Winter is upon us and the new Daiwa Soft Shell is now available at our online store. The Soft Shell is windproof, fleece lined, spray proof and features heavy duty YKK zippers. Ideal for cold blustery days over winter. Check them out here          

Winter is upon us and the new Daiwa Soft Shell is now available at our online store. The Soft Shell is windproof, fleece lined, spray proof and features heavy duty YKK zippers. Ideal for cold blustery days over winter. Check them out here

 

 

 

 

 

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…

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.

 

By Chris Seeto. We all should know the Cranka Crab, they’re a small, somewhat effective creature bait imitation. The unique point of difference the crab has are its floating claws and the challenge with the Cranka Crab is storing them with the floating claws. Most treble based lures, I put…

By Chris Seeto.

We all should know the Cranka Crab, they’re a small, somewhat effective creature bait imitation. The unique point of difference the crab has are its floating claws and the challenge with the Cranka Crab is storing them with the floating claws.

Most treble based lures, I put treble covers over the trebles to stop them tangling up or becoming a ball of lures when I just want to pull out that one colour. The Cranka Crab creates the problem of not being able to get treble covers over the foam claws. What I ended up doing was reverting back to the less than ideal technique of mixing them together.

The foam claws are great for floating the sharp bits out of snags but they are also soft and are easily pinned when stored in a tackle tray with other claws. I found pulling them out also risked tearing the claws with the hook barbs. I’d seen some measures to store the crabs but figured that the amount of fabrication and innovation required just to store them was a reason that I rarely used them.
Storing them in piles has the less than ideal impact of deforming the rubber like legs as well, trying to keep them straight and natural is part of the challenge. The Cranka Crab has the advantage of coming out of the box looking exactly how they should, making them a great bait straight out of the box.

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a Daiwa lure wallet, these were probably designed for fly fishing or squid jigs but the foam insert and ridges seemed perfectly spaced and sized for the Cranka Crab. Although I don’t have an extensive collection of crabs, the wallets could easily have fitted more and with two sides with a clear divider, I could separate my heavy and light versions.
Keeping the claws apart and away from the other body parts mean easy access to the various colours and weights. Being a wallet, it is easy to tuck into tackle storage, whether that is a bag or a boat. The only trouble is, that the easy access means I’m more likely to use the Cranka Crab, more likely to lose them and therefore more likely to have to buy more.

By Ian Seeto. It’s winter, it’s cold and from my experience, Bream can be a lot harder to catch. This doesn’t mean the fish aren’t there, actually I’ve found in the colder months fish tend to be of better quality, compared to the quantity you may catch during the warmer…

By Ian Seeto.

It’s winter, it’s cold and from my experience, Bream can be a lot harder to catch. This doesn’t mean the fish aren’t there, actually I’ve found in the colder months fish tend to be of better quality, compared to the quantity you may catch during the warmer months. As a matter of fact, some of my best tournament fish have come during the colder months despite the fact catching them during this time is usually a much greater challenge for me. I generally find Bream offer me a much more subtle bite in winter, somewhat different to the aggressive summer bite I love so much. Regardless of this, chasing winter Bream can be very rewarding and well worth pursuing.

Something that has definitely helped me catch these winter Bream over the years is the humble stinger. For those that aren’t familiar, this is essentially an assist hook that is buried in the tail of your soft plastic and can significantly increase the hookup rate of the timid fish. I’m not saying that stinger hooks aren’t useful or successful in summer, but during the winter months, they have their rightful place on almost all my soft plastic Breaming rigs.

I’ve seen and used quite a few versions of the stinger hook setup. Initially I used trebles, but after much trial and error I finally settled with a setup that I’m now more than comfortable with. The rig consists of a single size 2 Gamakatsu Drop Shot hook tied to a short length of 4lb or 6lb leader. I have them pre-rigged, stored in my tackle trays for quick and easy attachment. I can imagine the brains ticking over right now with questions like “okay what’s so special about that”. Well it’s not so much about the setup, rather the way it’s assembled. One of the most difficult things I encountered when first tying and using stingers was the ability to tie consistent lengths, making sure that there wasn’t excessive amounts of leader left floating about unnecessarily.

Aside from the leader material and drop shot hooks, tying this stinger requires you to understand two separate knots as well as having an object like a larger hook to assist in constructing the rig.

The first of the two knots that you need to know is the simple uni-knot. This knot attaches your stinger rig to your jig-head and I use it because it’s really simple to tie and has the ability to ‘slip’ to tighten or loosen. The second knot in the rig is a regular clinch knot (the improved clinch knot can also be used). I use this knot for the exact opposite reason as it has minimal slip when tying which is critical when consistent lengths are required.

 

Process:

• Unravel some of the leader material from your spool (after tying a few, you’ll get an idea of how much you need so that you minimise waste) and tie a uni-knot at the end of the leader material leaving the loop open.
• Pass the loop over the end of the large hook and pull the knot down but don’t tighten. The uni-knot will need to be slipped open and removed from the hook once complete.
• Feed the other end of the leader material through the eye of your drop shot hook. This is where the length of your stinger rig is determined.
• Once the desired length is determined, commence tying the clinch knot by holding the large hook, pinching the line and tag end in one hand, and twisting the drop shot hook in your other hand 4-8 turns.
• Release the tag end and complete the clinch knot, pulling it down tight.
• Trim the tag ends on both the knots.
• Remove the rig from the large hook by pinching and sliding the uni-knot between a finger and your thumbnail. When loosening the knot be careful not to damage the leader material with your fingernail.
• Rig your jig head with your soft plastic of choice and then slide the open uni-knot over the jig head hook.
• Feed the drop shot hook into the tail of your plastic, then by pushing the shank of the drop shot hook back up the centre of the plastic, you will conceal the hook shank as well as removing some of the slack in your leader material.
• Store your pre-rigged stinger rig by fixing the hook in a piece of foam or cork in your tackle box.

Using this method of tying the stinger, I’ve found that I have been able to tie a number of rigs quickly and consistently and although it isn’t a silver bullet, it definitely is a rig I have used regularly to improve my success chasing the timid, tail-biting, winter Bream.

 

 

 

By Mark Bargenquast. How many fisho’s have dreams about the big trip north, pick up any magazine and usually there’s a glossy article with pics of tuna, trevally, barra, jacks etc. It really gets the blood pumping! Even for me living in Hervey Bay where the fishing really isn’t all…

By Mark Bargenquast.

How many fisho’s have dreams about the big trip north, pick up any magazine and usually there’s a glossy article with pics of tuna, trevally, barra, jacks etc. It really gets the blood pumping! Even for me living in Hervey Bay where the fishing really isn’t all that bad.

The last 5 years I have been fortunate enough to guide through wintertime (and do a bit of fishing myself) with Alan Philiskirk and his crew at “fish’s fly and sportfishing” based in weipa. The township of Weipa is based on a bauxite mining operation run by Rio Tinto Alcan group and is based on the western side of cape York about 250 km south of the tip, the population is about 3000 people with a great caravan park, numerous accommodation facalities, and several guided fishing operations working the area. Hire boats are also available from the caravan park.

Although driving to Weipa is an option, there’s 600 km of very corrugated dirt roads when cutting across the cape from cairns and any boat trailer that is even remotely understrength will fail, broken springs, frames and damaged boats are common when the tourist season opens.

Flights into Weipa are all ex-cairns and take around 1hr 45 minutes and unless you have time and plenty of preparation to drive in I would strongly recommend flying and getting a guide for a week. OK with that sorted now the fishing.

Weipa is located on the mouth of the Embley and Mission river mouth which run into albatross bay, the bay is fed by 5 river systems the Embley, Hay ,Mission, Pine and Nomanade and these are good sized rivers so there’s plenty of estuary options, major species are barra, jacks ,fingermark, threadfin and blue salmon. Offshore fishing is excellent with longtail tuna, various trevally species, Spanish mackerel, cobia sailfish and black marlin.

Big fingermark, black jew, cod, coral trout and emperors are also available on the reefs, the species list is really endless. Tackle really depends on what species or style of fishing you prefer. Saltwater fly anglers generally use 8-10 weight outfits with intermediate or sink tip lines, 20 pound tippet and a selecton of flies with white clousers a good allrounder. Permit, Blue bastards and milkfish are here as well so a few specialty flies are a good idea.

Offshore fishing a couple of quality spin outfits like a 50 pound Saltiga or Saltist outfit for casting for big GT, Spaniards and cobia and a lighter 20-30 pound outfit for throwing poppers at queenies, tunas, trevally and even beach barras and salmon.

Estuary lure fishing is really baitcaster country with a good rod like a Daiwa TD Commander tough ombre or a generation black beefstick is perfect, 20-30 pound braid is recommended even though the barras aren’t big some good sized jacks, fingermark and the ever present juvenile grouper (10-20kg) are present on most rockbars or snags! These can be a real handful on light tackle.

The wet season runs from November to the end of March and although the township doesn’t stop due to mining operations is devoid of tourists, wintertime is by far the best time to be up here with way better weather patterns, temperatures of 20-30 degrees average (it can get freezing at 17 degrees occasionally) early morning!

 

By Ben Weston. When you are blessed as I am to have the opportunity to use the finest fishing gear in the world, you actually tend to forget how superior this stuff actually is! My young cousin Sean recently made the trek 700kms down from Townsville in North Queensland to…

By Ben Weston.

When you are blessed as I am to have the opportunity to use the finest fishing gear in the world, you actually tend to forget how superior this stuff actually is!

My young cousin Sean recently made the trek 700kms down from Townsville in North Queensland to spend the 100^th Anniversary of ANZAC with me here in Emu Park.

Arriving a smidge after lunch on Friday and after a lengthy period twisting his arm we ventured out behind Great Keppel Island for a short jaunt, with the intention of coming up tight on a few pelagics.

Sean had been off the tools (for a better word) for a while and was eager to wrestle with a few locals. The trip out was something you would see in the movies, milk pond like conditions, complete glass off.

Upon arriving at ‘the spot’ I handed Sean my favourite casting outfit. A Generation Black ‘SUPERCASTA’ with a 3000H TD Sol II mounted on it. This outfit is a weapon and has accounted for its fair share of pelagic species without missing a beat.

I gave Sean clear instructions, cast into that massive bait school, let the slug sink counting to 10 and crank the thing back like you have never wound before. You wouldn’t read about it but first cast Sean puts a presentable arch in the Gen Black and minutes after he easily accounted for a feisty little mackerel.

Before the day come to a close I distinctly remember a comment my cousin made. “Gee Ben these things cast like a dream”, whilst I smirked and agreed with him I was left to ponder.

When you consistently using top shelf gear trip in, trip out its easy to overlook the small, distinctive characteristics which set them apart from the rest. I suppose, like a reliable car or outboard you just take advantage of the quality and reliability of the gear that links you to the fish and its ability to get the job done.

Sometimes it takes someone who doesn’t use it to inadvertently remind you of the quality of equipment you use. I have been a long time user of Daiwa’s gear, but subtle little reminders like these make you acknowledge that you’re using the finest fishing equipment in the world and that you’d would never look back.

April and May are when the temperature quickly cools off but that fires up the most epic run of Brown Trout seen in Australia. Just before this happens and for a little while after they move into the rivers the feed voraciously putting on condition. When they enter the rivers…

April and May are when the temperature quickly cools off but that fires up the most epic run of Brown Trout seen in Australia. Just before this happens and for a little while after they move into the rivers the feed voraciously putting on condition.

When they enter the rivers they are fighting fit and carry a lot of weight, a few weeks later they are shadows of themselves looking skinny and grey with sores on their tails and undersides. This period of gorging on food in preparation is great for both boat and landbased anglers looking to tangle with some big Brown Trout.

Usually they gather within the first few kilometres of the river they are going to run up and anywhere that holds food will have hungry fish. The Presso Minnow has been a staple for many years and now with its new colours and the addition of a “mute” brother the TD Silent Minnow they will both make a big splash in the next few weeks on lakes like Eucumbene and Tantangara.

Both lures cast well which means you can cover plenty of water giving you maximum exposure to cruising fish. Some people prefer a slow roll, some adding twitches and periods of pause but I have had luck with something a little different as well which works especially well with the suspending TD Silent Minnow.

Cast it as far as you can, wind it down a little and then give it as big a “rip” you can. Now I mean BIG, point the rod at the lure and give it an almighty crack….. and then just let it sit there. 5 seconds, 10 seconds sometimes even longer. Usually the lure gets crushed as soon as you start winding again. The idea is that the trout sense (but not necessarily see) the huge “rip” from a long way away and swim towards the source, then when you start again it all happens. Give it a try with the new TD Silent Minnow for the pre spawn Trout this year.

For more information TD Minnow Silent click here.

Have you ever wanted to target and catch a Giant Trevally (GT) but don’t know where to start? These fish are a passion of mine and are truly king of the ocean. I hope the following blog will help you start to grasp the concepts and requirements needed to land…

Have you ever wanted to target and catch a Giant Trevally (GT) but don’t know where to start? These fish are a passion of mine and are truly king of the ocean. I hope the following blog will help you start to grasp the concepts and requirements needed to land one and how Daiwa can help you achieve this.

Giant Trevally (Caranx ignobilis) are one of the most aggressive and exciting sport fish an angler can catch, they can be found throughout tropical waters and can grow up to 80kg. Using big surface lures Giant Trevally will explode and even breach the surface mistaking your lure for an unexpecting bait fish. I have personally seen them 5 feet out of the air with a surface popper hanging out of their mouth, it’s truly an amazing sight to see. I have never been in such shock and awe as when I hooked my first big one, it literally took my breath away. The shear strength and power of these fish is just mind blowing no matter how big or small, and all anglers should experience this at one point.

Giant Trevally are most commonly found in shallow coastal waters like rocky reefs and shore faces. This, and their sheer power makes them quite difficult to catch. They will strike your lure then head to the nearest bit of reef, rock or coral bommie to try and remove the foreign object hanging out of its mouth. They must be stopped as quickly as possible and require high drag pressure, super strong line and a powerful rod to match.

There are few reels in the world that have the capability to stop these reef predators however Daiwa has the solution with the Saltiga 6500 or the biggest baddest reel in the world Daiwa’s Saltiga Dogfight. With a whopping 30 kilos of drag you have a chance at stopping the biggest Giant Trevally. These fish even at high drag pressure can still strip line at an astonishing rate so a good 250-300 mts of pe 8 or 10 is required and these reels have that capacity.

Your rod must be able to match the line’s breaking strain and also be able to throw big poppers even up to 200 grams. Daiwa has a number of rods that meet the requirements depending on your budget, but a well-priced Demon Blood 82xh meets the specifications required and has the power to pull the biggest fish of a rocky ledge. If its trophy fish you are after then there is no compromise to be made when purchasing your setups.

I will write a follow up blog on terminal tackle and line connections to match your new setup so you are well and truly on the right track to catching a monster Giant Trevally.

Stay tuned for part 2

April and May are when the temperature quickly cools off but that fires up the most epic run of Brown Trout seen in Australia. I have been chasing this run for a few years now and there are definitely a few key things to maximising the small window of time…

April and May are when the temperature quickly cools off but that fires up the most epic run of Brown Trout seen in Australia.

I have been chasing this run for a few years now and there are definitely a few key things to maximising the small window of time you have. First and foremost is the fact that you are chasing fish that are commonly between 4 to 7 pounds and fish over 10lbs are a definite possibility for those who put in the time. You need very sensitive rods to detect the bites but if they are too stiff you will pull the small hooks you are using.

My favourite in past years was the AGS Ajing but I think the AGS Commander Electric Strawberry will replace it this year. I cannot fault my “Strawberry”. It handles throwing Yogiris in small water with ease but is also perfect for throwing a larger lure like the Presso Minnow and the new TD Minnow Silent and so far has thrown egg and nymph rigs with two small split shots as far as is needed.

Finding a rod that can do these things is easy but as I mentioned getting your lure out there is only half the battle. Keeping the hooks in your trophy is the other half and the “Strawberry’s” slower action allows for the head lunges a large fish has, cushioning them and keeping those tiny hooks in place.

An AGS Commander Electric Strawberry can do this because the guides are so much lighter than normal metal guides. A slower action rod with metal guides will recoil and wobble which stifles casting distance, especially with light things like Yogiris or nymph rigs. The only way to counter this “recoil” is to make the action of a metal guided very fast with a soft tip which is fine until you hook that monster Trout on a size 14 hook.

For more on the TD Commander range click here.

With the softening of the hugely successful metal blades or vibes on southern bream, Daiwa's release of their new Tournament Baby Vibe 47s comes at exactly the right time. While the blades have been so good for so long, they are beginning to go a little quite, especially amongst the…

With the softening of the hugely successful metal blades or vibes on southern bream, Daiwa’s release of their new Tournament Baby Vibe 47s comes at exactly the right time. While the blades have been so good for so long, they are beginning to go a little quite, especially amongst the ranks of Victoria’s best tournament breamers.

Yesterday I took a full selection of the the baby vibe with me to Mallacoota knowing the bream are currently in a transition between summertime shallow water and the winter deep water finesse fishing. My plan was to trial the new vibes from Daiwa and success wasn’t far away. Using my preferred Battler Beowolf rod, Aegis reel, Tournament Hyper PE braid and 4lb Fluoro leader, I tied on the vibe that to me looked an obvious choice – the Matt Shad which is the trusty olive colour with the all important orange belly.

At first my retrieve was the familiar sharp hop that is so effective on metal blades but the action was slow, so I thought about the shape and movement of the lure I was trialling and started using short but subtle lifts of the vibe off the bottom at regular intervals. Essentially, I was just slowly walking the lure off the bottom and back again all the way to the boat.

I found the bream schooled in quite shallow water. A subtle drop off from three to five feet and stayed on them all day. The revised technique worked an absolute treat and allowed me to catch a great number of quality black bream.

During the time, I sampled a range of other options including slow rolling the very successful crank baits and finesse fishing a single tail soft plastic but nothing worked even close to the new vibe.

At one stage, two other boats planed right up to me (in the middle of nowhere), stopped and began fishing for half an hour (I wasn’t too impressed). They didn’t hook a single fish in that time while I boated another eight nice bream!

Slow ‘hopping’ the new Daiwa vibes works a treat, and the vibing season is just starting now!

Check out Tournament Baby Vib’s here.

By Mark Gercovich.  The Southern Bluefin tuna season is in now in full swing along the South West Coast of Victoria and just across the border into South Australia. Big barrels are seeing seasoned game anglers all head to Port MacDonnell, plenty of school fish and albacore are coming from…

By Mark Gercovich. 

The Southern Bluefin tuna season is in now in full swing along the South West Coast of Victoria and just across the border into South Australia. Big barrels are seeing seasoned game anglers all head to Port MacDonnell, plenty of school fish and albacore are coming from the shelf region along the coast and the inshore fish between Port Fairy and Portland, that have been around since February, are still going strong.

The part I like best about tuna season is chasing these inshore school sized fish in smaller boats. Rather than trolling spreads of heavy game tackle, like most larger boats are set up to do, actively casting at schools or trolling just a couple of diving minnows on spin gear that can be quickly deployed or brought in when chasing fast moving surface school, is the method we use to try tempt these notoriously fickle fish. These school fish, usually in the 10-20kg class, are fantastic sports fish when pursued in this way. Stick baiting these fish is a technique that is definitely growing in popularity as a productive method of catching these fish. Even though they are often on small baits usually best replicated by a small metal lure or soft plastic, these fickle tuna do like to run down and smash a cast stick bait, even when they have been ignoring trolled diving lures of a similar profile in size.

The Daiwa Overthere Skipping is a great lure for this. A lure that casts well is always an important factor when chasing surface feeding pelagics for a couple of significant reasons. The longer the cast, the longer the retrieve, the more time a fish has to intercept it.

There’s nothing worse than running out of room as a speeding pelagic veers away at the last minute, as your lure reaches the boat before they catch up to the lure. Also the closer you need to get the boat to the fish to get a cast in, the more likely you are to spook the school. Many smaller stick baits require a refit in hardware before you begin throwing them at things like tuna. This is not a problem for the Overthere Skipping. The hooks on 130 in particular are quite heavy gauge and very strong for a stick bait of this size.  The Saltiga Dorado Slider is another effective stick bait that although it doesn’t cast as far as the OS it can be worked slower near the surface, something that on some days is the type of retrieve the fish are looking for.

Of course when targeting fish of this size on spin gear, and with the ever present danger of a much bigger fish getting in on the act, it is essential that your spin gear can stand up to the test. It’s not only the fish that are hard on your gear. Fishing in open boats aids for spotting and casting to fish, but often results in plenty of spray coming in contact with the reel during a session. My Sol 4000, Blast 4020 and Saltiga 4500 never let me down with just a quick rinse in freshwater all that’s required for the next session. I’ve used Daiwa Demon Blood rods for a number of seasons for this type of fishing The 64CJ for trolling and the longer 72MH as a casting rod. The rod is light enough to comfortably cast all day but has enough power in the midsection to break a stubborn tuna doing his circles under the boat.

So look for the windows in the weather, keep an eye on the birds in the sky when you get out there and use your Daiwa gear to help you get into some exciting sportsfishing action with the inshore SBT.

TD Commander – Tiger Division. By Andrew Badullovich. The hottest technology in fishing rod construction at the moment is without a doubt the AGS (Air Guide System) that is incorporated within some of Daiwa’s “high-end” rod ranges. The only problem with AGS is that it drives the total price of…

TD Commander – Tiger Division.

By Andrew Badullovich.

The hottest technology in fishing rod construction at the moment is without a doubt the AGS (Air Guide System) that is incorporated within some of Daiwa’s “high-end” rod ranges. The only problem with AGS is that it drives the total price of the rod upward and out of reach for some anglers. Well, Daiwa have recognised this and have produced a range of rods that boasts all the top end features, without the top-end price tag.

The TD Commander is almost a cross between a TD Battler and Black Label; but most importantly, conveys the AGS technology. One rod within the range that I have had the privilege of using is the Tiger Division. This rod really suits my style of fishing, and I can tell you it has been a pleasure to use. The rod measures 7’6” in length with a line rating of 1-3kg…which makes it perfect for crank-baiting the shallows. This rod also boasts the Megatop technology, which enhances sensitivity and aids loading light lures for casting distance. Megatop is also useful as a bite indicator when bait-fishing, and I have enjoyed using the Tiger Division for presenting lightly weighted and delicate bait when whiting fishing.

I have experimented with this rod as a top-water fishing weapon, and found that working surface lures with Megatop is a little difficult; however, I have had success with smaller surface lures weighing less than 4g. While there are rods out there that are more suited for surface fishing, the Tiger Division will get the job done.

I have used both braid and fluorocarbon through the guides of this fantastic rod, but I have found that it is more suited to fluorocarbon. I particularly like this rod for cranking the flats with fluoro’, as it is ultra-sensitive. Sensitivity is hard to obtain when fishing straight through monofilament lines; however, the AGS and Megatop really do provide technology to feel.

While these rods are still up there in price, they are the cheapest way to get into AGS. Once you’ve used a rod with AGS, you’ll find it hard to purchase a rod without it. The Tiger Division is worth a look if you’re into cranking the flats or chasing finicky fish with bait…it performs “like a tiger”!

 

After spending a few days fishing for longtail tunas and catching heaps on the big Saltiga gear, we were worn out so it was time for a change in pace, we headed to the estuary for a bit of lure casting in the drains and holes. I recently received a…

After spending a few days fishing for longtail tunas and catching heaps on the big Saltiga gear, we were worn out so it was time for a change in pace, we headed to the estuary for a bit of lure casting in the drains and holes. I recently received a new Black Label 701 MLXS V2 spin rod, it’s a 7 foot rod (2.13 meters in the metric scale) single piece blank rated medium light action and rated to 3-5 kg line. I matched this with one of my 2500 Certate reels loaded with 12 pound braid which was a perfect match, well balanced and it looked great!

The bottom of the run out tide we found plenty of smaller threadfin salmon feeding on jelly prawns in the drains, due to the salmons quick hit and run feeding style quick, often long casts were needed and we managed to catch a few smaller 70cm fish, the tackle felt good cast exceptionally well and handled the fish easily.

As the tide turned the salmon action finished so we headed home, preparing to return next day. Early morning a different tide I pushed further up the creeks and found a few nice shows on the sounder, fishing deeper vibe style lures around the snags we managed a few more salmon, cod, grunter and eventually landed a nice little jewie on a Daiwa Woofer vibe, he bolted for the snags but the black label had enough power to hold him out, it was great fun on the light tackle.

I can’t wait for winter to find some big Queensland dusky flathead to cast a few lures at with this outfit.

 

There is no doubt that when Daiwa released the new range of colours recently in their ever popular lure range it got a lot of anglers excited. Not only with the release of few new models they have expanded the existing range to 10 or more colours. Being a total…

There is no doubt that when Daiwa released the new range of colours recently in their ever popular lure range it got a lot of anglers excited. Not only with the release of few new models they have expanded the existing range to 10 or more colours. Being a total gear freak I new that I just had to have some of the new range to try out.

On our way to the recent Hobie ABT tournament held at Mallacoota in Victoria, myself and few other kayak competitors stopped at Tamboon inlet, to get our eye in to a few techniques that might work for the weekend’s competition. We made out way into the main system and found fish on some wind blown flats and points. They had a gradual run off from 40cm into 2m of water and I wanted to use something that I could fish through without changing lures.

I went straight for the Double Clutch IZM 75. I don’t think there is a bream angler out there that chases black bream that hasn’t thrown these at some point, and the reason is they catch quality fish. I have been using these for quite a few years and have good confidence in them and they can be used across a vast range of depths and situations, whether it be ripping them across flats or throwing them deep into heavy timber.

I went for the new Purple Suji Prawn colour to try imitate a fleeing prawn, and would cast up into the shallows and rip them back with plenty of pauses thrown in. The key was to make sure I was in contact with the bottom. The fishing was sensational, a little slow at first but once we worked out what they wanted it was a great afternoons fishing, the key to success was that the lure suspends and most fish were hooked in the pause.

I caught most of the fish for the day on the one lure which was new that morning however looked very second hand by the end of the day. There were also some quality Flathead around that liked the look of the new Double Clutch’s.

If you into chasing Black Bream, Perch or Flathead, these should be a standard item in you kit, so do yourself a favour and get in check the new colour range out, you won’t be disappointed.

 

By Mark Bargenquast. Well Easter has been and gone, we finally have the internet back on and weather was perfect in SE Queensland with light winds and over the full moon period the fishing was red hot! The annual run of longtail tuna has well and truly arrived with thousands…

By Mark Bargenquast.

Well Easter has been and gone, we finally have the internet back on and weather was perfect in SE Queensland with light winds and over the full moon period the fishing was red hot! The annual run of longtail tuna has well and truly arrived with thousands of fish in the bay, big baitballs full of 8 – 12 kg longtails made fishing easy, the number of big bull sharks however made landing anything on prolonged fights near impossible.

    

This is where a bit of ‘grunt’ is required in the tackle department, until recently it was hard to find a tough powerful casting rod that could throw a light metal slug or jighead the required distance, however I have found the perfect weapon, enter the DAIWA SALTIST ST-EX 762s rod, it’s a 7 foot 6 inch spin rod, rated for PE 2/4 lines and feels reasonably light in hand, I teamed this with a new 2015 DAIWA SALTIGA 4500, the perfect match for big longtails, small blacks and moderate GT popping. Now for a trial run!

We spooled the rig up with the new Daiwa multi coloured J-Braid in 40 pound, again the perfect match, rigged up with some 50 pound leader and went fishing. After landing and losing quite a few tunas fishing light tackle it was time to try it out and I was amazed how well the Saltist/Saltiga combo cast, long casts were required and the outfit never failed to impress, the longtails were never in the game, fishing a near locked drag the shortest fight time was 63 seconds from hookup to landing the 10kg fish, beating sharks was getting easy!

My 13 year old son then had a cast and he too landed fish in under 2 minutes, the only problem was ‘green’ tuna at boatside which took a bit of man handling on the leader (and I had trouble getting my rod back) After fishing ourselves nearly to a standstill on the Saltiga I rigged up the new black label V2, model 762 MHFS, again a 7 ½ foot rod, six inches longer than the normal spin rods but that bit extra length makes longer casts easy, mounted was a new ballistic 4000 H, high speed retrieve (5.7-1) made retrieves easy, more tuna landed, lost and I managed to lose all but 2 of my new stickbaits, the high speed retrieves made stickbaiting a breeze.

The Black Label V2 has an impressive working curve, plenty of grunt being rated 4 – 9 kg I fished it hard with 20 pound and never had a drama, one of the best medium casting spin rods I have used for mid range pelagic casting. I’m off to Weipa for a 2 week guiding stint next week and just can’t wait to get back to throw this outfit at some big Hervey Bay snapper!

 

 

Review by Andrew Blyth. In this day and age the market is filled with rods for any style of fishing you want to do. Some of these rods are good and some are, well not so good. Then there is a category of rods that are brilliant at what they…

Review by Andrew Blyth.

In this day and age the market is filled with rods for any style of fishing you want to do. Some of these rods are good and some are, well not so good. Then there is a category of rods that are brilliant at what they have been designed to do. With the amount of rods currently on the market you would think that this group of rods would be a lot larger, but as I said we are not talking about rods that are good we are talking about rods that are brilliant. In the past month or so I have added a rod to this elite group. A rod that I thought was so good that I currently own three of them, and to be honest am considering purchasing a fourth.

The rod that I am referring to and most importantly the rod that I have not been able to put down since I was lucky enough to get my hands on it, is the Black Label 642ULFS.

The Daiwa Black Label name has been synonymous with quality since its inception. The 642ULFS is no exception to this. The characteristics of this rod really lend itself to the light tackle style of fishing that is so popular in Australia. I have found this rod to be a perfect match to casting lightly weighted soft plastics at structure and small light crankbaits such as the Presso rolling crank. The length of this rod at 6’4” I find gives a perfect combination of distance and accuracy. If I want to make a longer cast over a sand flat I can, but if I want to cast a slightly weighted soft plastic at a pontoon this is where the 64ULFS really comes into its own.

I find the slightly slower taper on this blank has a fantastic cushioning effect – this is vital when fishing lures with fine, sharp sticky trebles where a light hook up may occur. If the fish makes an un-expected run or turn, the blank taper really assists in keeping pulled hooks to a minimum. While the blank is slightly slower in its taper it is still incredibly accurate and responsive.
When the rod is loaded it still remains true to form due to some market leading rod technology exclusive to Daiwa, being 3DX, HVF and X45. The combination of these three technologies makes this an extremely light weight and responsive rod. Previously these technologies were reserved for rods twice this price.

Those familiar with the original range of Black Label rods will notice a slightly revised and updated split cork grip which still includes the comfortable surround hold reel seat. This rod features the new Fuji KR series of guides. This has been a revision by Fuji from the first highly popular K series. The KR guide has been specifically designed as a light tackle specific guide which is perfect for this style of rod. New angles and guide heights ensure that the ‘tangle free’ design is retained and even improved.

This rod has fast become one of my favourites and I think will always have a place on the front deck of my boat. It is a true finesse rod, dangerously perfect in its design and style and completely fitting of its Black label name.

By Andrew Badullovich. Flathead are an extremely popular species due to their abundance, and willingness to attack an artificial offering. The flathead are ambush merchants, and commonly feed in shallow water. This is great for the shore-based angler, as most of the flathead’s feeding zones are accessible by foot. Try…

By Andrew Badullovich.

Flathead are an extremely popular species due to their abundance, and willingness to attack an artificial offering. The flathead are ambush merchants, and commonly feed in shallow water. This is great for the shore-based angler, as most of the flathead’s feeding zones are accessible by foot.

Try looking for a shallow sand-flat adjacent to a deeper channel. Flathead will station themselves close to a depth change, where they will prey on bait-fish and prawns. These depth changes or “drop-offs” are easily identified by contrasting water colour. Try to identify subtle signs of flathead activity; such as, lies or impressions in the sand that are left by flathead.

  

Wade into the water with caution, and spend some time casting your lure around any likely location. Flathead may not eat your lure on the first pass, and can be a little slow to move in and attack. Other days, they can be ravenous and belt lures with gusto; however, a slow and methodical approach is best. Cast up-current, and work you lure back with the prevailing tidal flow…this will allow your offering to look natural.

Soft-plastics are great; however, I prefer hard bodied lures. The action of the hard-bods will stir up the sand, really attracting the attention of the flatties. I feel that you can cover a lot of water at a more efficient rate with hard-bods, which is great if you do not have a lot of time. Lures such as, TD Minnow Silent and Presso Rolling Cranks are ideal for catching flatties in shallow water.

Concentrate your efforts around the last two hours of the run-out tide, as this is a proven bite-period for flathead. Carry a small shoulder bag or back-pack to ensure you have everything you need, whilst remaining mobile. Depending on the size of your chosen location, you could practically walk for kilometres! Tools to carry are: plyers, braid scissors, lip-lock or glove, spool of 10lb leader, and a selection of hard bodied lures. You could add a water bottle, and a camera to this list.

A light spin combo consisting of a Generation Black – Itchy Twitchy & Exceler DX is perfect for the job. Spool your reel with 4-8lb braid, and attach a rod’s length of 10lb fluorocarbon leader to this via a double uni-knot. If you struggle with tying knots, it may be worth investing in one of Daiwa’s “Knot tying Tool”.

This style of fishing is on offer from September to May, but will really fire in the warmer months of the year. It’s a lot of fun, and a great way to provide a tasty meal of fresh fish. Don’t be surprised if you find some extra-large flathead up in the shallows either…the big breeders frequent these areas too. If you catch a flathead in excess of 70cm in length, it’s advised to release it unharmed to ensure future stocks.