Hey guys, unfortunately I didn't get a chance to fight a fish on the rod. To summarise a few initial observations of the rod:
1. The weight of the rod is heavier when compared to other ripples i have used (gt78h, gt83lc)
2. The reel seat is higher than any off the shelf gt/tuna rod I have used (with the exception of the shimano kabutsu range) the only reason I can come up with is it is to accommodate for the low-riding fighting belts with the need to use these belts for extended fights with big tuna in mind.
3. The stripper guide and a few guides after are placed quite high compared to other rods of similar length. I'd assume this is due to the how much this rod bends!!
I will take pics of this rod next to ep88/35 and it will be clear to see the difference in reel seat, foregrip and guide position.
When picking up the rod, and slightly loading you really begin to wonder how the hell the rod is rated to pe12? it's not just the tip thats flexible, I would say the larger half of the blank is very flexible. but judging by the video attached it's clear to see that most of the power in the blank lies on the bottom. I'm unable to give my opinion on if this rod can fish up to pe12 because I haven't fought fish on it and i am using it as a pe6-8 rod and I physically can't handle pe12.
In terms of cast weight I used everything from 40 gram jigs, ulua 60, shibuki, gamma bc 75 to heru tuna 100. While the lower weights was still loading the blank to a acceptable level, I was casting further towards the heavier side of the spectrum 80-100gram range. The flexible tip worked stickbaits very well but I felt the tuna 100 was saturating the rod too much for my liking and required more effort to work the popper. The rod worked the bc gamma fine, and the tip is softer that my ep88 its similar to my tbl80
Overall I'm satisfied with the rod, in terms of castability and ability to cast a range of weights. I don't you guys should purchase this rod specifically to cast light weights, but rather u should purchase it as a rod to cast regular weight tuna lures but get away with casting lighter weights for those frustrating times when you have to. Hopefully I will be able to blood in the rod soon, if not, I'll will try it for local kingfish so I can provide more feedback.
Cheers guys
BIG TUNA87 JAPAN special 15kg???
