New Gear - Zenaq + Catalina

[hottyscotty]

Seeing that i haven't bought any decent kit for many months, i thought i'd do some shopping and it arrived today (made this Friday even better). A few people had pm'ed me about the gear i use for shore jigging, so i might as well post it up.

The one on the left is a Zenaq "DM-Duro 100H Pencil" and the right is "DM-Duro 100H".

The Pencil version is for working stickbaits as the tip is a bit softer so you're not ripping lures out of the water, especially the floating lures. Lure weights 30-100gm

The right has a stiffer tip allowing for casting metal jigs. Lure weights 40-180gm

Both are 10' long, suited for PE3-5 and they're built with K-guides. These are rated much lighter than the gear i already have, as I think these should work well for the average Sydney King. I already have a MC-Works XR-1 and XR-2 but those are overkill on our local shores.

I've also matched them to a Daiwa Catalina 5000H. Wanted Saltiga but i also didn't like the thought of them getting scratched. Anyways, in regards to performance, most reviewers agree they are on par with each other, so i settled with Catalina. Reels will be spooled with Varivas SMP PE4 & PE5.

I wish this weekend wasn't rubbish as i'm eager to test them out.

[aidanhoh]

That is a dream outfit for spinning from the shore! Good luck.

[Pat Williams]

Looks like a couple of very nice rods. What type of metals are you spinning for kings with the stiffer one?

I occasionally pick up rats on raiders etc when spinning Sydney ledges but have not had much luck on decent landbased kings with metals...

Interested to hear what you're using and if you're getting a few

cheers,

Pat

[hottyscotty]

I just use vertical jigs as you would in a boat. Much lighter ones obviously. Something like River2Sea 120gm jigs. I've used some japanese brands such as Uzu but hard to get as they get sold out quick. They do well on kings.

Jig the lures bag like you would in a boat as well.

[Pat Williams]

I've got a couple of deep water ledges that might be worth trying that, but the bottom is pretty snaggy at both. Do you let your jigs sink all the way to the bottom? Do you have much of an issue getting snagged?

Cheers

[hottyscotty]

Sometimes i do get snagged. Best way i find is cast, let it sink a few seconds, close bail, let it continue to sink to the bottom with tension and start retrieve as soon as it touches the bottom. Usually a problem on a windy day though. Rig your hook on top as you would in boat jigging and no hooks on bottom of jig, that helps too.

Use cheapo lures in an area you're unfamiliar with to learn the terrain.

[hottyscotty]

Search Zenaq Muthos on youtube and see how the guys do it. Its a popular technique in the mediterranean as well

[Pat Williams]

Thanks mate, sounds like an interesting technique. I'll give it a try later in the week.

[ssymmetri]

Very nice!

From Alan Hawk's review of the new Catalina, it's basically on par with the Saltiga for a considerable amount less. Same gears, drag and anti-reverse.