outdoordan

There are plenty of ways to skin a cat and there are plenty of ways to catch a jew. there are benefits to using braid as there are benefits to using mono. namely the ability to cast a decent distance with a spinning reel if required, as well as enabling the use of smaller, lighter outfits making it easier to hold for long periods. Braid dislodging sinkers isnt as much of a problem as its made out to be, and there are different lead designs that will give you options even in heavy swell. I do recommend using a decent mono leader though, particularly using running sinker rigs. this will eliviate any abrasion concerns as well as add a measure of safety during casts. This being said, i mainly use mono on overhead reels, but have caught dozens of fish on braid in the past. I strike hard, several times when setting a hook and dont have an issue of pulling the bait out of fishes mouths, let alone more often than not! I do this to ensure the hook finds it mark as hook points can get obscured by the bait. I am confused by the advice of backing the drag off to stop the fish throwing the hook. In my opinion it is more important that you maintain pressure on the fish, slack line allows thrown hooks. Perhaps you meant pulling hooks, which shouldn't be a problem if you set them properly to start with. Fankly crossfire, your attitude is rubbish, and your "statements of fact" are in fact only your opinions. You would do well to respect other's opinions with the same regard as you expect others to respect yours. Merry Christmas

Metho can work as as a lube to help slide the eva. However, metho is a great cleaning agent for epoxy (Araldite if your using it, I believe there are better options, but thats a different story. Use the 24hr high strength stuff if you need to use araldite.) I would be worried that eva wetted with metho would squeegee off alot the epoxy applied to the blank and cause weak join. The epoxy glue will also act as a great lube to slide/expand the eva. I apply more epoxy than neccesary and slide the eva on that. Then clean off the excess with a clean rag moistened with metho. If you need to soften the eva, put it in the sun or a warm spot for half an hour.

Forget hard bodies unless you really want to crack one on plastic. Conditions have to be right to be in with a shot, and it could be a long time between hits. It you really want to just catch a jew, put your tailor out live.

Good luck bloke. Hope you get stuck into em!

On You tube there is alot of info from fuji as well as other companies on guide placement, line control and guide wrap shedding. This is all geared towards braid though. I do not throw lures on mono. Even for big kings and jew off the rocks i use braid with a long shock leader. So knots occuring in mono is not something i have experienced. Usually this is not so much of an issue due to the stretch provided by mono. When the mono is spooled under some tension the strech factor would normally cause the line to "grasp" the spool, rather than layed upon it. The two things that i would lean towards are insufficient tension and possibly line twist (but it doesnt sound like thats the issue from what you have discribed). This is very possible when using sp's as it may not be the weight of the lure you cast which is causing the problems, but the retrieval of slack line between "hops". You can do a bit of a test. Each time you cast, be concious to wind the line back on under tension (by pinching it between your fingers as you wind). Does this reduce the chance of the line knotting? Mono lines can have alot of different characteristics, Lo stretch, supple or hard/abrasion resistant lines like schnider and moi moi. You could always try changing your line to see if there is any change.

Hi Savit, The reel is a standard shimano Arc Aero Ci4+ 4000. When you say tangles between guides, I assume you are talking about guide wraps where the braid (generally only a problem with braid due to its supplness) wraps itself around the guide foot. This is due to the line not being properly maganged and controlled as it tries to flow through the guides. This can happen within the reduction train (guides which progressively reduce in size and height) and the running guides (usually the same size guide running out to the tip). This can be due to so many variables. if you can tell me which guide is wrapping, i may be able to offer some ideas as to the cause. But if it is occuring in the running guides it is likely due to too great a spacing between guides, or due to guides which are too large to properly control the line flow (less likely). The reason it is more prodominent with heavy lures is due to the velocity at which the line is trying to flow through the guides. Poor controlled line can try to "overshoot" the guide rather than run through it due to its own inertia. This overshoot accompanied by wind or rod movement can cause the line to loop around the guide. This was the reasoning between the fuji K guide. It was developed in an effort to shed these loops rather than allowing them to tighten around the guide. There is some good stuff on you tube on this subject if you are interested. If you are talking about the braid tying itself into a big knot when casting(what people incorrectly refer to as a wind knot), this is usually due to the line not being spooled under sufficient tension or an overfilled spool. This causes extral loops of line to be dragged off the spool by the unfurling line during the cast. This can also be made worse by line lay pattern and shape of the line on the spool (forward facing taper is more suseptible to casting knots). Hope this info is what you were after. Dan

Guides are hard and smooth as buggery. They create alot less friction than line slapping the blank. Also controlled line creates alot less resistance through the air than coiling/unfurling line. Another benefit is more guides on the tip section mean you can get away with much smaller guides on the tip, reducing tip weight while increasing line control. Creating a lighter more responsive rod. My latest 10'6 lure rod build, has 13 guides plus tip, consisteing of a 4 guide KL/H reduction train and 9x KT7 running guides. In hind sight i should have gone for KT6's as running guides, as even 7's are more than required. Total rod weight is 276gr (this is including the 32gr i added to the butt to achieve the balance i was after) and the blank remains crisp, responsive and has ultra fast recovery. Initial testing with this guide set up saw a 42gr slug averaging a measured 105m in a slight cross wind. In saying this though, its not just about chucking more guides on, its about putting as many guides as required, precisely where they are required to get the line undercontrol as soon as possible. To extract the most out of this concept, it should be built to a particular reel and line combination. I am skeptical about "so called" KR builds on factory rods, as there is alot of "compromise" going on, which will rob you of some of the benefits of this concept.

There is no need for a lathe. You can easily knock up some stands and a thread carrier/tensioner and build by hand. In fact if you haven't done much building it is probably the better option as it is much easier to control the thread. Have a squiz around the net. heaps of info around on rod building jigs. Even epoxy can be done without the aid of a rotisserie, but it does make life much easier. Dryer kits/rotisseries are available quite cheaply, or you can look to build your own out of a BBQ rotisserie motor.

Braid or mono? Also gear that is aimed at kings and (to a lesser extent) jew, would be overkill when it comes to choppers and flatties. Either of the Shimanos you mentioned in 8,000 or 10,000 would be spot on. The beach can be a bit tough on gear if you dont look after it. If you are a bit careless when it comes to tackle maintenance or your are inclined to lay your gear in the sand, maybe consider a cheaper reel. That being said, i spend more time on the sand than most, and never had tackle issues. A good sand spike or two are worth their weight in gold.

Sydney Northern Beaches Mate. This area has been pretty kind to me over the years, but it takes some figuring out.

Thanks for your kind words and encouragement. Grant, your moneys in the post...

It was a place that I had often walked past on my many kingfish popping sessions, and wondered on its Mulloway potential. It had a lot going for it, sand bottom next to heavy reef, good depth with plenty of water movement and a nice covering white water in a moderate swell. I had pulled a few pan sized snapper from this area in the past, and with the recent swells abating and the high tide falling on the change of light, things looked about right. It was with these fish in mind that I made the decision to jig up a few squid in preparation for an evening session on the stones. By the time I clambered down to my rocky perch, the sun had all but surrendered to inevitable darkness. Through the filtered half light of dusk I surveyed the area before me. Waves reared and tumbled over the finger of reef, the remnants of which spilled for some time before reforming for a less enthusiastic assault at the rocks by my feet. Heavily laden clouds loomed ominously to my south, being escorted by the stiff and relentless breeze. The spray whipped up by the wind filled the air, bathing me in its salty mist. The water was ever darkening as the ambient light waned. So it was with conditions which I could not improve if they had been personally scripted, and calamari whose skin still twinkled with blotches of pigment in its deathly throes, my excitement began to mount. As the last of the dayshift anglers left a nearby ledge, the lonely nightshift kicked off with the first offering finding its mark on the edge of the sand some 50m away. It was only minutes before the first interest in the bait was registered by two sharp taps reverberating up the line. I bowed the rod tip and as weight came on I struck, but was rewarded with nothing more than the weight of the lead. I left the line where it was hoping the assailant would return, but after a few minutes with no action I retrieved my gear to find two bare 5/0’s where the squid strip once hung. Another morsel was selected and cast back into the vicinity of the first. With anticipation running high, I stood poised, willing the telltale tap to come. And when it did come my heart nearly burst. No matter how much I anticipate it, when that bite registers, whether fishing for yakkas or kings, that instantaneous hit of adrenalin shatters my frame of mine and rips me into the present moment. Where you act on impulse alone, almost separate from conscience thought; an out of body experience. With that first tap, I bowed the rod and slipped the reel out of gear. As the fish moved off, I conceded line with as little resistance as I dared. With several meters of line now offered to my quarry, I raised the lever into “strike”. As the fish pulled the remaining slack from the line, I raised the rod to meet it. The rod loaded under the weight of the fish, but then eased as the fish made toward my position. I cranked like hell to once again come tight and it wasn’t until the fish was virtually at my feet that I succeeded. As the fish bored left along the face of the rocks which I was perched, I had the unnerving realisation of the line being hung up on the underwater terrain. The reels clutch was disengaged as the spool slipped beneath my thumb. I tried unsuccessfully to free the entangled line as the fish could still be felt surging and shaking its head. As the realisation and disappointment of my predicament was taking hold, a receding wave achieved what I couldn’t, and I was once again able to resume my battle. The fish bore frantically towards the finger of reef, but with the condition of the “lo stretch” monofilament now unknown; I was reluctant to dictate terms. The fish’s progress slowed as he began to vigorously shake his head. Each toss of his head cause the rod to buck in my arms, mimicking the theatre playing out in the black water. I began to methodically gain line on my adversary, but continued to fight him gingerly as to encourage him to carry out his battle in the relative safety of the sand bottom. I made my way across the rocky ledge to a low lying rock which would offer a better chance of securing my prize. The fish’s stamina was rapidly draining. Exhausted, he was brought to my feet, but without a gaff or companion, it was apparent that my battle had not yet been won. As each wave rolled through, the mulloway’s body rose and fell, but biding my time I waited. At last a larger than average wave lifted the exhausted fish’s body and delivered it to a lower rocky ledge. Between waves, I scrambled down, latched onto a gill plate and dragged the fish to the security of my rocky perch. Without cameraman or camera, I had to make do with an Iphone. The fish went 117cm and 13.6kg gilled and gutted While I have caught many mulloway off the beach and rocks much larger than this, I find this one particularly rewarding due to it being the culmination of what I have learned over years of chasing these fish, being applied to a completely new area. To learn a particular spot and what makes it tick often takes considerable time and dedication as you stumble onto the patterns of fish in that area. But to recognise a spot and achieve instance success based purely on my own decisions is conformation that I have developed a real understanding of these magnificent fish. Thanks for reading. I know it is a bit of an obscure report, but I thought I’d have a little fun writing it. Dan

Forget about line twist with braid. Heavy mono on an eggy, line twist was a bit of a problem, so the anti clockwise method had some benefit. Braid is a diferent animal. What is more important with braid is that it is layed on under good tension. The result will be better line lay, more capacity, reduced risk of digging in under heavy drag and reduced wind knots.

Personally im not much of a fan of BIG jew. 7-15kg are beautiful and one of my favorite fish to eat, but those 25+kg fish i find tend to loose the moistness and delicate flavour of the smaller fish. They also seem to have a lot more worms in the flesh, which can be a bit discouraging. One particular 27kg fish i managed to pull enough worms to out of it to fill a breakfast bowl. it was a bit stomach turning, but i was determined not to let such a magnificent fish go to waste. IMO Its a better proposition to release these fish if able, as they are for more valuable as a resourse if left alive to breed than as table fodder. I have never eaten a big flattie as my conscience kicks in and dictates thier release. I really like eating fish in the 45-60cm bracket though. I have never caught a big king so i cant comment on the eating qualities. but i have taken and eaten fish from 70cm to 115cm, and found them to be first class fodder. hope fully this year i will get tosink my teeth into a 20+kg hood from the stones.

With longer rods, the lead travels in a larger arc. Beacuse of mechanical advantage, or rather lack of. It requires more effort to pull the lead through this larger arc. This is where technique really shines. When you can harness the rotation of the body, and use the larger muscle groups to pull the lead through, rather than just your arms, a huge amount of energy can be transfered to the lead. Potentially more than a shorter rod. Novice casters may find they are able to cast futher with a shorter rod due to their lack of technique, and not being able to muscle through this bad technique with a larger lever (rod). I use a 14ft Poseidon gold class a bit for distance work, It is very light for what it is and it can really drive a lead a long way. But long rods hurt on big fish. I wouldn't use this rod for everyday beach work. 12 - 13ft I find a lot more comfortable.

There are litterally dozens of reels that will fit the bill your after. Have a look at the Penn squall 15. It has a mag cast control that can make this reel safe as houses OR lively and capable of good distance. In the right hands this reel is capable of around 200m. I can only squeeze about 160 out of mine, but that is flaws in my technique. Great reel, but small line capacity. A good option is to back with braid, and run a 150m mono topshot. These are a steal at about the $150 mark Penn Fathoms, Shimano toriums and Daiwa satist BG's are also great little casters. They can be had around the $280 mark. No mag brake but all have decent centrifugal cast controls. Or you can go down the path of fitting a custom fixed or adjustable mag conversion for them. Ive done this to my Saltiga SA30, BG35 and my many ABU's. There is really not much to it. As Crossfire mentioned, The Akios reels are beautiful, and use alot of the same engineering as the early ABU's. Next on my want list is a 565 shuttle. I have recently started playing around with an AVET MXL mag cast, and i have been really impressed with it as a castable lever drag. Its capable of distances of around 140m in my hands straight out of the box. Not cheap but a top reel at around $380.

I've got the mag butt travel. Its been a brilliant rod in the 5 or so years I've had it. its accounted for heaps of little trevs in Vanuatu, Jews, salmon and bonnies and even had it up against some meter + barra in monduran. It does have its limitations though, and there will be plenty of fish you just cant stop, on what is relatively light gear for Fiji and kings. I cant comment on the St Croix unfortunately

Depends what your targeting? 20lb would be plenty on bonnies, rats and the like. Anything much bigger than a rat and your chances would start to decrease significantly. Ive landed plenty of legals on 30lb, but if im serious on targeting hoods on surface lures off the bricks, I run my 20K stella. FCL Labo and PE8 I run 14lb fireline on my 3012, but considering it breaks at 30 odd pounds I fish around 4kg of drag through it. 20lb braid would suit the reel beautifully.

Nothing wrong with taking expensive gear on the rocks. My Saltiga and Stella's virtually live on the rocks and are in great condition even after years of heavy use. It is all in the way you treat your gear in what is a pretty harsh enviroment. I was faced with the same dilema about a year ago, when looking for a reel to match my 8'6" Battler AGS. The branzino is hands down the nicest of the bunch. The exist is lighter but I wasn't sold on the zaion body. I decided on the certate 3012 which i got for about half the price of the branzino. I already owned several certates and love them. The certate has since had a fair workout on several landbased jew up to around the 30lb mark and has performed flawlessly. It gets a pretty hard time and has spent countless hours slow rolling bulky hardbodies, working big plastics and having line savagely ripped from it under 4kgs of drag, and still feels tight. Im not sure if my caldia would handle the same abuse that my certates have sustained How heavy are you planning on fishing? 4-5kg is about the max usable drag for these reels IMO.

Thanks guys. I certainly did have a beer or two... or maybe more judging by the way im feeling this morning.

You wont find much off the shelf to suit such a small overhead. Custom would be your best bet if you have a few bucks to spend. Or alternatively you could look at rebuilding an off the shelf spin rod which is close to what you are after.

Love your work big fella. Im looking forward to catching up with you again one of these days.

I like the image of sydney in my rear view mirror....

What your experiencing is galvanic corrosion. it is caused by two dissimilar metals (aluminium and stainless steel) in the presence of an electrolite (sea water/non pure fresh water). This causes an electrical potential which will errode the less noble metal or anode (aluminium). Its the same theory behind a lead acid battery. Insulating dissimilar metals from comming in contact with one another will eleviate this issue, as well as using alloy rivets as already pointed out.

I'm still floored on the news of his passing. I'm really going to miss having beers with that bloke. I guess I should be glad that I had the opportunity to have one or two with him. I'm having a beer for you now Al. You will be remembered. RIP