[ARTICLE - Kayak fishing 102 – fishing gear and practical fishing from a kayak]

Thank you, Derek. I will try the 6 inch Slapstix with 3/8 and 1/2 oz 5/0 headlockz jig heads and see how it goes. That 6 inch is probably better than its bigger brother in terms of matching the smaller bait size in the harbour, I guess. Thanks again.  ☺️

[ARTICLE - Kayak fishing 102 – fishing gear and practical fishing from a kayak]

Hi, Derek, can I ask you a question about Slapstix? I noticed many kayak anglers cast these 6 or 9 inch plastics unweighted as surface lures for kingies, especially in the early morning, and they seem work super well. But for land-based anglers like myself, will I get enough distance casting an unweighted 6 or 9 inch Slapstix from shore? If not, what jig head weight and hook size will you recommend to fish them in the Sydney Harbour for kingies? Many thanks. 

[Savage Gear 1DFR 12ft Surf Rod]

3 hours ago, Rebel said:

Savage have a Website. Ask them.

One of the bigger chain stores have them.

I had a Savage Sniper 7', nice rod.

Cheers.

Thanks for your reply, Rebel. I did check the website but they don't even list the model, and the rest of the rods listed are also different from the ones they sell in Australia. I sent them an email a few days ago and haven't heard anything back yet. 

[Savage Gear 1DFR 12ft Surf Rod]

Hi, Raiders

I am interested in adding the savage gear 1dfr 12 foot spin rod to my arsenal for some light surf fishing in the coming months. I really like the way it looks but couldn't find one to try out in any a shop store in Sydney - unbelievable, right? 

So I wonder if anyone here has owned one before and would like to share his experience with the rod? Like rod weight, cast weight, comparison with mainstream brand rod etc? 

Many thanks. 

[Rod to pair with Stradic FL]

On 7/17/2020 at 10:20 PM, DerekD said:

Hi @JamesH.

I now own 4 of the ArrowZ rods. The ultra light (AAS-270SUL), the bream surface (AAS-270BS 2-12g), one of the Snapper rods (AAS-270H) and recently the 9 foot (ShoreSpin 9', 2 pc, 14 - 25lb AAS-290SS).

You are right that the light version is excellent for the hardbodies and so is the bream surface. I'm loving them both for surface lures like the Sugapen. Unfortunately the way that the supplier sets up their website you have to jump around to find a few of the rods. I set two friends up with the 270UL and if I knew about it at the time I probably would have jumped over the bream surface and gone that way too. I don't think you will go far wrong with either but in my case sometimes I fish up a little off the water and that slightly stronger backbone of the estuary gives me a little more confidence if I have to dead lift a fish out of the water. I also like the slightly heavier lure rating for punching out lures such as size 3 squid jigs (about 14 gram).

If you get the chance watch Australian Sand Flats fishing. He gives the ArrowZ rods range a reel (pun intended) work out.

Hope this helps.

Derek

 

Thank you for your reply, Derek.

I did followed that channel and have learned a lot from the host. He highly recommended the bream surface version for fishing in flats. However, it seems the 270 ul might have the slight edge over it, as it is more flexible with line weight and lure cast weight, like you pointed out. Anyway, I will find time to try both them out in the tackle shop. Thanks again for sharing your view. 

[Rod to pair with Stradic FL]

On 11/27/2019 at 10:09 PM, DerekD said:

Hi RHE,

Braid generally over tests so my advice would be to go lighter as you will notice the difference in casting distance and if you get your knots right the strength is pretty impressive. For example I've been using Berkley X5 in white recently on a couple of my reels. While the American rating on the box is 4lb it also lists the rating under the Japanese testing system as 11lbs.

In your case I'd probably fish a skinny 6lb braid. A couple of my mates are loving the Daiwa J-braid. I haven't used it but I have set a couple of mates up on the Shimano Kairiki (about $30). I've landed kingfish to 70cm on this gear (2500 reel with 2-4kg rod) so once you learn how to fish it you'll be pretty impressed at what it is capable of. One of my mates was really surprised at the difference a lighter braid made on casting distance. I was out-casting him by 3 to 5m. Might not sound like a lot but if I multiple this by 40m (20m to the left and 20m to the right of where I stand) I'm potentially fishing another 120m² to 200m² more area than him. When you spool up make sure you have sufficient backing so that the braid sits just below the lower lip of the spool.

For years I've been recommending the Shimano Raider Bream Finesse 762 2-4kg 3-12gm and at a price point of about $100 if you shop around (try site sponsor Dinga). Recently I have been trying the Frogley Atomic ArrowZ range of rods and been impressed at them. Suggest you look at the Estuary Series and in particular the AS-270UL VSSM 7' 2-piece Spin 3 - 10lb 3 - 14g. Currently I've been seeing them at around $140. A few of my mates are using the Jewel range and really like them. I prefer a short butt as the longer one bumps up against my arm when I am fishing lures with the rod tip down. 7 foot or longer for tip speed and hence casting distance. 1 guide for every foot length of rod plus one more. For example a 7 foot rod should have 8 guides. An ergonomic handgrip as you will be doing a lot of casting.

Just some things to think about.

Regards,

Derek

Good recommendation on the Atomic Arrowz series, Derek. I have been using the lighter version of the one you recommended and it has been a great rod for hard body lures, thanks to its whippy and sensitive tip. However, I found it not stiff enough to set the hook when i fished with soft plastics. In fact, i have been thinking of upgrading it to either the one you mentioned (arrowz estuary 270ul) or the arrowz bream surface rod 270bs. Have you by any chance tried both? Which one is a better all-rounder lure fishing rod in your opinion? Thanks.