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Sam Beeby

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'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 13, 2008, 11:18:35 PM
They're not exactly GT rods I know, but nearly stick bait rods I suppose. I don't know where else to ask. I'm after a land based lure/bait rod for casting to kingfish off the rocks. I need something PE6-8, around 9ft that casts weights 40 -150g (eg gars, minnows, sluggoes and metals). 'Tuna' rods seem to fit the bill. The longer GT rods are still on the short side and too tip stiff.

Is anyone familiar with the
-Zenith zero-shiki-tuna 90H or HH  (9ft,casts 120g,PE6)
-Daiko hemingway HBGC-88TN  (8'8", casts 40-120g, PE4-8, 12kg drag max)
-Tenyru SK862H  (8'6", casts 45-150g,10kg max drag)
or could comment on the Saltiga SGTUNA85.

A Carpenter Big Tuna would be ideal but the $$$$ would hurt.

Can anyone who might know anything about these rods help me or point me in the right direction
Thanks

Brandon Khoo

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 13, 2008, 11:25:27 PM
Sam, there are a number of extra long GT rods on the market which are specially made for land based GT fishing. I think this are more suitable for Kings than a tuna rod.

Carpenter have a Long Reef which is 9 feet long and Ripple Fisher, zenaq and MC Works have offerings that are 10 feet long for PE6-8.
If it swims; I want to catch it!

Sam Beeby

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 14, 2008, 12:10:45 AM
Ok i'll check them out. I thought the 'tuna' rod might be the go so that I can still flick sluggoes or gars with 60-80lb. Thanks Brandon

Jon Li

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 14, 2008, 01:22:11 AM
Sam ,

Check Carpenter TN87 and you will not look back , it snap casts like a dream and reaches very good distance , many targetting YFTs using this rod have been pleasantly surprised by how big a fish they subdued using this rod and at the same time , the same rod is at ease in casting 40 gr. lures to YTKs around the F.A.D.s .

LR88 is a bigger brother of this TN87 , casts as long but with heavier lure ( 80 gr. + ) and both handle GT fishing well albeit TN87 is not designed for medium GT weighing more than 50 lbs. around the shallow .

There are OMA92 but this rod is more specific built for fighting big stubborn tuna from a boat where the fight is expected to be long and arduous .

Jon .
It's not what you don't know that gets you into trouble , it's what you know for sure that ain't so . Mark Twain .

Sam Beeby

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 14, 2008, 01:40:42 AM
I'd love those rods - its just the money. jon li what do you think of the Daiko Hemingway HBGC-88TUNA. It looks like a cost effective alternative to those rods and seems to have the exact specs that I'd want.  Whats Daiko's reputation like ie where would it fit relative to say the Daiwa rods?

Brandon Khoo

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 14, 2008, 06:17:11 AM
If you want to cast light weights, the GT rods are not ideal. On the other hand, the tuna rods are going to struggle against a decent king.

You got to work out what is more important to you - the ability to cast lighter weights like Sluggos or the ability to put hurt on a fish.
If it swims; I want to catch it!

Jon Li

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 14, 2008, 12:09:38 PM
I'd love those rods - its just the money. jon li what do you think of the Daiko Hemingway HBGC-88TUNA. It looks like a cost effective alternative to those rods and seems to have the exact specs that I'd want.  Whats Daiko's reputation like ie where would it fit relative to say the Daiwa rods?

Hi Sam ,

The best thing in choosing a rod is that you get to fondle it , swing it , feel the tip's vibration , bend it and weigh it , after all those you still have more to ponder about how the rod will behave while being casted with certain lures and then the sensation of strike , etc. and ultimately how the rod's back bone behaves when fighting the fish .

As for Daiko brand , they are a reputable blank manufacturer from Japan and would have given the product a benefit of doubt in any situation , myself not so sure about Daiwa GT rods for they seem to lack the " enthusiast " behind the product , GT popping is a highly specialized form of fishing and only a very few brands have enough underlaying principles to produce good GT rods .

Tuna popping is quite a new technique , unlike GT which will attack the biggest lure one throw into them , the biggest YFT may ignore all but the smallest lure one can cast onto them and the ability to cast these small lures but still have enough back bone to fight the YFT is paramount in choosing a good tuna rod , if the rod has enough power to handle extra then it's a bonus .

Tried Tenryu , not happy with the action . Zenaq has this tip vibrations which interfere with good casting , SevenSeas tend to be tip heavy and slow in action . Still a few to test but my benchmark for tuna rod is still TN87 .

Jon .   
It's not what you don't know that gets you into trouble , it's what you know for sure that ain't so . Mark Twain .

Bill Ramos

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 14, 2008, 03:46:30 PM
They're not exactly GT rods I know, but nearly stick bait rods I suppose. I don't know where else to ask. I'm after a land based lure/bait rod for casting to kingfish off the rocks. I need something PE6-8, around 9ft that casts weights 40 -150g (eg gars, minnows, sluggoes and metals). 'Tuna' rods seem to fit the bill. The longer GT rods are still on the short side and too tip stiff.

Is anyone familiar with the
-Zenith zero-shiki-tuna 90H or HH  (9ft,casts 120g,PE6)
-Daiko hemingway HBGC-88TN  (8'8", casts 40-120g, PE4-8, 12kg drag max)
-Tenyru SK862H  (8'6", casts 45-150g,10kg max drag)
or could comment on the Saltiga SGTUNA85.

A Carpenter Big Tuna would be ideal but the $$$$ would hurt.

Can anyone who might know anything about these rods help me or point me in the right direction
Thanks
I have the Tenyru SK862H,Im using 52 gram lures called Mark White lures.Im using a Daiwa Saltige 6500 with PE 6 or 8 Tuf-line.I changed the tip and 1st guide to 16 because Im using 100-140 shock leader.The casting distance is excellent and no problems and the fighting power is pretty good on landing blue trevallys from shore.With this set-up Im able to throw many more cast than a 200 gram lure & GT rod with no shoulder pain the next day.You wont be disappointed because the rod can handle 10 kg max.This is the choice of rod for light lure and big reel use without switching to smaller line for distance and strength.

Sam Beeby

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 15, 2008, 07:18:55 PM
With the $138 postage to Australia from Plat in Japan, I think I may as well get a Saltiga GT86 over here. If anyone out there has or has had the GT86, whats the lightest  weight you could meaningfully cast on that rod whilst fishing PE8?

Jon Li

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 15, 2008, 08:54:15 PM
Just shipped a SP78UHL R-DX model to an address in Sydney , the shipping cost inside PVC tube is around US$. 75.- .

Jon .
It's not what you don't know that gets you into trouble , it's what you know for sure that ain't so . Mark Twain .

Sam Beeby

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Re: 'Tuna' rods for Kings
April 15, 2008, 10:43:34 PM
What about Calstars? Anyone know if a GF900H would do it. I'm sure it would take the drag, but not sure about its casting properties.
Sam