Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) > Tackle & Techniques

TCurve GT Special vs high end rods

(1/4) > >>

Travis Heaps:
We've only been into popping for a short while now - maybe 10 months at the max.  In that time we've caught a few fish and have come to understand a bit better the pressure that gets put on your gear by a big fish.  Slowly but surely we've progressed from thinking you're a bit of wanker for having a rod just for stickbaits, a rod just for light poppers and a rod just for heavy poppers to thinking that maybe, well actually yeah I do need a seperate rod for stickbaits and another for poppers  :D

My mate and I both use tcurve GT specials with stella 10k's and its a tool that gets the job done, and i'll never be getting rid of it.  That said though we've never had the chance to try out these other rods that everybody talks about.  My question therefore is where does the GT special sit in the pack?  GT Popping seems to suffer a little from gear snobbery, i've heard the GT special be called "an entry level" rod - why is this? Because I know no better the first reason I think of is simply the price. I know that is not entirely the case though, so my question is - if you were given a blind test on one where would you say it performed well and where is its weaknesses?  And by purchasing a new, high end rod (I quite like the sound of the Ripplefishers... ;D) what benefits would I be gaining over my current setup? 

All help appreciated. 

 

Brandon Khoo:
the rods that "everybody talk about" are actually by no means the absolute top end - the top end belongs to the full custom jobs, particularly from Fisherman and to a lesser extent, Carpenter and then Ripple. A rod like this from Fisherman could easily cost you close to $,3000 if you opted for all the premium options at current exchange rates. The chameleon paintwork finish from Ripple is something like a $500 option.

By entry level, we're referring to price. As you have no doubt already found out, most gear simply won't hack it against big GTs on heavy braid. The GT Special is the cheapest rod on the market that will actually do the job. That said, the rod is considerably heavier than the more premium offerings. The more expensive rods have lighter blanks and premium components. As an example, if you look at a rod like a Fisherman R10, you can those beautifully shaped grips.

I really don't see the rod as having any weaknesses per se - it will do the job and do it competently but it will not feel as nice to use as one of the premium rods.

Les Maunder:
Little bit of a secret - there is an upgraded Shimano GT rod that is either about to come out or has just been launched that is considerably lighter than its predessesor. I have had a play with one and weight wise it felt approx the same as the Tokara 60 I am currently using.

Considering what you pay for them I thank they are now great value for money.


Cheers


Les.

Travis Heaps:
Thanks Brandon.  By heavier are you referring to weight or action?  And also by nicer to use - what are you refering to?  I know that can be hard to quantify sometimes - like cars or mountain bikes (as is my other expensive past time) there are definitely brands or models that have intangible properties that just work.  That said though i'm trying to get an understanding of what makes a good rod a good rod.  $1000+ is more than I like to spend based purely on heresay.

PS - thanks for the goss Les, interesting  :)

Brandon Khoo:
if you're into mountain biking, then you'll see some bikes cost $1000, other $5000 and a select few will cost the earth. It's the same thing. You pay for a precision and hand-made tool. I don't doubt that some of what we regard as "feel" in the case of an expensive rod is probably a bit of a placebo effect.

Only you can establish whether you think the rod is worth paying $1000 (or a air bit more now!) for.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page