Late Post Musandam GT

[Brian J Richardson]

Here's a video from our trip with Ocean Active a month or so ago. My pb GT about 35kg+.  For those of you who know Cameron you'll recognize his laugh.  Cameron's a great Capt to fish with and we really enjoy OA, the GT House, Anura, Mangala, Damon...great crew.

We live in Muscat and this is the second time to fish Musandam.  I built the rod it's a Seeker Hercules 80 and it's a great stick at moderate price...US$160 for the blank.

Video starts a couple minutes after the strike...the fish burned off a bunch of line on the strike.

[Ben Lovelace]

Brian,
Great job and beautiful GT. Nice looking rod...what are the specs? PE/Lure weight max? Do you build for sale?

Cameron wheres my shirt man? or do you only reserve for special guest? :<)

Great job guys...

[Brian J Richardson]

Hi Ben

It's a versatile rod and casts 80 to 150 grams well.  Line was 80lb tuffline, lure 150 gram Heru Bobara blue and silver.  First time to use a Bobara very easy to fish it's a sinking lure.  I build all my rods and have sold some.  I've built 3 Hercules 80's so far and I think I've really tuned in the guide spacing.  I've been using Fuji Alconite guides; they are inexpensive and one of the lighter guides Fuji makes...so far so good.  I triple wrap all the guides with a coat of finish on every wrap and 2 coats on the top wrap.  I've also recently started shaping the grips which is fun.

Where do you live?  You should check out the web for Seeker Hercules...you won't break them pulling on a fish for sure.  Next year Seeker will come out with a 80H which will be less parabolic and should be good for heavier lures.

Thanks for the comments.

Brian

[Robin Loi]

that's a brute of a rod, brian! i'm impressed! and at a pretty decent price to match! great job on landing that cow!!

[Brian J Richardson]

that's a brute of a rod, brian! i'm impressed! and at a pretty decent price to match! great job on landing that cow!!

Thanks Robin the rod has a lot of bend in the tip so it seems like it would be too light weight but when you put a lot of drag on it the power is great...it's a very versatile stick...a good stickbait rod and it works well for poppers too.  The optimum lure weight is around 120gr.  Works really well with the Halco Haymaker.  I can build 3 of these rods for the price of one of the more expensive rods.

[Ben Lovelace]

Hi Brian, I live in Dubai and go to Musandam several times a year. Let me know if you need a body to share in the costs somtime. Do you ever get over to southern Oman? If you are building any of those rods for sale I might be interested in one. That thing really did an impressive job. What reel do you have on it?

[Mark Harris]

Well done with building a nice rod Brian. And well done with a nice GT in that video.

Will be interesting to hear if the Fuji Alconite guides hold up as well as Fuji SiCs.  The latter are used on most higher end rods these days but I have never seen heard evidence that Alconites are actually inferior.

[Brian J Richardson]

Ben...let's try to get together a local group to fish down south.  We're so close we have to go for it...many are paying airfare to get there we can drive.  OA is booked April May but has openings Jan and Feb...still big ones then.  Spending 4 or 5 days on the island just sounds to good to miss.  Also for sure on Musandam 5 hour drive for us no problem.  My buddy Dave just got hooked on GT fishing and spent a fortune and a half on rods, reels and stuff.  If you're in the Muscat area look us up.  The reel is a 10000 stella.

Mark...I used to use the fuji sic.  The frame and the ring are really big compared to the alconites; the difference is dramatic.  Alconites are very light with good quality ring material and also one of the cheapest guides.  The light weight helps with casting..but I use a lot of guides (7) to spread the load on the rod.  Nice bend heh?  And I have messed with the guide spacing and it casts well.  Also when the braid starts messing with the guides on the cast the alconite seems to shed the braid whereas the sic's would dead stop the line...I think.

Any of you guys out there build your own rods...the Hercules the 7ftr is a really cool rod also.  Material cost without shipping is about US$250 - 275.  I'm gonna post on the tackle forum.

Thanks for the comments guys.

[Cameron Mundy]

Hi Brian its always fun having the "Muscat boy's" visit us in the Musandam  and I was stoked to get you a good fish on the rattlesnake!

[Brian J Richardson]

Hi Brian its always fun having the "Muscat boy's" visit us in the Musandam  and I was stoked to get you a good fish on the rattlesnake!

Howzit Capt Cameron

Let's do it again~!!! When you coming to Muscat?  Nobody has commented yet on the release of gas when you lift the fish at the end of the video.

[Nick Bowles]

Hi Brian, Very happy that you guys had a good trip and you managed to catch a great fish on your rod! Hopefully the first of many! Ben fishes with us a lot and I think you guys will get on very well! I'll give you a shout about Southern Oman this week with some updated dates.

Cam you stepping on sea frogs again!!

Cheers,
Nick

[Ben Lovelace]

I thought it was a GT grunt :<)

Brian lets see whats avaliable for Feb maybe I can get the wife to give me a getaway birthday present.

Nick any dates avaliable for Feb?

[Brian J Richardson]

Ben & Nick

Let's pick dates with big tides???

[Ben Lovelace]

Sounds good to me Brian. I will try to do a little research in the next couple of days as time allows.

Nick/Brian what website do you use for looking up tides? buoyweather.com?

[Cameron Mundy]

Hi Ben I use easy tide http://easytide.ukho.gov.uk/EASYTIDE/EasyTide/index.aspx  for my short term predictions but if you're willing to pay it'll provide you with future forecasts. Its the most accurate source I've found so far.