gt combo

[Jsmfun]

I have just been informed buy my wonderful wife that she has booked me on a charter
fishing with mark berg from the 1-6 December:D ( i new marrying her would pay off)

my question is has anybody fished with these guys it looks like it will be awesome.
70ft mothership and the food looks fantastic but not allowed to take alcohol..

Should i purchase a designated gt combo for this trip as i am thinking 4 days of casting will take its toll with the big t-curve broom stick i have.

i have a 14000 stella with 70lb braid will this be big enough braid or should get a 18000 with 100lb
as looking at top end popping rods they all say matched with 18000 stella..

I have never done a live aboard charter so gear to take would be appreciated as i do not
know how much is appropriate any advise would be great thanks.....

[hainsofast]

No alcohol, pfft, screw that for a joke. LOL

[Jsmfun]

lol must purchase on-board only...... i would not go if i could not have a ale or 10

[hainsofast]

and what the bet a xxxx gold will be 10 bucks a stubby

[scottar]

I have just been informed buy my wonderful wife that she has booked me on a charter
fishing with mark berg from the 1-6 December:D ( i new marrying her would pay off)

.

And the question you're asking is what rod and reel to buy???????

I'd be asking what she had bought or done LOL. Who knows - you might be able to angle for a whole new boat ;D:-?

[Daintreeboy]

I'd check to see if they supply gear. I reckon they might. Just make sure it's not on a hire basis and if so what is the cost etc.
Might be worth buying then.

[Jsmfun]

and what the bet a xxxx gold will be 10 bucks a stubby
That's what I was thinking mate

[Jsmfun]

And the question you're asking is what rod and reel to buy???????

I'd be asking what she had bought or done LOL. Who knows - you might be able to angle for a whole new boat ;D:-?
Tried it's a no go I told her to live a little then I got that look off (I can cancel the trip look)
so I backed down

[Jsmfun]

I'd check to see if they supply gear. I reckon they might. Just make sure it's not on a hire basis and if so what is the cost etc.
Might be worth buying then.
It's all to hire and if something breaks I would be liable for the replacement so hence taking my own lures and outfits

[scottar]

Tried it's a no go I told her to live a little then I got that look off (I can cancel the trip look)
so I backed down

LOL. I am the Captain of this ship and I have my wife's permission to say so. (Don't worry, I sail on her sister ship)

[FisHard]

I wouldn't worry about the 14k Stella, it's a good reel. 70lb might be a bit light on though, I usually pop with PE8 which is usually rated around 100lb. Is the T Curve the GT Special? They aren't a bad rod, particularly for the money. Realistically, all GT popping rods are broom sticks! They just vary in their brutality!! It's only when you start spending big bucks (say $700+) that GT rods start becoming a bit more subtle. It would be a big investment to get a high end stick and then, if you like a combo of popping and stickbaits, it's time to look at 2 different rods!
My other tip on the live aboard trip is take a flathead outfit. Say 6-10lb braid, 2500 reel and a flick stick. A lot of the sandy anchorages inside the reef up north have excellent overnight fishing for Spangled Emporer. This is fabulous fun when they are on!!! The secret is light (12lb leader), small but strong hooks and just enough sinker to get to the bottom. My experience of these types of trips, is there isn't any of these outfits and tackle onboard. A few squid jigs can be very handy too. The mothership lights can attract a few tasty entrees!

[Jsmfun]

thanks for that advice doug ill swap out the braid just picked up 300m of pe6 /92lbs saltiga casting braid for $79
from ray and annes ...i will be looking at the more expensive rods as i have just booked the ashmore reef trip with nomad in dec 2017 (looking forward to that one) so i think its time to invest in quality .....

how many poppers and stickbaits would you normally take 10 of each ? and then some smaller lures for flats and so on ..and i will take a 15pound soft plastic outfit fun at night thanks for that suggestion
cheers scott

[FisHard]

Good stuff mate, the guides spoke very highly of Ashmore when I did my trip at Easter, though they had experienced one very quiet block of charters there last year.
Re number of poppers, 10 of each stickbaits and poppers would be plenty for a week trip, the only thing is, if you find one particular style/colour/size of lure is getting extra bites, then you lose it, chances are you don't have backups of the same lure. But it's not practical to take 3 of everything!!
Im a big fan of the Carpenter rods and I usually take a stickbait rod more suited to pe6 (Coral Viper) and a heavy popping rod (MH79xh) to cover both varieties. The Coral Viper is beautiful to fish with and is 10x easier on you when fighting a fish, but the 79XH will cast and work a big mouthed popper the the CV simply will not. I've caught a couple of 40kg class fish on the heavy rod and it really hurts when they go deep under the boat. Really really hurts! But it's got the grunt. I tend to use it sparingly during the day and concentrate on smaller poppers and mid size stickbaits on the Coral Viper.
Re stickbaits, it could be my dodgy technique, but I've never been able to effectively work floating stickbaits, so stick with the sinking ones. They tend to cast better too.
Bear in mind that Nomad won't let you use trebles, so stick with singles. I'm a fan of crushing barbs too, for both the fish and crews sake. I've seen a deckie cop a big sj41 in the leg and simply pull it straight out (no barb). We were 150nm offshore at the time, and had it been barbed, it could have been a real problem.

[Giveitacrack]

I did a trip with Nomad earlier this year and took my own modest casting outfit consisting of an older model Saragosa 18000 spooled with 80lb power pro on a Tcurve revolution travel. As Nomad included gear such as Saltiga Dogfights and Stellas on Yamaga Popping rods on a lost/broken replaced basis,I used their gear one day mine the next. Obviously the more expensive gear was better to use being lighter and more powerful but they were outfits that were $2000++ Vs my $700 oufit which caught just as many fish when I used it. Some the guys brought their own Carpenter's, Stella's, Saltiga's with $100 ++ Jap lures that they would use once a year ? I don't get that. I know they last longer and if you were using them all the time it would be worth it.Rooster poppers rigged with Jobu singles and Nomad's Chug Norris did the job...also Nomad's Mad scads 115's for the lighter stuff. Have fun !!

[goona]

We do a Stanage trip every yea and the main focus is the Gt;s We use a variety of reels rods and lures. Reels Stella 18000, dog fight and tuff reels, We all swapped and used each others and personally the Stella 18000 feels lighter and more balanced. Two of us use GT special rods and the other uses a diawa but don't know model. Personally again it is the GT special for me. I also use a 10000 Stella on a smaller Ian Miller stick and after throwing the big gun for a couple of hours I then drop back to this. I do get smoked a little more often on the real big ones but it a lot easier to use than the 18000. Lures we have use them all from the very expensive to the down right cheap pimped up though. These Ebay ones are great http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Handmade-Wooden-GT-Popper-Top-Water-Surface-Fishing-Lure-4-pack-155g-170mm-/161783026379?hash=item25ab0512cb:g:X24AAOSwLVZVvx8 J All we do is change the rings to Owner 150lb and use SJ41 single hooks. Never had one fail yet and they are cheap as you can see in the link. We also use 150lb Black magic tough trace as the leader and cant remember the brand but its Japanese brain in 90lb of good quality and cost $200 for 300m. Have a great time an I wish I was on that boat with you. Dream trip.

[scuttlebutt]

I don't have a GT Special but I have used one. It will do the job well I reckon, they are a nice rod. I would spend the money on a good reel (Stella or Saltiga), use the GT Special, and for lures unless you have heaps of cash spare don't bother with the expensive stuff. I've lost more Carpenter Stickbaits than I can count but lately have been using the cheap "handmade" wooden stickbaits from Ebay. Great value, work just like a Carpenter and the hooks and rings don't need to be upgraded (Though Nomad might want you to use singles). 22cm, 120gram, Seriously worth checking out.

Edit, I see you have a Stella already. You're as good as done.

[Jsmfun]

Hi all just thought I'd update this one I found a awesome store in Perth.. Tackle hq
gabbed a F-STICK GT80 Reversal NANO
April 2015 release
looks to be replacing the gt79r so should be a great rod thanks for all the advise ....
im sticking with the Stella 14000 and 92lb braid