Tackle for Oman

[Sami Ghandour]

I don't think many folks will want to fish for large GTs with truly locked drag anywhere in the world? Even fewer are capable of doing so. 
Heavy drag, then yes, but that's a different story to locked drag.

[Peter Olesen]

When I came to Southern Oman in April earlier this year, I started fishing with locked drag as well. And actually think I lost a few fish doing that. The reason is that when the fish strikes on a locked drag, you sometimes totally loose control not beeing able to set the hooks well enough. When a good GT turns while it hits your lure and you're standing in a rocking boat you will loose control over your body to some degree unless you weigh 100+ kilos. Sami, you're a big guy and I know you can handle the locked drag but I think it would be suicide for a guy of 60-70 kilos to use that much drag - especially on the take.

Nick taught us to loosen up the drags to about 12-14 kilos and then use the palm to slow down the fish if need be (remember to wear gloves!  ). You have much more control during the whole fight in this way, and this is what I intend to do on my next trip as well.

[Sami Ghandour]

When I came to Southern Oman in April earlier this year, I started fishing with locked drag as well. And actually think I lost a few fish doing that. The reason is that when the fish strikes on a locked drag, you sometimes totally loose control not beeing able to set the hooks well enough. When a good GT turns while it hits your lure and you're standing in a rocking boat you will loose control over your body to some degree unless you weigh 100+ kilos. Sami, you're a big guy and I know you can handle the locked drag but I think it would be suicide for a guy of 60-70 kilos to use that much drag - especially on the take.

Nick taught us to loosen up the drags to about 12-14 kilos and then use the palm to slow down the fish if need be (remember to wear gloves!  ). You have much more control during the whole fight in this way, and this is what I intend to do on my next trip as well.

Peter,
Locked drag from the beginning result of many line breakage, you are absolutely right, i should be more specific
my apology
setting the drag from 30lb to 35lb on a strike and increasing it to whatever you can take is the right approach and yes palming is the way!
but unfortunately i still manage to burn my hand and lost the fish while palming 

[James Wang]

Thanks for all the information. Seems like i have no choice but to commit to a PE10 setups. Fishing lock drag or anywhere near 30lb is definitely a no no for me. It's either the angler going overboard or the GT swimming ard with my setup showing off to its buddies, "see what I've got this time".
Will start to lookout for used set. How is casting with the MH80H with lures at the 100-140g range? Btw for jigging, a pe3-5 rod paired with a 10k reel, loaded with pe5 line enough to use there?

[Peter Olesen]

James,
It is good to realize your limits!

I don't think you will utilize the advantages of PE10 over PE8 if you're not going to fish with more than say 12 kg of drag. I think you will better of with PE8 IMO.

Further more - if you are going to use lures around 100-140 grams only and you intend to fish 12 kilos of drag, I don't see any point in buying the MH80H since I believe that your CV79/40 will do the same job (and probably even better than the MH80H).

The MH80H cast well with Cubera 125's. I haven't fished lighter lures than that on it. Just remember when you cast: The lighter the lure, the longer the gap between tip guide and lure. This will help you load the rod better.

[Brandon Khoo]

Guys, there is a slight edge to some of the posts here.
Just a reminder to keep it civil - we don't want this topic to deteriorate

[Mark Harris]

Peter... really good advice there and James, you would do well to take that on board. 12 to 14 kgs of initial drag and a palming approach should be manageable by anyone who considers themselves fit enough to fish for big GTs.

Sami, you are a big strong man but that's not the case with many GT anglers  . Thank you for clarifying in your replies to Peter what you meant by locked drag.

I think this topic is an important one as it's an area where I have seen less experienced anglers come very unstuck.

For what it is worth (pure personal preference, and others might disagree with this), the rough guidelines I try to use when GT fishing are:

- 10-12 kgs of initial drag in deepish water or areas where the terrain is not a big issue
- 12-14 kgs (or a touch higher) in shallower waters

And then be prepared at all times to palm the spool when necessary.

Obviously, that is a very rough personal guide and there are other factors to take into account, such as the gear you are using. For example, even with a brutal rod like Wild Violence 83XH, the manufacturer's maximum drag rating is 16 kgs at 45 degrees. That's a long way short of the locked drag pressure put down by most reels used for GT fishing.

[Brandon Khoo]

James, can I make a few suggestions. Don't take any of this as gospel and feel free to disregard what you want.

One - you do have a choice in terms of outfits and you are not limited to PE10 only. The simple reality is that if you are only physically capable of fishing a PE8 outfit, why would you commit to buying a PE10 outfit when that outfit will be heavier, will be inferior from a casting perspective and will tire you out faster?

Two - there is no doubt that if you can handle the heavier outfit, it will give you some marginal advantage in fish stopping power but please understand noone simply stops a big GT dead. If you had a reel that had infinite drag (that is, no ability to give line), then as you point out,  you will either end up water-skiing or losing the outfit.

Three - I have no idea on what kind of GT fishing experience you have. If you're experienced, forget the rest of this paragraph but if you are relatively new to the sport, you are going to find the physical experience extremely demanding and you will find that an outfit that you can manage to fish for the duration of the trip far preferable to one that you can barely manage for a few hours each day.

Four - the MH80H is not a light rod. It may be rated an RF40 like your CV and it may be regarded as a heavy PE8 to lighter PE10 rod but it is a significantly more powerful rod than your CV79. You will want to be sure you can manage this before you commit to the purchase.

Five - with the lures you use, pick ones you know you can pop effectively. You are much better off using 120g poppers if you can pop these effectively than push the barrow with heavier poppers.

I haven't been to Oman but it sounds like you are going to lose a lot of gear. Good luck!

Thanks for all the information. Seems like i have no choice but to commit to a PE10 setups. Fishing lock drag or anywhere near 30lb is definitely a no no for me. It's either the angler going overboard or the GT swimming ard with my setup showing off to its buddies, "see what I've got this time".
Will start to lookout for used set. How is casting with the MH80H with lures at the 100-140g range? Btw for jigging, a pe3-5 rod paired with a 10k reel, loaded with pe5 line enough to use there?

[James Wang]

Brandon, thanks for ur advise. Let's put the MH80H aside. I would not be comfortable going there with just 1 rod and reel. Could u guys suggest another rod. Endless passion 82/38, is it just like my CV but 5" longer?

[Jon Li]

Hi James ,

EP82/38 is EP85/36 less 3" , no relation with CV79/40RF at all .

Jon .

[Graham Blackmore]

I m planning a trip to Oman next year. I currently have a Coral Viper 79/40, a STL 8K HG and 10K XG. I would want to get another rod. Btw I m small build weighing 66kg and standing at 169cm. I m looking at getting one of these 2 rods. Can I get away with the La Grande Mer SP80M Pe6-8 or do I really need the Monster Hunter 80H? I cant really cast heavy lures, prolly max 140g without hooks. And PE8 line enough for most of the catch there?

Thanks

James I have fished with several people who are smaller than you and handle bigger lures and rods - I would think its alot technique related and being efficient is more important than raw power (I am 110kg + ex rugby player so lucky on that front).

I wanted to go to Oman but thought I'd better get some more fish under my belt and gain some experience before going to climb everest

Graham

[Mark Harris]

Brandon, thanks for ur advise. Let's put the MH80H aside. I would not be comfortable going there with just 1 rod and reel. Could u guys suggest another rod. Endless passion 82/38, is it just like my CV but 5" longer?

EP82/38 is a lovely rod. It is slightly softer tipped than CV79/40 in my opinion and therefore less suited to chuggers. It is very much a stickbait rod and was designed as such.  Power-wise and ease of handling......... I would say are both similar to CV79/40.

I was thinking perhaps you could look for a DJ83MH, but that rod is not really any significantly more or less  easy to handle than MH80H.  It is a lot softer tipped but handling wise, really quite similar.

Maybe you should have a look at other rods and not restrict yourself to Carpenter James.  If you are in Singapore it is very easy to go along and handle a large range of Ripple Fishers for example.

[Barry Kurten]

James having been to Hallaniyat Islands twice and being a relatively small guy myself, my recommendation would be to use a shorter rod (perhaps 7ft5) , as most of the fish are caught on popper. A longer rod seems to "hurt" a little bit more when working a popper and does not seem to impart the same action from the lure as a shorter rod.

My outfit which ive used down in Southern Oman on both trips has been 7ft5 Saltywater tackle Racepoint 250 and Stella 18000 SW with  Power Pro 48kg braid (0.43mm).
If i had all the money in the world to buy which ever rod i wanted, id buy Racepoint 250 ! Light weight, Excellent value for money and as strong, if not stronger then anything going ! Stella 18000 is a must have ! and Power Pro will give you a really strong braid with a thinner diameter which will aid you greatly with the casting !

Just some food for thought ! 

Tight lines

[Allan Chan Hian Lian]

Just buy all the stuffs James & display it in your cabinate for exhibition   I know you got the $$$