Is expensive gear really needed for estuary fishing?

[bassboy888]

I think sometimes quality gear can help you catch the fish (read land) doesnt have to be the most expensive stuff but I reckon spending as much as you can justify is probably going to help, for an example I have a shimano 4000 symetry and its been going strong for 3 years (and still is but feeling the age) not the cheapest reel but definitely not the most expensive, I have caught lots of barra on it and quality fish up to 95cm and love it, but with all the casting I do with it in a trip (probably 1000+ a day) it takes its toll and its starting to break down (dad has one the same age and the internal gearing is shreaded) where as I have a shimano calcutta baitcaster which has seen more cast, with heavier lures and feels as smooth as the day I got it and has seen some hard fighting barra. I am now really glad I bought this combo and spent the extra money as age has not seemed to effect it.

On the other hand if you look at my bream gear(daiwa excellers) its just as old and seen more casts and fish and is still going strong, a good clean and service once a year has done this and only looking to upgrade cause I am a tackle junkie.

So I do think it helps to spend as much as you can as it can improve the life of your reel.

[thylacene]

Do you need expensive gear? No. Does nice gear make a difference to the fishing experience? Most certainly.

After a thirty year break, decided it was time to take up fishing when the wench decided we needed a boat. With 30 year old knowledge and minimal undstanding, bought a bit of gear off online shop and off we went. Some of it suffered from corrosion very quickly, and a couple of solid hookups on kings saw anti-reverse in cheapie reels fail, one all but breaking my thumb when hooked up to a shark inadvertently.

As we went through and replaced gear we made the mistake of going a bit heavy, but for our bottom bashing, bought a couple of Shimano Tekota reels in the 700 size (too big for general bottom bashing, but served dual purpose as our offshore trolling rods. The diffence was wonderful. It should be noted that we bottom bash in 60m regularly, and a nice smooth reel makes all the difference when you are winding from that depth 40 or 50 times in a session. Smooth drags made boating larger kings much easier, and have boated tuna to 25kg with them also.

We came to the realisation that the new generation light gear is more than capable, we have both bought lighter outfits, I have recently acquired a Curado 300 baitcaster, on a 5-8 kg rod, weighs less than half of what my Tekota outfit, and is nowhere near as tiring to use. Hoping to throw it at the kings this weekend. We spend a fair bit of time offshore, and have a couple of thread lines, a Saragosa 18000 on a t-curve 200 jig and a Saragosa 8000 on a T-curve Bluewater spin, both of which get used to chase snapper in their spare time, just use nice long light leaders. Have reasonable success.

Nice gear gets addictive, and some care in selecting the right stuff will make all the difference to your experience, but unles you are playing with the heavy weights, top of the line is not ally necessary. As stated above, there have been major advances in both rods and reels, and you can pick up a nice outfit for estuary and bottom bashing for under a couple of hundred bucks that will withstand saltwater exposure if you clean and oil it regularly, and it will likely outlast you.

I have a cheaper 4500 Shimano thread line that sees regular use with guests on the boat, and it is interesting to note the comments when they switch over to one of the Saragosa reels. Nicer to use, but heavier (understandable given they are on the boat for tuna and kings).

Look around, pick it up, hold it and make us that it feels good, spend what you can afford, and if budget is a constraint, then spend on the reel and live with a cheaper rod until you are ready to upgrade. Try not to buy too big, but understand what you need for your target species, and if you are heading offshore for large fish, stash some cash and buy decent gear.

All I know is that i have spent more than I should, learnt a bit on the way through, and am becoming more selective with each purchase, now starting to buy gear for specific purposes.

Cheers

Thy

[Tulz]

Great thread and there's some interesting feedback here. Generally if i'm looking for a cheaper outfit I will always go for the cheaper Shimano gear. One of my favourite reels is my Sienna 4000 and I picked that up for an absolute steal! It's such a versatile reel and I use it in so many different situations.