Product Review: Wilderness X

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The Travelling Angler – Chasing barramundi with the Wilderness X

This summer I was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to travel up to the Northern Territory with family, something that has been on my bucket list for as long as I can remember. Now I will preface this by saying that this is far from a fishing trip, with an itinerary packed with the typical tourist must dos, in conjunction with flying up, all added an element of difficulty to any prospects of fishing as well as limiting what I could bring along. But as if I was going to let that stop me from trying!

In the lead up I wasted no time in packing and organizing the essentials, particularly, my new Daiwa Wilderness X travel rod. I opted for the ‘Top Ender’ model (naturally) as it ticked all the boxes for what I was looking for. A beautiful 4-piece rod, in a tidy little storage bag that fit not only in my suitcase, but also in my backpack which was to come everywhere with me. I paired this up with my favourite baitcaster, the Tatulion 200 HD, spooled with 50lb J-Braid Expedition. I packed a MR sized D-Box, with an assortment of 115mm Double Clutches, Current Masters and jigheads, as well as an XS Bait Junkie Zip case to house an assortment of Bait Junkie soft plastics and my spools of leader. This compact kit provided me with all the essentials I needed for a spur of the moment cast on my trip, without encroaching too harshly on my luggage allowance.

I decided to contact the local Daiwa Pro Staffer in Darwin – Ces Oldson, who was kind enough to show me around on one of the days and take me under his wing. Armed with just my backpack loaded with the aforementioned gear, we headed out to the Adelaide River in search of one of my bucket list fish, the barramundi. Equipped with Ces’ local knowledge, it didn’t take us too long to find some fish using the Active Target mounted on the forward casting deck of his boat. I started with the Steez Current Master in ‘Bleeding Mullet’ colour, and it was quite the learning curve for me to work these lures in a way to entice the barramundi to strike in such dirty water. Ces put the first fish on deck, but after studying his technique I managed to adapt it to how I was fishing. For a 4-piece rod the Wilderness X has an exceptional action, to the point where most wouldn't even recognize that it was a travel rod, I was very impressed. Adapting the short, sharp jerks, it didn't take long, and I had my first fish on. This fish erupted on my lure, taking a nice jump shortly after hookup and running me around the boat. As with most firsts, I was nervous. But after a short, spirited fight and a few leaps, I had my first ever barramundi in the boat. An iconic Australian sports fish, and now I see what makes them such a popular target.

The fishing was tough for the day, with plenty of agonizing follows and refusals from half interested fish. My nervous inaccurate casting skills also weren't helping the situation, but we managed to put a few fish on deck using both the Current Masters and 115 Double Clutch. The key being to aggressively twitch the lure, but not moving it too far at the same time, letting it suspend in front of the fish's face. 

All in all, it was incredible to travel up to the NT and have the opportunity to get out and fish for a day thanks to how simple and compact fishing gear can be. I cannot recommend the Daiwa Wilderness X high enough as a quality, travelling barramundi rod. Whether it's for flying or simply to keep behind the seat in your car! The game has changed, and you no longer need to sacrifice quality for compact convenience. So, if you are looking to travel soon, even if it isn’t strictly a fishing trip, make sure you check out the range of Wilderness rods as you never know when you may have an opportunity to cast a line.