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Topwater Caranx Ignobilis: Giant Trevally (GT) => Tackle & Techniques => Topic started by: Nick Bowles on September 28, 2012, 05:11:42 PM
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There has been some great posts and comments over the last while about tackle and set ups and different gear. It has really made me think about what I have and how I do things. It has also got me excited for the next few months as I have been playing and sorting out tackle for the last week or two. I have been waiting for the weather to drop in Southern Oman to head down to our place on the islands to start the season. But finally the monsoon winds are dying down and it is time to start fishing! But I have also started packing so I thought that I would take a few pictures as I go along as to what I pack, take and use on a trip. This is my equipment and I obviously am biased towards my relationship with brands like Carpenter, Hots, Shout, Shimano etc. But I thought it might help a few people in the future. Also might also be an opportunity to get some good feedback and new ideas.
I've got a great few months ahead with trips to Hallaniyat Islands Southern Oman, Musandam Northern Oman, Socotra, Sudan, Tanzania, Andaman, Maldives, Seychelles, USA, South Africa etc, so packing and traveling is going to be very important to make the trips successful. I tend to travel very heavy and try to take as much as possible. I always believe in the saying one is none and two is one! So always try and back things up or have a game plan if something breaks or gets lost. Out in the middle of now where you not going to get any help.
For the packing now I'm going to be driving down in our truck to Southern Oman so I'm pretty much taking everything I want to test or play with so this is not a normal situation where air travel is involved.
Firstly the main thing I pack first are my reels. I always make sure the reels are serviced and spooled with leaders ready for action straight away. No point in wasting time when you get to your location in spooling reels, tying leaders etc. Prepare all this before hand.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_3624.jpg)
For this trip I'm taking a lot of my reels and I'm taking my big reels bag. I'm taking Stella 20K (PE8) for heavy jigging, 2 x Stella 18K (PE8 and PE10) both to be rigged one with a stickbait and one with a popper, Stella 10K (PE6) for medium popping and stickbaits, Stella 8K (PE6) for jigging and back up for Stella 10K, Stella 5K (PE2) for light tackle spinning, Stradic 6K (PE3) as a medium spinning reel, Stradic 5K (PE2 as a back up for the light tackle.)
Then I also take a spare spool for each sized reel instead of taking spare lines on plastic spools. This helps with saving time and also you can change your lines and spools in a very quick time. I find taking loads on spare line on plastics spools ends up taking space and also a lot of the time spools break and are a mess. I also take spares for the reels from spare handles to washers to bearings. Also have reel oil so you can do some running repairs if required.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_3625.jpg)
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The reel bag I use is a WFO bag which was designed for 30-50W trolling reels but works amazingly for spinning reels. I fit all my reels comfortably in this bag. Each reel has its own compartment and sits snug in the bag and does not move so can travel in cars, boats, planes etc. The bag is big so I tend to only take this when I'm traveling in Oman. If I travel Internationally I tend to use a big roller bag and pack both reels and clothes into the bag.
I'll carry on the packing and update shortly.
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Second thing I normally pack are my rods. I feel like once I have the rods and reels packed then I'm half way to finishing packing. These are the bulk expensive items and need to be packed properly and to also make sure you can fit everything in to the bags, tubes etc.
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For this trip I'm taking a lot of rod to test and also to try out along with my good old favourites. I've also got a few rods that clients wanted to borow or test. I'm taking a few Carpetners WV80XH, MH80H and EP85/36, Race Point 200 Custom, RP200 and RP250, Hots 77XXXH, 711MH, MC works SB556, SB 546JS, Shimano Aerocast 240XH, Saltywater Tackle OBX500, Assasin 11ft Shore Game, Should be enough to keep us happy! One of the most important parts of traveling with rods is to make sure they all have rod covers. I have broken many rods by not using rod covers and putting them into tubes and then pushing another rod through the guide and breaking etc.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_3634.jpg)
Once I have all the rods together I'm going to take then I use rod straps to put all the rods together in a compact bunch so they don't move. I also use the rod straps on trips to take my rods to the boats in the morning, it makes it easy to carry and also safer for the rods as you don;t have them sticking out all over like a porcupine! Then they are also useful for holding rods in place on the boat under canopies, along railings etc.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_3636.jpg)
With the rod straps they rods fit nicely into the rod tube. I mainly use a Sportstube as it is easy to put the rods in and also takes a lot of rods.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_3638.jpg)
First tube ready to go! I use a combination lock from Sportstube that is TWA approved so airports can open and check without cutting off locks and not able to close the tube again.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_3640.jpg)
I also use a Carmate if I don;t have to many rods, but I find it a bit frustrating putting rods into this tube. For this trip I have a few to many rods so will use both tubes.
Ok now onto lures, jigs, terminal tackle etc. This is where the fun and games start!
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Some nice insights there Nick and I am sure there are more to come :).
One tip - you will a lot more rods in a Carmate (or any for that matter) tube, if you wrap as a nicely organised set in bubble wrap and get rid of the bulky rod socks. I bubble wrap the set of rods and then strap them. I can get 8 casting rods in a Carmate by doing that. Keeping the rod socks on takes up loads of extra room and you cannot use the space efficiently.
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Hi Mark, Thought it would be an idea to pack and try get it on camera so can see what I do and maybe get some suggestions or help a few others. It is also making me pack everything out as I do get lazy sometimes and not check everything 100%. It is a lot more gear and heavier than normal as I'm driving down but thought it is a start and before my next International trip will do another with less gear.
Great idea about the bubble wrap. I'll give it a go and see how it works out. Only trick is not to loose the bubble wrap! I prefer the Sportstube as it is easier to get the rods in and out as you load from the top, but the Carmate is a great tube if you can fit the rods easiely. But hope the bubble wrap will make it easier.
Hope your prep for SO is going well and you ready. Looks like the weather is coming down nicely from Sunday for a few days, so will be nice and calm, hopefully some big fish around and hungry!
Cheers,
Nick
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One of the hardest things to do is choose lures, colours, sizes etc. Now I personally think all the weird and wonderful colours, shapes etc are mainly to catch fisherman but to be honest I love lures and have way to many but they make me happy!!! So when I comes to lures and jigs I tend to take to many but over the years I have reduced the number down as normally you wont loose to many, but then again in Southern Oman we have had 10 lures lost in a day! But on average I work on taking 8 stickbaits and 6 poppers for the heavy gear. For Jigs I aim to take about 10 jigs normally.
For this trip I have taken quite a large range to try out to see what the fish are feeding on and also colours.
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Stickbaits, I'm using a lot of Carpenter, Siren, ASWB and OA (Heru) Stickbaits. These are going to be my main lures due to this is what we have in the shop, but also because I now that they all work in our conditions. I tend to mainly use 150gr+ stickbaits for casting distance but also for a large profile in the water. Most of the time for GTs I recon the bigger the better. Also for Southern Oman we are catching the fish in shallow watyer but the fish have come from deeper water and there are a lot of red/orange coloured reef fish like emperors, snapper etc so I tend to use pink, red, orange and silver.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_3648.jpg)
Poppers are the main lure for Southern Oman at the start to middle of the season. The fish are spread out more and not spawning but rather feeding in a wider area and also we need to find them so i find poppers work well. I'm starting to like darker poppers as they give a better profile from under and most of the GT come directly off the bottom ala Great White style. I find for poppers we used to fish as big as possible but I think the best size popper is about 150gr as they are easy to cast, still give a big bloop but easier to fish for long periods.
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I would normally only take the Shout Water Case which I use for taking all my lures on the boat everyday and the lure wrap which has all my spare lures. But for this trip I'm taking a Pelican type case with all spare lures, tackle, etc. A lot of the time I will end up taking extra tackle in case clients loose tackle or don;t have the right tackle so I have plenty spare. The lure wrap I normally use is the Black Magic Marline Lure bag which is light weight and fits plenty lures.
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Jigs are obviously an issue and take up a heap of weight. I normally take about 10 jigs on a trip. For this trip for the AJs we tend to use long jigs from Shout, Hots, Smith etc and mainly in the Pink, Organe, Red etc as again the AJs are feeding on red fish like sea bream. The shorter broader jigs we normally use as a search jig when we trying to find anything!
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I have started using the Shout jig Sleeves as they are great and you can fit enough jigs into one or two for a whole trip. I used to take a proper jig bag but I ended up taking about 10kg of jigs all the time! I normally use the sleeves and then put them at the bottom of my deck bag which is the Shout Jigger Bag and it fits nicely and also holds the bag in place on the boat and does not slide around to much.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_3659.jpg)
Pelican case taking all the spare gear and jigs.
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Hi Mark, Thought it would be an idea to pack and try get it on camera so can see what I do and maybe get some suggestions or help a few others. It is also making me pack everything out as I do get lazy sometimes and not check everything 100%. It is a lot more gear and heavier than normal as I'm driving down but thought it is a start and before my next International trip will do another with less gear.
Great idea about the bubble wrap. I'll give it a go and see how it works out. Only trick is not to loose the bubble wrap! I prefer the Sportstube as it is easier to get the rods in and out as you load from the top, but the Carmate is a great tube if you can fit the rods easiely. But hope the bubble wrap will make it easier.
Hope your prep for SO is going well and you ready. Looks like the weather is coming down nicely from Sunday for a few days, so will be nice and calm, hopefully some big fish around and hungry!
Cheers,
Nick
Give the bubble wrap idea a go and let me know how it works for you :) . Somewhere I have some photos I took of the process of interlocking the guides on the rods to get a tightly bunched efficient pack. If I find, I will post them.
Many thanks for the best wishes..... I truly appreciate that. All prep done and off to the airport tomorrow morning. ;) . I hope your group also has a fine time. News from yesterday indicates massive top-water action around the islands.
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Nick,
I notice you haven't got an abalone Hammerhead popper.
Regards,
Trevor
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Hi Mark, Will give it a try with the bubble wrap, we have a huge roll in the shop so can try a few different ways. Thinking as you said if you can interlink the end rod sections and then bubble wrap so they don't move then maybe can fit in a heap of rods. K guides are normally the guides that cause a few problems. Also maybe put the rod butt section in your check in luggage? Good to hear you already for the trip, it'll be a good one. The local commercial guys are catching up to a ton a day of blacktip, yellowdot trevally along with emperor AJs etc. The guys have said they have also seen some big GTs. The locals are chumming the shallow pinnacles with sardines bringing in the fish, quite an amazing sight and really good fun fishing mainly light tackle! Can't wait to get down there! You guys will have a blast! Also appreciate the wishes!
Hi Trevor! I can't give away all the secrets!! You must be careful when I see that Abalone Hammerhead on your rod we might just ease in to one of the 2-3m spots??
Cheers,
Nick
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Ok now getting onto the terminal tackle and all the small toyz that make my life a lot easier.
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Hooks especially trebles are always a problem and I have tried every which way and never had a good solution. But I did like Dmitriis solution and treble box which i think I'll try when I can find the box. But I tend to hang onto hooks especially Decoys, GT Recorders etc for quite a while as they are hard to get. But I usually always take back up Owner ST76 mainly but some St66 for the lighter gear.
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I use a basic small square plastic container to throw all my hooks in there that I'm going to use for the day. I put the plastic container in the boat box for the day. Then I have a toiletry bag that I store all the hooks in the packs or loose hooks as the sides are cushioned. Also the toiletry bag has 2 zips on either side that you can put in packs of split rings, jigging hooks etc.
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I use a few different leaders depending on what we fishing for but I tend to take all of the leaders in my box. I use Momoi Hi Catch 300lbs for the heavy popping, Fisherman 220lbs for most popping and jigging if we are not in very shallow water, Double X 120lbs soft fluro for jigging, Double X 80lbs for medium tackle popping, small sticks etc and Fisherman 50lbs and Seaguar 30lbs Fluro for light tackle. All of these can fit in my mesh bag except for the Hi Catch so it is stored easily.
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Split rings and swivels are always a headache and easy to loose, I use a Versus Split Ring box and works amazinlly well. I also use a small pill box to keep small split rings and swivles so they are easy to get to but also if I'm fishing light tackle I just need to take this small box instead of a Versus box. But I also carry spare split rings and swivels just in case a client or myself looses a heap. Again I keep this in my mesh bag.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_3671.jpg)
Ok this is my favorite bag in the World. It is a mesh bag from Sansui and stores all my bits and pieces. These include in the picture: Leader, Split ring box, small split ring box, 2 x knives, PE Line pullers (best thing ever!), Bouz lighter 9second best thing ever!), Abel lube kit, knife sharpner, sun block, head lamp, 2 x gloves, Accurate all use pliers, PE scissors, pin for fishing belt, small split ring pliers, small screw driver with inter changable heads, Fisherman side cutters with crimp pliers, PR bobbin, Duo split ring pliers, reel strap, MC Works rod belt (can be used to seperate rods, strap a sore wrist and tie rods together), Leatherman and packet with reel oil, super glue and drag washers. All of that in one small washable bag!!
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This is the Shout Jigger Bag that I use on the box. It is dry and stores most on my gear for the day.
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I normally put my leaders in the bottom so i can get to them easily instead of the mesh bag
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I also put the mesh bag with all my tools along with my plastic box of hooks.
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I also put in a heap of lures or jigs II'm going to use for the day with my fishing belt plus there is a side pocket on the box which I use for keeping my jigging hooks and assist cord. If I need more spare then I take out the gloves and fishing belts and put these attached to the outside shoulder strap and then I can put a heap more lures or jigs and don;t have to take the Water Case of lures if we are short for space.
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One of the most important parts of packing is taking the cameras to get the pictures of the holiday or trip! I have tried a heap of different cameras and set ups but I have found that this suits me best. I would prefer to take a pelican case and keep all the gear inside but this is not possible and I would rather take more tackle.
(http://i226.photobucket.com/albums/dd127/NickDubai/IMG_0457.jpg)
I use a normal camera backpack that I bought with the camera, it is not water proof but does have a splash cover that you can pull over the whole backpack. If I have enough space then I take the backpack and usually have my Canon 50D, 10-20mm lens, 70-300mm lens, Go Pro, Olympus Waterproof Camera and then spare batteries and cards for all of the cameras. You will be surprised how often you run out of batteries or you don;t have charging facilities. I also have a small tripod if I'm fishing on my own to take pictures especially shore fishing, pus also 2 walkie talkies that I keep in my camera bag so to have comms over short distances.
I also have a waterproof compression bag that i use if I'm on the boat and there is not much space, then I'll use this bag with the 50D wrapped in a towel and leave the backpack behind, but you have to be careful not to bump the camera and also putting wet hands inside the bag as there is no ventilation and humidity can form inside the bag.
Well I think thats about it for today, tomorrow I'm going to finish off my clothes, first aid, etc, so if I have the time before we leave I'll post the last bit. Hope this has been a bit helpful.
Cheers,
Nick
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Nice break down Nick!
Just taken a kilo of jigs out of my luggage as I am overweight ...!
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Hi Alex, I have plenty jigs, just added a few more in case. Otherwise I have given a heap of stock to Damon who will be keeping poppers, stickbaits, jigs, hooks, swivels etc down on the island if you need anything half way through the trip and I don't have any left.
Cheers,
Nick
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Great info :)
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Great info :)
for sure, almost as fun to read as a fishing report, thanks for taking the time!
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Thanks Martin and Gary, thought it would be good fun to pack everything out. It actually did me a load of good as I saw I had a heap of stuff that was not needed for the trip down South. Just got a few things to sort out today like the first aid kit and clothes so will try post a bit later once done.
Cheers,
Nick
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That is a fantastic breakdown Nick with some great tips. I particularly like those shout jig sleeves, they seem a much more efficient way of packing that what I use currently. Many thanks.
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Hi Wayne, the jig sleeves are great and work well, the only thing is that obviously you get some jigs which are to long and cause a bit of an issue closing the flap at the top but nothing serious. They are also good as they fit perfectly in the bottom of my jigger box so everything is nice and neat. I have also used the Hots Jig Pouch which you put all the jigs together in one pouch but found for traveling you need to wrap the jigs to protect them.
Cheers,
Nick
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Nick,
Don't forget the defibrillator......
Oh and the portable massage table.
Regards,
Trevor
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Trevor did not realise you give massages...........Sure the guys will appreciate this!
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Hi Nick, thanks for taking the time to document everything. That info will come in handy in the future.
Can you tell me how that saltywater rp200 is as a GT rod. I thought if them mOre as tuna rods. I'm also on the look out for a new Lbg stick and was curious as to whether you had any input on that 11' assassin?
Thanks again Nick. Cheers!
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Nick I also just purchase a sports tube rod case in preparation for my first "overseas" GT trip in Vanuatu next Month. Whilst I already have a lot of the gear sorted, there are always just those few extra great tips that make a difference. I was in Muscat in August catching up with a mate but unfortunately could only fit in a few nights and so no fishing. Planning to get back in the next 12 Months and will be looking forward to joining a charter with you then. Keep up the posts. :)
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Nick
You keep going the way you are going and you will end with as much tackle as this guy. I wonder what his wife thought about it?
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I have a fishing buddy that has one of zane's split cane game rods
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I agree with Mark on packing the rods. I get the longest rod and lay it on a flat surface. Then take the next longest and put it tip to butt with the other rod so the tips are within the ends of the butts. This protects the tips against sliding and hitting the end of the tube. I use rubber bands over the guides and around the rods to get the guides to align together to make the smallest possible profile / X-section. Keep adding rods and do trials to make sure it all slides into the tube. I use rod wraps to wrap the tips to the butts.
It turns into a bit of a puzzle but you can fit a lot of rods in one tube this way. I buy the straight round foam floats you see in swimming pools and cut it in sections and as I slide the rods in the tube I stuff the foam in with it so there is no impact on the guides during travel.
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Hi nick great info mate, funny i was looking through the site to try and get an idea of what people pack as i am New to the world of overseas trips to jig and pop but extremmly keen to get started and plan a trip in the not to distant future.
once again great info mate top job!!
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Nick
Great thread and post mate... but I must say, thats not packing for a trip, that is packing for an expedition!!!! 8) ;D ;)
Fantastic advise, thanks for sharing.
If I may add one additonal tit bit...
I do much like Mark and Brian with regards to packing rods, but to add more protection, and save space I do the following:
I prep all the rods as per Brain and Mark's advice and use either masking tape or elastic bands to bind them together in groups of 2 or 3 or 4, depdning on the rod ( I usually have a mix of jigging, popping, plastics and ultra light rods ) but keep the butts from butt joint rods separate. Most of my jigging rods are 1 piece models anyway, so its just the heavier popping rods which have the separate butt sections.
I also use the Sportube case, which in my opinion is the best case out there....
Next step I take a Sarong/Kikoi ( always travel with one anyway ) and lay it down on the floor. Then I take my fishing shirts ( Pelagic Aquateks etc ) and lay them down on the sarong, open and staggered, basically covering the whole sarong. I then grab a couple of extra t-shirts that I'm taking along, and my board shorts etc, and lay these on top... So now what you've got is a "matt" of clothes basically...
I then lay the first set of rods onto this "matt" on the side closest to me and then roll them up in the "matt". The Sarong/Kikoi keeps everything together and the clothes gives lots of protection and padding. I then lay the next set of rods and take another roll.... follow this procedure until all rods are bundled up snuggly and nice and protected.
I then take the masking tape again and wrap the ends and the middle to keep it all together.
Then I just slide the whole set up into the sporttube, and slide the butts from the butt joint models in and close it up and away I go....
Using this method, I have been able to fit all my boardshorts ( 3 pairs ) all my fishing shirts ( 5 x Aquateks ), a couple t-shirts ( 6 x Shirts ) plus 13 rods and never had any issues whatsoever...
The advantage of this system is that it frees up a ton of space in your other bag trhat would normally have been taken up by clothes, and kills two birds with one stone in protecting the rods as well...
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No photo's of the whip you use on the captains carrying your gear? :)
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That's a nice arsenal of gear.... I would struggle to choose which to use when, you have so much choice!
Derek
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Sorry been out on the road for the last couple of weeks in Southern Oman and Yemen so did not finish off the post. I have the last few pictures I took that I'll post. I also tried out a few new things from suggestions and necessity.
Hi Rick, The RP200 is a great all round rod and one of the few that still has no breakages both on giant tuna and big GTs. I rate it a lot and this is our best selling GT rod in the shop. I'm obviously a bit biased as I promote the rod but I do also use it and would only do so if it could hold up to our fish and conditions. I have had a couple of casts with the 11" Assasin and is a great casting rod, almost need more line capacity on my Stella 10000! But I have not hooked up and fish. I'm heading back down to Southern Oman next week and hopefully will give it a go!
Hi Wayne, I have used the Sportstube for the last couple of years and is a great tube, you can fit in loads of gear like Mark and Dre said! Plus a few extra clothes and gear! I think there is always room for improvement and we as fisherman will never be finished changing and buying gear!! Next time give us a shout, we have a boat in Muscat now and starting trips to some of the surrounding islands by the end of this month. Also some great potential for jigging trips for 2 days.
Hi Brian, I have just had to move into a bigger house so I could have a bigger fishing room! The room is now bigger than the shop...........I think I have issues! I tried a mix between your and Marks rod packing way when I went to Socotra and Sami and I fitted all of our rods into one tube, not bad for 2 chunky monkeys with lots of gear. But I kept most of my rods in the rod socks and put Samis rod loose around the rod socks to protect and cushion the rods. We then strapped the rods together with 4 rod straps and we fitted about 12 heavy duty rods! I just get a bit nervous not using the socks as we have had rods break off the tips in the guides of other rods!
Hi Wes, Hope you get into the popping and jigging, great fun and an awesome bunch of guys around the globe. Half the fun is getting the gear and packing it away so you can get as many toyz onto location as possible!!
Howzit Dre! Like your style! More bag space for lures!! I like the wrapping of all the rods and think this might be a good mix between the rod socks and rods al natural.
Hi Cam, Only when you did not carry the gear quick enough..........reminds me you coming through today, got a few things to carry in the new villa......
Hi Derek, Thats why I try take everything so don;t have to leave anything behind! To be honest although I have a tackle shop I still think most lures are to catch fisherman rather than fish..............Love new shiny things!
Cheers,
Nick
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When travelling light and space is a premium (flying aswell as onboard vessels), i no longer carry spools of leader, preferring to pre cut leaders to desired lengths and tie up each loop neatly with kitchen ties. Each size is kept together in snap seal bags, packs flat & ready to go... ie, all lengths of 250lb in 1 bag, same for 170lb, all the way down.
Amazing the space this saves but then again, this doesnt seem to be any issue for Nick....
Cheers Dave
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Thanks for the response, Nick. I value your opinion. Would definitely be interested in an uPdate on the assassin when you are ready. Cheers!
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Hi Dave, Sounds like a good idea! Wikll also save time and wasting leader which I tend to do quite easily! The pics I took for this trip was for my last trip to start the season in Southern Oman so was driving and could take more than normal, but the flying trips I normally try and pack a bit lighter........
Hi Rick, I'll hopefully have a report on the rod end of next week! Itching to catch a GT off the shore in Southern Oman!!
Cheers,
Nick
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wow that is some serious gear!