Kingfish Combo Upgrade Advice

[TonyTony]

Hi all,

I recently bought a cheap Savage Gear 'Black' spinning combo to use to target Kings in my local estuary. I went with a lighter combo as I'm land-based and was thinking I'd only be dealing with rats. It's a 5–8kg graphite rod with a 4000 size reel (7kg max drag supposedly) – have been using good quality 16lb braid with 20lb FC leader. 

Using metals and soft plastics I've managed plenty of 40–60cm Kingfish and the odd Salmon. I lost a few fish early on as I think I was letting them run too much and they'd bust me off on rocks/oysters. Recent strategy has been to be more aggressive – to get stuck into them very hard/quickly and keep them away from the bottom/edges. This has been successful for the 40–60cm fish.

The issue is when I hook bigger fish. Even at close to max drag these fish are taking line like crazy – I just don't have the stopping power. I think I've realised I need to upgrade my gear but I'd like to understand what I should be focussing on/looking for? I'm happy to upgrade my entire combo but should the priority be finding a better quality reel with heavier maximum drag?

If it helps, I'm considering a 7–15kg graphite/composite rod, 4000 to 6000 reel with ~10/12kg drag. Something I can comfortable cast lures/plastics with land-based. I’m not after huge/offshore Kings but would like a better chance up against 65cm+ fish.

Any help/insights would be greatly appreciated. Apologies if this is a tired topic. Thanks. 

Edited January 11, 2021 by TonyTony

[dirvin21]

got a budget?

just bought my better half an Abu Garcia Veritas S-701XH 8-15kg matched with a ATC virtuous 5000, would probably fit what you're after

came in at about $400

[kingie chaser]

17 hours ago, TonyTony said:

If it helps, I'm considering a 7–15kg graphite/composite rod, 4000 to 6000 reel with ~10/12kg drag. Something I can comfortable cast lures/plastics with land-based. I’m not after huge/offshore Kings but would like a better chance up against 65cm+ fish.

Your on the right track, just comes down to budget & brand preference, there is aheap of options in there but if your shore based I think Id be looking at something close to 7ft or a bit longer.

I love it when you get a spare spool with reels, that way you can have 2 different line classes at your reach, one with say 30lb braid 40/50lb leader & one with 50lb braid 60/80lb leader if something much bigger shows up. 

 

Never had any Savage gear so cant comment on them but there will certainly be some great deals happening around now so could look at upgrading the upgrade buy getting a more exxy reel cheaper with the sales.

Edited December 23, 2020 by kingie chaser

[Rebel]

I have an Abu Garcia Veritas  10'  8-15kg with a Penn Battle 2. Stops everthing. Great combo.

Cheers.

[TonyTony]

Thanks all – super helpful. Happy to spend around $500/600.  

Yep, land-based so looking at rods closer to 8ft. Wondering if I could go longer and also use it as a beach rod?

Was looking at the new Daiwa BG MQ’s. Most of the reels I’ve seen have similar specs when you compare the 4000 to 6000 models – the only clear difference is spool capacity. I imagine spool capacity is less of an issue when fishing land-based?

I know of guys that use 8000–10,000 size reels for this type of fishing. Any thoughts on this?

Thanks again. Realise I'm asking LOTS of questions!

Edited January 11, 2021 by TonyTony

[Green Hornet]

First of all the rod you choose is going to come down to a couple of factors. Firstly, the terrain your fishing. If you're fishing nice, vertical ledges you can obviously choose a shorter rod than you could if you're fishing areas with boulders or drop offs out from where you're standing. Secondly, how strong/fit are you? The longer the rod, the quicker you're going to tire.

Personally, I like a rod around 9 to 10 foot, that is suited to fish 15kg braid. If I was stronger, 25kg would be an option, but you have to be damned strong to fish 25kg off such a rod for any amount of time.

You're not not going to need a reel that holds a stack of line because kings dive into rough country as you know rather than run wide. What you will need though is a reel large enough to balance with the rod and a heavy rod may need an 8000-10000 to do so. A bit of extra line may also come in handy if you decide to chase longtails at some time.

If the rod your talking about doubling up for the beach is for throwing lures at salmon and tailor, the lighter rod you're already using sounds good. 

There's plenty of good options out there as far as brands go. Apart from those mentioned above, take a look at some of the gear Penn put out. Its popular among guys wanting something that's quality, tough and value for money.

[grantos]

Not wanting to upset/name any sponsors, have a look at the Shimano articles page and there is a good rod/reel selection guide

https://www.shimanofish.com.au/content/fish/oceania/au/en/homepage/articles/speedmasterld-202011.html

[mrsswordfisherman]

11 hours ago, grantos said:

Not wanting to upset/name any sponsors, have a look at the Shimano articles page and there is a good rod/reel selection guide

https://www.shimanofish.com.au/content/fish/oceania/au/en/homepage/articles/speedmasterld-202011.html

Thank you that is a good info piece there. 

[TonyTony]

Thanks again all. Very helpful.

Keen to check out the Abu Veritas SF 1002H 10-15kg.

I saw a nice rod today that might also be suitable – Jackson Ocean Gate Shore Jig 10’ PE #1-3.5, lure wt 20-80g.

Keen to pair with a Penn Slammer III. Anyone own one of these on a similar combo? Looking at either the 4500 or the 5500. Big jump in size up to the 5500 though.

Any feedback appreciated.