aidanhoh Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Hi Raiders, Had a quick spin for bonnies my local ocean ledge this morning. Perfect conditions with a small 1m swell and light westerlies helping with the casting distance. Sunrise saw some surface activity only a few metres from the ledge but frustratingly they weren't biting on the small white metal baitfish I was chucking at them. Switched to a 58mm silver Waxwing which I had success with in the harbour last week but despite numerous retrieves through the surface boils. didn't get a single strike. Changed lures again, this time to a 80mm whitebait pattern Wander, and on it's second cast, there was a sudden halt to my retrieve as a 39cm bonnie (pictured) smashed into it. After a short fight, it was hauled up onto the ledge and dispatched. A couple of casts later, another bonnie ate the little Wander on the drop. Unfortunately the hooks pulled just as it got to the edge of the platform. A few casts after that, another hook up but again the hooks pulled at my feet. Wasn't till I got home before I realised one of the trebles had straightened. The little Wander now sporting some extra strong Owners. One fish more than enough for my needs, so happy with the result given the short session to 8am. The bonnies were definitely feeding in close this morning, but only on small, translucent baitfish given the other offerings they passed up on. Aidan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nbdshroom Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Good report. A similar thing with the hooks has happened to me before. I had been fishing for ages using a particular SP and did not notice that the hook was snapped inside the plastic but visually it appeared fine. I kept getting bites but no hookups so it took me a while before i noticed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tw9635 Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Nice bonito mate! What outfit where you using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidanhoh Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 Hi mate, I was using a Daiwa SJ96M rod and a Shimano Stradic 5000FJ with 20lb Sunline braid. Good little outfit as it can cast as light as 10g (the Wander I was using is only 12g yet I was getting nearly 40m on the cast today, albeit in ideal conditions) and up to 60g. Pretty strong too as I've landed a couple of 75cm kingies from the rocks with it. Aidan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
General Zod Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Nice little session you had there. Pitty about the hooks, at least you know to look at ur hooks next time round. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdanger Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Hi mate, I was using a Daiwa SJ96M rod and a Shimano Stradic 5000FJ with 20lb Sunline braid. Good little outfit as it can cast as light as 10g (the Wander I was using is only 12g yet I was getting nearly 40m on the cast today, albeit in ideal conditions) and up to 60g. Pretty strong too as I've landed a couple of 75cm kingies from the rocks with it. Aidan Nice bonnie mate! Coupla more questions about your gear as I'm looking to get an outfit for spinning off rocks... 1. How long should the rod be ideally? Google says yours is 8ft, but apparently you can go as big as 10-12 ft? 2. Graphite or glass? 3. 5000 real ideal, or can you go smaller, like 3-4000? Mainly to be used for metals, but probably other larger lures as well. Sorry if I'm derailing the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aidanhoh Posted March 25, 2013 Author Share Posted March 25, 2013 jdanger, The SJ96M is actually 9ft6in long. I personally prefer rods from 9ft to 11ft for spinning from the rocks but I know plenty of people who do use shorter rods (down to 7ft). At the other end, you can certainly go up to 12ft (or beyond) but it will likely mean you tire quicker given the repeated casting. The fatigue factor also means a clear preference for graphite for me, although it is more fragile and limits the size of fish you can deadlift out of the water. I would look for something around 10ft as a good starting point. Re reel size, for 15-20lb braid, I think that a 4000 or 5000 sized reel is about right, especially considering it needs to balance a c.10ft rod. A 3000 sized reel might be okay but probably not balance as well. Hope the above helps. Any good tackle store should be able to point you in the right direction. You just need to have a clear idea where you'll likely be fishing, what you're targeting and what lures you'll be using most of the time. Aidan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdanger Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Thanks for the quick reply Aidan. Good point about balancing a 10ft rod with bigger reel; hadn't thought of that. Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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