davester28

Bugger, I have a 4000FD bought two and a half years ago that hasn't even seen water yet ... and it's already about to be superceded! Poor thing, it never got the chance to come off the bench with the Branzinos always being first choice ... and it never will now!

Greg - not quite true for the new Stella SWs but certainly correct for the old FA series. The new 8000 and 10000 Stella SWs are similar to the Saltiga 4500 in size. (The Stella 8000 spool is similar in size to the Saltiga 4500; the Stella 10000 has a deeper spool). The new Stella SW 6000 (incidentally, not available in Aus nor the US) is similar to the Certate Hyper 4000. For the new Stella SWs, equivalent body sizes as follows: 5000 = 6000 (= Certate Hyper 3500 = 4000) 8000 = 10000 (= Saltiga 4500) 18000 = 20000 (= Saltiga 6500) For the older Stella FAs: 5000 (= Certate Hyper 3500 = 4000) 6000 = 8000 (= Saltiga 4500) 10000 = 20000 (= Saltiga 6500) A good indication is to refer to the weight of the reel.

Fantastic work, Chris. Saw the 101cm beauty when fishing the same spot on Friday - top effort! Just pipped ours for size ... Live cuttleys were definitely the gun bait that day. Good to finally meet you too!

Mate, my only warning is that the Fireblood is a superceded reel (older technology, does not come with some of the latest Shimano features like the new shaped spool that reduces wind knots, the new gearing system etc). It's a re-badged Sephia, which was on the Jap market at least 5-odd years ago. Not surprised you can get it at a good price as it's no longer even listed on the Shimano Australia web site. Similar to the Aspire which was second only to the Stella three years ago, but again, does not have the new features Shimano introduced a couple of years ago to its mid- to high-end reels.

Go the T-Curve Power Spin - 6'7", 5-10kg. About $240. Match it with a Stradic 4000 with 20lb braid and you should be sweet.

Hi all I know a few of you here have the bigger models of the new 2008 Japanese domestic market Shimano Stella, specifically the 10000, 18000 and 20000 models. I would like to know your thoughts on them. Are they any better than the older model Stellas (SW and FA models) and Daiwa Saltigas? Any reports on design flaws? I recall the previous model Stellas and Saltigas had some initial teething problems. If not, anyone know of any online reviews? I ask because I'm considering getting either a 10000 or 18000. I do have some reservations on the latest Stellas as I own both the new Stella 4000FD and Morethan Branzino, and while their specs are almost identical (on paper), IMHO the Daiwa is hands down the better reel. cheers dave

Anything over 150 cm will cost a lot more as it has to be Fedexed rather than via EMS. Have a look at the Plat website for indicative shipping costs.

Ceph, it's heavy insofar as it's rated 12 - 20lb (but 20lb would be pushing it, imho). In reality, it weighs about as much as a bream stick.

I love the sound of the Branzino's drag ... What line did you settle on? More than welcome to come around and check out the Day Breaker rod, mate. Tbh, it's just a bit long at 8'2", but certainly casts unweighted Slug-gos a mile!

I have the Luvias 1003 and it's an extremely light little reel and very compact. A very good ultra-light reel which perfectly holds 100m of 3 lb mono or fluoro (I use Sunline fluoro straight through on mine). However, I have to say it's not the most silent reel I have ever used. Apologies, I know it's not the Twin Power, but I also bought the new Stella 1000FD and it is a little beauty. It is noticeably heavier than the Luvias (but still very light), yet feels rock solid, is much smoother than the Luvias and completely silent. Really no comparison in feel, to be honest, but what would you expect at twice the price? The new Jap Twin Power looks good too.

Well done Little Slinky! You're catching more fish than me at the moment!

Good work, Johnno. Great to hear you've blooded the Twin Power 4000 with a legal king!

try here: http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/dwo/IDCJDW2124.latest.shtml

sorry mate. apologies in advance for hijacking this thread. tbh, i find that line diameters for braided line aren't very accurate anyway, as the cross section of braid (4 strand especially), is not round. manufacturers (esp US ones) seem to take a bit of artistic licence when publishing the diameter of their braided line. i usually find i can't get anywhere close to their claimed capacity on my reels. eg. Shimano Stella 8000PG - claimed capacity of 300m PE4, in reality 220m PE4 (Varivas Big One) plus many other examples i won't go into right now.

the formula for working out line diameter for a given PE rating is: d = 0.165 * p^0.5 where d = line dia (in mm) p = PE rating so for example, to work out the diameter for PE 4 line, d = 0.165 * 4^0.5 = 0.165 * 2 = 0.33 mm

reliably informed a 1 m cobia was caught in middle harbour two weeks ago

that fish don't look so young neither great jewie mate

Just what has worked for me. If they're on the surface (which they haven't been, lately), best bet is an unweighted Slug-go on a worm hook ripped back as quickly as you can, with the odd pause and rod tip flick. You cannot wind fast enough to outrun a king. If they're feeding at midwater and below, use a weighted Slug-go, cast out and let sink to the bottom, then rip it back as quickly as you can. Halfway through, let the lure sink to the bottom again and rip back until it is boatside. Then let sink again and try a vertical metal jigging type retrieve. With Gulps, I have had more success fishing slower than Slug-gos with lots of flicks, working the lure just below mid-water. Hope this helps.

Was speaking about this the other day to a well known fishing guide (the one with the purple boat). His opinion is that the flow from outside doesn't really enter Middle Harbour anywhere near as much as the main harbour. So, when you get a nice warm current flowing down the coast (eg. in the middle of the season), the harbour really fires up but not MH. Conversely, when you have cooler water flowing into the harbour from outside (eg. early and late in the season), MH remains fairly insulated and thus fishes better. Well, made sense to me anyway.

Or just walk around the foreshores of Iron Cove (near the City-West link) and Hen and Chicken Bay (near Lyons Rd West). Almost guaranteed a catch of bream, flathead and/or whiting.

Just a word of warning - if you're lure or plastic fishing for barra, the Capricorn 4500J may be a bit heavy for extended casting tight into snags over a couple of days. However, it is a good size for light bluewater work. If you're after a 8 kilo barra spinning outfit, then a 3000-4000 sized Daiwa (eg Tierra, TDA, Sol) or 4000 sized Shimano (Stradic, Twinpower) would probably be more appropriate. May leave you slightly undergunned for any 30 kg macks that decide to hit your lure though.

Jewie Jim Siarakis on the Local Knowledge DVD.

I'm assuming you are using the rod to cast plastics or poppers at kings. If livebaiting, this outfit would be too light. Rod Shimano Starlo Stix Squidgy Spin Heavy 4-8kg ($100 - 120) Shimano Snapper Raider 5-8kg ($120) Daiwa Tierra Med-Heavy 10-17lb / Heavy 12-20lb ($140 - 150) Reel Shimano Stradic 4000FI ($250 - 280) Daiwa Tierra 3000 / 4000 ($200 - 230) Daiwa TDA 3000 / 4000 ($260 - 290) 15 or 20 lb braid

This is a good question and there's no straight answer as different manufacturers seem to use different ratings conventions. Jap rods often have a PE rating (eg. max PE 6) but also a max drag rating (eg. 10 kg). I reckon this is a great system as you know exactly what your rod is capable of. However, a lot of other rods available locally have just a line rating (eg. 2 - 5 kg or 6 - 10 kg) but you would be safe fishing a higher line class (with braid) while ensuring your drag was below the max rating. eg. Lots of people would have no hesitation fishing 24 kg braid on a 10 - 15 kg TCurve Bluewater or Nitro Godzilla, but with the drag set at 8 kg. So, to answer your question (eventually!), your rod, in theory, *should* be able to fish a drag of at least 2 kg. But kbark is right, just load it up to what seems comfortable for your rod. And remember not to high stick! Extreme angles break graphite rods, no matter what line class. You can grab the spool to lock up if you fish a shallow angle or point the rod at the fish.

A couple of suggestions: If you're mainly using plastics, try the Shimano TCurve Power Spin 5 - 10 kg. This rod has a short butt so it's really useful for working soft plastics where a long butt can get in the way. I run mine with 20 lb braid but it can go higher. Otherwise, try the Nitro Viper 6 - 8 kg or Rapala Braid Concept 6- 12 kg (or 8 - 15 kg; they feel very similar). Again, I run 20 lb on my Viper. It is a more "traditional" rod, with a longer butt than the TCurve, but has a fast taper and strong butt section.