What Combo Do You Use!? (GT Fishing & Popping)

[Mark Harris]

Hey Charlie. In this forum there seems to be a sort of unwritten rule of not bagging products unless you have significant negative first-hand experience. Sadly, with PowerPro I do.  With 2 different spools (both genuine and both purchased from a leading Shimano dealer), I had a lot of casting explosions (either 5 or 6 occurrences) - the line just snapping under casting load.  Both spools were 80lb.  Cost me two expensive lures - one sinking, so no hope - and one a GT3 170 which ended up behind a rock in an area way too dangerous to take the boat into.

Less than 2 weeks ago I saw this happen to another very experienced angler.  When I saw the line on his spool I even said... "that is Tuf Line, right?".  Sadly it was 80lb PowerPro and within 30 minutes, exactly the same thing happened to him, but we were able to recover the lure.

[Charlie Chew]

I can only cross my fingers and hope for the best  ! hopefully the 75kg braid is better !

[Nicolas Lim]

I've been using 100lb Power Pro Red and the new 80lb Power Pro Slick 8 line over the last 3 months from the start of the season and can't say I've had any problem with it. Oh yes... and caught a few fish with it too. :-D

[Mark Harris]

I hope neither of you have any problems.

[Mark Gonsalves]

For the type of GT sight fishing I do, I use a Stella 18000SW with 200lb and 300lb JB Hollow looped to 500lb Momoi Diamond.  The rod is a Patriot Desiggn Black Diamond.  The 500lb cuts quite often.  We sight fish in tons of cover, pilings from a pier.

For plugging,  I use a Tuna Sniper 60/80 with a Stella 8000SW with a 10000 spool filled with Varivas 65lb.

I haven't had any problems with PowerPro up to 150lbs.

For smaller GT I have Stella 5000SW and 4000's paired with custom Outcasts and older custom Fenwicks and Rainshadows.

[Andrew Susani]

Mark G, how do you break off if you get snagged on the elephant gun tackle?   

[Christoffer Hansen]

Mark,
It sounds like you may need a handline n tie it off to the side of the boat when u get the bite! Using that heavy line seems like overkill when the max drag from the spool of a filled Stella is around 20kgs. You won't snap pe12 in a straight line let alone your pe20!

[Mark Gonsalves]

We never have to "break off".  We never get snagged.  The GT routinely grab our baits and dive for the pilings and "break off" for us.  On an occasion they will run "out" instead of down, then we have a chance to tire them out.  Very rare.  The Stella"s drag is set at about 30lbs, just about the point where I will get pulled into the water cause I am sitting on the edge of a pier.  The usual 40-50lb GT will take, maybe, 5 to 10 yards in the tug of war.  If the GT decides to run out then we loosen the drag.  All the larger GT we sight hook have ALL run straight under us into the pier piling except for one.

Using a handline and/or rope wouldn't be sporting to me or my friends.  We aren't fishing from a boat.  We are on a pier about 5' above the GT and tease them with live or dead baits. Watching the GT come and devour our baits is really exciting.  Always white knuckles when the initial circling of the bait begins.  For bait we use 2-5lb ladyfish, leatherbacks, small jacks up to 2lbs, Pacific threadfin, goatfish, scads, and surgeonfish.

[Nathan Tsao]

Sounds like you live hawaii, fishing from military access?

[Carl Hollis]

I regularly land base cast around Sydney ledges for Kings, so have acquired the following over the past 12mths and am happy with all of it:

Rods: Zenaq Fokeeto 83-7, Saltiga Dorao 80TN, new Saltiga Dorado MO83
Reels: Stella 10000SW, Twinpower 5000
Line: 2x10000 spools with 65 and 50lb JB solid (soon to purchase JM16000 spool for 80lb), 2x5000 spools with 20 and 30lb JB solid

But now, we have just booked a trip to Rarotonga at the end of May for a week and I am in the market for my first popping stick in the prospect of my first GT, and the inevitable addiction that is sure to follow. I have read a lot of the info on this site and am still a bit undecided. CV79 is looking very tempting as long as it isn't too similar to the 83-7 re stick baits, and also it may too short for popping off the stones (no dedicated boat rods here, I wouldn't be able to help myself!) What has grabbed my attention is the FCL Labo UCB 80EXT as a more dedicated popping stick with a few inches extra (same length as 80TN). I'd be keen to hear opinions on these two rods compared? Like others here, I'm also really keen to purchase a Salty 5000H, or maybe the new Catalina 5000H loaded with PE8 in comparison to the Stella.

Good informative thread also!

[Mark Harris]

Carl, not sure you should be comparing a Carpenter rod to an FCL Labo rod.  Different price range altogether.

If you have the budget for a CV7940 but want some extra length for shore casting, then Carpenter have other superb options such as Discovery Journey 83MH and the whole Endless Passion range.

[Carl Hollis]

Good points Mark, I've used the EP85 and absolutely love it, but I can't justify another PE6-8 stick bait rod in addition to the Fokeeto 83-7. Price isn't the issue, however the FCL 80EXT appears to be a good buy for what it can do (Fishhead give it a good rap on their sponsor pages).

I am leaning towards an 8' rod due to land based popping requirement also. The Ripple GT82 Longcast looks interesting, and I'd be very appreciative for other members more learned advice.

Cheers

[Mark Harris]

CV79/40 is not so different from EP82/38 in the stiffness of its tip Carl.

From your further description of what you are looking for, Carpenter Discovery Journey 83MH would be a better option than CV79/40 I think.  Really nice rod which will help with casting distance from land and handles chuggers up to 150 grams very capably.

Ripple GT 82 is also a fine rod and one I really enjoy using.

[Dmitrii Novgorodtcev]

What about TBL82/40?

[Dmitrii Novgorodtcev]

TBL80/40. Sorry for mistyping.