Le Pasha

65kg I think on the troll

Wasted fuel today didnt turn a reel! Heard bouttime did well weighing a big fin...

Nic-Nat where did you fish. We are hitting that temp break wide of broken bay tomorrow, 40nm off botany heads... Browns is approx. 25nm east of Botany (151'39E, 34'02S I think), its an offshore seamount.

Hey mate, heading out on Sunday, havent heard of much except the rare odd fish.....can only try!! Daniel

Kamil...BIG fish...any photos mate Daniel

Made in U.S.A. Says so right on the side of every International! Daniel

Kamil, was that 74kg fish from today or the same 74kg that was taken by Matt on the X-Rap off JB?

As I said the Titus Gold 2 speeds are much improved, and for the price they are hard to look past for a reel to start off. They copped alot of sh*t when they were first released as they weren't up to par, but they are a far better reel now. They are lighter in weight than a Tiagra or Inter, and the lifetime warranty is an advantage. I know Peter Pakula has been using them since Pakula Lures joined the Freetime company and he has been impressed with them, I have caught YFT on them as well to 40kg and they have performed perfectly. In saying that I fish with Tiagras, they are the best reel on the market, if you can afford it buy a Tiagra 50. They are bullet proof. As I said Id take a Tiagra 50A over a Daiwa, Penn or Okuma, but thats me and I dont mind paying extra. I have never used an SLT Daiwa so I cant comment, and I dont know anyone who owns one, maybe that says something. Dan

mono as with braid you have no stretch in the line, mono is a bit of a shock absorber. On the TLD20 you can top shot the braid with some 30lb mono. Daniel

Hey mate, Reels - your braid is ok, but on a TLD25 you can load 600 or so metres of 15kg and fish it comfortably for yellowfin. If you're starting out I wouldn't advise fishing 10kg on the TLD20, see if you can pick up another TLD25 or better yet a TLD 30 2 sp. Hooks - I use Gama Live Baits, usually size 6/0-7/0, always hook up with these without fail. Also consider the Eagle Claw L2004EL circles and the Owner SSW Inlines, have used both and they work well. Line Class - Stick to 15 and 24kg mono if you are starting out. Dont know if it makes a difference but I stay away from fluoro lines, try momoi or Ande. Lures - Stick to small skirts with a mix of bibbed and bibless lures. Have done well with with XRAP30's in SBM especially, as well as Yo Zuri Bonitas (harder to find) and Killer Vib's. Laser Pro's are good also. Try not to go bigger than 8'' or 9'' for Yellowfin. Have caught fish on Pakula Cocky's, Uzis and Fluzis, Hollowpoint tuna terrors, and Zuker feathers work really well. Try jet heads as well they always work. Set your spread a bit further back though. Dont worry too much about lures, you'll catch most fish cubing anyway Trace - Have a few ready, I usually fish 80lb Ande Pink but have leaders as light as 50lb and as heavy as 150lb.

Greg, did you feed it or any of them a bait?

Kiro, for someone starting out ideally you should fish 24kg on a standard Tiagra 50A, doesnt have to be wide, the 50 is great sized reel to fish with. Saying that you can definately get away with a Tiagra 30WLRSA loaded with 15, and even a TLD30 2 speed will do the job on your average fin. If you want to look at Penn have a look at the VSW series. Specifically the 30VSW which is the 15kg reel or the 50VSW for 24kg. With a quality 2 speed 15kg reel fin should be no problem, even the big ones can be subdued. Lastly, if you are looking for a cheap option have a look at the Okuma Titus Gold 2 speeds. They are a lighter reel in weight to the tiagra and penn. They have improved over time from how they were at the start and are now a much more refined reel. I have fought a few 40kg Yellowfin on the TG50W 2 speed and haven't had any problems with it. My choice is a Tiagra 50A loaded with 600m 24kg, thats plenty. Hope this helps Daniel

Arman, did you weigh the mako, if so what did it go? If not what did you estimate it at? Sounds like you had plenty of shark action in the trail, just wondering whether you were using a berley pot if you have one? Daniel

As you mentioned a Monster Mesh or maybe a Daiwa Saltist 56B also Daniel

Aaron, some of the rods that Vince and I have mentioned are over $400, but are definately worth it, in Australia they are pretty expensive but they can be had for cheaper prices overseas in Japan. PM me if you want more info. Daniel

Yeh mate I think if you fish 50-60lb mono on a Torsa 20 you are running the risk of getting spooled by fin. On the shimano website the line capacities for the Torsa 20 in yards are 420/20lb mono and 300/25lb mono. I dont think you would get too much 50-60lb mono on a Torsa considering those capacities, you might be better off with braid if you want to tackle 'fin as well, at least you will have no worries about capacity. All those rods are jig rods also so there is no worries using them for jigging kings as well as cubing for YFT. My preference would be one of the shorter rods, more comofortable to fight fish and jig with them. Daniel

Assume you are fishing 50-60lb braid? Here are some shimano jigging rods to consider: Tcurve Deep Jig 400 Overhead Shimano JigWrex JWB526 - these can be had cheap ATM ($250-$300) Shimano Blue Rose B5315S - quite a few shops have these on sale for about $450 Some others worth considering are: Rapala Braid Concept Overhead 15-24kg Daiwa Monster Mesh 582XHB or 632MHB Daiwa Saltist 56B Van Staal Jig Overhead VJC58-325 for about $500 Maybe a Smith AMJ rod - A bit more pricey but some of the best rods from Japan. Cheers, Daniel

Yes mate they will definately still be around. Have caught big yellowfin in good numbers into early november in the past

Gday mate, ideally you should be filling those reels with some 15kg then line capacity wont be an issue. Second thing is that 500m should definately be enough, youll be really unlucky if a fin pulls 500m on its first run, even the bigger ones. If capacity is still a worry for you what you can do is spool up 700m of braid and then topshot it with about 50m of mono, you will still have the stretch in your line at the end of the fight but you will also have that extra capacity, just make sure you use some gloves when laying the line on your spool. Albright the braid to your mono top shot and your set (just be wary that your albright fits through those backbone roller tips.....they're small). Dan

Nice fin buddy.... Gaffs like that became too common for me On a recent trip we bent out the hook on one and the pole on the other on Yellowfin, bit the bullet and bought two new 6 foot Top Shot fixed gaffs, one head 4 inch and the other 6 inch.....they wont break!!!! Look sweet as well lol.... Dan

Hey Netic, the Blue Rose is a Japanese made rod, and from what I have heard from some of the specialist jigging shops in QLD and WA who stock the Jap stuff as well that the Blue Rose's are very much up their with the best. Daniel

Has anyone seen these rods in the shops before? They are advertised in the 2008 Shimano Catalogue but I have yet to see one before, they look really nice though... Daniel pic......

I am looking to buy a Stella 20k for cubing for YFT, I know a couple of guys who love using threadlines for tuna and say its easy as! Plan to load with some 65lb or 80lb braid. What I wanted to know is what the difference is between then FA model Stella and the new SW20000PG Stella that has just been released recently. Is it worth the extra $$$ for the new model as you can pick up the FA model pretty cheap ATM. I was tossing up between the Stella, Saltiga 6500 EXP, Accurate Twinspin 30 and a couple of yank exotics - Van Staal and ZeeBaas. Stella shone through as the winner....now its just which one is better value! Daniel

Good to have you on board Denno!!!!! Danny

yes