Red

ACZ, the kings were on the northern headland today. Same area where Aero and Rodholder nailed them a few days ago. Frank, not a worry about giving that spot/technique away. Not too many people are stupid enough, keen enough or equipped for night squidding. It takes considerable effort and sleep deprivation to beat the crowds, both at the ramp and on the squid grounds Cheers Red

Chicka, you are right. The drums held the bait today. Just be carefull around there as there are many obstacles in the dark. Rodholder, mate you've made us jealous many a time especially with that cracking 20kg Bay jew in broad daylight on top, just to rub it in and what about taking out the biggest bream prize in your first comp? On fire!! There were people lining up for your autograph When your hot, your hot! Those days will come back for you very soon Cheers Red

Cheers guys. I'm stoked for my brother in law. He can't thank me enough for putting him onto his first kings. He had heard that kings pull like trains but never expected so much power. Getting busted up was frustrating but i'd rather fish light where possible. I'm amazed at just how strong 6lb Fireline really is. Its got to be near double that. For those who are interested, the squid were caught in the dark around the bait schools in the middle of the bay. I use strong lights on my boat that help attract the bait and the squid. Works well most of the time. Hope the raiders can get amongst them this weekend. Cheers Red

Hi raiders, took my brother in law (king virgin) out for a bash in the bay. Started out gathering bait and scored around 20 medium to large squid without too much difficulty before moving on to finding kings. We watched the sounder like hawks untill we found them just around the corner from the heads. The next half hour was mayhem with no less than 12 strikes and seven fish landed on 6lb Fireline. Fish ranged from 62 to 74cm and took live squid. My brother in law got to fight 5 of them and you can't wipe the grin off his face. We kept 5 legals for the table and still had some succulent calamari left over for dinner. All in all, a very short and satisfying session in the glorious weather. Gotta love these days, especially when they fall on your RDO. Go get em girls and guys! Regards Red

Wildfish, congrats on an excellent choice. May it serve you well. Cheers Red

Top report! Great to see Rodholder back on the water Gotta love those topwater lures for visual excitement. Doesn't get much better. Cheers Red

The Twinpower is very nice. Certate 3500HD Custom is even nicer Cheers Red

G'day Jewgaffer, i've enjoyed reading your informative threads . Firstly, give my regards to Humesy. I promised to take him out for a session on the jewfish and will keep that promise. Just waiting for the best time. My enthusiasm for chasing the mighty jewfish has been somewhat supressed in recent times - due to renewed interest in other species however the effort will be made to fit in at least half a dozen sessions this coming season. Sorry for the confusion, the 15-24kg Bluewater's mentioned are the T-Curve ones. They are 7ft 6" long and are one hell of a rod for solid jewfish and other species. Since Shimano bought-out Loomis, their factory rods have improved out of site. My T-Curves are loaded with 50 and 65lb braid. They are purely a heavy spin stick and are certainly not as versatile as the Tiger rods you speak of. I kind of remember the old Ugly Stick Tiger series that were brought into the country. I think they were a yellow/mustard colour. They were awesome factory rods as are these T-Curve Bluewaters which have top quality components that help to justify the price tag. Took one up to the Ribbon reefs and threw it at everything from GT's on poppers, Spaniards, to unstoppable bottom dwelling beasts. That is the ultimate tackle testing playground and can't wait to get back up there in a six weeks. Only problem is, fishing Sydney is soooo depressing after a trip to paradise. Regards Red

G'day IFS, i've owned just about every T-Curve in the range but refuse to buy one of them. The Kingmack is another story as are the 15-24kg Bluewater spins. I will never part with these sticks. The Kingmack is good for reds and is best rated 8-10kg. Seriously though, all you need for reds is a 7ft medium Silstar Powertip. Excellent bait fishing rod. Cheers Red

Tony sure makes great rods . As for factory rods, the Nitro Viper is nice however the T-Curve Kingmack is better for reds in my opinion. The Shimano Bluewater Saltwater 702 Spin 6-10kg is perhaps the worst rod in the T-Curve range for mine. Certainly not worth its asking price. Do yourself a favour and take a look at the Kingmack. While its not quite as good as Tony's customs, it would marry well with your 4500 Baitrunner. Cheers Red

Mate, by the sounds of things you will have to go the 6000. The 4000 just won't have the cranking power you will require for the heavy lures you wish to use. Cheers Red

G'day Wildfish, check out the Penn Affinity 4000. I can assure you that you will be suprised as i am. Picked one up myself for snapper on plastic. Great value, great drag, metal body and rotor....etc. Cheers Red

I'm currently doing some work on a Saltiga 6000GT with a ratio of 6.2:1 Absolutely awesome reel!! Seems incredibly solid but if it were mine, i'd go the model with the lower gear ratio. You'll probably find its fast enough anyway as Roylo suggests, due to spool diameter etc and would be much more pleasant to use when hooked up to a big fish. Cheers Red

Excellent recommendation there Allan. Livey, please disregard my suggested Alphas for that sort of work. I will be using mine for kings and jews but there are better reels for the job. If you have a preference for a low profile reel, take a peek at the Daiwa Zillion. It will throw those heavy lures a mile and has enough capacity and power to stop most fish you are likely to encounter. I used mine on kings with 20lb braid and it slayed the poor things. I've taken jews to 13kg on Chronarch's with no drama and a good mate has taken a beautiful 20kg fish on an old Daiwa Procaster. They're pretty good these days Let us know what you decide to go with. Cheers Red

G'day Livey, i have a love affair with baitcasters and have sadly owned more than your average Joe . Its almost impossible to recommend a reel without knowing both your target species and lure weights you will be casting? What rod is it going on? I'm currently using Daiwa Alphas, Zillion Shimano Scorpion and ABU. At this stage, the Alphas is the king and has the ability to cast light weights. Cheers Red

Any true braid will be fine. I've switched to Tufline XP and so far so good. Its inexpensive, ties a great albright and so far it doesn't want to break. Platil Millenium Hotfibre is another braid that is superb on baitcasters. I'm sure the list will be endless. Steer clear from Fireline. Its great on eggbeaters only. Cheers Red

Much appreciated mate. Will do Regards Red

Mate, you won't need a roller tip for kings. Tuna and marlin are another story. If you are worried, change the tip to a Silicone Carbide. Cheers Red

G'day Raiders, some crazy yank tackle junkie has tracked me down and is desperate for one of my collectable rods. The guy wants me to supply him with a postage quote. The rod is 6ft 6" in length and the quotes i've been getting are extreme......like $240 Can anyone recommend an international courier company that won't rob you blind? I accept that postage will be expensive but $240 seems outrageous Regards Red

You'll get them next time Stewy. At least you were in a nice boat with good company Cheers Red

Richard, with that sort of money i'd consider a custom stick. Something around 15kg, 7ft long would do the job nicely. Cheers Red

Go the reds mate. We absolutely donged them last thursday, both in size and numbers. Best snapper session ever! Regards Red

Buy it mate! If its really what you want, go for it. Like, when was the last time you sent a reel back under warranty? I've never done it in all my life Not much goes wrong with good reels. Well nothing serious anyway. Regards Red

Boban / Big Steve, do the rods you recommend fit Roylo's needs? Regards Red

Roylo, i rate the 15-24kg Bluewater Spin so much that i went out and bought four of them. They are unbeatable rods for the money. These are my jew rods and the have served me well for a couple of years now. Took one up to Lizard Island and gave it a right flogging on some great fish. You will not regret buying the 15-24kg Bluewater Spin and i'm sure you will get change from your $350. Regards Red