Shimano TCurve GT Special

[Stephen Polzin]

One on the Calstar.  Overall I wouldn't give up my Calstar as a PE6 rod, but for PE8 I reckon the T-Curve looks like great value.

[Tim Mitsopoulos]

Great little review Stephen and un biased . For someone like me starting out it would be hard to find a better rod in that price range.

[Luke Wyrsta]

Thanks for that Steve - seems to be some pretty consistant reports from other guys coming in that this is one of the best off the shelf popping rods they have ever used.

[Stephen Polzin]

Yeah the Shimano is a nice bit of gear.  I had a go with it and hooked a decent trev which unfortunately threw the hooks after a minute or so.  I got to feel it loaded up though and it's real good.  With all the good gear on it, I certainly haven't seen anything close for the money. 

[anthony rizzo]

Luke,

after checking out most rods, took your advice and purchased the shimano and it has been an absolute dream to use. From off the bank casting it is ideal and i agree you can not go wrong with one of these. have the stella 10000 on it and it is a bloody good set up.
Anyone looking to really get started chasing the bigger fish should definately invest in one of these rods! 

[Luke Wyrsta]

Great to hear mate - let us know when that big one slurps up your popper!

[Tim Mitsopoulos]

Luke,

after checking out most rods, took your advice and purchased the shimano and it has been an absolute dream to use. From off the bank casting it is ideal and i agree you can not go wrong with one of these. have the stella 10000 on it and it is a bloody good set up.
Anyone looking to really get started chasing the bigger fish should definately invest in one of these rods! 

Exact same set up i'm going for Anthony and this review has def sold me on this rod .
Luke do you have an item number for this rod , i'm calling up the tackle store to order one in for me.

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Does anyone have an idea as to how these stack up against a Caranx Kaibutsu Deep Monster? Specs look fairly close but I do not know how they compare in performance. The Surface Monster is a fairly grunty blank so the feedback would be interesting.

[Jon Li]

Does anyone have an idea as to how these stack up against a Caranx Kaibutsu Deep Monster? Specs look fairly close but I do not know how they compare in performance. The Surface Monster is a fairly grunty blank so the feedback would be interesting.

For you guys who want to try that particular Caranx Kaibutsu rods mentioned , check this :http://www.fishingkaki.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=116739

Jon .

[Tim Mitsopoulos]

Does anyone have an idea as to how these stack up against a Caranx Kaibutsu Deep Monster? Specs look fairly close but I do not know how they compare in performance. The Surface Monster is a fairly grunty blank so the feedback would be interesting.

Sachin what is the diffs between the Kaibutsu deep monster and surface monster and which one of these do you think is similar to the GT special as  you have mentioned both rods.

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Hi Tim, the Deep Monster is 8ft in length and the Surface Monster is 7ft 8 inches. They are both rated for PE 8 - 12 line and cast weights up to 300 gram.
Assuming the tip diameter is the same I would guess that the Surface Monster is a faster taper and in theory and faster action blank.
The GT Special is the same in length but the Deep Monster is rated to fish heavier lure weights and line classes (factory ratings on the rod at least).
I am in the process of ordering 2 Surface Monsters to join the Deep Monster I have but am looking at the relative performance of the T Curve and the Surface Monster before purchasing either.
Shimano say that the Surface Monster is meant more for shallow water situations where a fast recoil rod is needed to put the wood on the fish and stop them heading for cover. I suppose it may be a bit more macho than the Deep Monster as a stiffer rod means you have to fight a bit harder too but then again against a big GT in shallow water how much time do you really have?

[Tim Mitsopoulos]

That's a great , detailed explanation on those rods Sachin . I now understand the difference between the two.
Are you located in Australia because i don't think we can get the Kaibutsu rods down here, were have you ordered them from.
Would be interesting to note what the differences are between the deep monster and GT special , especially for the price diff.

[Jay Burgess]

Ok what about this guys, Shimano GT Special versus Daiwa GT 86? I own one of the latter but I haven't really been happy with it and am considering selling it and buying the Shimano.

[Brandon Khoo]

I had a look at this rod very recently and wad extremely impressed by the rod. It is immensely powerful and there is no doubt in my mind that you could load right up on this with 100 to 130lb braid.

The only downside to me of this rod is its weight. It appears to me that Ian Miller was of the view that the butt section of the rod needed to be very strong and this rod is built in an almost bullet proof way down low. That is the trade-off though. It is heavy compared to an equivalent Smith or Carpenter.

[Stephen Polzin]

How much does an equivalent Smith/Carpenter weigh Brandon?  I'll get my mate to put his GT special on the scales