Travel Rod and Reel combo

[Sam Phillips]

Hi guys

I am traveling to Niue Island at the end of the month and intend to do some land based lure/ popper chucking in the 75-150g range.
 Looking for advice on a three piece travel rod to and matching reel for this lure range.

My budget is around $1000 for rod, reel and some lures which I know limits the quality of my gear but as my one trip for the year and only time I use heavy gear I acknowledge i may be under gunned for any whoppers
Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks.

[Mark Richie]

Hi Sam,

Where are you based?

[Sam Phillips]

Sorry based in sydney

[Will Wragg]

I have the Shimano T Curve Revolution Spin 763 Travel, which is three piece, each section measuring 81cm.
It's not surprisingly quite heavy (600g), but it's more than adequate for moderately sized GTs - I've had fish up to 17 kg or so but in very tight spaces.
It is rated to cast 50-200g but definitely prefers 100g plus.  The tip is fairly soft, so it struggles with poppers with large faces, but Cubera 100s, Haymakers are fine, and it fishes stick baits ok. It also trolls quite well, though I shouldn't say that on this forum.
I have mine paired with a Stella 14000, but it would possibly balance better with a heavier reel.
Travel rods are always a compromise, but they make life so much easier, particularly on small planes.
The Shimano is very cheap, so when I break it, I'll buy another one.

[Ian Cook]

Hi Sam,

There isn't a lot of choice in 3 piece GT Sticks on the market as most guys use travel tubes for the 2 piece models.

However as another option have a look into the Daiwa Demon Blood II 803XXH - 3 piece, 8 foot for around $300.00 or so, it will give you that bit of extra length fishing off the shore - http://www.daiwafishing.com.au/demon-blood-2/

As far as reels go, the best bang for your buck would be a Daiwa Catalina 6500H if you can get one at a real good price.

Best of luck on the hunt for the gear and the trip ahead.

Cheers,

Ian

[Sam Phillips]

Thanks guys, I'll go check those rods out today..

 Reel wise I've heard some guys use a Saragosa 8000 then put a custom 16000 spool on it for more drag, anyone done this??
The Catalina does look nice though Ian, not much different to the 2010 saltiga.

 I imagine being landbased I'd be fishing around 10kg drag on any reel otherwise I'd get pulled in the drink with the fish.

[Alex Gomez]

I use the demon blood mentioned and it will work fine if you're not too fussy!  You just need to fish lures it can handle, I use the smaller Williamson jet poppers and they work well.  It can also troll lures and throw medium stickbaits too.  I have caught GT's to around 15kg's, Mahi Mahi and Wahoo to 20kg with no trouble.

Another option for a budget reel is the fin nor offshore, quite heavy reel but they have a serious drag system.  I doubt you would break it on one trip, the commercial kingfish charters use them in Sydney harbour for a whole season with little or no maintenance.

Good luck, I hear the fishing there is very special!

AG

[Sam Phillips]

Thanks Alex
Which fin nor offshore size were you referring too? The 9500.looks huge castability wise

[Marco Slotboom]

Hi,

Im completely new here, im prepping for my first GT-trip and i also looked for a travel rod. I heard some goods things about the Shimano Caranx Kaibutsu STC, comes in 3 sizes, 7, 8 and 9 foot. It is however not sold anymore in Europe.
I also consider having a travel rod custom built, based on a CTS seamaster popper blank. I still have to meet the builder, but he seems to think that a 4 piece rod is possible.
The reel i intend to use, is the mentioned Daiwa Catalina 6500h. As it is no longer sold in Europe, i ordered it in Japan, 580 usd, including shipping and tax.

Good luck and greetings from the Netherlands,
Marco

[Trevor Skinner]

Travel rods have come a long way and I think you'll see a greater selection as airlines tighten up on baggage restrictions and the 2 metre long rod tube becomes a thing of the past.

Some of the top end makers have been experimenting with them, even on heavy gear. I have a Carpenter BLC 83/35 3 piece that handles 100g lures and PE5/6 nicely, I still don't have enough confidence to put my all into that rod and I'm very conscious of line angles, although other people have caught some great fish on it (if it's any consolation I'm pretty much the same with all the BLCs I've tried). I also have a Fisherman Monster CC 80GT.T PE8-10 150/200g GT stick that I will lean into with confidence and have personally caught good fish on without an issue. Be careful of the tip section though, good casters can loosen the join after a few casts, not a problem it just requires the odd check.

The obvious problem with heavy gear and 3 piece rods is the join in the blank, I think that's improving all the time. The less obvious problem is that the length of the butt section limits any true portability, the Carpenter breaks down to 95cm and the Fisherman to 89cm..still too large for most luggage but better than the 1.8 metres than most 2 piece rods typically break down to.   

I know it doesn't specifically address your issue as these are expensive but viable travel rods is something that interests me.

Regards,



Trev         

[Mark Richie]

Sam, others might disagree but it's hard to place faith in a 3 piece rod for this kind of fishing! Unless it's from a reputable gt rod company. Shimano and daiwa are not when it comes to rods.Get a proper 2 piece with a join at the butt. Something like a gt special or demon blood 82xh. If you don't want to pay for a rod tube, find a mate who's a plumber, get a 6.5 foot length of pipe with screw ends and load up the bubble wrap.

As for a reel, if your not going to go top end, a new saragosa 10000sw can be had online for $329 and will take well over 300m of pe6, has enough drag at 15kg and the ratio of 4.9 makes it useful for popping and jigging. The spool lip on the gosa sw's is awesome for casting too.

As for lures, it's hard to go past the halco haymakers, river2sea dumbells and river2sea rovers if budget is a real issue. Or the next step up is jai big head poppers and stick baits and then the nomad lures. Grab a few packs of owner st66 5/0 trebles for the belly hooks and owner sj41 9/0 tail hooks connected with owner hyper wire size 11 split rings. A lot of brands make comparable equipment so shop around.

With 2 each of the halco and river2sea lures, this setup can be had for under $1000. You may get your ass kicked should you come across a big fella but it's a start. Just remember that if this becomes a sport you want to actively pursue, buying cheap stuff works out way more expensive in the long run as the gear will simply not stand up to much abuse.

My 2 cents.

[Alex Gomez]

Thanks Alex
Which fin nor offshore size were you referring too? The 9500.looks huge castability wise

Hi Sam, they all have heaps of drag but the smaller models should work fine for casting
OFS6500   400yds/50lb braid & 60lbs of Drag should do it!

The Saragosa SW is also an excellent reel but more money. Alan Hawk rates it very well for its waterproofing.

Alternately you might be able to snag a second hand reel from one of sites. many people buy reels for trips and have no use for them afterward if they live inland!

[Sam Phillips]

Cheers for the info guys I checked out the Shimano tcurve travel and demon blood travel today.. Probably going the tcurve which I know.is inferior for my trip but I'm actually hoping to hook a fish I cant get in as ive never had that yet in my fishing life.. Apparently gt's in Niue aren't as responsive to surface lures, its more mackerel,  mahi mahi and tuna etc that take them so we'll see what happens, ill still suss reel selection and spend some good money on lures and terminals.
In the end in.just happy to be throwing lures in an apparent beautiful place.. I'll save for the hardcore gt gear for a fishing only trip.

[Sam Phillips]

Oh and the main reason I'm going for a 3 piece travel rod is ill be in new Zealand then connecting to niue and the same coming back to oz so paying the oversize luggage for each flight is a pain.

[Mark Richie]

Fin Nor are good for their price but personally I would never consider throw lures for gt's witha real that costs $130. It costs that much for a reason and something will give. Even a smaller gt will find a weekness.