Overberg Angling

Hi all. Was down at Infanta recently, off the boat on my own and got a big hook-up on a very light rig using 8lb braid (for the 1st time). Fish stripped off about 2/3rds of the reel (300 yards of Braid was loaded) b4 i managed to release the anchors, get the enghine started and follow it. Unfortunately, because i was worried it would spool me, i kept on tightening the drag to dangerous levels of tension. The net effect was that the braid basically bit into itself and became progressively more difficult to flow freely off the spool. It started behaving as if it were stuck - but there were no knots, overwinds, loose rings of line etc. The leader eventually snapped (as i got the engine going). I think it was a Ray (as I caught one of about 40kg in the same place 24hrs later). Any ideas? Could/should i have done something differently?

that was pure bad luck, but hopefully you will learn a lesson from what I am about to tell you...hehehe

When you load the braid onto your reel, you have to roll it up as tight as possible.. get someone on the other end with a rag. let him hold the braid in the rag and put as much pressure as possible on the braid as you wind it up onto your reel.

You will then minimise the chances of the braid pulling into the coil.

We hunt big sharkies, and the best to load your reel is to let the first biggie run a lot of braid off the reel, the you wind it nicely up, and you will never have a problem again..

hope this helps

Pete, its on the money what Theuns is saying. Bag luck about that big 1. Like I always say, go big or go home.