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Thoughts On Proposed New Setup


dopey

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Hi All,

I've recently started to get back into fishing, and I purchased a crappy Shakespeare Catalyst 6'6" 3-6kg Rod & Reel Combo to start off with. It was enough to get me started but since using my friends G.Loomis Rod & Daiwa Advantage Reel Combo, I've come to realize that better gear would be money well spent.

I mainly go fishing out at Narrabeen Lakes off the shore, or off the shore around Sydney Harbour. I'm not into Rock or Beach Fishing but may occasionally go out on a small boat.

I'm not chasing the huge ones just moderately sized fish. Decent sized Bream, etc.. the usual common stuff.

I want to spend under $300 for a new Rod & Reel Combo including some line to go with. I would like to keep it 2-piece so its easy to fit in the car, but wouldn't mind allowing for slightly heavier fish.

I came up with this Combo and would like to know your thoughts if it's suitable for my application, or if I should perhaps go with different specifications:

Reel: Daiwa Exceler Plus 3000 150yds/16lb

Rod: Shimano Starlo Stix Squidgy Spin Heavy 702 2pc 4-8kg

Line: Fireline Crystal 14lb

Am I on the right track?

Advice appreciated!

Regards,

Ryan

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That's pretty heavy gear Ryan, especially if you are targetting bream, flathead, whiting, salmon etc

A 2000 sized reel, a 7' 2-4kg rod and 4-6lb braid will be more than enough to chase the estuary species. Don't underestimate the power that this combo can exert ... you will be surprised. Depending on your location, I would recommend a trip to GoFish mate. Tell them what you want, and not only will they set you up with a great outfit, they'll do it for a great price!

Cheers

Hodgey

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Thanks a lot guys, perhaps I will look at the Starlo Stix Squidgy Spin Light 722 2pc 2-4kg rod, and the 2000 Daiwa Exceler Plus with some 6lb Fireline instead.

GoFish is a little out of my way unfortunately, else I would be happy to stop in.

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i concur with hodgey aswell. a 2-4kg rod is what i use for trout and i use the same rod for when i'm looking for the species you mentioned. 4lb line is fine as long as you have plenty on the spool because if you hook a decent flathead you'll need to be careful. but on the whole that outfit will give you the most fun, nothing like the feel of a good fish taking some line off you, feels like a challenge not a foregone conclusion.

just my humble opinion.

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The setup you mentioned Ryan would land some pretty hefty fish. When chasing Bream, Flathead, Whiting etc I use a 1-3kg Sik stik pro (luckally it is one of the aussie made ones), 2500 Diawa SOL (I swap the reel between other roads thats why I went with the 2500) and 6lb fireline. I have landed good sized Salmon and Trevally with this outfit also. It is also light enough to flick unweighted plastics around.

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i cant speak for the reel but Ive got the Shimano Squidgy Spin Heavy 702 and its a good rod for the price. Its a tad heavy for getting into lighter estuary fish(bream whiting etc) but it will tackle a good Kingie very well. If you want to flick soft plastics with finesse then it might be a bit to heavy to get a good action out of a small lure but I only use mine with SP stick baits or normal bait fishing and it works great.

As for the Fireline.....Im not a fan of gel spun lines in the heavier classes. I think its very wirery compared to traditional braid. I recommend any good quality brand traditional braid. Have a feel of the two types once they're on a reel and youll see the difference.

As for reels..... you cant go wrong with just about any daiwa or shimano and you get what you pay for.

Cheers,

Ken

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