When I was ten or twelve, I would get so excited about our next fishing trip. I would spend hours and hours tying up rigs for my Dad and I to use. We always had twenty or thirty rigs in sandwich bags ready to go. My Dad was constantly buying hooks and swivels, but we always had rigs! As I have grown and learned many different knots and techniques. I still use many of the ones I used as a kid. Most of them I can tie with my eyes closed, in the dark, and in a rush to catch the next one. They have been tried and proven for 25 or more years. I can’t remember the first surf rig I used, but I couldn’t have been more than six or seven years old. I started tying my own at eight or nine. I loved learning how to improve my fishing skills. I decided to put surf drum rigs and grouper rigs together in this video. Mainly because they are the same two knots. Drum rigs are short. Only about 6 inches of 100 pound mono. Grouper rigs can be from 4 to 20 feet. My preference is 130 pound mono. In the past I have lost some big grouper to the rocks using 80 and 100 pound. They swim in and it’s over. With 130 I can get them out. By just pulling as hard as I can or giving them slack. After a minute or two they will swim out on there own. Then your leader is still strong enough to keep them from going back. Obviously the main goal is to never give them enough to get in the rocks in the first place, but it happens. Grouper, in my opinion, are one of the strongest fish in the ocean. I know in a lot of areas 130 is just to heavy. With clear water and a lot of fishing pressure you have to downsize. Here off the North Carolina Coast I have had a lot of luck with this rig. I have no idea if there is any interest in these types of videos or not. This is one type of video I like taking the time to make. Fishing is a passion and I enjoy sharing the little I know with others. Please let me know if you would like me to do more videos like this or more boats, tractors, cooking, and hunting videos! I hope someone finds something in this video helpful. Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to watch, subscribe, and leave comments!

Abu Garcia 6500’s have been my go to reels for all of my life like many others. From surf fishing to carp and catfishing they do it all. Strong reliable and easily maintained. They are one of the best reels ever produced in my opinion. As bullet proof as they are they still need to be maintained. A good cleaning and oiling often will keep them going for years to come. Abu Garcia round reels are very easy to disassemble. On of my favorite things about them. I try to go through all my reels once a year. One thing Abu Garcia is not known for is their drag systems. Most of my reels are pushing 15 years of age. Their drags were good for years, but never great. Always jerky and not smooth. I finally decided to break down and buy Carbontex drag washers for them. I found them on eBay for about $10. A small price to pay to not loose that monster fish! Changing the drag washers was a quick fix. I just wish I would have done this years ago!!! After a lot of research I decided to not use grease on the washers. Many reviews and suggestions were to run them dry. Even though the eBay link says to lightly grease them. I still have one reel to do and I may experiment with using drag grease. I will post a review on which way I like best on Instagram. For the most part I have never had any issues out of my Abu Garcia reels. One part that I have had to replace multiple times are the level wind paws. They are inexpensive and easy to change out. These seem to only last a few years, but my reels see a lot of the beach. I am sure sand causes them to wear much faster. I always order a few extra and carry them with me on long fishing trips. If they go out and I don’t have another one I will take the paw out and put the cap back on. Then you can just use your thumb as a level wind. I hope this video helps those who are sick of the old drags on their reels. As well as anyone who needs to know how to maintain their reels. Thank you for taking the time to read and watch! Here is the link to the Carbontex drag washers I used. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Abu-Garcia-carbontex-drag-6500-TCCM-HS-TCM-TCR-TCS-TCST-TROPHY-COLLECTION-/111567427915

I use quite a few sinkers throughout the year. Every winter I make enough of all kinds to get me through. Lead sinkers can be the most expensive thing on the end of your line. Especially if you do a lot of surf fishing. Surf pyramid sinkers range from 1 to 10 ounces. I mostly use 3’s, 4’s, 6’s, and 8’s. Therefore that is the majority of what I make. A 8 ounce sinker is $5.89 from Cabelas! On a bad day I have thrown or broke off 4 eight ounce sinkers. That is an expensive day of fishing. I got a 5 gallon bucket of wheel weights from a local tire shop. That was years ago and I have made a ton of sinkers and still have 1/2 a bucket. Granted the 5 gallon bucket weighed probably over 100 pounds. If you can get your lead cheap or even free it is a no brainer. It helps to ask a service shop that you get your tires from. I had a distant family member who ran the service shop I got mine from. He was going to give them to me, but I instead on giving him at least $20. There is no telling how much that has saved me. Hundreds for sure. Although I do not count the time I have in it. I enjoy any and everything that helps me in my fishing endeavors. The molds will be the most expensive part of getting started. I got mine off of eBay years ago. Before I had my molds I made quite a few sinkers in damp sand. After that I welded 3 triangles together and made sinkers. I made it big enough to make up to 12 oz sinkers. Mainly for kayaking out baits. I would poor it 1/2 way and have 6 oz. There are ways around buying molds if you put your mind to it. Although I think I only payed $25-$30 a piece for the molds I have. Molds will last you a life time. The one you will see me use to make egg sinkers was my Great Grandfather’s. It has made countless sinkers. To me it is money well spent. Good molds make the process much more enjoyable. The only real issue I have had over the years was getting my lead hot enough. I have mostly used a wood fire to melt my lead. Just this year I finally got my forge made. Before I would rush poring the lead into the mold. It would cool before it would fill the mold. Clogging the entrance making 1/2 sinkers. Take your time and get it really hot. It will make the process go so much easier. Every once in a while your eyelet will not completely form. Again this is normally due to a cold mold and colder lead. I hope you give making your own sinkers a try. Be careful though. Once you start it is hard to go back. I carry a 50 pound box of sinkers with me to the coast. I always have any and every sinker I need to match the conditions. As well as the catch. Thank you for watching and reading! Good luck in your own DIY sinkers!