Queen of the Night – Gekkabijin AGS and 2004 – Jesse Rotin

Gekkabijin AGS Ajing 610l-s/Gekkabijin 2004

All-round sensitivity:

(Gekkabijin) Japanese for Queen of the night is a style of fishing which was developed in Japan with the use of ultra-light saltwater tackle along with micro plastics and tiny slow jigs for species known as (Mebaru) rockfish and (Ajing) Yellowtail mackerel. In Australia most of the Gekkabijin range would hardly ever get used on a tiny rock dwelling creature, but rather more regularly for Bream, Trout, Estuary perch, Australian bass and Whiting.

Having irresistible looks plus so many trademark features the Gekkabijin range are hard to beat!

Because of the delicate feeding nature of a rockfish an ultra-light and ultra-sensitive approach is needed, and with species such as Bream and trout having a similar feeding habit the finesse approach of the techniques are almost identical and I believe go hand in hand.

The Gekkabijin 2004 reel is a favorite of mine from Daiwa with its amazing looks, flashy colors along with the many qualities it has to offer: Magseal, UTD (ultimate tournament drag), Zaion Air Rotor and Magseal Line Roller just to name a few, all aid in furthering the super smooth and finesse performance of this little beauty. With a 2004 sized spool you can run up to 120 meters of PE 0.4 (4lb)braid with the choice of running straight through fluorocarbon also getting around 100 meters of 4lb. On a recent outing to the Hopkins River, Warrnambool I had the opportunity to put this little weapon to the test, wrestling out some gnarly black bream from quite large snags using another one of my favorites the Daiwa Yogiri 4F. Throughout the session a number of bream came close to getting back to their home but by tightening up on the UTD (ultimate tournament drag) this allowed the line to be peeled off the reel with enough tension to not pull the hooks and preventing these steam trains from gaining freedom.

The Gekkabijin AGS Ajing rod has a staggering total weigh of only 70gm and it certainly has to be one of the featherweights from Daiwa in part due to the AGS (Air Guide System) guides. When matched to the Gekkabijin 2004, this would have to be one of the lightest combinations you’ll find and I could happily say it is the lightest that I’ve ever had my hands on!

At 6’10” or (2.08m) the rod in general terms gives good reach when covering a variety of fishing styles without being too long for overgrown creeks and streams or being too short for casting distance on flats to open waters. Having a line rating of 1.5lb-3lb but leaning more towards a 1-4kg alows line sizes up 8lb to be passed through the rod with ease.

The AGS Ajing is built on SVF which stands for (super High volume fibre) which is the where this ultra-light beast gets its med-fast action from. Also built into the SVF blank is Daiwa’s Megatop technology where ¾ of the SVF blank is hollow graphite with the last ¼ including the tip section being a solid graphite construction. Daiwa have really done their homework when it comes to their Megatop design as it gives anglers the advantage to feel even the slightest of nudges to the back of a lure from a tentative fish. Megatop also helps in casting light lures tighter into the strike zone and is a real winner when targeting bream along piers and pontoons or flicking your way a tiny stream for wild trout.

An added bonus to the AGS Ajing is the V-joint system. The rod still loads with an even curve with no flat spots at all, but the 2 piece design means it is more versatile, allowing it to be easily taken away on trip by plane, or stored in the car for a sneaky before or after work fishing trip.