Newby - Popping tackle advice sought

[Matt Harvey]

http://www.pennreels.com/01_products/reels/conventional/06_gti/320ld.htm


I do have a Shimano 6500B which has this spec so I know it's on the boundary's of what I could get away with but what do you guys think if I coupled that with the Greys Popper and 65lb Tuf line XP ? http://www.baitnhook.net/shimanobaitrunnertriton6500bsaltwaterspinningreel.aspx

I also intend to take a lighter spinning outfit for mucking around in the shallows/flats.

Thanks in advance for your help

Matt

[Kasey Leong]

Hi Matt,
I have the Shimano baitrunner too, and will not recommend it for popping the Andamans. There are some good fish to be caught there, but I think the realistic limit of the 6500B is around the 30, maybe at most, 50lb line-class range.

With all those graphite-y bits, something is bound to crack once you put the pressure on. Provided you get enough drag out of it - that may be another problem.

Coupled with the weight and the 'clunkiness' of the handle, I strongly recommend you look at other alternatives such as the Saragosa - you may have a chance of getting away with that. Have a look on Ebay for the stellas too - you may be pleasantly surprised how much some vendors are selling the old Stellas for, once you convert it to GBP.

As for rod being secondary to the reel, I think in popping and jigging, the converse is true...

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Hi Matt. 30lb mono is about as heavy as you want to go on the Baitrunner. It is not built to handle braid and over time this will show as the nil stretch nature of braid will ruin your anti reverse among other things. I used to run these reels as well as a Thunnus 16000 a few years ago. The other thing to remember is that upgrading drags on reels that are not designed to be fished beyond a certain drag pressure means that you will only break the reel sooner. A proper casting rod is absolutely essential for this type of work.

[David Sharples]

[Matt Harvey]

Hi guys and thanks for your advice - apologies for not replying sooner but I had notifications turned off.

Anyway ...

I had my heart set on the Smith WRC 80P/35 Popping Special but recently realised that it's a one piece and 8ft! Not too practical for traveling which is when it will come out to play.

So now my preferred combo is looking like the Shimano T-curve GT special with the Shimano Saragosa 18000f with 65lb tuf line XP.

Now what I need is the best place to buy those items [any tips gratefully appreciated] - Campbell's pro tackle  www.campbellsprotackle.com  is looking like the most likely to have both but I'm a bit nervous about ordering it online as I would rather talk to someone on the phone first and will it arrive time (2oth dec)??

I also need to now buy a selection of lures and would appreciate some recommendations for some stock bankers, some current favorites and anything innovative/interesting.

Cheers

Matt

[David Noble]

You could look at an upgraded Sphero's which can do the job.
Might be one in the For Sale section here soon if I got around to taking a photo of mine!

I doubt you'd have any worries ordering online from these guys.

Cheers Dave

[Colin P]

Hi Matt,

Don't know if this helps but I have a WRC 80P/35 Popping Special and it is not a one piece rod. The butt section is around two feet long so you have a six feet section to consider re travelling.

I have used it to work 125g Cubera and 130g GT Mania poppers and 150g Wahoo and Ulua stickbaits. The rod has handled these lures and GT to 33kg - and I hooked and played a 150 plus pound shark on it, taking it to the max several times (see report "When its hot around the Musandam"). I reckon this rod is bullet proof and, if you are fairly new to popping, you may find it more forgiving than more powerful rods such as the Komodo Dragon.

The lures mentioned above are good value for money and they also seem to be bullet proof!

Cheers

Colin

[David Sharples]

Smith WRC 80P/35 is not 1 piece. Its an error on the APS site.

Mate seriously that is the stick to choose.

[Chris Young]

The WRC 80P/35 is also available as blank only which I think is one piece. Though I could be wrong.
Its a good idea to know what size, type and weight of lure you are planning to use before you decide on a rod, I personally think these things are more important than the line class. As Colin pointed out this rod casts these size lures well and can still put a good deal of hurt on a large fish.

[Matt Harvey]

Excellente ! 

Cheers for that - the Smith is back on 

[Janelle O'Connell]

This is where it gets tricky.  A lot of the Japanese rods will say they are one piece - when in fact they actually have a removable butt and we would call them two piece.  The WRC 80P/35 is as Colin said - one piece with removable butt so basically a two piece.

Cheers,

Janelle

[Matt Harvey]

BTW;  does anyone know if I can get the Smith from anywhere other than the states? - ideally from an Aussie supplier as the rate is much better right now for me ;o)

Ta

[Jay Burgess]

BTW;  does anyone know if I can get the Smith from anywhere other than the states? - ideally from an Aussie supplier as the rate is much better right now for me ;o)

Ta

Check out Australian Angling (http://www.australianangling.com.au/) for information on Smith dealers in Australia.

[Jon Li]

BTW;  does anyone know if I can get the Smith from anywhere other than the states? - ideally from an Aussie supplier as the rate is much better right now for me ;o)

Ta

JPY is strengthening against US$. while A$. is weakening against US$. , this amount to double whammies if one is paying in A$. for anything made in Japan .

Jon .

[Matt Harvey]

Jeez - this is confusing me now.

I've now changed my mind again after re-reading Luke's Shimano T-Curve GT special review and seeing the video of it in action - plus it has a 5 year warranty and is much cheaper than the Smith too.

The only place I can find it is Campbells pro tackle and I have no problem ordering that online but there is not even an email address where I can ask them if it will get shipped to me in time which is the piece of mind I need - or indeed if they even send these things overseas.

Sorry to ask for more help but I'm pulling my hair out and starting to panic a bit as well that I won't get all the gear in time...

Cheers

Matt