Kingrods Sp Max L76

[Flattieman]

I went to Rohit last September seeking the ultimate flathead weapon for a birthday present. Previous to then, I’d targeted flatties on soft plastics with other, shorter rods – designed for heavier lures and deeper water than what was applicable to where I started finding some flatties. I just started targeting flatties over very shallow sand and mud flats – it was necessary to find a long, light rod that could cast weights between two and five grams.

After a fair bit of discussion with Rohit about which blank would be best for me, I decided on the SP MAX L76 because it is perfectly suited to light soft plastics fishing, and the length was ample. I’m a fan of longer fishing rods – with a long rod; your casting distance is greatly optimised with no foreseeable disadvantages (in my mind).

Some people would shy away from a long blank because they think it’d be cumbersome and difficult to handle. Although the SP MAX L76 blank is 7’6”, it negates these factors, as it’s as light as a feather (I was initially shocked at the weight) yet strong enough in the butt section especially, capable of applying some muscle to the fish if necessary.

Because the rod was built for effortless casting, I opted for Titanium guides for their weight advantage and streamlined design. I opted for the binding of guide to the rod tip instead of using a conventional “tube style” tip – just personal preference (and a little bit of weight reduction on a fairly flexible tip – to preserve the sweet action by minimising any unnecessary weight).

The reel seat is a unique profile that fits the hand perfectly and comfortably – an ergonomic solution that allows effortless casting for as long as required. The winding check and butt cap are both TiCH, and a hook keeper is a great idea so that no pressure is placed on the guides during transport.

Six months down the track, the rod has caught me easily over a hundred flatties, about a dozen tailor, a handful of bream, a couple of whiting and even a blackfish on soft plastic and hard-bodied lures!

The rod makes casting a completely effortless experience. I often find myself stopping the lure in mid-air, as I fear it could end up in New Zealand! Seriously, the casting distance of this rod is pretty amazing and has proven almost essential when targeting wary flatties in knee-deep water. I even employ a one-handed cast with heavier lures, as that’s all the force required to see the lure on a long flight.

What I believe to be the key to the casting power of this blank is the fact that the ultra high modulus graphite flexes enough in the tip to create a slight elasticity, with the long pendulum of the blank providing enough acceleration as the lure swings though the air. The high dampening feature of this grade of graphite stops the soft tip from vibrating wildly and doesn’t rob any distance from the cast. Hook-sets are a dream, with the tip (whilst being able to work light lures) being stiff enough to firmly slide the hook into a fish’s jaw.

I’ve only recently realised the rod’s full potential as a bream rod whilst using Tiemco Stick Minnows to target whiting and bream. I’ve caught both species on that lure and the SP MAX L76, a perfect combination for those who seek to catch big whiting and bream on hard-bodied lures.

Fishing around weed beds on the edge of sand/mud flats and retrieving the Stick Minnow parallel to these beds sends the whiting and bream into a feeding frenzy, jostling each other to eat the lure. The success of the lure can’t be achieved without using a rod that’s long and stiff enough to flick the tiny lure a great distance, and then work it back towards you with sharp flicks of the rod tip. The SP MAX L76 is perfect for this application!

I managed to land the 32cm bream pictured hereabouts using the above technique – I actually watched it chase the lure down from a weed bed before eating it and taking a screaming run. The SP MAX provided enough leverage to keep the bream from burying itself in the weeds and also buffered the surging runs just enough that the hooks didn’t pull. On the same day, I also hooked a much bigger bream that turned on its side and snapped my treble!

Finally, the question that any angler thinks about when choosing a new rod is “can it handle that fish of a lifetime?” Personally, I’ve caught flatties to 65cm on the flats, and the rod has always been faultless in its performance. It’s got enough power in the butt to easily handle big, angry fish. I’ve even hooked a large stingray on it (whilst using a plastic) that almost took me down to my mono backing before I stopped and turned it, pumping and winding to regain all line lost before cutting it off at the trace. That’s a pretty fair test for any rod, considering that the ray would’ve weighed in excess of ten kilos. You can be confident with a Kingrod.

Flattieman.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Flattieman

[Guest IFishSick.]

Over a hundred flatties, Wooo!

Good stuff.

[Guest danielinbyron]

I hear you re the casting action and the tip..Its quite the same story with the heavy longtail KR 11ft that Saqa's doing for me ..Belts em out like a bullet..

Although i haven't chased bread and butter fish for a while and don't plan to until my knees start to give way i am always in total awe of guys that fish super lite line and poppers at whiting..I can totally appreciate the skill..And i miss eating them a bit..I thought about it and I want to work on new species and bigger jew while i have the legs for it.

So much of what i've learnt and my style of landing fish is from watching old hands landing blackfish off Eastern suburbs rocks and beaches ..Just graceful patient smooth stuff .. And then theres what i do in a poor imitation of course thanks flattieman great review.

[crystalliser]

Good review there flattieman! That's what custom rods are all about, to cater for your specific fishing requirements.

That Tiemco stick minnow sure looks like a killer!

Cheers

Ronald

[Flattieman]

nice flattys there master flattyman !!!

That rods looks beautiful and sounds like it's worth the coin to!!

ben

Thanks, Ben. You really can't put a price on having a rod made to your exact specifications - it pays you back in the long-run, as it certainly contributes to your catch rate.

Although i haven't chased bread and butter fish for a while and don't plan to until my knees start to give way i am always in total awe of guys that fish super lite line and poppers at whiting..I can totally appreciate the skill..And i miss eating them a bit..I thought about it and I want to work on new species and bigger jew while i have the legs for it.

So much of what i've learnt and my style of landing fish is from watching old hands landing blackfish off Eastern suburbs rocks and beaches ..Just graceful patient smooth stuff .. And then theres what i do in a poor imitation of course thanks flattieman great review.

Hi mate. I think it's a good idea to stick with your jewie hunting, Dan. You've been nailing a few! I've been doing a little bit of jewfishing too, lately. It's a great way to spend a night on the coast.

I do enjoy testing new techniques on bread-n-butter species - there's always a chance that something will click and your catch rate will improve. It never ceases to amaze me how fish respond to certain nuances - in the past, I've even applied some bluewater strategies for fishing in estuaries, and it's proven its worth... So if the whiting and bream like poppers and tiny hardbodies, that's what I'll chuck at 'em.

Good review there flattieman! That's what custom rods are all about, to cater for your specific fishing requirements.

That Tiemco stick minnow sure looks like a killer!

Cheers

Ronald

Ron, the Tiemco "Trick Trout" Stick Minnow is 35mm long and weighs 3g. I use it to imitate a fleeing shrimp. I'm sure one of our sponsors will get on this topic to tell you a bit more.

Flatties like em too...

Flattieman.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Flattieman

[Sammy0884]

I’ve only recently realised the rod’s full potential as a bream rod whilst using Tiemco Stick Minnows to target whiting and bream. I’ve caught both species on that lure

Hi Flattie,

can you tell me were you can get these Tiemco lures?

Cheers

Sammy

[Flattieman]

can you tell me were you can get these Tiemco lures?

Sam, I got mine from Fishfinder and judging by this topic, Tony has expanded his colour range.

Flattieman.

Edited February 7, 2007 by Flattieman

[Sammy0884]

Sam, I got mine from Fishfinder and judging by this topic, Tony has expanded his colour range.

Flattieman.

Woo! time to evacuate more money from the wallet, didn't know if they were some bass specialist thing or not...are there any colours that work particularly well?

sh*t i didn't realise they were in that other thread with that discount, i only recognised the SX40's... just goes to show how much i know about HB's for bream

[Guest Saqa]

Flattieman

Good to see the rod working for you mate. Thanks for all the positive comments dude. As you aware the rods are under constant development and the SP MAX series are in mkII versions now, what do you reckon about having a play with the latest builds and a few mods to the weapon. The rods are even lighter and feel even better then before. Drop it in and I'll bring it up to latest spec with the hot new frames?

[Jewhunter]

That is one of the most in depth rod reviews I have ever read mate. You sure give a rod a workout before you give it a wrap!

Thanks for the info. It sounds like one of those rods that you just never want to part with.

I'm sure Saqa will be bursting with pride in being able to produce a rod that was meant for you.

Cheers,

Grant.

[Guest fishrunner]

Great reveiw Flattieman .

Good to hear the flatties like the rod as much as you! Nice quality gear there.

Keep gettin them,

Nice pics too

cheers

[Flattieman]

Flattieman

Good to see the rod working for you mate. Thanks for all the positive comments dude. As you aware the rods are under constant development and the SP MAX series are in mkII versions now, what do you reckon about having a play with the latest builds and a few mods to the weapon. The rods are even lighter and feel even better then before. Drop it in and I'll bring it up to latest spec with the hot new frames?

Thanks, mate! Although it's a perfect rod as is, I'm sure curiousity will get the better of me. I'd really like to see those improvements.

That is one of the most in depth rod reviews I have ever read mate. You sure give a rod a workout before you give it a wrap!

Thanks for the info. It sounds like one of those rods that you just never want to part with.

I'm sure Saqa will be bursting with pride in being able to produce a rod that was meant for you.

Cheers,

Grant.

Aww shucks, Grant . As far as giving a rod a good workout before giving it a wrap, I wouldn't feel right if I decided to tell Fishraiders how good a product was without knowing it for myself. I hope to be doing the same with a jewie rod in the future - I'm sure you'd be particularly interested in that one . No - I'll never part with this rod - it's by far my favourite (the only estuary rod that I bother putting in rod socks and generally treating it as "my baby" ).

Great reveiw Flattieman .

Good to hear the flatties like the rod as much as you! Nice quality gear there.

Keep gettin them,

Nice pics too

cheers

Thanks mate. I'm hoping that a big mumma will come my way soon. I'm glad that you like the pics - I fish alone quite often, so I'm glad that everything turned out alright. (It's hard to position a fish, wipe off your hands, take the camera out and take a pic before it moves ).

are there any colours that work particularly well?

Not really, Sam. Because I use them to imitate crustaceans, several colours would work, but I only currently own the one pictured.

Flattieman.

Edited February 8, 2007 by Flattieman

[Guest BBM Rick]

Beautifuuly put, Ryan. As you know, i currently have 3 KR rods (including an SP Max L76) and couldn't agree more with the comments regarding the action of the blank. It is just SUPER crisp! There is only 3 more KR models I really want (need) and this will be the year i finally complete my collection. Next up for me, the Pelagic L! I cant wait!

Rick.

[crystalliser]

Woo! time to evacuate more money from the wallet, didn't know if they were some bass specialist thing or not...are there any colours that work particularly well?

sh*t i didn't realise they were in that other thread with that discount, i only recognised the SX40's... just goes to show how much i know about HB's for bream

Sammy, judging from the colour, I'd reckon it's Ayu (common jap colour). Yeah, I saw Tiemco lures in FishFinder but were more interested in the Sumari. The 'Trick Trout' are in fact sinking minnows.

Cheers

Ronald

[Guest Saqa]

Beautifuuly put, Ryan. As you know, i currently have 3 KR rods (including an SP Max L76) and couldn't agree more with the comments regarding the action of the blank. It is just SUPER crisp! There is only 3 more KR models I really want (need) and this will be the year i finally complete my collection. Next up for me, the Pelagic L! I cant wait!

Rick.

Hey Rick

Wait till you see the mkII versions of the Pelagic L, its pure evil. Full titan seat, titan trim rings on the butt and more

[Guest fishrunner]

Beautifuuly put, Ryan. As you know, i currently have 3 KR rods (including an SP Max L76) and couldn't agree more with the comments regarding the action of the blank. It is just SUPER crisp! There is only 3 more KR models I really want (need) and this will be the year i finally complete my collection. Next up for me, the Pelagic L! I cant wait!

Rick.

mmmmmmmmmm, Pelagic L, you gonna love it, I got 2 of those 1 b/c and 1 spin, Great rod with heaps of balls, enjoy

cheers