Ed.

Yep, they really good at catching......... the fisherman not the fish.🤣

There is no sense in the numbering systems anymore as others have said, they are all over the place from reels to line strengths, generally when I choose a reel I check the capacity in mono and that gives me a general idea on the reels capacity so for a 2500 sized reel I look for about 140yds of 10lb mono which is more than plenty for most fish and if you want to use an equivalent in braid you probably will double the capacity,. A 4500 size would be about 250yds using 10lb mono, same again about double that in braid
These are just rough ball park figures because line diameters vary from brand and formula, you can get 10lb mono that is fairly thick listed as 10lb strength but will break 50 to 100% more, to my mind it is not 10lb line but probably 17 or 20lb line mislabelled as 10lb line., hence the reason a lot of manufactures advertise that theirs is the strongest 10lb line.  Same as Dyneema braided line, I have had braid advertised as thin but extremely strong braid which broke less than half it's rated strength, so brand name is no guarantee of quality.
I use a combo of braid for the bulk of the mainline and a topshot of mono for the stretch factor. Gives me a larger line capacity and enough stretch in the topshot so it acts sort of like a rubber band to keep constant tension on the fish should it jump.
So getting back to reels, just look at the physical size of the reels and the spool on it, you may find two similar sized reels but the spool on one is half the size of the other or the body of one is much smaller than the body of the other but labelled the same 2500 size. Even for people who have bought a lot of reels in their time it is frustrating not to mention very annoying to check everything. That's marketing for you!

My 2 cents worth is that if you are going to the great lap and intend to go fishing during the trip, you should get two or three rod/reel setups as one setup isn't going to be ideal. You are going to come across different locations with different fishing requirements. ie; it is going to be hard to cast a surf setup if you are in an area with overhead trees and low branches, conversely a small rod will not be ideal on a surf beach. Whilst most rods can do double duty in several different settings, it helps to have a bigger spread to better suit the location/fish types.
Lastly welcome to the forum and enjoy your retirement.

There is no sense in the numbering systems anymore as others have said, they are all over the place from reels to line strengths, generally when I choose a reel I check the capacity in mono and that gives me a general idea on the reels capacity so for a 2500 sized reel I look for about 140yds of 10lb mono which is more than plenty for most fish and if you want to use an equivalent in braid you probably will double the capacity,. A 4500 size would be about 250yds using 10lb mono, same again about double that in braid
These are just rough ball park figures because line diameters vary from brand and formula, you can get 10lb mono that is fairly thick listed as 10lb strength but will break 50 to 100% more, to my mind it is not 10lb line but probably 17 or 20lb line mislabelled as 10lb line., hence the reason a lot of manufactures advertise that theirs is the strongest 10lb line.  Same as Dyneema braided line, I have had braid advertised as thin but extremely strong braid which broke less than half it's rated strength, so brand name is no guarantee of quality.
I use a combo of braid for the bulk of the mainline and a topshot of mono for the stretch factor. Gives me a larger line capacity and enough stretch in the topshot so it acts sort of like a rubber band to keep constant tension on the fish should it jump.
So getting back to reels, just look at the physical size of the reels and the spool on it, you may find two similar sized reels but the spool on one is half the size of the other or the body of one is much smaller than the body of the other but labelled the same 2500 size. Even for people who have bought a lot of reels in their time it is frustrating not to mention very annoying to check everything. That's marketing for you!

Yep, they really good at catching......... the fisherman not the fish.🤣

There is no sense in the numbering systems anymore as others have said, they are all over the place from reels to line strengths, generally when I choose a reel I check the capacity in mono and that gives me a general idea on the reels capacity so for a 2500 sized reel I look for about 140yds of 10lb mono which is more than plenty for most fish and if you want to use an equivalent in braid you probably will double the capacity,. A 4500 size would be about 250yds using 10lb mono, same again about double that in braid
These are just rough ball park figures because line diameters vary from brand and formula, you can get 10lb mono that is fairly thick listed as 10lb strength but will break 50 to 100% more, to my mind it is not 10lb line but probably 17 or 20lb line mislabelled as 10lb line., hence the reason a lot of manufactures advertise that theirs is the strongest 10lb line.  Same as Dyneema braided line, I have had braid advertised as thin but extremely strong braid which broke less than half it's rated strength, so brand name is no guarantee of quality.
I use a combo of braid for the bulk of the mainline and a topshot of mono for the stretch factor. Gives me a larger line capacity and enough stretch in the topshot so it acts sort of like a rubber band to keep constant tension on the fish should it jump.
So getting back to reels, just look at the physical size of the reels and the spool on it, you may find two similar sized reels but the spool on one is half the size of the other or the body of one is much smaller than the body of the other but labelled the same 2500 size. Even for people who have bought a lot of reels in their time it is frustrating not to mention very annoying to check everything. That's marketing for you!

For 90% of my fishing I find a 2500 size reel perfect with a 5000 as a heavier fish or more line/casting distance option.
IMO high quality second hand reels are better then medium quality new reels, but that being said there are some great new mid range quality reels out there.
As to rods I like travel rods myself, but good ones are expensive and if you have a caravan then you can definitely get away with cheaper one or two piece rods that won't let you down. It's the reels where I put my money.
It also wouldn't hurt to get a spare spool for each reel so you can have line on them ready to go for different situations.
One poin of note, not all manufacturers reels are the same size even if they are the same number. One company might make a 2500 size reel and another company's 2500 size could be size of the 1st company's 4000 size reel. 
Confusing then try this on, the same company might make two 2500 size reels that are physically very different in size, figure that one out, oh and if you do can you let me know the reason because it makes no sense to me.
So use the recommended sizes not as a number guide, instead look at the majority of 2500 size reels for example and buy any number reel that matches the general dimensions of the average 2500 size.
If you find that Confusing then DO NOT ask about PE ratings and line strength, or PE ratings and rod strength, that's even more messed up.
 
Back on topic are you going to mostly do bait or lure fishing? I'm a huge fan of bait runner type reels for bait fishing, but I do hate them for serious lure or plastic fishing.

Adding to what Ed said, I'd go 12lb line on a 2500 size spinning reel coupled with a 7 foot rod in the 8lb-14lb category, and maybe 20lb line on a 4000 spinning reel on your surf rod.
 
 

It would depend on what type or style of fishing you prefer to do. Surf is the least important to me and unfortunately to my wifes annoyment, whenever we travel on holidays near the coast I pack about 4 to 6  setups. My preference is towards overheads such as baitcasters and overheads. But those aren't every ones favourites, having said that I usually pack a 400 sized bait caster or small 2500 sized spin setup ( or both). Several overheads ranging from 15 to 30 sized, these will cover most of the general fishing I may come across.
Currently I am getting organized to go up to Port Douglas in November to do a couple of fishing trips on charter boats out to the reef and I am leaving my larger game reels behind, as the ones I'm taking will cover most of the fishing that I will encounter doing the bottom bashing that these charters do. Hopefully the car won't break down like it did last year!
I was planning to do the same as you a while ago and do the lap, but instead we ended up building a house instead, so the caravan idea is on the back burner, If I end up doing the lap, I would be taking at least half of the gear I own as you just can't go and get something you left at home if you are thousands of Kilometres away.
As a basic collection, a 2500 sized spin setup, a 4500 spin and a 6500+ setup would cover most bases if you don't like overheads or baitcasters, as you haven't fished for a long time I wouldn't go out and get crazy buying gear, get a decent 2500 and a 4500 setup, and that would cover most of the fish you will come across, you can also get a smaller spin rod to suit the 4500 reel for estuary/rock fishing or put it on the surf road when you hit beach or big rock fishing. You can always buy more gear if you are on the road and are getting smoked regularly.

It would depend on what type or style of fishing you prefer to do. Surf is the least important to me and unfortunately to my wifes annoyment, whenever we travel on holidays near the coast I pack about 4 to 6  setups. My preference is towards overheads such as baitcasters and overheads. But those aren't every ones favourites, having said that I usually pack a 400 sized bait caster or small 2500 sized spin setup ( or both). Several overheads ranging from 15 to 30 sized, these will cover most of the general fishing I may come across.
Currently I am getting organized to go up to Port Douglas in November to do a couple of fishing trips on charter boats out to the reef and I am leaving my larger game reels behind, as the ones I'm taking will cover most of the fishing that I will encounter doing the bottom bashing that these charters do. Hopefully the car won't break down like it did last year!
I was planning to do the same as you a while ago and do the lap, but instead we ended up building a house instead, so the caravan idea is on the back burner, If I end up doing the lap, I would be taking at least half of the gear I own as you just can't go and get something you left at home if you are thousands of Kilometres away.
As a basic collection, a 2500 sized spin setup, a 4500 spin and a 6500+ setup would cover most bases if you don't like overheads or baitcasters, as you haven't fished for a long time I wouldn't go out and get crazy buying gear, get a decent 2500 and a 4500 setup, and that would cover most of the fish you will come across, you can also get a smaller spin rod to suit the 4500 reel for estuary/rock fishing or put it on the surf road when you hit beach or big rock fishing. You can always buy more gear if you are on the road and are getting smoked regularly.

It would depend on what type or style of fishing you prefer to do. Surf is the least important to me and unfortunately to my wifes annoyment, whenever we travel on holidays near the coast I pack about 4 to 6  setups. My preference is towards overheads such as baitcasters and overheads. But those aren't every ones favourites, having said that I usually pack a 400 sized bait caster or small 2500 sized spin setup ( or both). Several overheads ranging from 15 to 30 sized, these will cover most of the general fishing I may come across.
Currently I am getting organized to go up to Port Douglas in November to do a couple of fishing trips on charter boats out to the reef and I am leaving my larger game reels behind, as the ones I'm taking will cover most of the fishing that I will encounter doing the bottom bashing that these charters do. Hopefully the car won't break down like it did last year!
I was planning to do the same as you a while ago and do the lap, but instead we ended up building a house instead, so the caravan idea is on the back burner, If I end up doing the lap, I would be taking at least half of the gear I own as you just can't go and get something you left at home if you are thousands of Kilometres away.
As a basic collection, a 2500 sized spin setup, a 4500 spin and a 6500+ setup would cover most bases if you don't like overheads or baitcasters, as you haven't fished for a long time I wouldn't go out and get crazy buying gear, get a decent 2500 and a 4500 setup, and that would cover most of the fish you will come across, you can also get a smaller spin rod to suit the 4500 reel for estuary/rock fishing or put it on the surf road when you hit beach or big rock fishing. You can always buy more gear if you are on the road and are getting smoked regularly.

It would depend on what type or style of fishing you prefer to do. Surf is the least important to me and unfortunately to my wifes annoyment, whenever we travel on holidays near the coast I pack about 4 to 6  setups. My preference is towards overheads such as baitcasters and overheads. But those aren't every ones favourites, having said that I usually pack a 400 sized bait caster or small 2500 sized spin setup ( or both). Several overheads ranging from 15 to 30 sized, these will cover most of the general fishing I may come across.
Currently I am getting organized to go up to Port Douglas in November to do a couple of fishing trips on charter boats out to the reef and I am leaving my larger game reels behind, as the ones I'm taking will cover most of the fishing that I will encounter doing the bottom bashing that these charters do. Hopefully the car won't break down like it did last year!
I was planning to do the same as you a while ago and do the lap, but instead we ended up building a house instead, so the caravan idea is on the back burner, If I end up doing the lap, I would be taking at least half of the gear I own as you just can't go and get something you left at home if you are thousands of Kilometres away.
As a basic collection, a 2500 sized spin setup, a 4500 spin and a 6500+ setup would cover most bases if you don't like overheads or baitcasters, as you haven't fished for a long time I wouldn't go out and get crazy buying gear, get a decent 2500 and a 4500 setup, and that would cover most of the fish you will come across, you can also get a smaller spin rod to suit the 4500 reel for estuary/rock fishing or put it on the surf road when you hit beach or big rock fishing. You can always buy more gear if you are on the road and are getting smoked regularly.

Personally I think that 1 teaspoon of Anise (Aniseed) oil is too much, when I used to use it, I used to use 2-3 drops of Aniseed oil per 2.5kg block of pilchards or in a large packet of bread crumbs (with fish oil) as it has a pretty potent smell.

My 2 cents worth is that if you are going to the great lap and intend to go fishing during the trip, you should get two or three rod/reel setups as one setup isn't going to be ideal. You are going to come across different locations with different fishing requirements. ie; it is going to be hard to cast a surf setup if you are in an area with overhead trees and low branches, conversely a small rod will not be ideal on a surf beach. Whilst most rods can do double duty in several different settings, it helps to have a bigger spread to better suit the location/fish types.
Lastly welcome to the forum and enjoy your retirement.

Personally I think that 1 teaspoon of Anise (Aniseed) oil is too much, when I used to use it, I used to use 2-3 drops of Aniseed oil per 2.5kg block of pilchards or in a large packet of bread crumbs (with fish oil) as it has a pretty potent smell.

My 2 cents worth is that if you are going to the great lap and intend to go fishing during the trip, you should get two or three rod/reel setups as one setup isn't going to be ideal. You are going to come across different locations with different fishing requirements. ie; it is going to be hard to cast a surf setup if you are in an area with overhead trees and low branches, conversely a small rod will not be ideal on a surf beach. Whilst most rods can do double duty in several different settings, it helps to have a bigger spread to better suit the location/fish types.
Lastly welcome to the forum and enjoy your retirement.

Personally I think that 1 teaspoon of Anise (Aniseed) oil is too much, when I used to use it, I used to use 2-3 drops of Aniseed oil per 2.5kg block of pilchards or in a large packet of bread crumbs (with fish oil) as it has a pretty potent smell.

Personally I think that 1 teaspoon of Anise (Aniseed) oil is too much, when I used to use it, I used to use 2-3 drops of Aniseed oil per 2.5kg block of pilchards or in a large packet of bread crumbs (with fish oil) as it has a pretty potent smell.

My 2 cents worth is that if you are going to the great lap and intend to go fishing during the trip, you should get two or three rod/reel setups as one setup isn't going to be ideal. You are going to come across different locations with different fishing requirements. ie; it is going to be hard to cast a surf setup if you are in an area with overhead trees and low branches, conversely a small rod will not be ideal on a surf beach. Whilst most rods can do double duty in several different settings, it helps to have a bigger spread to better suit the location/fish types.
Lastly welcome to the forum and enjoy your retirement.

My 2 cents worth is that if you are going to the great lap and intend to go fishing during the trip, you should get two or three rod/reel setups as one setup isn't going to be ideal. You are going to come across different locations with different fishing requirements. ie; it is going to be hard to cast a surf setup if you are in an area with overhead trees and low branches, conversely a small rod will not be ideal on a surf beach. Whilst most rods can do double duty in several different settings, it helps to have a bigger spread to better suit the location/fish types.
Lastly welcome to the forum and enjoy your retirement.

Nah, just married a woman with a temper, so I had to learn to adapt in order to avoid head trauma.
A wise man does not, now that I know this, upon being berated for leaving a few coffee mugs in the sink take a photo of a disaster left when the wife cooks breakfast and goes to work take a photo of it and put it on Facebook under the heading "Double standards much?"
Funny yes, potentially fatal, definitely. 🫣

You sir are wise beyond your years!

You need to use my trick, when the wife asks is that new I say no, I bought it "a while ago" and now I've decided to try it out. 😉 
Another little trick, buy it, "give it to a mate" then have them pop over and say "hey I thought you could use this"
It definitely keeps the peace, just remember to pay cash.
 

Matt, I don't really know, BUT I would put a fairly large backing plate behind it. Just play it safe, too late after the cleat has been pulled out and left a largish hole in your boat. 

You’re speaking from experience here KM, no doubt.