Do i need a bigger rod??

[Karl Nelson]

Hi every one, i started a thread the other day about stopping GT swimming into the reef busting me off. anyway my question is do i need a bigger rod, i use a Daiwa Monster Mesh 832PS-SIC Pe6-8. So should i go out and buy a  $1300 Pe12 rod. will i be satisfied

[David Rapley]

Karl,
       You are jumping into another world there mate. A genuine P.E. 12 rod is one hell of a wicked stick. There are really very few people around who are capable of effectivly weilding one of these intense creations. Unless you are built like Rasputin!

Do your homework abit more before jumping in the deep end and spending that kinda squirrel. There are heaps of P.E. 8-10 rods available that maybe are easier to use to there potential and have heaps of stopping power. Its all good having imense amounts of pulling power but you gotta be able to control the thing and be comfortable using it.

Ask around and someone else please correct me if im wrong, but im pretty sure you will find that P.E. 8-10 is far more widley used then true P.E.12.

There are some fantastic rods available for less than $1100 that will give you heaps of stopping power, as long as of course they are matched with the appropriate reel and braid.

As i said someone please correct me if they feel im wrong. Just my own opinion.

Dave

[David Rapley]

ummm yea ok,
i just read your other post, and if the fish your talking bout are really that big then all i can do is wish you good luck. I kinda feel a little dumb now, maybe i should read your other post first.

My opinion still stands on true P.E.12 though, as you do need to be a beast to truly weild it!

[Karl Nelson]

Cheers David, ill wait to hear what some other people have to say as well.

[Jon Li]

Guys ,

Depends on the skills of the angler , the captain + crews of the boat + luck , just last Saturday my fishing buddy managed to boat a 35 kg GT using medium light tackles . Check this : http://www.fishingouting.com/forums/f51/35-kg-gt-medium-tackle-3897/

Jon .

[Robert Palcak]

Karl
I agree with David's comments.
A true PE12 rod is an animal that very few people can master and fish to it's full potential. I have one and whole heartedly admit that I'm yet to tame this beast... but boy does it look good in the rod rack!  Also, there arn't that many of them out there... with good reason.
Your Monster Mesh may well be a little on the light side... how do you find it?
If you feel you can push it to the max and you feel you still have some physical strength and energy left in reserve... by all means, you may need a heavier rod.
Brandon's sticky thread on rods is worth a read.
I will mention a few rods that I have had personal experience with that might be worth considering...
Smith Komodo Dragon - one of the more user friendly high end rods getting around... I really enjoy this rod when fighting fish and comforably use PE10 and fish it hard. I got my PB of 40kg on this rod.
Smith Tokara - I've used my mate's one and he also love's it... a little stiffer than the KD, but still nice in the hand.
Shimano Karbitsu Surface Monster - I found it to have some similar characteristics to the KD... maybe even a little sweeter. I just wasn't a huge fan of the longer than normal handle. It is one rod that I think you could fish PE12 if you wanted, but PE10 was comfortable for me. It's also a rod that's been getting a few reports of breakages... not sure why this has happened, but I can tell you my fishing buddy was skull dragging 30kg fish to the boat and was not gentle on this rod in any way.
Carpenter SP78H - Probably my favorite rod now. It's stiff enough to work decent sized poppers and isn't too angry on you when you hook a decent fish.
Anyway, if you do a bit of reading/research, you'll find that there have been many 50kg+ fish caught on PE10 outfits... if you chose to go PE12, then do yourself a favor and try borrowing a rod, fish with it and see if it suits.
Cheers Rob

[Luke Wyrsta]

Given what has been said already and the environment you describe then I would suggest you start fishing PE10 with a fast action rod. Put the hurt on early, on the throttle as soon as you hook-up.

What is the general area you are fishing?

[Karl Nelson]

Given what has been said already and the environment you describe then I would suggest you start fishing PE10 with a fast action rod. Put the hurt on early, on the throttle as soon as you hook-up.

What is the general area you are fishing?

   Dampier Archipelago mate.

[Doug Lindsay]

Hi Karl,
I also have the Monster Mesh rod you are describing and I really like it. I'm happy to stand corrected here, having only caught 40-50 gts, but in my experience, the time you REALLY want to put the hurt on a GT is not long after hookup, when he is powering to the reef. Under 15-20kg of drag, I usually find the rod is pointed pretty much at the fish, and he will blow you if he finds home. Im not sure if having more power in the rod is really going to save you, when, after all, its the line he takes off your reel that gets him closer to that line shredding bommie 
My thoughts regarding the shortcomings of this rod more relate to casting and working poppers. I seem to have to work very hard to get anywhere near the distance of my buddys Carpenter. and forget working poppers over 140g. But for 300 odd bucks, I reckon it does a very good job!

[Jay Burgess]

   Dampier Archipelago mate.

Hi Karl, I also fish the Dampier archipelago and I fish a combination of PE8 and PE10 outfits but feel more confident fishing with the heavier gear. I've pinged PE8 a few times on real nice fish from having my drag set too tight on the strike. When I first started fishing I had a ridiculous amount of bust off's in the reef but with more experience and a real aggressive angling approach and skillful boat driving we've significantly reduced that.

I have a mate who might be selling a HOTS 77XXXH which are priced quite reasonably... it's PE8-12 and a bit of a come here stick but it's quite manageable compared with some of the other PE12 rods out there and it would suit PE10 nicely... he FIFO's in and out each week so if you're interested he can bring it up next time he flys in and you can take a look at it.

[Karl Nelson]

Hi jay, Sure would be interested in viewing the rod. do you know how much he is asking. why dose he want to sell??

[Karl Nelson]

Skillful boat driving is something i lack when hooked upto a GT, quite often i fly solo. Always hard to do them both at once.

[Rob Ciotucha]

Hi Karl. I think that there is probaly half your problem.

With the lack of full concentration and not having the ability to put the breaks on the fish, most times the fish will win.

Rob

[Jay Burgess]

Hi jay, Sure would be interested in viewing the rod. do you know how much he is asking. why dose he want to sell??

Selling because he bought a new rod and this is surplus to his needs.

Let me know if you ever want a decky mate and we can try to tame some of those beasts.

[Jamie Moir]

Yeah, I'll come up from Perth to drive the boat