shane87

With a high quality baitcaster outfit it is possible to throw down to just a couple of grams. Once you are quite good at it you will be able to throw small lures like sx-40's although it is much easier to cast these light weights on light spinning outfits.

I have fished with a couple of very experienced beach fisherman at port macquarie over the past couple of years and they always fish with the reel in gear. They use worms,tailor and even salmon fillets when the tailor are hard to come by but always fish with the reel in gear. A rod holder made from a star picket with a pvc tube attached is always used and they simply wait for the rod to load up and away they go. Personally i have only landed 3 fish up to 28lb but these guys have slid jew up to 62lb onto the beach whilst i have been with them and a few larger on other occasions. Try a few different techniques and see what works best for you. Cheers Shane.

Overhead or threadline??? The rod choice will be pretty much the same such as an FSU 4120 or 5120 if you want to throw lures over the 85gm mark. They are available in graph butt versions which will make them a little lighter.

Thicker diameter won't help you if the line is still soft. As a few others have said penn 10x is excellent and so is the old faithfull torture. Both of these lines are fairly standard diameter but are very abrasive resistant. I have been using 25lb 10x for a few years on drummer and can't fault it. Cheers Shane.

Yes but they are still a multi tapered blank and although they are a great blank in there own right there are better blanks around for land based spin work. Each to there own though really. Cheers Shane.

I got my numbers a little mixed up but the ZWS10LJ is the blank that i meant. Weight wise it is a lot lighter than the 7144 and a lot faster action with the stiffness in the but so you can really punch 50-80gm lures much better than the old glass 7144. Most tackle stores in sydney will either have or easily be able to get one of these blanks for you to look at.

Have a look at the ZWS10MC live fibre blank. 10ft 8-10kg and basically a nicer version of the fsu 4120 or 4120G.

If your only going to fish 6-8kg braid then the 3500 baitrunner will be fine. The 4500 would be the choice if you want to run mono. Rod wise if you want to fish mainly with baits then go for something a bit softer than the high modulus graphite rods that you have suggested. You may find that with braid and a stiff graphite rod you will pull a few hooks and a rod like a crystal blue powertip will fit the job fine and save you a few bucks also. If you want something a bit nicer then a 6-8kg 7ft live fibre will be very hard to beat. Cheers Shane.

Blank quality will not vary much at all between Top of the line factory jig rods and a good custom job. Its the componentry and build quality that will stand out on a custom rod. You get the choice of using the very best components instead of what is normally put on factory rolled rods. Some factory rods have very good components but in order to appeal to a wider market they won't use the absolute best available to keep the costs down and this is in the components and workmanship. Certainly custom rods can be built to a budget but if price is of no concern a custom job is worth spoiling yourself.

Fished browns and then another 30kms north east for all zero's yesterday. The current is roaring from the north and the water is very cold. The best we could find was 17.2 and that was well wide of browns. Heard of one pro boat that fished monday night and went home with nothing. The water has pushed well north of us but with the current pushing as hard as it is it shouldn't take long for the better water to return and bring the fish with it. Cheers Shane.

I'm sure tony will have it up here soon enough. They were great fish and a great story that goes with it.

As soon as the weather permits i'm keen as to head out and chase some fin. Keep the thread updated and see how many boats we can get out for the day. Cheers Shane.

Both of the species you have mentioned do occasionally get caught here in sydney but generally as a by catch when targeting something else. It all depends on the quality of warm water that comes down the coast in summer as to whether we see a few of these fish caught in sydney. I doubt if you could actually target either of these fish with any confidence. Cobia tend to be available in good numbers from about nelson bay north and the spaniards rarely come much further down the coast than port macquarie and the further north you go the better your chances will be. As i said if we get a good patch of warm water in close in summer then anything is possible but i wouldn't get to excited about these 2 species being a regular catch in sydney. Cheers Shane.

Even with your line wound on tightly you will still get a bit of rub under drag if you are fishing it at 2/3. I can only assume that you are fishing the racks or very tight cover to warrant a drag setting that heavy.

The abu 7000 is perfect for chasing jew on the beach. 30lb mono is all you will need as braid is awful from the beach particularly when chasing jew. Having no stretch in the system when trying to wash out a big jew is not a good thing. More importantly will be your choice of rod and the baits you intend to use. The 7000 is one of the easiest reels to cast but if you have a rod that is not suitable for the job then you may struggle to get your baits where you want them. Rods like the mt8144 will do the job but if you want to cast big head/slab or whole live baits with up to 6 or 8 oz of lead then you will have to look at a rod that is a little bit more special. Cheers Shane.

Best to stay away from braid on the beach particularly with jew. Having no stretch can become a real problem when trying to wash a good jew up the beach. You will find that you will pull the hooks on to many fish using braid on the beach. Cheers Shane.

Yeah mate thats me.

Glad you are happy with them mate. Cheers Shane.

Good luck with it mate its a fine addition to any rod collection.

I own both and use them for different situations. The alvey 650e5 that i use has a spare spool and i use it for drummer and groper fishing where low down grunt and a 1:1 ratio is great and i also use it for slow spinning garfish for kings. The 6500 baitrunner gets a go every now and then but i rarely use the baitrunner function and generally go with an 8500 spinfisher.

The wilson supergraph heavy surf is built on a killwell MT8144G blank so its a little faster action and lighter weight than a standard 8144 but with a little more grunt. It would be a great match with the 90 size okuma for 25-30lb string and chasing jew of the beach or drummer and groper of the rocks.

Stick to the double uni. I have never had one of them fail and they seem to fly through the guides a bit better than the albright also. Cheers Shane.

DRUMMER,DRUMMER AND SOME MORE DRUMMER. NOTHING BEATS THESE INSHORE BRUISERS IN WINTER.

The small rocky outcrop at the mouth of the entrance fishes well on a run up tide and towoon bay is also worth a shot. The rocks just to the south of norah head lighthouse is also a great drummer and groper spot but only fishable in slight seas with plenty of burley. Cheers Shane.

WHEN THEY FIRST CAME ON THE MARKET THEY WERE AROUND $139.00 BUT THEY HAVE BEEN ON SPECIAL FOR A WHILE NOW AND MOST SHOPS HAVE THEM AT AROUND $89-99.