Stickbait rod: Coral Viper or Endless Passion?

[Jon Li]

Cheers Jon,

I fished with both models of Blue Chaser over there....(Mark has both).

Very nice and yes..alot easier to work the sticks.

Pete

Hi Peter ,

There are 6 BLC models to date , they are designed primarily for use with stickbaits very much like TBL models , the "22" and the "40" are most applicable for southern hemisphere .

Jon . 

[Luke Wyrsta]

How are your Carpenter stocks Jon?

[Jon Li]

How are your Carpenter stocks Jon?

Hi Luke ,

Sent you PM .

Jon .

[Peter Morris]

Thanks Jon,

I wasnt aware there were 6..

Time to do a little research I think.....

Pete

[mark gaal]

I actually took a look at a blue chaser  the other day, it was I think a pe 6, do they make a pe 8 in this rod

[Mark Harris]

Mark, Blue Chaser BLC83/40 R-Power Max is a PE6-10 rod, similar specs to a DJ83MH although a rather different blank action I would imagine.

[Jon Li]

Mark, Blue Chaser BLC83/40 R-Power Max is a PE6-10 rod, similar specs to a DJ83MH although a rather different blank action I would imagine.

Hi Mark ,

BLC83/40R Power Max is based on DJ83MH but using different laminates , the newer version is geared more for big kingfish fishing while the older version is " all purpose " big fish rod .

Jon .

[Peter Childs]

In addition to the Coral Viper, I normally carry a lighter rod for the smaller stick baits in the 70 - 100 gram range (a Saltiga 80 TN is my choice). 

It's a lot to ask of a stickbait rod to work both 80 - 100 and 140 - 160 gram stick baits well, horses for courses.

[eduard long]

im thinking of getting a ep series or a blc for tuna casting..which is a better choice?Yellow fins...im very new to yellowfins..which is a better road to cast 120 g swim baits or small poppers or spoons.pe6 prefered with lots of line.

[Jon Li]

im thinking of getting a ep series or a blc for tuna casting..which is a better choice?Yellow fins...im very new to yellowfins..which is a better road to cast 120 g swim baits or small poppers or spoons.pe6 prefered with lots of line.

With YFT , one must have several rods to be ready for " match the hatch " feeding habits . A couple of years ago we had to use 30 gr. metal jigs to entice strike while other times , a 100 gr. poppers are the best lures to use , hence the choise of rods will have to suit the lures . My rods consist of BC75MHS , HL TN87 , LR86 and for this year's season , will use BLC84/22R Power 1 .

As for your question regarding EP85/36 , EP88/35 n BLC83/40R Power Max , I think these 2 rods are  suitable for YFT up to 70 kg , as long as you have sufficient line in the spool to deal with the initial run of the fish and PE6 is sufficient in most cases although some bigger YFT may need PE8 .

Initial drag setting should not be as high as when one is fishing GT but depends on the line  ratings used but 1/4 of the maximum line rating is my guide line . May be my fishing buddy Andy Rowe can chime in .

Jon .

[eduard long]

im thinking of getting a ep series or a blc for tuna casting..which is a better choice?Yellow fins...im very new to yellowfins..which is a better road to cast 120 g swim baits or small poppers or spoons.pe6 prefered with lots of line.

With YFT , one must have several rods to be ready for " match the hatch " feeding habits . A couple of years ago we had to use 30 gr. metal jigs to entice strike while other times , a 100 gr. poppers are the best lures to use , hence the choise of rods will have to suit the lures . My rods consist of BC75MHS , HL TN87 , LR86 and for this year's season , will use BLC84/22R Power 1 .

As for your question regarding EP85/36 , EP86/35 n BLC83/40R Power Max , I think these 2 rods are  suitable for YFT up to 70 kg , as long as you have sufficient line in the spool to deal with the initial run of the fish and PE6 is sufficient in most cases although some bigger YFT may need PE8 .

Initial drag setting should not be as high as when one is fishing GT but depends on the line  ratings used but 1/4 of the maximum line rating is my guide line . May be my fishing buddy Andy Rowe can chime in .

Jon .

Jon .

thanks for the reply...looks like an ep88 is heading into my arsenal....its time to replace the LR88

[Andy Rowe]

im thinking of getting a ep series or a blc for tuna casting..which is a better choice?Yellow fins...im very new to yellowfins..which is a better road to cast 120 g swim baits or small poppers or spoons.pe6 prefered with lots of line.

With YFT , one must have several rods to be ready for " match the hatch " feeding habits . A couple of years ago we had to use 30 gr. metal jigs to entice strike while other times , a 100 gr. poppers are the best lures to use , hence the choise of rods will have to suit the lures . My rods consist of BC75MHS , HL TN87 , LR86 and for this year's season , will use BLC84/22R Power 1 .

As for your question regarding EP85/36 , EP88/35 n BLC83/40R Power Max , I think these 2 rods are  suitable for YFT up to 70 kg , as long as you have sufficient line in the spool to deal with the initial run of the fish and PE6 is sufficient in most cases although some bigger YFT may need PE8 .

Initial drag setting should not be as high as when one is fishing GT but depends on the line  ratings used but 1/4 of the maximum line rating is my guide line . May be my fishing buddy Andy Rowe can chime in .

Jon .

I'd like to try one of the BLC series for tuna also perhaps the 2nd or third top power level versions, look like they can really bend nicely and that is nothing but good news for a drawn out match with a larger YFT on PE5 or 6.

My somewhat limited YFT experience shows, especially where we fish for them, that they can be very fussy eaters. As Jon indicates on any given day you are going to need to be able to cast a range of lures. I'd be looking for something that could cast weights between 50 to 120gm and cast them long enough to keep you a way off the boil if they are spooky. I have landed YFT in the 60-70kg range with a CV7940RF-SHP on PE6 and it was perfect for the fight but not casting as long as i would prefer for a dedicated YFT rod. The HLTN87 is my favorite for this as it punches lures out really well. I have also recently aquired a BC75MH which I look forward to trying out on some YFT. I've not tried the EP or BLC but others will know more.

Also look at the lure types available, for example the souls bomber lures are small anchovy sized but heavy enough to cast a mile on PE5. Smaller lures with smaller hooks will pull faster on heavy drags as Jon indicates, so sometimes you have to back off a little. These types of secondary considerations along with expected tuna size should also influence your decision.

Hope this is relevant
Andy