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Jigsrule
19-09-2010, 02:43 PM
Fellow fishos

I just bought an Ian Miller T-Curve Tournament for offshore soft plastics fishing using 7" gulps in about 30-100m of water and Im not sure if I made the right choice. Its a 2piece 7ft rod rated at 5-10kg and 30-45g. Just after some opinions on the choice I made and whether I should return it and swap for something else.
Your input is greatly appreciated

fat-buoy
20-09-2010, 12:51 PM
Sounds like a nice rod to me.. I bought a 6'7" Berkley attack 6-10kg for the same purpose, with a Shimano Baitrunner 4500, but I think yours is the nicer set up.. I was driven by price :)

revs57
20-09-2010, 04:59 PM
Josh,

I've got the Tcurve in a 5-8kg and its very nice, could only imagine the 5-10kg to have a few more balls - I would think the 5-10kg would perform very well. Why are you concerned?

Jigsrule
20-09-2010, 10:08 PM
Just thought maybe it was a bit heavy and too stiff and just wanted some feedback on what other fishos were using. The rod is very solid and quite stiff when you give it a twitch. Their is no flexibility in the tip at all.

Roo
20-09-2010, 10:56 PM
maybe a tad stiff for shallower water like 30m but once you push out a bit deep and have put an ounce of jighead on there you be happy you got it.

Spot82
20-09-2010, 11:23 PM
I am using a custom built Gary Howard rod built on a Bobby Loomis blank, sold at Jones Tackle, 15-30lb.

Awesome rod, very light but still enough balls to handle big fish!

Probly in a different price bracket to the T-curve though? Cost around $450

It is one of my fav rods to use and is mated with a JDM Stella 6000SW.

Anthony

FishHunter
21-09-2010, 06:16 AM
I have a Diawa Exceller in the same weight, which I have used mainly from my kayak and I couldnt be happier, it will cast soft plastics easily and had enough power to land a 25kg GT.

LostNearBribie
21-09-2010, 11:42 AM
Mate, depending your price range grab an Egrell S10 or S10 Bear.
They are a purpose build 10kg SP rod. So light you can cast it all day.

What reel are you running on the TCurve?

Jigsrule
21-09-2010, 10:23 PM
Mate, depending your price range grab an Egrell S10 or S10 Bear.
They are a purpose build 10kg SP rod. So light you can cast it all day.

What reel are you running on the TCurve?

I married the T-curve to a shimano symetre 4000fi. Its very well balanced, and it feels like a very smooth strong reel. I think its a great combo without spending the big dollars. Any criticisms welcome

LostNearBribie
22-09-2010, 06:25 PM
I had a Twin Power 4000 on my first S10 worked a treat.
I'm sure the Symetre would balance up fine.
Haven't used one so I can't comment on the reel mate.

Pual44
22-09-2010, 10:02 PM
Where to start, mmmmm,
Have been through this scenario myself but started with lighter rods first in the shallow (15 - 40m) and then have gradually bought heavier rods and bigger reels as I explore further into the deeper reefs till now I am fishing plastics in 100m most of the time and wanting to go deeper still trying to get that rush.

This is just my opinion,....ok, so some people may not agree.

In 30m water the reel you have sounds fine as long as the drag is smooth and you maintain it. In the shallows I have found it is more comfortable to use a lighter rod (4 -6 Soft bodz, Daiwa Tierra, Advantage, Fleuger etc), something with greater sensitivity than the 5 - 10kg Shimano. Don't get me wrong it will work but I prefer to use something lighter/softer/more sensitive as long as you are not getting buried repeatedly.
Once you get out deeper, say 60m + this rod and the stiffness you talk about will help to impart action to the plastic because you may be using a 1 oz jighead as mentioned above. A soft/lighter rod will just fold away and you will have to put a lot more arm lift to twitch the plastic (very tiring) to get the same action that the heavier rod will impart on the plastic with a flick of the wrist. So this is the benefit of the heavier/stiffer rod because you could have it in your hand all day.
Also when you get into the deeper water the retreive ratio of the reel starts to impact as well. Smaller reels (shimano 4000) normally retreive less line per wind.
When you get into 100m that can be a reel pain, so there is a trade off between weight and size and comfort. This is a very individual decision and I am still searching for the right combination of strength, weight, retreive ratio etc, at a reasonable price.
I use 3 outfits all rigged with the jig head that best goes with the size and rating of the rod for the water I will be fishing. So as I change depths I change outfits to match.
4 - 6kg rod + 4000 size reel, 15 - 30m
5 - 8 kg rod with 5000 size reel, 30 - 60m
6 - 10 (stiffer than the one above) 6000 size reel, 60 - 100m
I don't think you can get one outfit to suit the lot. If you can I have not found it,........yet.

Good luck

Hope this helps.

Jigsrule
22-09-2010, 10:38 PM
Where to start, mmmmm,
Have been through this scenario myself but started with lighter rods first in the shallow (15 - 40m) and then have gradually bought heavier rods and bigger reels as I explore further into the deeper reefs till now I am fishing plastics in 100m most of the time and wanting to go deeper still trying to get that rush.

This is just my opinion,....ok, so some people may not agree.

In 30m water the reel you have sounds fine as long as the drag is smooth and you maintain it. In the shallows I have found it is more comfortable to use a lighter rod (4 -6 Soft bodz, Daiwa Tierra, Advantage, Fleuger etc), something with greater sensitivity than the 5 - 10kg Shimano. Don't get me wrong it will work but I prefer to use something lighter/softer/more sensitive as long as you are not getting buried repeatedly.
Once you get out deeper, say 60m + this rod and the stiffness you talk about will help to impart action to the plastic because you may be using a 1 oz jighead as mentioned above. A soft/lighter rod will just fold away and you will have to put a lot more arm lift to twitch the plastic (very tiring) to get the same action that the heavier rod will impart on the plastic with a flick of the wrist. So this is the benefit of the heavier/stiffer rod because you could have it in your hand all day.
Also when you get into the deeper water the retreive ratio of the reel starts to impact as well. Smaller reels (shimano 4000) normally retreive less line per wind.
When you get into 100m that can be a reel pain, so there is a trade off between weight and size and comfort. This is a very individual decision and I am still searching for the right combination of strength, weight, retreive ratio etc, at a reasonable price.
I use 3 outfits all rigged with the jig head that best goes with the size and rating of the rod for the water I will be fishing. So as I change depths I change outfits to match.
4 - 6kg rod + 4000 size reel, 15 - 30m
5 - 8 kg rod with 5000 size reel, 30 - 60m
6 - 10 (stiffer than the one above) 6000 size reel, 60 - 100m
I don't think you can get one outfit to suit the lot. If you can I have not found it,........yet.

Good luck

Hope this helps.

Thanks mate. Very informative indeed and I enjoyed every bit of it. Il stick to the combo i have at present and if i have issues, Il be looking to upgrade to maybe a saltiga or something cheaper but with quality components.