New Barra Rod

[leelee]

Hi guys.

I know this should really be in the Tackle section, but I was hoping to get input from regular barra fisho's on this subject.

At the moment I'm looking for a good rod to match up to my Heartland 153.

I have searched around and not been able to find anything I liked. I need a rod that can cast bigger hb's, 3/8 - 5/8th plastics and also at the top end of the spectrum say a stiffy bony bream ( a bit more care would be used in casting these.

Now I was wondering if anyone has used the Samurai Reaction 10-17 lb baitcast rod? If so can anyone give me any feed back on its potential as a impoundment barra rod?

Also any other idea of rods that are worthy of a look?

I will be running 30lb+ ( i have some 50lb jigman which is pretty thin, but I need to see how much I can fit on it).

Cheers

Lee

[BobbyJ123]

G'day mate, my son made up a rod for me using the Samurai 10-17lb blank; lovely rod. I teamed it up with an ABU Record 60 and have caught some very nice big girlies. Also have a Strudwick sic stik 10-17 lb that I teamed up with an ABU 5500C4.

The Samurai against a nice barra.

[NAGG]

Hi guys.

I know this should really be in the Tackle section, but I was hoping to get input from regular barra fisho's on this subject.

At the moment I'm looking for a good rod to match up to my Heartland 153.

I have searched around and not been able to find anything I liked. I need a rod that can cast bigger hb's, 3/8 - 5/8th plastics and also at the top end of the spectrum say a stiffy bony bream ( a bit more care would be used in casting these.

Now I was wondering if anyone has used the Samurai Reaction 10-17 lb baitcast rod? If so can anyone give me any feed back on its potential as a impoundment barra rod?

Also any other idea of rods that are worthy of a look?

I will be running 30lb+ ( i have some 50lb jigman which is pretty thin, but I need to see how much I can fit on it).

Cheers

Lee


Hi Lee

I use a Reaction 12-20lb & it is my favorite barra stick by a long way ....... I can cast through my range of HBs & SPs ( with the exception of the 6" storm shad) ...... Its still a relatively light rod but can still handle the big mummas - I use it with my HLC Zillion or Steez
The 10-17lb IMO is too light for impoundment barra .... makes a nice Jack or salty barra stick .
If you want quality ...... then you wont be disappointed

Regards

chris

PM me if you need to know more

[Steve B]

Lee,

I have had a quick flick with Chris's rod..its very nice, like he said, probably wouldn't go any lighter than the his model.

Personally I prefer, and use my Egrell BeaR 6-6 for the applications you describe. I cast everything from weighted down slickrigs (less than 1/2oz) thru to Stiffy BB's without any drama.....no problems with fish handling either. Like Chris said, if you need any more info please PM me.

Cheers Steve

[leelee]

Thanks Chris and Steve.

My other alternative was a custom salty barra miller, so i am still in the throws of a decision.

Thanks again for your help.

Cheers

Lee

[Plasticin]

Hey mate,

I am with Steve on this one the B6-6 is the best rod I have used in terms of covering the whole spectrum of plastics to HB's. But I haven't used every rod yet...

I don't know how a 153 would go on a Samurai, I haven't used one yet only played with it in store so I'm not saying I'm an expert but i have a TDA 153 and that doesn't sit well on the lighter rods (Battlers primarily) due to its physical size.

Interesting to here what you think of the Millerods if you go that way, been thinking about a camoufish Hi-roller for ages now but just can't justify the price.

Scott

[leelee]

Hey mate,

I am with Steve on this one the B6-6 is the best rod I have used in terms of covering the whole spectrum of plastics to HB's. But I haven't used every rod yet...

I don't know how a 153 would go on a Samurai, I haven't used one yet only played with it in store so I'm not saying I'm an expert but i have a TDA 153 and that doesn't sit well on the lighter rods (Battlers primarily) due to its physical size.

Interesting to here what you think of the Millerods if you go that way, been thinking about a camoufish Hi-roller for ages now but just can't justify the price.

Scott

I have used millers for a while now but not any Barra versions. Really when you look at the price of the MIller compared to what youa re shelling out for the reaction, then its basically around the same money if you deal with Ian direct. The plus side is you get to have some input on your custom rod as to grip lengths etc and components etc.

Cheers

Lee

[Plasticin]

I have used millers for a while now but not any Barra versions. Really when you look at the price of the MIller compared to what youa re shelling out for the reaction, then its basically around the same money if you deal with Ian direct. The plus side is you get to have some input on your custom rod as to grip lengths etc and components etc.

Cheers

Lee

Not disputing it at all mate. I think ifishing gear is a great investment though rods break easier than reels, but not going down that path again. Good luck with your choice and I think you'll be more than happy whatever you decide. Catch you on a dam sometime

[leelee]

Not disputing it at all mate. I think ifishing gear is a great investment though rods break easier than reels, but not going down that path again. Good luck with your choice and I think you'll be more than happy whatever you decide. Catch you on a dam sometime

Mate i totally understand;)

Everytime I think of rods breakages I think expiditer and there are only a few manufactuers that offer a good version, problem is the orginal price of the rod means you are paying much more money for a rod then you should be.

The downside is for a custom rod is that if it breaks well you have to spend extra $'s to convert it to a 2 peice.

Very hard to find a happy medium.

Cheers

Lee

[vet]

Hi Lee, I have a camofish twitching stick 8-15kg, I absolutely hated it for casting soft plastics ( which is what I predominantly have been doing for the last few years) so it was left at home, but since I've returned to my old friends the hard bodies it rarely misses a trip now. It is my first choice in the boat for hard bodies, which is what it was designed for. So I also take my loomis IMX 12-25lb for long casts with soft bodies. Maybe there is 1 rod that can do it all but I doubt it. You just have to bite the bullet and get specific rods for specific actions. I usually take at least 6 rods all for different purposes, with different leaders, reels and line strengths to optomize each lure types action. that's just my opinion, scott.

[NAGG]

Hi Lee

The Millers have gone up considerably...... When under $500 the Salty barra & Top end braid barras where good value .... but now IMO they have been left behind by other brands....... & you really start paying big $ for the camofish range>

Just my opinion .... If you are looking for a bit of an alrounder a 6'6" - 6' 10" would offer the best compromise ....... ability to cast long with plastics , control in the timber & short enough to work a HB with the rod angle low.

( Scott aka Vet is quite correct in having an array of rods for specialist tasks ....... just like your breamin)

Chris

[leelee]

Hi Lee, I have a camofish twitching stick 8-15kg, I absolutely hated it for casting soft plastics ( which is what I predominantly have been doing for the last few years) so it was left at home, but since I've returned to my old friends the hard bodies it rarely misses a trip now. It is my first choice in the boat for hard bodies, which is what it was designed for. So I also take my loomis IMX 12-25lb for long casts with soft bodies. Maybe there is 1 rod that can do it all but I doubt it. You just have to bite the bullet and get specific rods for specific actions. I usually take at least 6 rods all for different purposes, with different leaders, reels and line strengths to optomize each lure types action. that's just my opinion, scott.


Thanks Mate.

I understand the need for the different spec rods as I fish for bass and bream on a regular basis.

The difference is here I don't get to get up to the barra dams as much as I would like, so trying to find a stick that can do almost everything I need to do is what its about, so then i only have to bring 3-4 combo's.

The salty barra long cast camo was decided after a long in depth talk with Ian after we discussed what i would be using it for and where.

Thanks for your help as it always does help when its people who actually target the same species to give the good advice, hence the reason i put the post here and not in the tackle section.

Thanks again mate. Much appreciated.

Cheers

Lee

[leelee]

Hi Lee

The Millers have gone up considerably...... When under $500 the Salty barra & Top end braid barras where good value .... but now IMO they have been left behind by other brands....... & you really start paying big $ for the camofish range>

Just my opinion .... If you are looking for a bit of an alrounder a 6'6" - 6' 10" would offer the best compromise ....... ability to cast long with plastics , control in the timber & short enough to work a HB with the rod angle low.

( Scott aka Vet is quite correct in having an array of rods for specialist tasks ....... just like your breamin)

Chris

The toss up was between the reaction and the miller salty barra longcast.

the reason for these 2 rods is the fact that I do not like the action of the other "barra" rods on teh market because they don't suit what I need. I know it sounds stupid saying that, but I hate fishing with rods that are built cheaply, with cheap components and you pay big $'s for. hence the reason of he 2 rods I am lookign at.

Personally I like the reactions and both the 17lb and 20 lb rods are very very nice rods and this is what i am steering to.

Any other worthy rods you think might be worth a look?

Cheers

Lee

[vet]

Hi again Lee, I haven't laid eyes on a salty barra yet so can't be of any help but looking at the quality of my twitching stick I'd think you won't go wrong with a camofish. If I was forced to only take one rod fishing it would be my loomis IMX matched to my zillion and 20lb braid, but that could change if I saw a salty barra. cheers scott.

[leelee]

Hi again Lee, I haven't laid eyes on a salty barra yet so can't be of any help but looking at the quality of my twitching stick I'd think you won't go wrong with a camofish. If I was forced to only take one rod fishing it would be my loomis IMX matched to my zillion and 20lb braid, but that could change if I saw a salty barra. cheers scott.

That was the issue I was facing.

The rollers and stab sticks are just to "heavy tipped" for my liking. Does that seem the case for you?

After a good discussion with ian and then having a look at Travis's barra rods from FM, then bascially it seemed as thoguh the perfect suited rods for the appliactiosn I was after was the salty barra lc.

Ian has made a few for the taylors as far as i am aware and they used them a bit last season I think.

Might be worth droppign them a line I think to find out if they can give a bit of helpful advice on that specific rod.

Cheers

Lee

[vet]

Yes they are too heavy tipped for soft plastics and they then suffer in casting distance. Perfect for their application for hard bodies. The taylor boys would be the ones to ask. cheers scott

[aussiebasser]

For Impoundment Barra I use an assortment of rods. If you are going to put in big days casting, I would suggest either an Egrell B8-5 or a B6-5, both of these get a lot of work. I recently got a couple of B6-6 Bearz for knocking around and these have also impressed. My favorite smaller plastic Barra rod is still my B4-6 Egrell which has had about 4" taken off the tip. Not a good rod for in the sticks though. My long range casting rods, for heavy lures and plastics haven't had a lot of use yet. The Megabass White Python is a very well finished and great casting rod, and yet at half the price the Egrell B10 split grip will out cast it and has a nicer tip for working lures. Eric has designed all heavy baitcasters around Barra, they are not Large Mouth Bass rods sold as Barra rods.

[leelee]

I ended up with the Reaction rod as its just such a light rod with heaps of grunt and it has the right action I was after.

Thanks to everyone for thier help.

Cheers

Lee

[Big_Ren]

I hope it is everything you were after Lee. Congrats. I've just paired up a Loomis ForceLite with a Branzino, and although it is a spin outfit, I just love it.

Also love my B8-6 and the Boof Stick, but my fav is probably one of the cheapest, a little 12-25lb Redington, one inch shorter these days thanks to laying it somewhere I shouldn't have on the boat.

Cheers
Paul

[NAGG]

I ended up with the Reaction rod as its just such a light rod with heaps of grunt and it has the right action I was after.

Thanks to everyone for thier help.

Cheers

Lee

Good choice Lee ....... I'm sure you will enjoy using it as much as I do with my 451 :)

Chris

[Toddy_again]

I hope it is everything you were after Lee. Congrats. I've just paired up a Loomis ForceLite with a Branzino, and although it is a spin outfit, I just love it.

Also love my B8-6 and the Boof Stick, but my fav is probably one of the cheapest, a little 12-25lb Redington, one inch shorter these days thanks to laying it somewhere I shouldn't have on the boat.

Cheers
Paul


What model number Forcelite did you get Paul?
I have the two heaviest forcelite baitcasters and I really like them.Particularly the heavier one.


Toddy

[Big_Ren]

What model number Forcelite did you get Paul?
I have the two heaviest forcelite baitcasters and I really like them.Particularly the heavier one.


Toddy

Hi Toddy

I ended up with the heavy spin braid series Forcelite. The model is FLBSR875 S. It's 7'3" and rated 10-25lb. It seems to be a perfect match for the reel, and gives me plenty of casting length for plastics. I'm running 30lb Sunline Castaway on the reel.

Cheers
Paul

[Toddy_again]

Hi Toddy

I ended up with the heavy spin braid series Forcelite. The model is FLBSR875 S. It's 7'3" and rated 10-25lb. It seems to be a perfect match for the reel, and gives me plenty of casting length for plastics. I'm running 30lb Sunline Castaway on the reel.

Cheers
Paul


Do you reckon its a similar rod to the S10?And do you think a 4000 size reel would be to big on it?
I already have a Loomis SJ844 IMX with 3000 Daiwa and I wanted something to chuck bigger plastics in the dams.


Toddy

[NAGG]

Do you reckon its a similar rod to the S10?And do you think a 4000 size reel would be to big on it?
I already have a Loomis SJ844 IMX with 3000 Daiwa and I wanted something to chuck bigger plastics in the dams.


Toddy


Toddy

If I can jump in here .....

Why do you need a larger 4000 size spin reel ?

Chris

[Toddy_again]

Toddy

If I can jump in here .....

Why do you need a larger 4000 size spin reel ?

Chris

Gday Chris....multiple uses.It might get a run chasing longtails or offshore.I like the security of close to 300m of line.The reality is it probably will never get used but its still there.
I dunno...there isnt much difference in weight between a 3000 and a 4000 size reel is there?


Toddy

[NAGG]

Gday Chris....multiple uses.It might get a run chasing longtails or offshore.I like the security of close to 300m of line.The reality is it probably will never get used but its still there.
I dunno...there isnt much difference in weight between a 3000 and a 4000 size reel is there?


Toddy

Fair enough

I actually think the bulk of a 4000 size reel makes for a poor choice for barra ....... Todays high quality 2500 - 3000 size reels are more than capable & just seem to feel better matched for working frogs , plastics & HBs....... you certainly dont gain much & you dont really need the capacity ( unless using 50lb braid)
However ..... If its multi role (pelagics) - Thats different .

Chris

[Big_Ren]

Toddy

Chris is right. I also run a 3500 Certate HD Custom on a Loomis Pro Blue and I reckon that's pushing it for impoundment barra. Remember you're casting your tits off all day, and even though the Pro Blue is a little too big for the Certate, it's touch and go whether you'd want to go any bigger than a 3000 size reel.

You can still chase tuna with a 3000 series whatever, providing the drag is silky and you have the ability to chase if required. I know Eric G uses a 3500 or 4000 with a range of his rodz but that is his own choice....and obviously he knows his sticks better than anyone else.

I don't have a S10 for barra, only the B8-6 and it is a dandy weapon. I do have a Bear S10H but that is for overhead work offshore.

Personally, I believe there is a big difference between the weight and feel of a 3000 and 4000. Sure there will be a difference in capacity, but IMHO a quality 3000 or 3500 will do the same job on longtail as it will on barra, and you'll last the day much better than a 4000.....times have changed from the days of elephant guns...not that we are talking 6000 series reels or the like.

For barra anyway, you need lightness with some balls.

For what it's worth.

Cheers
Paul

[aussiebasser]

Gday Chris....multiple uses.It might get a run chasing longtails or offshore.I like the security of close to 300m of line.The reality is it probably will never get used but its still there.
I dunno...there isnt much difference in weight between a 3000 and a 4000 size reel is there?


Toddy

Hey Toddy,

I have a 3000 Branzino, a 3000 Fuego and a 4000 Certate Hyper Custom. I run the Certate on an S4. The 4000s are a bit heavier, but if you're like me, you don't spend all day casting one rod. Again, the additional line capacity is the main attraction. I've just got a 4500 S-Extreme spooled up with 60lb Castaway to run on my extra heavy Egrell. There are some yellowfin at Baia that I hope to meet in a couple of weeks.

[Toddy_again]

Hey Toddy,

I have a 3000 Branzino, a 3000 Fuego and a 4000 Certate Hyper Custom. I run the Certate on an S4. The 4000s are a bit heavier, but if you're like me, you don't spend all day casting one rod. Again, the additional line capacity is the main attraction. I've just got a 4500 S-Extreme spooled up with 60lb Castaway to run on my extra heavy Egrell. There are some yellowfin at Baia that I hope to meet in a couple of weeks.


Well thats the other point Basser.Between a couple of baitcasters and another spin rod its unlikely that it would get used all day.
For matter of interest I will put a sol 3000 and a twin power 4000 on the scales and I will post up the weight tomorrow.I know you can get the stats off the net but I would be interested to see it with my own eyes.Cant be arsed now though.
Whens your trip?Did they take all those flys off you in customs?

Toddy

[aussiebasser]

I played it safe and left the flies with Riccard over there. He's a bit of a fly fisho. I hope he hasn't lost them all, I need to borrow them back again. We leave two weeks from today.

[vet]

Hi Toddy, I have been using 2500 stradics for years now for impoundment barra and landed numerous 120cm + on them, the only trouble I've experienced with the smaller reels is the cheaper ones don't last the distance but if you get quality then there's no need to go bigger than a 2500 or 3000 tops. I like you thought I needed more capacity in the beginning and bought a 4000 certate. There's a lot of casts between fish and the 4000 wears you down too fast, so it has been sitting in the shed for years now and only ventures on offshore trips. I have just gone to a steez 2508 for this season, very small and light but still has 7kgs of drag if you desire it. I won't be using this amount of drag as I only use 20lb line now. I also have caught hundreds of long tails on my little 2500 stradics and don't have trouble unless I'm anchored. cheers scott

[Toddy_again]

I played it safe and left the flies with Riccard over there. He's a bit of a fly fisho. I hope he hasn't lost them all, I need to borrow them back again. We leave two weeks from today.


Got a couple more flys here for ya.You will like these ones.

Did the weight comparison....sol 3000 with line 269 grams and twin pooer 4000 369 grams without line. 100 grams plus difference is quite a bit really.
The funny part about it is that I would probably never in a milliion years even pick up a spin rod if there were longtails around.The bloody things are too damn good to catch on fly.
I could always just go and buy another reel...;D


Toddy

[NAGG]

Got a couple more flys here for ya.You will like these ones.

Did the weight comparison....sol 3000 with line 269 grams and twin pooer 4000 369 grams without line. 100 grams plus difference is quite a bit really.
The funny part about it is that I would probably never in a milliion years even pick up a spin rod if there were longtails around.The bloody things are too damn good to catch on fly.
I could always just go and buy another reel...;D


Toddy

sometimes these things surprise (100g is heaps when casting all day) ...... :(
When I bought my 3000 Certate .... I was looking at a 4000 size reel (thinking that I need the capacity ... Small Tuna , snapper , jew etc) - but as I found out - would have been a clumsy overkill
When it comes to barra ...... The 3000s make for a balanced outfit

Chris