Andrew_P

Just finished this spin rod for a mate. 7’5 graphite blank built for a 5k Stradic loaded with 30lb braid. All Fuji components. Loving how it turned out!
This will be used to chase snapper and trout on plastics up to 1oz, as well as tuna and mackerel on slugs up to 40g. Could even cast small stickbaits at reef edges too - proper Swiss Army knife!

Had today booked for a rare fishing trip with my brother in Yewgary after seeing the forecast earlier in the week. We kept a close eye on the forecast sites particularly BOM MetEye which showed very fishable conditions. Woke early and checked the observations. Wind, swell and a few showers but with the forecast promising we decided to go. 
well we punched out 1/4 the way there and it was gross. BOM totally smoking the reefer! We changed plans and stayed in close drifting some broken ground, waiting for the weather to improve. 
things were slow for me but my brother managed a fish on each of the first 3 drifts. I picked up a small grassy on drift 4 and then we decided to inch out a bit deeper. Well it was windier and rougher as expected and I wasn’t feeling great. Been crook a couple of times at work on boats but this was next level! Still managed to fish and got smoked out here before picking up another 2 grassies. Next drift my bro changed lures and got an instant hookup on a freight train - straight into the reef! Bruised battered and busted up we called it a day. Limped home with our tails banged up to our ears and a few fish in the box. Got back on dry land and the sea sickness remained. Battled the nausea home and into bed with a bucket, woke up 4 hours later with a cracking headache, aches and pains and still feeling like praying to the porcelain pisser!

Hi @flattyfan4573 that is a wonderful fish! I also seem to hear about these fish being caught in MB more than say 5 years ago. I wonder if the environment (floods/warmer temperatures/changes in current strength from back to back to back La Ninas) have anything to do with it? Or are they filling a niche that historically other more common MB fish have left open (i.e. snapper?). Could be a combination of both.
Either way i am stoked they are here in numbers. They look cool, fight hard and taste good! (so i have heard)
BTW I think you should change your username to "GrunterHunter4573"
Andrew

Hi guys and gals, 
I’ve just finished building a PE 6-8 stickbait rod for a mate chasing barrel yellowfin tuna and the odd mackerel using surface lures. I pulled on a few blanks before settling on the Samurai SB8 which is 8’ and 2 piece (butt join). It’s got a softer tip (=faster action) than an equivalent popper rod as it doesn’t need the resistance to generate the popping/splashing out of the lures, and this translates better for the angler fighting tuna who tend to fight dirty under the boat vs gts which you can muscle on the surface (or so I am told!). I went for all Fuji components (rubber gimbal, duralon grips, locking reel seat, pipe extension, stainless steel Fuji SiC guides and bind-on tip) and kept the colour theme classic black with a little bit of bling in YFT colours. I’m pretty happy with the result. My mate will put a Saragosa 25k on it spooled with 60lb exact depth braid and cast 100-200g stickbaits at anything he comes across. I hope I get to see this rod in action!

Hi @flattyfan4573 that is a wonderful fish! I also seem to hear about these fish being caught in MB more than say 5 years ago. I wonder if the environment (floods/warmer temperatures/changes in current strength from back to back to back La Ninas) have anything to do with it? Or are they filling a niche that historically other more common MB fish have left open (i.e. snapper?). Could be a combination of both.
Either way i am stoked they are here in numbers. They look cool, fight hard and taste good! (so i have heard)
BTW I think you should change your username to "GrunterHunter4573"
Andrew

Hi @flattyfan4573 that is a wonderful fish! I also seem to hear about these fish being caught in MB more than say 5 years ago. I wonder if the environment (floods/warmer temperatures/changes in current strength from back to back to back La Ninas) have anything to do with it? Or are they filling a niche that historically other more common MB fish have left open (i.e. snapper?). Could be a combination of both.
Either way i am stoked they are here in numbers. They look cool, fight hard and taste good! (so i have heard)
BTW I think you should change your username to "GrunterHunter4573"
Andrew

Hi @flattyfan4573 that is a wonderful fish! I also seem to hear about these fish being caught in MB more than say 5 years ago. I wonder if the environment (floods/warmer temperatures/changes in current strength from back to back to back La Ninas) have anything to do with it? Or are they filling a niche that historically other more common MB fish have left open (i.e. snapper?). Could be a combination of both.
Either way i am stoked they are here in numbers. They look cool, fight hard and taste good! (so i have heard)
BTW I think you should change your username to "GrunterHunter4573"
Andrew

Hi @flattyfan4573 that is a wonderful fish! I also seem to hear about these fish being caught in MB more than say 5 years ago. I wonder if the environment (floods/warmer temperatures/changes in current strength from back to back to back La Ninas) have anything to do with it? Or are they filling a niche that historically other more common MB fish have left open (i.e. snapper?). Could be a combination of both.
Either way i am stoked they are here in numbers. They look cool, fight hard and taste good! (so i have heard)
BTW I think you should change your username to "GrunterHunter4573"
Andrew

Hi guys and gals, 
I’ve just finished building a PE 6-8 stickbait rod for a mate chasing barrel yellowfin tuna and the odd mackerel using surface lures. I pulled on a few blanks before settling on the Samurai SB8 which is 8’ and 2 piece (butt join). It’s got a softer tip (=faster action) than an equivalent popper rod as it doesn’t need the resistance to generate the popping/splashing out of the lures, and this translates better for the angler fighting tuna who tend to fight dirty under the boat vs gts which you can muscle on the surface (or so I am told!). I went for all Fuji components (rubber gimbal, duralon grips, locking reel seat, pipe extension, stainless steel Fuji SiC guides and bind-on tip) and kept the colour theme classic black with a little bit of bling in YFT colours. I’m pretty happy with the result. My mate will put a Saragosa 25k on it spooled with 60lb exact depth braid and cast 100-200g stickbaits at anything he comes across. I hope I get to see this rod in action!

Thanks MJ. I use a range of high quality blanks and components from various companies and Australian retailers. For this build the Samurai blank/Fuji components were preferred. At AFTA last year i was able to pull on the SB6 (PE 4-6) and SB8 blanks as well as fully built Samurai rods built on the same blanks. I'll be building the SB6 for my own use soon, matched to a gosa 10k and 40lb tasline. i'd be well over the 100 rods built since i started in 2020 - as they say, the first 100 are the hardest!

Website says 960g without braid so definitely around the 1kg mark
Ive got a 6k (first SW model) and a 10k (latest SW model) and they are tuff as nails. much nicer to use than the old Penn spinfishers!

Not the target species but would come in handy on reef edges which he hits once a year.  The tip is soft enough to keep the hooks in a Mack I reckon.
 
My mate believes in the “one rod, many purposes” theory. I have actually seen him tee off with a putter…

More of a case of coming across a school on the surface and having a few casts while out wide trolling for marlin. The rod is actually quite light overall - it’s the reel that will be a killer - weighs almost as much as a Nokia 5110

Hi guys and gals, 
I’ve just finished building a PE 6-8 stickbait rod for a mate chasing barrel yellowfin tuna and the odd mackerel using surface lures. I pulled on a few blanks before settling on the Samurai SB8 which is 8’ and 2 piece (butt join). It’s got a softer tip (=faster action) than an equivalent popper rod as it doesn’t need the resistance to generate the popping/splashing out of the lures, and this translates better for the angler fighting tuna who tend to fight dirty under the boat vs gts which you can muscle on the surface (or so I am told!). I went for all Fuji components (rubber gimbal, duralon grips, locking reel seat, pipe extension, stainless steel Fuji SiC guides and bind-on tip) and kept the colour theme classic black with a little bit of bling in YFT colours. I’m pretty happy with the result. My mate will put a Saragosa 25k on it spooled with 60lb exact depth braid and cast 100-200g stickbaits at anything he comes across. I hope I get to see this rod in action!

Hi guys and gals, 
I’ve just finished building a PE 6-8 stickbait rod for a mate chasing barrel yellowfin tuna and the odd mackerel using surface lures. I pulled on a few blanks before settling on the Samurai SB8 which is 8’ and 2 piece (butt join). It’s got a softer tip (=faster action) than an equivalent popper rod as it doesn’t need the resistance to generate the popping/splashing out of the lures, and this translates better for the angler fighting tuna who tend to fight dirty under the boat vs gts which you can muscle on the surface (or so I am told!). I went for all Fuji components (rubber gimbal, duralon grips, locking reel seat, pipe extension, stainless steel Fuji SiC guides and bind-on tip) and kept the colour theme classic black with a little bit of bling in YFT colours. I’m pretty happy with the result. My mate will put a Saragosa 25k on it spooled with 60lb exact depth braid and cast 100-200g stickbaits at anything he comes across. I hope I get to see this rod in action!

Thanks MJ. I use a range of high quality blanks and components from various companies and Australian retailers. For this build the Samurai blank/Fuji components were preferred. At AFTA last year i was able to pull on the SB6 (PE 4-6) and SB8 blanks as well as fully built Samurai rods built on the same blanks. I'll be building the SB6 for my own use soon, matched to a gosa 10k and 40lb tasline. i'd be well over the 100 rods built since i started in 2020 - as they say, the first 100 are the hardest!

Thanks MJ. I use a range of high quality blanks and components from various companies and Australian retailers. For this build the Samurai blank/Fuji components were preferred. At AFTA last year i was able to pull on the SB6 (PE 4-6) and SB8 blanks as well as fully built Samurai rods built on the same blanks. I'll be building the SB6 for my own use soon, matched to a gosa 10k and 40lb tasline. i'd be well over the 100 rods built since i started in 2020 - as they say, the first 100 are the hardest!

Website says 960g without braid so definitely around the 1kg mark
Ive got a 6k (first SW model) and a 10k (latest SW model) and they are tuff as nails. much nicer to use than the old Penn spinfishers!

Not the target species but would come in handy on reef edges which he hits once a year.  The tip is soft enough to keep the hooks in a Mack I reckon.
 
My mate believes in the “one rod, many purposes” theory. I have actually seen him tee off with a putter…

More of a case of coming across a school on the surface and having a few casts while out wide trolling for marlin. The rod is actually quite light overall - it’s the reel that will be a killer - weighs almost as much as a Nokia 5110

Hi guys and gals, 
I’ve just finished building a PE 6-8 stickbait rod for a mate chasing barrel yellowfin tuna and the odd mackerel using surface lures. I pulled on a few blanks before settling on the Samurai SB8 which is 8’ and 2 piece (butt join). It’s got a softer tip (=faster action) than an equivalent popper rod as it doesn’t need the resistance to generate the popping/splashing out of the lures, and this translates better for the angler fighting tuna who tend to fight dirty under the boat vs gts which you can muscle on the surface (or so I am told!). I went for all Fuji components (rubber gimbal, duralon grips, locking reel seat, pipe extension, stainless steel Fuji SiC guides and bind-on tip) and kept the colour theme classic black with a little bit of bling in YFT colours. I’m pretty happy with the result. My mate will put a Saragosa 25k on it spooled with 60lb exact depth braid and cast 100-200g stickbaits at anything he comes across. I hope I get to see this rod in action!

who needs to find a wonky hole when they are sitting on a beacon in the middle of the river!

Thanks MJ. I use a range of high quality blanks and components from various companies and Australian retailers. For this build the Samurai blank/Fuji components were preferred. At AFTA last year i was able to pull on the SB6 (PE 4-6) and SB8 blanks as well as fully built Samurai rods built on the same blanks. I'll be building the SB6 for my own use soon, matched to a gosa 10k and 40lb tasline. i'd be well over the 100 rods built since i started in 2020 - as they say, the first 100 are the hardest!

who needs to find a wonky hole when they are sitting on a beacon in the middle of the river!

Not the target species but would come in handy on reef edges which he hits once a year.  The tip is soft enough to keep the hooks in a Mack I reckon.
 
My mate believes in the “one rod, many purposes” theory. I have actually seen him tee off with a putter…