What can you tell me about conventional reels and the guys that use it for catching ulua?
Ahh, so you like da big game, yeah? Ulua fishing with conventional reels — das one whole ‘noddah level, braddah! Or sistah!
So conventional reels, dey da choice for guys who serious ‘bout landing big ulua (giant trevally). Uluas are strong and conventional reels give da power and control you need for handle ‘em, especially when shore casting or “slide-baiting” from da rocks. Dey got a lotta torque, can hold a lotta line, and handle da stress wen dat ulua starts to run.
You see, conventional reels, dey different from spinners. Dey sit on top da rod, and da spool rotates in line with da rod when you cast or reel in. Dis gives you good control for big battles and deep fishing. Plenny drag power, and dat means wen you hook dat trophy ulua, you can slow ’em down and keep ’em from running into da rocks or reef and cutting your line.
Da ulua fishing guys who use conventional reels, dey serious. Dey practice a lot to make sure dey know how for cast um without da dreaded backlash, da “bird’s nest.” Dass one tangle dat can ruin your day real quick. Takes skills for work um, but once you get da hang, you gonna see why guys love um. It’s solid, reliable, and mean for dragging big kine fish outta tough situations.
And wen talking gear, Newells and Penn Senator, dat’s the go-to reels for ulua fishing. Couple ‘em with heavy rods, usually 10-13 feet long, and dey ready for go pound sand and hunt for dat prized catch. Dey usually run heavy mono with braid backing, somet’ing like 60-130lb test, depending on da spot and how big da ulua running.
Now, da ulua fishing community in Hawaii, dey one ohana (family). Dey get togettah for tournaments, talk stories, share tips, and dey all share dat respect for da ocean and da fish dey catch. Dey put in da time, da patience, and da respect for da land, making sure dey fish sustainable and only take what dey going eat.
So if you gonna go try for catch ulua with conventional reel, be ready for da battle of your life, my fren!
🤙🏼Kai
Some people use hand-line when they bottom fish. What about those electric reels?
Ohh yeah, you get da whole spectrum when talking bottom fishing! From old-school hand-lining to da high-tech electric reels, das some good topics, yeah?
Hand-lining… dass one traditional kine way, straight-up simple and effective. Good for fishing deep or shallow, and all you really need is your hands, one good line, some lead, and a baited hook. Da braddahs and sistahs who use hand-lines, dey feel da fish bite directly through da line… real intimate kine, like you and da fish in da same conversation. You feel every nibble, pull, and struggle, so you gotta be quick to set da hook and reel dat buggah in with just your hands! Real pure kine fishing. I used to hand-line with my dad wen I was one keiki (kid)… make you learn fast, make you appreciate da fish you catch!
Now, talking electric reels, das like cruising with da Cadillac of bottom fishing, my fren! Dey one game-changer for certain situations, especially wen you going deep, deep kine… we talking hundreds to thousands of feet. Dem electric reels make it easy for drop heavy weights and bait way down for da big fish like onaga, opakapaka, uku, or hapu’upu’u. Dey help you bring um up without breaking your back. Instead of cranking all day, you let da reel do da work, and you just manage da line and make sure your hook stay set, keeping pressure on da fish.
Popular electric reels, you got your Shimano Beastmaster, Daiwa Tanacom, or even some custom kine setups. Dey not cheap, das for sure, but if you serious about deep water bottom fishing, dey save you one lot of time and energy, especially when you fishing all day or targeting spots dat far out.
Da downside, if any, is dat you kinda lose some of dat personal connection with da fish. You not hand-cranking um in, so you miss some of dat pure struggle and feel. But hey, for a lotta folks, da efficiency and ease make it one good trade-off, especially if you fishing for commercial or for feed da whole ohana (family).
So whether you going hand-line old-school style or busting out da fancy electric reels, bottom fishing stay all about knowing da ocean, da conditions, and targeting da right spots. Both styles get one place, and both can put some ono kine (delicious) fish on da table.
🤙🏼Kai
