Gimbal belts.

[Andrew Opie]

G,day all,
          I have a trip to Vanuatu coming up in 2 months and am looking for a good gimbal belt to buy. Over the last few years I have been using the belts that have been supplied by the charter boats but would like to have a good quality belt of my own.
I have seen a couple of belts on the net (ie Seven Seas, Jigging Master, Fisherman and the TunaMax) but am a bit confused as to which way to go.
It would be used for 60% popping and 40% jigging.
Am I better having a belt that hangs lower on the thighs or higher around the waist?

Any help would be great.
cheers  Andrew...........

[Jay Burgess]

A mate of mine has the jigging master belt which hangs pretty low... he said it's a pretty uncomfortable angle to fight a fish when you're jigging.

I have the tuna max belt, I haven't tested it on the water but it feels comfortable and is compatible with non-gimbal and gimbal rods. It sits alot higher than the jigging master belt.

[Andre van Wyk]

Andrew,

I've got both the Jigging Master and the 7 Seas belts.... I tend to use the Jigging Master more for jigging, and the 7 Seas for popping and light jigging as it sits higher up on the thighs...

The JM belt hangs much lower, but is pretty adjustable with the straps etc so have it sitting higher if you need to, depending on your hieght, rod, and fighting style, suits some, doesn't suit others... belts tend to be pretty personal choices as to what fits... ....

If you plan to go with more popping, I would recommend the 7 Seas or Tuna/GT Max belts, or the Fisherman Flat Harness....

On the other End, the Braid range are light, and cheap ( comparatively ) and they run the whole gamut from super simple to monster... the Sailfish is a pretty good cheaper alternative popping belt...

[Mick Cunningham]

hi there  i have two of the GT MAX BELT ... it the same at the tuna max belt ..
what i think is great about this belt is gt and jigging in one belt ...
but i haven,t tryed the jigging with this belt yet but soon i will when i pop over to perth for samnon jigging trip when weather heat up  .  i will give this belt a try and see what i think . cos i only have tryed with gt popping .
so i will sell one of mine if your interested pm me 
that is new never been used the colour is orange  ( that was the frist one i brought as they didn,t have the blue one so i brought the orange one  and after a while the blue one come out  so i grab it )..
as i brought another one which is my favourite colour is blue and could be my lucky colour 

[Brandon Khoo]

Andrew, gimbal belts are very much a matter of personal taste. Some people like them really low while some light them sitting high.

Based on what you have used so far, what felt more comfortable to you (Assuming you have used both styles)?

A GT Max or Tuna Max belt sits high. they are not designed to sit low and work best when you have them on reallly tight so they don't turn around on you when you are fighting a fish.

if you want a belt that sits really low, the Jigging Masters are excellent. They may look like something Darth vader would wear but they are very stable for a low belt. For a high belt, I like the GT Max but my favourite belt is the Fisherman Flat Harness. I can't really describe to you how this sits as it is more of a compromise between the two and can be worn both high and at a mid-level.

[Andrew Opie]

Thanks for the info.
I think the Fisherman Flat Harness is the club house leader at the moment.
The ability to adjust where you wear it sounds just like the ticket.

The hard bit will come when I try and buy one! It seems that every were on the net I have looked is out of stock.
Is there a rep for Fisherman in Australia or a tackle shop that stock them?

[Brandon Khoo]

in a nutshell, no. There is no stockist in Australia.
This is a very expensive belt, Andrew so it would really pay ot try to get a look at one if you can beore you commit to it. The belt does look and feel a bit funny but works real well. I, however, regard it more as a popping belt that a jigging one especially if you want to jig from the gimbal. The Fisherman does not have the little crossbar for the gimbal on jig rods either.

Are in Sydney? If so, you're welcome to pop around and check one out.

[Luke Wyrsta]

As many have mentioned, a gimbal belt and it's positioning is a very personal thing.

You also need to make sure that you fit it for yourself and test it out, because if you don't maintain a good fighting position/lever point you may end up going head over heels or having a very uncomfortable fight. At least personally, halfway down the crotch is where my harder shelled gimbals are positioned. While popping and jigging it is common practice to utilise your leg/thigh and lower back muscles to position yourself - balancing yourself against the pressure of the rod - you need to get this right to have the best fighting technique IMO.

IMO, one of the best performing and best value belts is the Braid Sailfish belt. It's an awesome bit of gear, compact, comfortable and cheap!

I also agree that the best top-end gimbal for popping use if the Fisherman Flat Harness - but I don't use that often.

You may also want to consider the Fisherman Fighting Belt & Pad - very comfortable, functional with support and feels like it isn't there!

[Luke Wyrsta]

Fighting big GTs/fish requires strength and technique....then once you have this down pat you can relaz 

[Mick Cunningham]

nice photo,s there luke .

the 2nd one look better 

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Hi Andrew. You will also need to get a belt that matches your jigging and popping outfit. As we have discussed here the longer butt rods tend to be best coupled with belts that are meant to be worn a bit lower in order to maximise the leverage these rods are meant to apply.
Different designs will mean that your belt will have to follow suit.
Comfort is also a big factor as an uncomfortable belt will really make itself felt after a little while and makes fighting big fish more painful than it has to be. You will not be able to use your outfit to apply maximum hurt on the fish if some of that is instead being applied on you.

[Andrew Opie]

Thanks for all of the advice that I've been given since asking this question.
Also thanks for the offer to inspect the Fisherman belt Brandon, but Living in Victoria makes it a bit hard.
Its fantastic to be able to get advise from such a large pool of knowledge. And being able to see photo's like Lukes makes understanding whats said so much easier.
Again, Thanks alot.