an honest conversation about line strength.

[Darth-Baiter]

big bass.  okay.  this is a peacock bass.  hard charging in the native waters of the Amazon.  the guide suggest we use 65lb braid.  another guide suggested much lighter line.  he suggested 20-30lb braid on 2500 series spinning reels, and we use the drag.  i plan on using the guide's rods, except the one travel rod already bought.  i will bring my own reels for the familiarity.  i will strip all the line for the trip and spool it up with......ughh..the two guides advice couldnt be more opposite.    mostly topwater baits.  10lb fish..(i might be dreaming).  i feel 40lb braids is sooooo strong.  i have taken large Stripers with 20lb braid and 14lb flouro leaders.  nothing was snapping, i wasnt cussing in frustration, etc.  

 

is 65lb braid overkill?  i do know my friend that is going is all about overkill, so i could poach one of his reels if the fish are indeed mutants with knives for teeth.  i am leaning towards 40.  

 

thoughts?

 

after the trip..in the happy afterglow, i will probably strip all the braid and go back to the light stuff i have grown accustomed to .

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

Outside of heavy vegetation the perceived advantage of braid is line handling and sensitivity. I choose by line diameter rather than lb test. Then there’s the whole leader debate. Hearing opinions with an open mind is a good idea but factor that with your own experience and do what feels right to you. 

[Deleted account]

Depends on where and how you will be fishing, but I wouldn't light tackle peacocks in their natural habitat. They are strong fighters, but that's not the issue, in open water  a medium or MH bass outfit spooled with whatever you want would be fine, but in gnarly cover, if that fish takes you into the thick stuff, thta's the last you will see of it and your lure (unless you are a good tipper). I like straight 30 mono, or 50 braid with a 40 or 50lb leader. A lot of lures will work, but you want a Luhr Jensen Javelin in a loud color...

[softwateronly]

Certain materials cut thru braid like it’s not even there. Zebra mussels, northern pike teeth, gill plates, etc. If braid isn’t compromised it’s very strong for its diameter but….  
 

Could one guide be referring to using casting reels while the other isn’t?  Is one guide setting you up with a 4000 size spinning reel?  They might both be correct. 
 

I’m a fan of braid to leader and would personally go 50lb to 20lb mono if using my own gear. 

 

scott

[casts_by_fly]

I've not fished the amazon for peacocks, but from every show I've seen they are fishing stained or dirty water and the fish are hardly line shy.  On top of that, some of the jungle cover is pretty extreme.  I don't see any downside of the heavier line unless you're anchored to the bank and need capacity for running fish.

[ska4fun]

47 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

big bass.  okay.  this is a peacock bass.  hard charging in the native waters of the Amazon.  the guide suggest we use 65lb braid.  another guide suggested much lighter line.  he suggested 20-30lb braid on 2500 series spinning reels, and we use the drag.  i plan on using the guide's rods, except the one travel rod already bought.  i will bring my own reels for the familiarity.  i will strip all the line for the trip and spool it up with......ughh..the two guides advice couldnt be more opposite.    mostly topwater baits.  10lb fish..(i might be dreaming).  i feel 40lb braids is sooooo strong.  i have taken large Stripers with 20lb braid and 14lb flouro leaders.  nothing was snapping, i wasnt cussing in frustration, etc.  

 

is 65lb braid overkill?  i do know my friend that is going is all about overkill, so i could poach one of his reels if the fish are indeed mutants with knives for teeth.  i am leaning towards 40.  

 

thoughts?

 

after the trip..in the happy afterglow, i will probably strip all the braid and go back to the light stuff i have grown accustomed to .

Probably a charter focused on giant Peacock cichlids, like Cichla temensis and C. pinima. Usually for the size, a 20-25lb braided line would be enough, but these giant ones fight really dirty, putting a short, but intense fight (around 2min), allways trying to get into logs, weed, submerged roots. The overkill in the line is to improve the chances of landing one big individual. Accept both suggestions, merge them. If landing a trophy catch, feel more free to use lighter gear.

[A-Jay]

When it comes to matching tackle to the fish & the conditions,

I always figure I have three choices.

1. Accept the risk of losing the biggest fish by using 'light' gear'.

2. Manage the risk of losing the biggest fish by bumping up the tackle

to something middle of the road.

3. Attempt to Eliminate the Risk of losing the fish of a lifetime

by using really heavy gear.

When I consider the time, $$ & Effort that goes into getting to & from any Really Good

fishing destination, The Last thing I want to even think about is my gear.

When you are holding up your trophy for pictures,

no one's wondering what type of tackle you used to land it. 

Good Luck & Safe Travels.

A-Jay

 

[Dwight Hottle]

If you have a backlash with a 2 oz or heavier bait using 20-30 lb braid it will probable snap on a hard cast. That is why you want at least 50lb or heavier braid because of impact strength. 

[MickD]

I think the achilles heel of the lighter braids would be its sensitivity to shocks.  I'd go heavy with a  fairly long leader to help get some give in the system.  Unless using a pretty small reel, I don't think line capacity is an issue.  

[ska4fun]

For gods sake, take a reel at least with a 8:1 ratio, for big poppers and propellers. These lures just destroy your pulse and forearm!

[Seaworthy81]

I’m guessing the primary need for heavier braid is abrasion resistance and casting ease. Casting 65 or even 80lb braid with heavy lures is so much easier in that overruns are easier to pick out and also less likely to snap a heavy expensive lure off. Also if you snag them on stuff it’s a lot more likely to get them back. 
 

I haven’t fished the Amazon myself, but from friends who have the two primary ways they fished was a heavy rod with large topwater and other heavy type hardbaits (typically a 300+ sized conventional reel) and then a second lighter setup (like the 2500 you described) with normally a bucktail. 
 

Info on the jig and lighter setup here: 

 

https://www.acuteangling.com/peacock-bass-fishing/jig-guide.html

[ska4fun]

A Tatula 100 is easily able to deal with  giant peacock basses.

[flyfisher]

Just use a fly rod : )  built in shock absorber to handle any fish you want.  Once i am able to go on my bucket list trip of fishing for them with my fly rods I will more info but it might be a few years....

[ska4fun]

On 1/12/2023 at 10:41 AM, flyfisher said:

Just use a fly rod : )  built in shock absorber to handle any fish you want.  Once i am able to go on my bucket list trip of fishing for them with my fly rods I will more info but it might be a few years....

Would love to try Fly Fishing, but I live in a place with several Cactuses, rocks, spiny plants overall. Fear the line getting struck on them...

[flyfisher]

It can be a concern but once you learn how to cast you can manage those issues pretty easily.

[ska4fun]

5 minutes ago, flyfisher said:

It can be a concern but once you learn how to cast you can manage those issues pretty easily.

 

I worry about the backing line, the one who sometimes gets accumulated in the ground.

[Darth-Baiter]

On 1/12/2023 at 5:41 AM, flyfisher said:

Just use a fly rod : )  built in shock absorber to handle any fish you want.  Once i am able to go on my bucket list trip of fishing for them with my fly rods I will more info but it might be a few years....

if you saw me Cast a fly rod.....hahah

[flyfisher]

11 minutes ago, ska4fun said:

 

I worry about the backing line, the one who sometimes gets accumulated in the ground.

They actually make stripping baskets just for that purpose.

 

5 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

if you saw me Cast a fly rod.....hahah

you'd be surprised at how casting a fly rod isn't as bad as you think.  Once you understand that you aren't casting what's on the end of the rod and casting the line itself it begins to make more sense.  I can usually get people casting decently enough to catch some fish in about an hour.

[Further North]

6 hours ago, flyfisher said:

You'd be surprised at how casting a fly rod isn't as bad as you think.  Once you understand that you aren't casting what's on the end of the rod and casting the line itself it begins to make more sense.  I can usually get people casting decently enough to catch some fish in about an hour.

Yep.

I tell people, "If I can do it, anyone can do it."

[TnRiver46]

16 minutes ago, Further North said:

Yep.

I tell people, "If I can do it, anyone can do it."

As a fly fishing instructor, this is 100% false haha. I’ve met a few folks that couldn’t do it, no matter what