Staff Report
Modern dredge fishing has evolved tremendously, with multi-tiered teasers complementing intricate pulley systems mounted to towering outriggers. Mono has been a reliable choice for dredge line and outrigger halyards for years and is still popular today, but woven superlines comprising ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers provide significant benefits including high strength, low stretch and resistance to flex-fatigue and abrasion. Here’s how superlines are in use for outrigger halyards, dredge leashes and bridge teasers on the 90-foot Jarrett Bay, Jaruco.
Dredge Leash
“Our dredge pull-down line is made with rock climbing cord and designed to hold really well in jam cleats. To secure this line to the gunnel we mounted a bolt down fairlead and then a quick release standard Harken fairlead hand cleat. On the top side of the dredge’s A frame line is a Harken 29mm Carbo air block pulley. On the bottom side of the A-frame, the side that doesn’t move, is a Harken low friction ring,” says first mate Kieran Pullman.
Outrigger Halyards
“The outrigger halyards are running with AmSteel, which is a non-rotational 12-strand single braid that allows us to splice all of our joins, so there’s no crimping at all. We use a 40mm Harken fiddle block pulley at the base. All of our stuff is spliced-in and super low profile. It’s easy to move over your dredge A-frame and very strong. It’s standing up pretty well I’d say. These halyards have done a whole season in Mag Bay for us and they’re still looking really good,” Pullman says.
Bridge Teaser
“Along with carefully scanning the sonar, Capt. James Brown is under diligent watch of the squid chains. Many captains spool the Miya Epoch US-9 reel with 400 lb. mono, but Brown prefers 5/16-inch Dyneema, with a Ronstan C-Cleat cam and SeaSucker tethering the line just outside of the overhead teaser reel box. “The teaser line jams in the cleat really well, but if a fish gives it a good yank it will still pop out, so you’re not going to fold your ‘rigger off or anything,” Brown says.
Brown does not fish the teaser lines through the hardtop because he wants to eliminate the hard angle and be able to pull in the teaser by hand. “In Mag Bay, I probably teased 60 fish on a good day and with mono that has so much memory you get all kinds of tangles. With this material the line just lays on itself perfectly on the deck. Our helm chairs are too nice to wrap up with mono.”
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