Bob9863

Fly out Monday morning, so this time next week hopefully I can have my 1st day out.

I might even make space for the tenkara rod. Just to be a bit different.

The set up sounds fine for what the outfit can handle, very heavy for light plastics.

30lb braid would help casting distance a lot.

On 20/09/2023 at 9:49 AM, mangajack said:

The PE ratings are all but useless....I can not see why the industry is adopting it so heavily.

You can get the same PE rating with wildly different breaking strains.

Seeing our rods are designed for working load limits rather than line diameters it does not make sense to use PE ratings.

Because PE ratings are about line diameter, so they determine what line will cast on what rod. It's got nothing to do with strength.

It's a more accurate way to balance line to an outfit, I actually like it. Rod strength isn't that big a factor and the rods are better off with a line and drag rating then they are with just a kg line rating alone.

I see it all as a big move forward.

I set the drag up to suit the rod not the braid. One reason for this is I use ultra thing high strength braid to get more line on the spool.

So on my stella 5000 I have it spooled with 150m of Shimano Grapler 59lb only .23 diameter. Then about 20m of backing behind it.

The stella has a max drag of 10kg and the braid at 25% is 8kg, and I don't like running drags that hard. I'd presetting my drag with luggage scales at 6kg so as not to over work it.

The rod is a PE 4 so there's no weight at all to go off of. But it's considered to be a 15kg rod. Half of that is a maximum drag setting for a reel in my book as a general rule. So that's 7.5kg so backing that down to 6kg to be on the safe side and balances the set up perfectly.

That's the risk of braid, you could perfectly balance mono line with a kg rated rod and it matched up well. But I guess that's what they are trying to do now with the PE grade rods I suppose.

But if your using lighter line then the rod can handle, then it absolutely pays to set the drag off of the line.

But if in my example I used 150m the 73lb Shimano Grapler and I went off the 25% line rule the drag would be set at over 8kg which would be over my rods drag setting tolerance.

If I put the next size reel on and ran heavier braid like the 89lb or even regular 80lb then it would be 9kg-10kg which would far exceed what the rod can handle.

Live bait is the best, but large fillets of barracuda or mullet work good too.

Live mullet would work really good if you can net some, you want them the size of your hand.

I like drifting under a balloon but you can fish the bottom as well.

I find night the best time, sundown to midnight was always my preferred routine.

I also like about 1m of 400lb fluorocarbon leader instead of wire.

I've done a lot of fishing with that class of set up, it's too light for cod and barra so I'd say it's definitely light for any reasonable size threadfin or jewellery fish.

Will it work in a pinch, yes, is it ideal, definitely not. I caught a 95cm cod on a 3kg rod with a 1000 size reel earlier in the year, it was a long fight and if there were any snags it would have been over quickly and not in my favour. If your going to keep them to eat then it would be fun but as mentioned not good for the fish.

I've got a PE3 rod and 2500 reel that would do the job, but I'd spool it with 35-40lb super thin braid and a 40-60lb soft fluorocarbon leader.

Is probably be inclined to run the 38lb shimano grapler braid that's only PE2 diameter and run 40lb black magic leader.

As an additional point, other then big GT's ect near reefs/wreaks ect you don't need 10kg of drag, not many people can really handle 10kg of drag for any period of time anyway.

I've caught everything from Arapima and big Red tail catfish to 3m sharks land based only using reels with a max of 7kg of drag, most of the time it was backed off so I didn't cook the drag out.

OK now for some more confusion, a 10kg rod more then likely will only handle 5kg of drag. The rod weight and the drag weight don't usually match, that's why the higher end and heavy duty rods have a separate max drag weight. Quite often the weight class is matched to the suitable line thickness rather then what the rod can handle.

Try lifting a 3lt milk bottle full of water with a 6kg rod and see how many hold up to that.

It's particularly common now with PE class rods, they don't have a weight class they have a line thickness compatibility. They usually include a max cast weight and a max drag loading usually at 90°.

A good rule of thumb of mine is if you don't know the drag rating then use half the rod strength, so on a 10kg rod I'd only use 5kg of drag, although I suppose you could switch to lbs too. So for a 10kg rod you would only use 10lb of drag.

You can get rods from the same manufacturer that are close in weight class but miles different in drag class.

The old way to set the drag was to tie the line to something solid, tighten the drag until it holds the rod at a 90° bend then give it a touch more.

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.

The best fish sauce I've found for bait is called mum pickled fish sauce from thailand.

https://www.maxiinternational.com.au/product/food/sauces-dressing/fermented-fish-sauce/mum-pickled-fish-sauce-350ml/#:~:text=No preservative%2C no artificial colur,flavour added%2C Product of Thailand.&text=Mum Pickled Fish Sauce is,results in a intense flavour.

It smells like fermented cat food but it works great.

It's the number 1 ingredient in any thai food I can't eat, the stuff is brutal unless you love the flavour of over condensed, over powering super strong fish flavour.

Another thing is that a swivel can effect the actions on some lures, but for the most part yes it let's you use a much linger leader and the swivel can be a bit visible in clear water.

Of all the different connections I've tried like the Albright, Carrot and probably a half dozen others. The FG knot runs through the guides the best and is the strongest with all different braid and leader options.

I did my own destination testing using different quality and strength braid with various leader options and the FG is the strongest knot I've tried.

It's one weakness or probably more likely my skill at tying it is when using light line like 6lb braid to 6lb leader. Then I find a double uni knot the easiest to tie and about the strongest.

2 hours ago, LucasV said:

You sir are wise beyond your years!

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.

I'd get yourself a s lmaller rod too, you can match it to your reel and then you can fish the beaches and rocks as well as around the estuaries, rivers and lakes.

That crab pot sounds like a winner to me, you can use trebles and cliff gaffes like this https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/115350497254?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=HBGHbtiQSIe&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=aOpTS9-dRMe&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I used the cliff gaff for landing Spanish mackerel off of the pier at Darwin all the time.

I got the hang of 10lb braid to 16lb leader, the key with this knot seems to be don't over do the wraps.

I finally got the hang of the SC knot, but one problem I found is it doesn't seem to work unless the braid is much thinner then the leader.

With the FG knot I can tied 10lb braid to 10lb leader just fine, but I haven't managed that with the SC knot, yet.

Practising, I've got pretty good with 10lb braid and 30lb leader, if i can get as good a result with 10lb braid and 16lb leader then it would very useful for me in a number of situations.

3 hours ago, Huxstang said:

Have a look at the SC knot.    I have been using it for the past year or so.  You dont have to finish it with the restretto (spelling) but with half hitches around main and leader and then around main.    Try googling a couple of videos on it.  I like it because I dont need my mouth and 4 hands to tie it like an FG   actually I can tie it in a boat when its rough and windy.

I don't know what I do wrong, but I can can never tie the SC knot.

I look, I watch and I try, but I never get it to work.

8 hours ago, Coconutdog said:

Might duck down to BCF and get me a packet of Mustad Fastach Snaps and give them a go. What knot would be best to fasten them to the leader?

I just use a uni knot.

I sometimes use them, I like running a little heat shrink ud the line onto the side swivel too, that sticks it out straight and stops the hook leader twisting around the main line.

I will use that in rocky water, that way I can run braid to the top loop, have leader coming out the side to the hook, then run lighter mono down to the sinker.

I also make sinkers out of concrete with a bit of wire for a loop, that way I can loose a sinker every cast and it's both dirt cheap and a little better for the environment and all that ****.

If the water is really clear and I'm targeting an easily spooked fish then I just use leader and tie a loop at the bottom and attach the lighter mono to that.

On 25/08/2023 at 12:01 PM, mzaakir said:

never tried the lipless cranks before not really a fan but might have to give them a go. Halco metals and even the poppers are so good on the beach. Fish absolutly love them. Im not the biggest fan of the baitjunkies, ill get them now and again and when i do its always the 3.2inch lol. 

I never liked the look of them, but I'd seen a few people use them with a lot of success so I gave them a go.

Now I find they outfish everything else in many circumstances, I rarely use traditional minnow style ones any more.

I still use the more common styles for trolling wich can be a weakness for the lipless lures. But for casting they are definitely king.

Well they are in my book anyway.

McGrath or jackal lipless vibes, great action, by letting them sink you can fish any depth, you can twitch them in a drift, Strait retrieve or slow roll them.

They catch everything here from the smallest redfin to the biggest cod and they work great on yellow belly and trout. I've used them overseas for snakehead, arapima, red tail catfish and alligator gar, they are just so versatile.

They are pretty much the only lures I use any more.