Sword Fishing

Question
I would like to try swordfishing off of West Palm Beach during the day.  I can't afford a 400 dollar reel.  I purchased a Senator 114.  It will hold 1500 yards of 100 lb braid.  An article I read recommends 1500 yards of 150 lb braid as a top shot to 300 yards of 80 mono.  The real holds about 900 yards of 150 braid.  I am leaning towards spooling 1500 yards of 100 lb braid. The bottom will be 900-1200 feet.  Am I making a mistake going with more line at a lower test?  I have been in the Gulf Stream and caught swordfish at night in my 19 foot Key West, but the boat is small and I would rather be out there with boats in the area during the day.

Answer
Hi Bill,

Thanks for asking.

heres a really good solution for you: the Penn Metal Senator 114. it retails for around $250, has a max drag of 30lbs, built like a tank, doesn't use a bridge plate so it has better structural integrity.

URL for reference:
http://www.tackledirect.com/penn-metal-senator-reels.html

not a $400 reel, and you still have money left over for your braid.

Now for the main answer. you set the drags of the reels at 1/3 (at the most) and 1/4 (at the last) of the breaking strain of your line. with this in mind, getting 150lbs braid on your reel wont do you any good, at 150lbs test at 1/3 breaking is 50lbs of drag, at 1/4 its 37.5lbs of drag. The ordinary Penn Senator doesn't even give that much drag. The metal senator 114 gives you 30lbs max. So, I would say that your ONLY option is to go with 100lbs braid. If you can't afford a reel that gives you the power, the extra length would give you SOME cushion. On the bitter end though, you have to realize that the fight would last longer.

Another option is for you to save a bit more money and get an AVET pro, you can hunt on ebay for better deals, heres a dealer's link for your reference:
http://www.tackledirect.com/avet-pro-ex-reels.html

hope this helps!..good catchin!!!