| By Warren KeelanIt had been almost two years since my last visit to the top end. Memories of barra bust-ups and threadfin salmon raced through my mind and as I locked in flights for the 2011 Barra Nationals my excitement was almost overwhelming. I knew I was in for some serious fishing with the large and rather late run-off season, and with reports of metre-plus monsters I was frantic to get there and into the action.
After asking Daiwa what they thought would suit a hardcore five day barra competition on the Daly River, I was soon greeted with a couple of the new Airtorque bait-cast rods to test. Not having seen these rods before I was naturally intrigued to see how they would perform, especially on hard hitting barra. They looked the part, now all I had to do was lock onto some decent fish. I matched my favourite Zillion to a AT-61MLB and it immediately felt right, and on my first big fish I knew my I was in good hands.
When it came to the crunch, the Airtorque pulled no punches. Its sturdy , yet lightweight composition makes it a pleasure to use, and a real weapon on large Daly River barra. Although most of our fish were taken while trolling, we still had the opportunity to peg lures deep into the many snags and fallen timber, and I wasn’t disappointed. The entire Airtorque range are equipped with Fuji’s new alconite “K” guides, meaning they are built for speed while reducing line wrap when casting lures all day.
The best things about these new devices, is their price! Daiwa have introduced a light but powerful, high performance rod without the high performance price. Check them out!
Waz Keelan is a self taught web developer and runs his own business – Shellfish Creations, building many websites in the industry for clients including Boab Boat Hire and Daiwa’s own sponsored angler Alistair McGlashan. It was at this point where he decided to step it up a notch by delving into the world of fishing photography and journalism, and is now a regular contributor to many of this country’s leading fishing magazines including Modern Fishing, Freshwater Fishing, Sportfishing Australia and Fishing Monthly. |
