Smith Offshore Stick

[Adam Gladwin]

Hi guys,just wondering if anyone has any info or advice on this popping rod,specs as follows-

WRC-80P(35
8 ft popping special
rod class-35lb
line-30lb-40lb,(6-7 PE)
Max drag-11kg
lure weight-170g
fighting drag-5-8kg

Also just to clarify this rod feels like it could punch well above the specs given.I recently purchased a smith kamodo dragon which will be paired with a std speed 6500 extreme as a big blooping rod for heavy poppers.I was originally looking at 18000 stella type combos as a  popper stickbait combination when this rod turned up through a friend with an old model Daiwa saltiga dogfight,it has done hardly any work,2 trips to Cooktown only and only had to swap some game gear to get it which I have surplus of so it was a win win situation.

I have done a fair bit of jigging and popping for kings in south australia and wondered your opinions on fishing a lighter reel on this rod but will say the Dogfight balances fine on it.Looking to plan some serious GT trips in the future so thus the reason I have been gearing up.Looking at the Dogfight as a guess it seems like it is spooled with 80lb tuffline,just thinking possibly this rod may be better with a 4500 sized reel or stella equivalent.Must say what a great forum this is and a wealth of information,cheers for any thoughts or opinions.

regards Adam

[Jason D'Angelo]

[Adam Gladwin]

Cheers Jason, reason I liked this rod was the versatility of fishing smaller poppers,stickbaits here in South Australia.Was thinking of possibly getting a slightly smaller reel than the Dogfight and getting a heavier stickbait rod for the Dogfight.This Will then give me other options and 3 to 4 combos on big trips away,cheers for the input.

[Adam Gladwin]

Cool vid Jason,amazing capture on that rod,reel.The guy that hooked it is a bit soft,haha,broke the golden rule about not finishing the fight off himself!

[Saltywater Tackle]

Beast of a rods, our clients landed a 230lb bluefin tuna on it, yes it is been out in the market for a while but it still a favorite among many fisherman, Good choice and it is underrated.
Tight lines
  Sami

[Adam Gladwin]

Cheers Sami,looking forward to getting out and using it.Just thinking out loud here,possibly Will put a Stella 10,000 on this rod and chase up a heavier stickbait rod for my Dogfight.Will match one up with the Smith next week to see how they balance up,thanks

[Adam Gladwin]

hi guys,

After reading Brandon Khoo's excellent thread on rod selection I am slightly confused.Anyone have any opinions on this rod as far as a max line class able to be used.Should I disregard the lb ratings on the rod and stick to the Pe ratings given? Just to clarify what I want this rod to achieve is to be able to cast  smaller sized poppers,stick baits for kings here in south aus aswell as trips to the tropics when I get the chance to.Also looking to possibly fish out of Exmouth and hopefully get connected to my 1st GT,thanks.

[Trevor Skinner]

Adam,

I'm sorry I don't have any direct experience with that particular rod but Plat (big Japanese fishing tackle retailer) describes it as suitable for PE6 line (about 80lb) and 150 gram lures. That puts it squarely into medium GT territory but maybe a little on the heavy side for the sub 100g lures you are likely to use for kings in SA (unless of course SA kings come in bus size!). Horses for courses really.

Regards,


Trevor

[Adam Gladwin]

Hi Trevor,

Sounds about right mate.Have been some decent kings taken on poppers down here this year and there always is the chance of a real brute.Will also be experimenting with some bigger lures to try to raise some bigger models too. Thanks for the input,much appreciated. 

[David Noble]

I find it works poppers the Cubera 125g range nicely and stickbaits from baby runboh 76g - Orion Bigfoot 140g.
A 4500 Saltiga or Stella 8000 /10000 would fit it, a bit lean, but not an issue.

Cheers Dave

[Adam Gladwin]

thanks David,

yeah,I tried the reels you mentioned and they paired up well balance wise.Also put the new generation saltiga 5000H and this really felt the best.so probably head that way I think,cheers