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[happyfriggincamper]

New back-up combo for natives after snapping my back-up baitcaster rod and being sick to death of using my budget entry level pfluger bc reel which only has minimised backlashes on heavier weights. $258 combo delivered from Dinga - think is a great combo that will perform well above it's price tag.

[Sebb]

New back-up combo for natives after snapping my back-up baitcaster rod and being sick to death of using my budget entry level pfluger bc reel which only has minimised backlashes on heavier weights. $258 combo delivered from Dinga - think is a great combo that will perform well above it's price tag.

IMG_20200324_121409_compress1.jpg

Both the Abu revo and Abu veritas are good.
Dont you already have a good bc reel, the curado K?

[happyfriggincamper]

New back-up combo for natives after snapping my back-up baitcaster rod and being sick to death of using my budget entry level pfluger bc reel which only has minimised backlashes on heavier weights. $258 combo delivered from Dinga - think is a great combo that will perform well above it's price tag.

IMG_20200324_121409_compress1.jpg

Both the Abu revo and Abu veritas are good.
Dont you already have a good bc reel, the curado K?

Yeah but as you know it's not in great shape atm and needs a service - can't get it into a shop right now due to coronavirus. This is a backup setup!

[Sebb]

Been at home for few days. I got out just after lunch for an appointment. Then I thought, I should stop by a tackle shop. A quick call to check if it's open.
Aaaand shopping spree! Supporting a small business I guess.
I told my wife :
They seemed they needed a good cash flow.

[Lightningx]

Some nice jigs there mate!

[Sebb]

This no fishing stay home, has been making me doing some shopping. With tackle shops looking for some cash flow, they're making good deals.
Bought NS squid rod three weeks ago, then Daiwa CA80HL couple weeks ago and Black Label rod last week.
And I just bought this Veritas 3.0 922 casting weight 20-68 gm, for casting metal off the surf. Got it for $90.

[Aimless]

Howdy folks,

Before Christmas, I set out on a mission of rehabilitating my gear and getting a bit more serious.

I have done plenty of land based in Melbourne, boat trips when I was back in Adelaide, trips way down the coast, up in the rivers and reservoirs around town. I settled on a few things I liked:

• Plastics better than bait fishing - easier to pick up and go, probably cheaper long term than wasting bait if I can't get out so often

• Portable rods - living in an apartment in Melbourne, my gear lived in my car as I had no storage

• Mobile fishing - I prefer being able to walk up and down beaches, jetties etc, rather than lugging a trolley or tackle box. This plays into the portable rods too

I had some telescopic rods from Anaconda that were rusting out, generally shite, but still a pleasure to store and use. So I decided to start researching in that direction. My first purchase:

Alpha Tackle S906MH - 9 foot medium heavy telescopic rod.

I loved this rod, it was meant to be my one size fits all surf / jetty / even boat rod. I went back to SA over Christmas, and my dad promptly reversed the boat into the shed with this thing sticking out of the rocket launchers fully extended, splitting it in half. I have repaired it somewhat, but it ain't quite right. So, onto it's replacement as they didn't have this exact model in stock again:

Alpha Tackle S906ML - 9 foot medium light telescopic rod from Japan.

Construction wise, it's almost identical to the MH but a little thinner up the top. This thing is compact, with a large butt and grip, and the rod sections collapsing into that. This rod is a treat! Contrast it to most people's opinion of telescopic rods. It is sturdy, has a great action, casts like a dream. I was launching squid jigs a mile yesterday. It loads up beautifully. Casts 7 - 21gram from memory (the MH was 7 - 40, I was going to use it to throw slugs for salmon).

It took me a while to get used to the length as I have always used shorter rods, but now it's no issue. Construction as mentioned is nice - the hollow blanks are really well made and have taken a punishment already. There are five extending sections, eight fuji guides total. Three of them are floating guides - e.g. they hang loosely, you tighten them down onto the rod section. It saves having too many sections that weaken the structure, while still having a good amount of guides for the rod to do its thing. I had one fixed guide come loose on glue after a bit of mistreatment, but it's held pretty well for now. When I am settled I will give it a re-glue or replace it.

I now have it paired with a Daiwa Fuego 2500-XH which I got from Amazon. Nice reel, very smooth, but I wouldn't go the XH again. It is a geared retrieve so it pulls in faster per reel, but you have to fight fish a bit more. My trouble is the retrieve is too fast for the kind of action I like to go for.

Being able to fit a 9ft rod in your pocket is pretty compelling. You can leave it rigged up - I usually do FG braid to leader, then a 00 or 000 clip on the end to fit jigs of any kind to. So handy - just pull out the line, extend the sections (takes about 20 seconds), clip on your jig and start casting. Beats out setting up a 2 piece any day.

KastKing Blackhawk II - 6 foot something telescopic rod from China. ML model.

This thing is a cheapo with lots of fake reviews online, and some real ones. Kastking saturate youtube and online with paid for or conflicted reviews. But it did look interesting and cheap enough to try out.

Honestly, the rod is pretty decent. At first I had trouble telling the construction apart from the Alpha Tackle one, although over time I now realise the Japanese rod is just much better built (also twice the price roughly). It is a bit stiff, it uses the floating guides concept as well, although they tend to get a bit stuck etc. I've caught plenty of fish on it and I like it a lot for a budget option. E.g. compared to the Jarvis Walker tele rods I got from Anaconda, it blows them out of the water on construction, sensitivity, longevity and all that.

I was using it with a cheapo Penn reel I got a while ago which has broken down. I just fitted a KastKing Sharky reel to it, another cheap AliExpress option, as I didn't want to spend much on making the rod fishing ready. I have yet to use the reel much so I won't comment on it - feels okay but as above, cheaper construction compared to the Daiwa reel for example (also half the price).

Funnily, the rod is about the same size as the 9 foot when folded up. Just differently built.

MajorCraft FCS S682AJI - Japanese 'first cast' Aji UL rod.

I asked around on here about an UL rod and ended up going the JDM route again as they have a lot more options than we do in that class. I broke my own rules and went for a two piece here, as it looks like my apartment days may be over before long. This is a 6 foot 8 inches rod, 1 - 5 lb line, 0.6 gram to 10g casting weight. Extremely stiff and fast.

It is made for catching Aji - known as horse mackerel or here in Australia... Yakka! Yes, after my last trip to japan, I ate a bunch of Yakka, grilled or deep fried, and they are actually awesome tasting. Of course, no one here gives a **** about them. But I had so many fishing trips in Vic where I would only hook a little Salmon Trout, I figured I would just start targeting the small stuff and have fun while doing it.

Paired with a Daiwa Exceler 2004 reel, the shallow spool model. Loaded with 3lb polyester line and 3lb FC leader. I had my first go with this combo on the weekend. In low wind, I was casting 0.7g jigheads further than my 9ft rod was casting size 3 squid jigs. Unbelievable!!

As in my latest report, the mackerel were hitting my tiny jigs as they touched the surface. Not too many fish around but this thing was lots of fun, bent over like crazy with a decent little fish on the end. The polyester line is a real pain to use on first go, I got some bad tangles and wind knots which made me cut it down a bit. But it is almost invisible, and incredibly sensitive (no flex at all). So, on review, lots of fun if you like targeting the small fish. I am impressed by the build quality on the FCS gear, whic his MajorCraft's cheap beginner's line of gear.

Pictured above: On top, the Alpha Tackle S906ML with Daiwa Fuego 2500 XH,middle is the KastKing Blackhawk with the Sharky III 1000 reel (don't believe the sizes), and in the bag is the Aji rod (too thin to see anyway), and sitting loose is the Exceler reel with polyester line on it. I store them in a padded tripod bag now, easy to transport and a cheap solution.

I also have been doing some work on my tackle box and gear. As with the rods and reels, I have a better feel for what I like and how I like to use it.

I am waiting on a medium-sized shoulder bag which will take a bigger tackle tray, a smaller one, all my loose bits like line, scissors, pliers, etc, as well as a rod holder on the side (perfect for a folded Tele rod) and a water bottle pouch. This will free me from dragging my tackle box everywhere, and allow me to easily carry a rod strapped to the bag, and one in my hand. I am also waiting for that double sided tackle tray to arrive.

In the meantime, I got a little tackle tray sorted during quarantine. It's a double sided one with pop up clear holders, perfect for all my little jigs.

I have a bunch of gear in here. It's a mix of a lot of schmancy little gear that I got alongside my Japan order of rods and reels - clips, Aji jigheads, tiny plastics etc - and a bunch of stuff I have tried off AliExpress to try and keep my costs down a bit. My general comment is that some of the plastics from AliExpress are as good as any of the much more expensive Japanese stuff I got. I actually can't tell the difference between the cheapo $1 packs of 20 or 30 Tsurinoya (ali brand) worms vs the specialist Japanes gear.

That said, the jigheads and most metal gear (sinkers etc) are much nicer on the Japanese gear. The chinese stuff is made with cheaper materials and metals, loosely cast, bit rough. There are some nice metal lures I got from Ali although I wouldn't use the hooks they come with.

Anyway, I am having fun on my new pint-sized plastic run. Casting a tiny worm on a 0.7g jig is pretty cool!

[dazz999]

Okay crap pic but hard to make it work with a 7ft one piece it,s a atomic arrowz estuary aas-70sul only had a chance to cast light jig heads in the backyard and feel,s great to cast with it a very light rod in the hand seem very well built

[Irishfisherman]

P1040218 (800x600).jpgOkay crap pic but hard to make it work with a 7ft one piece it,s a atomic arrowz estuary aas-70sul only had a chance to cast light jig heads in the backyard and feel,s great to cast with it a very light rod in the hand seem very well built

Saw these rods a while ago and thought they were nice, was there any difference between the feel of the 1pc and the 2pc?

[Sebb]

Howdy folks,

Before Christmas, I set out on a mission of rehabilitating my gear and getting a bit more serious.

I have done plenty of land based in Melbourne, boat trips when I was back in Adelaide, trips way down the coast, up in the rivers and reservoirs around town. I settled on a few things I liked:

• Plastics better than bait fishing - easier to pick up and go, probably cheaper long term than wasting bait if I can't get out so often

• Portable rods - living in an apartment in Melbourne, my gear lived in my car as I had no storage

• Mobile fishing - I prefer being able to walk up and down beaches, jetties etc, rather than lugging a trolley or tackle box. This plays into the portable rods too

I had some telescopic rods from Anaconda that were rusting out, generally shite, but still a pleasure to store and use. So I decided to start researching in that direction. My first purchase:

Alpha Tackle S906MH - 9 foot medium heavy telescopic rod.

I loved this rod, it was meant to be my one size fits all surf / jetty / even boat rod. I went back to SA over Christmas, and my dad promptly reversed the boat into the shed with this thing sticking out of the rocket launchers fully extended, splitting it in half. I have repaired it somewhat, but it ain't quite right. So, onto it's replacement as they didn't have this exact model in stock again:

Alpha Tackle S906ML - 9 foot medium light telescopic rod from Japan.

Construction wise, it's almost identical to the MH but a little thinner up the top. This thing is compact, with a large butt and grip, and the rod sections collapsing into that. This rod is a treat! Contrast it to most people's opinion of telescopic rods. It is sturdy, has a great action, casts like a dream. I was launching squid jigs a mile yesterday. It loads up beautifully. Casts 7 - 21gram from memory (the MH was 7 - 40, I was going to use it to throw slugs for salmon).

It took me a while to get used to the length as I have always used shorter rods, but now it's no issue. Construction as mentioned is nice - the hollow blanks are really well made and have taken a punishment already. There are five extending sections, eight fuji guides total. Three of them are floating guides - e.g. they hang loosely, you tighten them down onto the rod section. It saves having too many sections that weaken the structure, while still having a good amount of guides for the rod to do its thing. I had one fixed guide come loose on glue after a bit of mistreatment, but it's held pretty well for now. When I am settled I will give it a re-glue or replace it.

I now have it paired with a Daiwa Fuego 2500-XH which I got from Amazon. Nice reel, very smooth, but I wouldn't go the XH again. It is a geared retrieve so it pulls in faster per reel, but you have to fight fish a bit more. My trouble is the retrieve is too fast for the kind of action I like to go for.

Being able to fit a 9ft rod in your pocket is pretty compelling. You can leave it rigged up - I usually do FG braid to leader, then a 00 or 000 clip on the end to fit jigs of any kind to. So handy - just pull out the line, extend the sections (takes about 20 seconds), clip on your jig and start casting. Beats out setting up a 2 piece any day.

KastKing Blackhawk II - 6 foot something telescopic rod from China. ML model.

This thing is a cheapo with lots of fake reviews online, and some real ones. Kastking saturate youtube and online with paid for or conflicted reviews. But it did look interesting and cheap enough to try out.

Honestly, the rod is pretty decent. At first I had trouble telling the construction apart from the Alpha Tackle one, although over time I now realise the Japanese rod is just much better built (also twice the price roughly). It is a bit stiff, it uses the floating guides concept as well, although they tend to get a bit stuck etc. I've caught plenty of fish on it and I like it a lot for a budget option. E.g. compared to the Jarvis Walker tele rods I got from Anaconda, it blows them out of the water on construction, sensitivity, longevity and all that.

I was using it with a cheapo Penn reel I got a while ago which has broken down. I just fitted a KastKing Sharky reel to it, another cheap AliExpress option, as I didn't want to spend much on making the rod fishing ready. I have yet to use the reel much so I won't comment on it - feels okay but as above, cheaper construction compared to the Daiwa reel for example (also half the price).

Funnily, the rod is about the same size as the 9 foot when folded up. Just differently built.

MajorCraft FCS S682AJI - Japanese 'first cast' Aji UL rod.

I asked around on here about an UL rod and ended up going the JDM route again as they have a lot more options than we do in that class. I broke my own rules and went for a two piece here, as it looks like my apartment days may be over before long. This is a 6 foot 8 inches rod, 1 - 5 lb line, 0.6 gram to 10g casting weight. Extremely stiff and fast.

It is made for catching Aji - known as horse mackerel or here in Australia... Yakka! Yes, after my last trip to japan, I ate a bunch of Yakka, grilled or deep fried, and they are actually awesome tasting. Of course, no one here gives a **** about them. But I had so many fishing trips in Vic where I would only hook a little Salmon Trout, I figured I would just start targeting the small stuff and have fun while doing it.

Paired with a Daiwa Exceler 2004 reel, the shallow spool model. Loaded with 3lb polyester line and 3lb FC leader. I had my first go with this combo on the weekend. In low wind, I was casting 0.7g jigheads further than my 9ft rod was casting size 3 squid jigs. Unbelievable!!

As in my latest report, the mackerel were hitting my tiny jigs as they touched the surface. Not too many fish around but this thing was lots of fun, bent over like crazy with a decent little fish on the end. The polyester line is a real pain to use on first go, I got some bad tangles and wind knots which made me cut it down a bit. But it is almost invisible, and incredibly sensitive (no flex at all). So, on review, lots of fun if you like targeting the small fish. I am impressed by the build quality on the FCS gear, whic his MajorCraft's cheap beginner's line of gear.

94640561_184665979229241_335833397068824576_n.jpg

Pictured above: On top, the Alpha Tackle S906ML with Daiwa Fuego 2500 XH,middle is the KastKing Blackhawk with the Sharky III 1000 reel (don't believe the sizes), and in the bag is the Aji rod (too thin to see anyway), and sitting loose is the Exceler reel with polyester line on it. I store them in a padded tripod bag now, easy to transport and a cheap solution.

I also have been doing some work on my tackle box and gear. As with the rods and reels, I have a better feel for what I like and how I like to use it.

I am waiting on a medium-sized shoulder bag which will take a bigger tackle tray, a smaller one, all my loose bits like line, scissors, pliers, etc, as well as a rod holder on the side (perfect for a folded Tele rod) and a water bottle pouch. This will free me from dragging my tackle box everywhere, and allow me to easily carry a rod strapped to the bag, and one in my hand. I am also waiting for that double sided tackle tray to arrive.

In the meantime, I got a little tackle tray sorted during quarantine. It's a double sided one with pop up clear holders, perfect for all my little jigs.

94738785_917154465364795_3139034864699834368_n.jpg

I have a bunch of gear in here. It's a mix of a lot of schmancy little gear that I got alongside my Japan order of rods and reels - clips, Aji jigheads, tiny plastics etc - and a bunch of stuff I have tried off AliExpress to try and keep my costs down a bit. My general comment is that some of the plastics from AliExpress are as good as any of the much more expensive Japanese stuff I got. I actually can't tell the difference between the cheapo $1 packs of 20 or 30 Tsurinoya (ali brand) worms vs the specialist Japanes gear.

That said, the jigheads and most metal gear (sinkers etc) are much nicer on the Japanese gear. The chinese stuff is made with cheaper materials and metals, loosely cast, bit rough. There are some nice metal lures I got from Ali although I wouldn't use the hooks they come with.

Anyway, I am having fun on my new pint-sized plastic run. Casting a tiny worm on a 0.7g jig is pretty cool!

Very detailed there.
I honestly rather use multi piece travel rods than telescopic rods. I know there are good telescopic rods out there, but the 'usual' are not that good, especially the guides, pretty much just glued. And after few slides (and usually get knocked), the guides come off.
Also, multi piece travel rods usually come with hard case, good for traveling.

With shoulder bag, does it slide to the side often when you bow (e.g. when netting a fish)?
I had shoulder bag before and whenever I bend on one knee (usually when netting a fish), the bag slides to the front and blocking my way netting. Now just use a back pack.