Hi Patrick,
The conundrum is trying to find budget tackle to do a top end task! Quality does outlast inferior budget gear, fact. A crap reel is more likely to fail you, where as a carefully selected mid range rod like those mentioned GT Special, Berkley Viper etc will do the job & land decent fish, just weighing a few more grams or lacking a bit of finesse, might not work the chosen lure as sweetly as brand X.
GT fishing is pretty much the pinnacle of the angling sport, plus flavour of the moment appearing on all the covers of fishing mags / dvd's etc.. The evolution of the sport, tackle & ways of sharing information means that a serious GT adventure is top of the list for anglers of all ages & experiences.
To do such trips regularly be it in QLD as you are or around the globe, and being equipped with all the best equipment required for every occassion, is a rich mans sport pure and simple... A quiver of quality rods and reels for a week long trip could surpass the entire cost of the adventure itself!
There are charters that provide top gear included in the price, effectively saving you the $1000's purchase you may use once a year.
You'd hate to lose your dream fish due to tackle failure. There is also something rewarding about using your own gear & seeing it catch fish.
Good luck asking the boss for a pay rise!!
Cheers David
Succinct and spot on, David.
If I may add, GT fishing is the sport where a good fish will very quickly locate the weakest link in your equipment chain. From the hook end at the fish through to the ability of the angler and not forgetting the quality of the knots and joints.
I know from first hand experience, "You get what you don't pay for" when it comes to GT/Samson fishing equipment, these fish will take you and your gear to the edge of the envelope and then some.
I am not (really
) a tackle snob/junkie, I use mid priced gear for bream/whiting fishing because these fish will never test gear like a big GT would.
You can get away with scrimping on Bream/Snapper equipment, but you'll end up spending more if you try to go "budget" on GT stuff. Don't mean Stellas only but definitely not a "Dogtooth Terminator".
Cheers
