davester28

Anti-Carp has a lot of good advice. However, IMHO 9 grams is fine if you have deep water close to your feet. Lots of places in Middle Harbour and even the main harbour have water 15m+ deep well within casting distance. 9g is not a lot of weight in these situations. As for the rod, I'm not exactly sure what the cast weight rating really is. On the rod itself it says 15 - 45g, but if you have a look at the Shimano catalogues and website, it says 12 - 28g.

Skunga, I know I'm not answering your question but have you seen the brand new Silstar Slapstix stickbaits? I bought a few packs of the 9 inch models - they look and feel virtually identical to Slug-gos (but with dodgy eyes ). The good news? Instead of costing $18 for a pack of three Slug-gos, they are $12 for a pack of six. Give the site sponsors first go, but if they don't stock 'em, a tackle store on Lyons Rd, Drummoyne has 'em.

Distance Spin: 2 - 4 kg Magnum Butt: 4 - 6 kg Even the Viper (6 - 8 kg) would be a good match.

The 15 - 24 kg Rapala rod would be fine for the Capricorn and 40lb braid, but IMHO it wouldn't be strong enough for 80lb on a Stella 20000. I don't think you can overfish the Rapalas like you do some other rods as their ratings are designed with braid in mind. Then again, I think Netic uses it with a Stella 20000 (not sure what line class), so he should be able to provide more info. Just slightly off topic, but I reckon all medium to heavy rods should come with a maximum drag rating, so you can fish whatever line class you want, as long as you are aware what your drag settings are.

how much do they go for (both fireblood and kingbolt)?

That's gold. Thanks for the great info mate. Good luck up north!

Well done mate - absolutely great fish. Most tackle stores in Sydney stock the 7" Gulp Jerk Shads. Ask our sponsors - I'm sure they'd be happy to mail them up to you.

Nice fish! You should enter it in the Fish of the Month comp.

Awesome. Can I please ask for more details about the Saltiga popper? Did you mean the Popper or Pencil Popper, size, colour etc? Techniques that you used in fishing it? Did you also try any Saltiga Sliders? Over the off-season, I stocked up on Saltiga Poppers, Pencils and Sliders (floating and sinking) in 14 and 18 cm and I intend to use them on kingies this season.

Thanks Roo, makes sense. cheers, dave

Guys Just a quick question for those who own these reels or know about them. What is the difference (apart from price) between the normal Certates and the Customs? I read somewhere that the 2500R Custom is just a 2500 sized spool on a 3000 body. Is there all there is to it? (ie. no enhancements in gearing, drag, etc?) None of the Daiwa websites tell me any different. If this is indeed the case, why would you pay $100 more for a 2500R when you can just buy the 3000 and get more line capacity? thanks, dave

Ceph is spot on - set your drag according to your rod rating and you should have no problems. The extra line thickness is handy for abrasion resistance, especially if you are land-based.

KR If you're thinking Nitro, then the Magnum Butt (4 - 6 kg) should be a good fit. If you really want to go light (you mentioned 6 - 8 lb braid), then maybe the Distance Spin. But you really wouldn't be fishing the reel anywhere close to its limit. cheers, dave

with the local daiwa markup (typically around 50%), wouldn't they be closer to $1000 for the average punter?

The Saltiga Dorado A-rounder 70S is a great little rod at 7 ft, 4 - 8 kg. However, that new Branzino rod looks like it will leave it for dead. Rated higher, longer (casting!) and yet, sooo much lighter. In Japan, it costs twice as much as the Saltiga. However, at about $650, it would only cost $50 more than if you bought the Saltiga here in Australia ...

great little session. did you hook the kingy on a pillie as well?

KR What are you planning on using it for? What line class are you planning to fish on it? It's a very versatile reel - you could use it for a whole range of species, from bream to harbour kingies.

Thanks for the kind words, Mondo. Yeah, I told him to watch the rod. He wasn't too concerned, though - it was a relatively inexpensive rod and I'm not sure if it's even made of graphite.

Great report Greg, and good on ya Jeremy!

these have worked for me: slug-go 6" or 9", colour albino shad, ice shad, salt & pepper blue phantom, salt & pepper silver phantom mojo twitchin minnow 6.5" gulp jerk shad 5" and 7" poppers and stickbaits have also been known to take their share of fish, but i haven't tried them yet

Johnno - Must ... have ... rod! Goodbye left kidney - I always liked the other one better! It's a disease I tells ya! Netic - I think it was Thomas Paine who said, "What we obtain too cheaply, we esteem too lightly" ... if you buy this rod, you WILL love it!

Check this out: Morethan Branzino 82LL Day Breaker Custom Drool! Now just need to work out if I should beg, steal or borrow the funds!

Thanks for all your comments, everyone. ElwoodBlues - Most of my gear is purchased overseas. With the strong Aussie dollar, it's the only way I can afford the really good stuff. Fishlexic - Yeah, nice short session. Just under 2 hours for 5 kings - I'll take that anytime! KiwiDan - Nah, mate. I'm mainly a C&R fisho. Also I'm not a huge fan of kingies on the plate (still have a couple of fillets in the freezer from a trip in April!). Much prefer to catch them again in future ... when they're a bit bigger.

There's another topic very similar to this one started by IFS. Have a look there. Out of curiosity, why do you not like the Nitro Viper? Looks and feels like a great rod to me!

Agree with Netic and Le Pasha - go the Rapala. I have the 10 - 20 kg model and love it. You'd probably go the 7 ft, 6 - 12 kg model. Alternatively, have a look at the Nitro Viper.