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Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) => Tackle & Techniques => Topic started by: Bent Inge Bentsen on May 22, 2015, 07:50:35 AM
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Hi, I have booked a trip with Gamefishing Asia to the Andaman Islands in January 2016. The fishing will be a mixture of both popping and jigging. Except for a few hours in Panama I have never been popping before. I'm 175cm (5.7 feet) and weigh about 75kg. I will use lures of 120-160g, both poppers and stickbaits. Therefore I need a general purpose rod which handles both poppers and stickbaits. The rod will be matched with a Stella 10000 SWB. I know the gear ratio is not optimal for popping, but I bought it because most of the time it will be used for jigging in Norway. I'll probably buy a Stella 14000 or 18000 later if I will have more popping-trips. Brandon's guide to buying a GT rod was very helpful to read and I searched the forum to find out what rod to buy. Here are some suggestions by me:
- Ripple Fisher GT79 Reversal
- Ripple Fisher GT80 Reversal Nano
- Carpenter Monster Hunter 80H
- Carpenter DJ83MH
- Carpenter DJ83ML
- Carpenter Coral Viper 79/40
- Carpenter Coral Viper 79/35
- Black Hole Cape Cod Special 7.6 / 8 / 8.6 Graphite / Nano
- Saltywater Tackle Race Point rods
As mentioned I've got very little experience with popping so feel free to suggest other rods than what I mentioned. I've also found out that some of these rods are difficult to get, I guess its because of a limited production. Can I ask if a tacklestore that are dealer of f.ex. Ripple Fisher want to order a rod for me from the maufacturer (Ripple Fisher)?
Regards
Bent Inge
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In my experience, which is a relative newcomer to GT fishing, you should stay away from the real high end stuff. Although, if you buy quality to start you'll get back the investment if you don't like the rod.
Being your size, you are likely not going to be an overpowering angler. I would keep the rod under 8' and don't watch any videos of Sami landing #300 fish in 5 minutes, that will not be you. A good rod would be something like a Black Hole 7'6" Nano. The nano makes the feel soft and somewhat fore giving as opposed to the graphite version. It can do stickbaits or poppers just fine and will be half the cost of others on your list. It is a PE 6 rod in my opinion which should line up well with the reel you have.
Although the Andamans serves up some big fish, it is the quantity and variety that keep you casting. Most of my fishing there was done with 100-120 gram poppers and I was as successful as the rest of the anglers.
After your first trip you will know what "type" of rod you are looking for and can move on to "higher end" more specialized products.
For the record, I have an "affiliation"(read: friends with Kilsong) with Black Hole USA but have many rods from Carpenter, Temple Reef, Black Hole, MC Works....the rod I mentioned is a good all around mid-level rod.
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The first issue to deal with is the reel. Fishing for GTs with a 10000-sized reel is really not that easy. You can't get enough line on there unless you are going to fish PE6 and as a newcomer to this type of fishing, I would strongly counsel against you doing that. You need PE8 minimum unless you really know what you are doing.
The solution would be to buy an aftermarket 16000 (or 14000) spool and fit that to your 10000. That would give you enough capacity to fish PE8.
For the rod.. from your spec you want an all rounder to work 120-160 gram lures. If you can afford it go for a top quality rod. This will not only serve you better but also if you decide this type of fishing is not for you, then the better the rod, the better it will hold its value if you want to sell it later.
Given your spec I would look for a Carpenter Monster Hunter 80H as first choice. It may not be straightforward finding one at the moment though. You could also look at Ripple Fisher 79 Reversal to do a similar all round job and that should be easier to find.
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Hi Bent, you need to upgrade your spool so you can fish for GT properly as a beginner! I would get a SOM 16000 spool or upgrade to a 14kSWB or 18kSW/SWB.
Ripple Fisher GT80 Reversal Nano (I've owned the 79Reversal and its almost the same) or Carpenter Monster Hunter 80H are solid high-end choices.
However, you don't need to expensive, you could look at a Saltywater Tackle Race Point for instance, but i can't suggest a model...
EDIT: Seems Mark already beat me sorry for the double up!
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Thanks for all the replies! The Black Hole 7'6'' Nano looks like a suitable rod for me, and as you say it's half the price of some of the other rods. I've got a couple of Heru Cubera 150's and plan on buying some Orion Cono Cono poppers (160g), will this rod handle these as well? Or do I need the 8" Nano version to throw these poppers? How is the casting capability of the 7,6'' compared to the 8'' and 8,6'' ? I've used a Black Hole jigging rod for halibut, cod and coalfish for several years and are very pleased with it. The reason I added the more expensive rods was that they were recommended by others on this forum and that I want to buy a rod that is so good that I don't feel for buying a new rod after a couple of trips.
Gamefishing Asia recommends 80-100lb line for popping and 60-80lb line for jigging, therefore I was thinking to buy a 1500yd spool of Power Pro Super Slick 80lb and use it on both reels (Saragosa 10000SW for jigging). The diameter is 0,43mm which according to this https://www.facebook.com/MahigeerWS/posts/676602492364682 equals PE7. Do I need PE8 (100lb) for popping? And is PE8 suitable for jigging? The jigging rod will be a Black Hole Cape Cod 250g spinning.
I've read on this forum and on 360tuna.com that some people have had problems with aftermarked spools like SOM and Jigging Master, therefore I'm a bit sceptical. I guess if you suggest that I abolutely need more line capacity, that a 14000 SWB spool could be the solution. Will it fit the 10000 SWB reel without any problems/modifications?
Will the lower gear ratio of the 10000 SWB be a problem in popping? Or can I just reel a little bit faster?
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Thanks for all the replies! The Black Hole 7'6'' Nano looks like a suitable rod for me, and as you say it's half the price of some of the other rods. I've got a couple of Heru Cubera 150's and plan on buying some Orion Cono Cono poppers (160g), will this rod handle these as well? Or do I need the 8" Nano version to throw these poppers? How is the casting capability of the 7,6'' compared to the 8'' and 8,6'' ? I've used a Black Hole jigging rod for halibut, cod and coalfish for several years and are very pleased with it. The reason I added the more expensive rods was that they were recommended by others on this forum and that I want to buy a rod that is so good that I don't feel for buying a new rod after a couple of trips.
Gamefishing Asia recommends 80-100lb line for popping and 60-80lb line for jigging, therefore I was thinking to buy a 1500yd spool of Power Pro Super Slick 80lb and use it on both reels (Saragosa 10000SW for jigging). The diameter is 0,43mm which according to this https://www.facebook.com/MahigeerWS/posts/676602492364682 equals PE7. Do I need PE8 (100lb) for popping? And is PE8 suitable for jigging? The jigging rod will be a Black Hole Cape Cod 250g spinning.
I've read on this forum and on 360tuna.com that some people have had problems with aftermarked spools like SOM and Jigging Master, therefore I'm a bit sceptical. I guess if you suggest that I abolutely need more line capacity, that a 14000 SWB spool could be the solution. Will it fit the 10000 SWB reel without any problems/modifications?
Will the lower gear ratio of the 10000 SWB be a problem in popping? Or can I just reel a little bit faster?
Sorry for all the questions.
Here is a video I shot in the Andamans last year. Black Hole 7'6" Graphite with a Saltiga 5000(#80 JB hollow). This was after 3 days of fishing heavier gear and settling in on what worked best for me at that time. I would have been fishing the nano 7'6" but it got broken by a lure being thrown though it while in a rod holder. You can get a good idea of the action of the rod.
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Awesome video and fishing! The rod looks great, I think I'll order a 7.6'' Nano rod. Another thing to consider is that if something happens to the rod and it gets broken I have only lost half the money compared to a high-end rod. Sorry to hear that you're rod got broken in Andaman. Thanks again for the answer!
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Thanks for all the replies! The Black Hole 7'6'' Nano looks like a suitable rod for me, and as you say it's half the price of some of the other rods. I've got a couple of Heru Cubera 150's and plan on buying some Orion Cono Cono poppers (160g), will this rod handle these as well? Or do I need the 8" Nano version to throw these poppers? How is the casting capability of the 7,6'' compared to the 8'' and 8,6'' ? I've used a Black Hole jigging rod for halibut, cod and coalfish for several years and are very pleased with it. The reason I added the more expensive rods was that they were recommended by others on this forum and that I want to buy a rod that is so good that I don't feel for buying a new rod after a couple of trips.
Gamefishing Asia recommends 80-100lb line for popping and 60-80lb line for jigging, therefore I was thinking to buy a 1500yd spool of Power Pro Super Slick 80lb and use it on both reels (Saragosa 10000SW for jigging). The diameter is 0,43mm which according to this https://www.facebook.com/MahigeerWS/posts/676602492364682 equals PE7. Do I need PE8 (100lb) for popping? And is PE8 suitable for jigging? The jigging rod will be a Black Hole Cape Cod 250g spinning.
I've read on this forum and on 360tuna.com that some people have had problems with aftermarked spools like SOM and Jigging Master, therefore I'm a bit sceptical. I guess if you suggest that I abolutely need more line capacity, that a 14000 SWB spool could be the solution. Will it fit the 10000 SWB reel without any problems/modifications?
Will the lower gear ratio of the 10000 SWB be a problem in popping? Or can I just reel a little bit faster?
I will not comment any further on the rod as you seem to have made your mind up no the budget option.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with the SOM 16000 (or Nature Boys) 16000 spools. Cannot speak for the JM 16000 as I have not used it. I have caught a number of very big GTs on the SOM 16000s without them missing a beat. The stock 14000 Stella spool capacity is fine with PE8 just about.
If you are looking to buy a bulk spool of Spectra braid you might be better off with Jerry Brown 100 lb or Tufline than PowerPro. I have not used PowerPro for years but it used to be extremely unreliable.
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Thanks for the comment! The reason I suggested Power Pro was because I have used it for years without problems, although not as extreme as GT-fishing. I've heard people had problems with Power Pro many years ago, but I thought this was mostly because of fake line on ebay. I'll definitely check out Jerry Brown and Tufline.
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Awesome video and fishing! The rod looks great, I think I'll order a 7.6'' Nano rod. Another thing to consider is that if something happens to the rod and it gets broken I have only lost half the money compared to a high-end rod. Sorry to hear that you're rod got broken in Andaman. Thanks again for the answer!
I would take a little more time to consider the other 'budget' options available for a GT fishing rod whilst I cant confidently offer you a specific alternative; I just note that the Black Hole seems to be a Tuna rod and although perfectly usable; taper will be slower and more parabolic as a result, no?
If you are looking to buy a bulk spool of Spectra braid you might be better off with Jerry Brown 100 lb or Tufline than PowerPro. I have not used PowerPro for years but it used to be extremely unreliable.
Yes and Daiwa Boat Braid is another cheap option used by some for budget reasons but I would use JB regardless.
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I'm open to alternatives and any suggestions on rod. Also more expensive rods than Black Hole. The nano rods have a more parabolic action, is this negative in GT fishing? As I mentioned before is the reason I'm positve to Black Hole because I've got a Black Hole jigging rod. Is it Jerry Brown Line One hollow braid you recommend? Or is it the JB Solid braid?
Here is a link to the rod:
http://www.jignpop.com/black-hole-cape-cod-special-76n-rod-nano/
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Hi Bent,
I have the cape cod nano 8.0 and I use it for GT fishing all the time. Excellent rod for the price IMHO. It's a very nice first rod (7.6 or 8.0). Later you can upgrade based on your preference/style of fishing/size of poppers or stickbaits. The 8.0 does both stickbaits (up to 150g) and poppers (up to 130/140g) well.
I know there are mixed opinions about aftermarket spools, however I have the SOM and the JM 16000 and never faced any problems whatsoever.
Andaman is a nice place! You will have a blast of a trip!
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Thanks for the advice! I'm really looking forward to the trip to Andaman :)
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Bent,
You need to fish PE8 (100lb) for decent sized GTs. PE6 (80lb) is doable if you're an experienced GT fisherman but only in the right place at the right time. You can use the 10000SWB fine but you'll need to get a bigger spool as the guys have suggested.
In my experience, there are only two budget rods I've seen cope with big fish and would recommend either of them to anybody. The Race Point line (the 200 is the choice imho) and Hots, particularly the 77XH or the 79XH. I've seen both do great jobs on +50kg fish. I saw the 77XH put a 45kg fish on the deck yesterday, admittedly in the hands of a good angler. The Hots is also a great rod for lighter guys as it's physically light and very forgiving, the RP is less forgiving and is ideal for anglers who like to sit on a fish with high drag settings.
Don't get too carried away by length of the rod and casting distance. Yes it's important....eventually. Most beginners I've seen have read that an +8ft rod casts better and end up very frustrated when their spanking new distance machine is a fizzer. Learn how to load up a rod properly with 150g lures and then make you're own mind up as to what suits and what doesn't.
Regards,
Trev
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Thanks for the input on rods. I'm thinking on maybe buying the Jigging Master 2014 Monster spool 16000. Seems to me that the SOM only has 16000 spools for the SW reels and not the SWB.
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Yes they do Bent,
See my Stella 14000 with SOM 16000 spool and my Stella 10000 with JM 16000
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Sorry, my mistake. Does the SOM spool fit both SW and SWB? Are the JM and SOM spools equally good?
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SOM makes spools for both, SW and SWB.
JM and SOM, both worked equally well for me so far!
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Thanks for the info, I think I'll go for JM then.
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Hey Bent,
Have you thought about Temple Reef?
Maybe ask Dan Konig a member here i think.
Super great rods but not as pricey as the over hyped Carp. (own one my self)and Ripple Fisher(again own one) rods.
Temple Reef Big Bertie are my new favorite popper rod , got a 50 kg GT this April with NoBoundaries.
Michael
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Hey, thanks for the advice. Temple Reef GT 80-10 seems interesting, I'll definitely consider it as well.
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Hey, thanks for the advice. Temple Reef GT 80-10 seems interesting, I'll definitely consider it as well.
Hey Bent,
The GT stick series of Temple Reef rods are quite an old design. Despite being cheaper, I feel the Reefer series of rods are a much better and more forgiving rod on the angler. Something like the Reefer 711 will pretty much suit your brief however 150g poppers are pushing it a little too far. 125g-135g is the perfect popper weights. It will throw and work 150g poppers like the cubera but for the first 15-20m of your retrieve, use the vertical pop until you get the lure a little closer and then you can do big horizontal sweeps for maximum water displacement. It'll throw and work 150g stickbaits awesomely. Every time I throw out my red Nomad Dogtooth 150g, the fish are fighting each other to get a hold of it!
I subscribe by the 15% rule when it comes to lure weights. Subtract 15% off the maximum lure weight for the perfect stickbait size and then subtract 15% off that weight for the perfect popper size. Therefore a 200g rated rod will throw and work a 170g-175g stick best and still be able to pop a 145g-150g popper efficiently. However I only follow this rule when the rod is classified as a multi-purpose rod. Obviously a dedicated popper rod rated at 200g will be able to work a popper 175g+ due to it's inherently stiffer construction.
Rich
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Hey, thanks for the advice. Temple Reef GT 80-10 seems interesting, I'll definitely consider it as well.
Hey Bent,
The GT stick series of Temple Reef rods are quite an old design. Despite being cheaper, I feel the Reefer series of rods are a much better and more forgiving rod on the angler. Something like the Reefer 711 will pretty much suit your brief however 150g poppers are pushing it a little too far. 125g-135g is the perfect popper weights. It will throw and work 150g poppers like the cubera but for the first 15-20m of your retrieve, use the vertical pop until you get the lure a little closer and then you can do big horizontal sweeps for maximum water displacement. It'll throw and work 150g stickbaits awesomely. Every time I throw out my red Nomad Dogtooth 150g, the fish are fighting each other to get a hold of it!
I subscribe by the 15% rule when it comes to lure weights. Subtract 15% off the maximum lure weight for the perfect stickbait size and then subtract 15% off that weight for the perfect popper size. Therefore a 200g rated rod will throw and work a 170g-175g stick best and still be able to pop a 145g-150g popper efficiently. However I only follow this rule when the rod is classified as a multi-purpose rod. Obviously a dedicated popper rod rated at 200g will be able to work a popper 175g+ due to it's inherently stiffer construction.
Rich
Bent; I've never bent a Temple Reef rod, but sources tell me that the Reefers are superior to the GT series design; if you are going with that brand.
Rich; loving the solid advice and effort you have put in to help new people out around here. Thank you for getting into it!
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Thanks for the info Mark and Amr. It's definitely a lot of great rods availiable!
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Bent,
Just get the Carpenter Monster Hunter 80 or Ripple Fisher GT80 Reversal. Trust me, you will not regret the purchase. Why spend $400-500 on a rod, only to upgrade later to a $900-1000 model? Considering you're travelling all the way to the Andamans, it's a small investment upgrade. Trust me, you will become addicted to this style of fishing! Just my opinion.....
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Thanks for the input Dan. Both rods you mention seems to be well suited for me and very popular. As I mentioned earlier I want to buy a rod that I don't need to upgrade after a trip or two. I tried jigging and popping in Panama a couple of years ago, so guess I've already started on the addiction :) We have great fishing here in Norway, but it can't be compared with the strength and speed of fish in the tropics.
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If you are near Oslo in the future, give me a call. We can hit a pond and test a couple of gt rods, reels and lures.
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Thanks Martin, that would have been great :)
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Carpenter Monster Hunter 80H just appeared on the Plat.co.jp webshop. Will be sold out quickly for sure.
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I have now ordered a Ripple Fisher GT80 Reversal Nano and a Jigging Master 16000 spool plus a lot of other popping- and jigginggear. Thanks to all of you for the good advice. I think this rod will suit me well.
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Good choice. I have a RF Gt79 reversal.
I like it a lot.
Best regards,
Arnout.
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Thanks, looking forward to test it :)
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I have now ordered a Ripple Fisher GT80 Reversal Nano and a Jigging Master 16000 spool plus a lot of other popping- and jigginggear. Thanks to all of you for the good advice. I think this rod will suit me well.
Good choice.
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I have now ordered a Ripple Fisher GT80 Reversal Nano.......
Has anyone used one of these yet?
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I have now ordered a Ripple Fisher GT80 Reversal Nano.......
Has anyone used one of these yet?
I have bent it but havent cast it. I used to own the GT79R. This is lighter and a very, very similar action not sure if it has the same guide problems as the 711 though
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How about the JM 16000 spool. Has anyone had problems with it?
My local sport fishing tackle store owner told me not to go near them because the overall quality of them has gone down hill lately. Can anyone verify his claims? He didn't state individual issues but more that on a whole, it's not comparable to SOM anymore.
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What's the guide problem on the 711?
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Dan,
There has been some discussion regarding the number and placement of the guides.
Evidently the stripping guide is quite a long way up the blank since the rod only uses 6 guides rather than the more usual 7 causing the line to slap against the blank on the cast.
I've not actually seen or used one to be able to confirm this though and some users have reported that it's not a problem.
Regards,
Trev
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I can confirm it Trevor. On the 711 Nano the stripper guide is way, way too far from the reel line roller and this causes line to slap hard on the blank every cast and numerous wraps around the stripper. Maybe some people do not mind that but I certainly do...... you lose distance and so many casts are a complete waste of energy as the line wraps on the stripper guide.
It is incredibly disappointing to pay a lot money for a rod from a rod maker who should know what they are doing and then have to re-build it.
I do not know if the 80R Nano suffers from the same fault.
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One of the european Ripple Fisher dealers will get in a shipment of rods about two weeks from now. I have reserved one GT80 Reversal Nano rod, it has not been sent to me. I've just sent a mail to them and asked if they know if the GT80 Nano has the same problem as the 711 Nano. After looking at pictures of the GT79 Reversal it seems to me that this rod also has 6 guides, is it the same problem with this rod? Do you know if Ripple Fisher still produce the GT79 Reversal rod? Maybe this could be a better rod for me than the GT80 Nano. If any of you have tested the GT80 Nano rod it would be great to get some feedback if it got the same problem as the 711 Nano or not. I don't want to use a lot of money an a rod that has a problem from the beginning.
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my Big Bertie, Ultimo 79h and Carp. SP 80 all have 6 guides and i never had issues with the stripper guide
So perhaps the stripper guide is just placed to long from the reel
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I got an answer from the Ripple Fisher dealer, he got one GT80 Nano rod himself and have not had any problems on the guides. According to him it's an awesome rod.
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Hi all,
Not a reversal , but
A friend of mine have a Ultimo Nano 710h , casting frequently with no issues .
Pairing with a dogfight 8000h , pe10 smp.
Cheers !
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I have 3 Ripple Fisher rods, and they all have 6 guides, to include the "older" GT79R (2012-13 model), Ultimo79H, and the new GT 80X Nano. I haven't used the Nano, but have no problems with the others. I too wonder if the stripping guide is just "too far" away from the reel seat? Also, is there a difference between using a Stella vs. Saltiga, since line leaves the spools of each at a different angle? Of course, reel choice shouldn't matter, just wondering.....
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I have 3 Ripple Fisher rods, and they all have 6 guides, to include the "older" GT79R (2012-13 model), Ultimo79H, and the new GT 80X Nano. I haven't used the Nano, but have no problems with the others. I too wonder if the stripping guide is just "too far" away from the reel seat? Also, is there a difference between using a Stella vs. Saltiga, since line leaves the spools of each at a different angle? Of course, reel choice shouldn't matter, just wondering.....
Obviously, much depends on the length of the rod Dan.
You bring up a good point regarding reels. This is most relevant after Shimano changed the angle of the reel stem on the Stella SWB. I thought that might be the reason why the line slaps on the blank on the 711 Powerfight nano when using a Saltiga Expedition or a 2009 Stella (the Expedition is the worst in this respect as the line roller is furthest from the stripper guide). But having fitted a friend's SWB 18000 to the rod, the problem does not go away.
Quite simply, and IMHO and that of every other angler and rod builder I have spoken to about this, the stripper guide is way too far up the rod.
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My "older" Ultimo 79H and new GT 80X Nano have nearly identical placement of the stripping guide from the reel seat; they might differ by a few millimeters.
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I have tested the GT80 Reversal Nano rod and have not experienced that the line slap on the blank or wrap around the stripping guide. I've used a Shimano Stella SWB 10000 reel with it. Ripple Fisher recommends lures from 100-150g and it seems to me to be correct. I've tried poppers from 80 to 175g. I've attached a picture of the fishing equipment I will bring to the Andaman, feel free to comment. Loooking forward to test the rod on fish :)
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Hi Mark
I believe from what u wrote it seems that you are experiencing the line slapping issue as a first person. That indeed is disappointing with a top dollar stick. I was gunning for this rod too. Now this has made me more cautious.
Cheers
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I try to choose between 2 rods : Ultimo 710H UG710H Swim Nano and UCB78EXT-H for Poppers 130-170gr. Want to pair it with 14000 Saltiga for Oman trip. As I understand, FCL rod is more universal than RF ? Line pe8. Which rod is more suitable?
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I never had the line slapping issues discussed, and I watched my line during the casts. I went to Oman for my first time last month. For me, the FCL Labo UCB 81-H was a great "big" swimbait rod. Casts great and handled the Bigfoot 220 well. For poppers in the 150-160gm range, i used an FCL Labo UCB 711-H, and it worked great. Used mostly Amegari Dzanga 230 50cup.
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Thank you for your expert opinion, I was thinking about fcl 81 ext MH, but understood that it has the softer tip than H model, which should be better for poppers,I assumed that this rule also works for a shorter model.... UCB 78 extreme H, but from google I found that 78EXT H is the stickbait model and at the same moment I found this rod: 81 EXT MH -POP with description that this should work good with poppers., most likely it's just a different model than 81 EXT MH ?
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I never had the line slapping issues discussed, and I watched my line during the casts. I went to Oman for my first time last month. For me, the FCL Labo UCB 81-H was a great "big" swimbait rod. Casts great and handled the Bigfoot 220 well. For poppers in the 150-160gm range, i used an FCL Labo UCB 711-H, and it worked great. Used mostly Amegari Dzanga 230 50cup.
Do you probably mean FCL 710H which has 300gr test ? Or RF Gt711 ?
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Vadim,
From what I've heard, The FCL UCB 81-MH is a very good PE8 rod geared more for stickbaits, but should be fine for "smaller" poppers around 125gm, maybe larger. I might actually get one since all my current rods are PE10. If you want an "all-rounder" PE10 rod, the heavier tip of the UCB 81-H is an excellent choice. It worked 150-160gm poppers no problem. I think its an excellent rod for S. Oman fish.
Yes, in my previous post I erroneously called the UCB 710-H a "UCB 711-H". I've heard good things about the Ripple Fisher 711 Powerfight too!
You may know that the Yamaga Blanks company makes the Ripple Fisher brand, and FCL Labo uses the Yamaga blanks. In my opinion, Ripple Fisher and FCL rods are neck and neck in build quality and components.
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Vadim,
From what I've heard, The FCL UCB 81-MH is a very good PE8 rod geared more for stickbaits, but should be fine for "smaller" poppers around 125gm, maybe larger. I might actually get one since all my current rods are PE10. If you want an "all-rounder" PE10 rod, the heavier tip of the UCB 81-H is an excellent choice. It worked 150-160gm poppers no problem. I think its an excellent rod for S. Oman fish.
Yes, in my previous post I erroneously called the UCB 710-H a "UCB 711-H". I've heard good things about the Ripple Fisher 711 Powerfight too!
You may know that the Yamaga Blanks company makes the Ripple Fisher brand, and FCL Labo uses the Yamaga blanks. In my opinion, Ripple Fisher and FCL rods are neck and neck in build quality and components.
Thank you, Ill probably stick with 710-H for poppers in Oman but I still want to understand the difference between UCB-81 Extreme MH Pop and just UCB-81 EXTREME MH.
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Vadim,
The specs and rating of the two rods are very similar, but their tapers are somewhat different. You can contact Duncan O'Connell at Fishead for specifics. I would venture to say there's a lot of overlap in their function, i.e. you could use either one for stickbaits or poppers of the appropriate sizes. I believe the mid-section of the 81-MH Pop is a bit stiffer than the 81-MH stickbait model.
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Hi,
I try to choose between 2 rods : Ultimo 710H UG710H Swim Nano and UCB78EXT-H for Poppers 130-170gr. Want to pair it with 14000 Saltiga for Oman trip.
Why is it called "...swim..."?
Is it a stickbait/swimbait/... version? Ripplefisher has a table with suitable cup sizes of poppers for their (popping) rods, which might be helpful.
I think for (yellowfin)tuna they fish poppers there. For GTs it's poppers and stickbaits.
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Hi,
I try to choose between 2 rods : Ultimo 710H UG710H Swim Nano and UCB78EXT-H for Poppers 130-170gr. Want to pair it with 14000 Saltiga for Oman trip.
Why is it called "...swim..."?
Is it a stickbait/swimbait/... version? Ripplefisher has a table with suitable cup sizes of poppers for their (popping) rods, which might be helpful.
I think for (yellowfin)tuna they fish poppers there. For GTs it's poppers and stickbaits.
FCL Labo 710 should be the ultimate Popping rod(pe10 line and up to 300gr test). Ripplefisher 711 is the different rod, I don't know if they use same blanks.