall fishing and yes what I listed above would be ridiculous for that, but if you are specifically targeting sharks you should try some of the sites dedicated to shark fishing. You "can" catch a shark on 20lb mono without a wire leader but if you want to increase your odds then you have to gear up for what your targeting.


Woah, I agree with the 130 pound braid but 130-150 pound mono? Bit much for a 9/0 don't you think? Especially for the rod, it's only a 40-80. 

For the 8500 (not a 9500, sorry I had said that earlier) a 15 yard topshot of heavier braid seems useless. Most of the shark fishing sites aren't too active, it seems - hence why I made my way over here. I plan on using a wire leader of course, but probably going to use 20 pound mono on the smaller conventionals. It's for sharks up to 6 feet, so no monster tigers or bulls or anything. I'm not going to be doing any long drops with them (short rods, so casting isn't going to get me very far unless it's super calm) so I doubt anything I can't handle on that rod will hit any of the baits.


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## pods (Sep 10, 2013)

You can really get lost in setting up your gear (don't ask me how I know).
Just think about your drag ratings on rods, and what you can hold fishing standup on the beach. My Avet Pro 30W will put out 50# of drag. There is no way in holy hell I can reasonably fish with that much drag pressure, especially once the spool is half empty.
Just for your 9/0 I would pick a braid (130 JB is cheapest of the lot in terms of hollow core) and then load it up leaving enough room for 150-200 yards of the mono of your choice.
Mono for fishing, braid for fighting. Meaning you never want to be soaking braid. If your longest drop is going to be 150 yards, then 150 yards of mono will do. 
Learn how to properly join your HC and mono, you will need a Daho needle, something to act as serve material, and for me at least, glue. Insert mono, glue. Then overserve and glue again. Done.
For anything castable (8500), I would load with solid braid (I use Sufix 832, 50 lb test, breaking strength of 75 lbs) and a short mono topshot of 60 BBG so I can cast it. My topshot is maybe 40 yards tops. Not optimum, but keeps the braid in the air, not in the sand.
All my casted rods run the same setup. 
Find your setup and be done with it. The you can work on crimps, leaders, hook selection. Lots of stuff.
If you notice that the drum guys here land a heck of a lot of big sharks on drum gear. Basically a mono bite leader and their shock leader is their abrasion leader. And they do it day in and day out.
So realize that there is no magic involved. 
And you will get a lot more hits on less obtuse setups. Maybe have the 9/0 with the 20/0 hook and 500 lb wire and mono abrasion leader, but your castable rods can basically be a beefy drum rig.
Just make sure you have 5-6 feet of heavy mono as part of your terminal rig and some wire as a bite leader.
Keep it simple.


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## pods (Sep 10, 2013)

P.S. here is some nice super glue that works well for glueing serves:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002N507IA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It is a flexible super glue that holds up well in the water. Great stuff.


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## mdsurffishing (Dec 31, 2013)

The Shark Book said:


> Woah, I agree with the 130 pound braid but 130-150 pound mono? Bit much for a 9/0 don't you think? Especially for the rod, it's only a 40-80.
> 
> For the 8500 (not a 9500, sorry I had said that earlier) a 15 yard topshot of heavier braid seems useless. Most of the shark fishing sites aren't too active, it seems - hence why I made my way over here. I plan on using a wire leader of course, but probably going to use 20 pound mono on the smaller conventionals. It's for sharks up to 6 feet, so no monster tigers or bulls or anything. I'm not going to be doing any long drops with them (short rods, so casting isn't going to get me very far unless it's super calm) so I doubt anything I can't handle on that rod will hit any of the baits.


The 130-150 is what will get the most abuse rubbing on the bar and shark. and for your 8500 it's the same, plus leadering a shark with the 130 is mush easier. Your in NC so expect some of the big boys to come in close and at night real close. The TX site is very slow but it's not the only one.


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## mdsurffishing (Dec 31, 2013)

pods said:


> P.S. here is some nice super glue that works well for glueing serves:
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002N507IA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> It is a flexible super glue that holds up well in the water. Great stuff.


I've never tried that brand, but the Loon Outdoors UV Knot Sense holds up great and dries instantly with a UV light


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