There is light tackle and there is too light tackle for the fishing the Florida Keys. Many vacationers bring their favorite light spinning rod and spool the reel with Power Pro® or Spider Wire® thinking they are rigged for monster fish. It just ain’t so! Line capacity and a smooth drag are key if you want to get a big critter to the boat. Since most travelers have limited space and can’t bring a dozen rod and reel combinations, here is your best all around choice and why.
The twenty pound test spinning outfit with a six to seven foot rod is the ticket. The reel should have a line capacity of at least 200 yards of standard clear 20 pound monofilament line. This set-up is the ticket because of its versatility. While designed for casting, spinning tackle can be used for trolling, bottom fishing and live bait fishing. The rod should have a little backbone for it to be useful for trolling and bottom fishing. One piece rods are preferred over multi-piece rods, but a high quality two piece rod will suffice.
The spinning combo I use is a Daiwa BG 60 with a medium action six and a half foot Uglystick®. My gear spends more time on the water than in the garage so it has to handle some abuse. There are reels with better drags, better frames or larger capacity, but the BG 60 is a solid all around performer. The Uglystick® is my choice because my customers can’t seem to break them.
If you’ve got the bucks, a Van Staal VS 200 on a custom Cape Fear rod is a nice combo. It will only set you back about a grand. Grown men have been known to cry when one of these outfits goes overboard. I have seen a tear or two shed over a G. Loomis combo too.
If you don’t want to spend the cash, Shimano, Daiwa and others make good low end spinning reels with fairly good drag systems. These are throw away reels since once they break, they aren’t worth repairing. The front drag style is much more reliable than the rear drags in these economy reels. The combo rods offered with these higher line capacity spinners are rarely what you will want. Most twenty pound test economy spinning outfits are surf fishing setups with eight foot are longer rods.
If you buy a lower end reel, never set your drag over 33% of the line rating. So for twenty pound test, seven pounds of drag is maximum. Don’t think of any spinning reel as being a wench. Practice pumping, lift the rod to gain line and wind as you drop the rod tip down to get it back on the spool. When pumping a fish, always keep a bend in the rod. If you hook a good fish that starts smoking line off the reel, that is supposed to be the fun part. Let the drag and the line capacity do their job. Don’t go getting bass happy and palm the spool or crank down on the drag, play the fish.
I know you are thinking this is pretty heavy tackle if you are used to freshwater fishing. Light tackle is relative to the fish you are hooking. That twenty pound spinner will seem pretty light if you hook up a thirty pound permit or hundred pound tarpon. Even a fifteen pound mutton snapper can whip your butt on twenty pound test.
For line, my choice is clear Berkley Trilene or Ande, there of other good manufacturers. I figure if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, so Berkley or Ande is my choice. If you want to spool up with fluorocarbon, go ahead. I tend to use fluoro for leader on a slow bite and that’s about it. I do not recommend the braided lines! They are fine for bottom fishing and deep trolling, but they tend to bunch on the spool under the pressure of a big fish.
If you have your heart set on fishing the lighter stuff, well come on down. I’m pretty sure I can find a fish or two that will convince you to go heavier. That is one simple pleasures in Keys life, breaking people of their bass habits.
