A few tackle questions? Jacks, and need a new rod?

[mjc85]

Hey all just wondering what rigs most people use when live baiting for jacks and more specifically what hooks do you use ? I have been experimenting and tryed some mustad big reds and some mustad tarpons etc. What is the most effective hooks to use ? I mainly use live herring and biddies for bait.

Also i'm about to buy myself a nice new Daiwa SW203L (thanks ro raefpud) just wondering what brand and weight braid you would recommend ? I will be fishing for mainly just jacks and barramundi by live baiting and flicking lures.

Also i require a rod of some sort, i was thinking of a G-Loomis GL2 6" 6-8kg Baitcaster for like $250, what else would you recommend around this price range?

Cheers
Mitch

[morty103]

Gday mitch,
Firstly have a look at 'new toy' post down a bit in the tackle section, thats my new jack rod, a little daiwa procaster 12-17 pound, good rod, 89 dollars, 12 month warranty, not bad, if it breaks i can just get a new one seeing as they are cheap as chips. Reel is a new TD-luna 253.

Line wise, Finns 30 pound braid, the reason why i chose finns is because i reckon its softer, and it has a smaller diameter in the line so it works well for live baiting/flicking etc. I have used fireline before, but finns in my opinion works better.

If im live baiting for jacks i try and use as little lead as possible and just have my leader around one rods length of 50 pound mono.
Hope it helps

ps. i saw your report, did you get him up between the lakes?
Cheers
Morty

[wheezer]

braid between 20-30lb wil be more than enough for flicking lures at jacks and average barra. If you intend on hitting the impoundments for the big girls, step up to 50lb for more abrasion resistance. I use Fireline XDS in either 25lb or 35lb, Finns or the new Daiwa Sensor is good also

Rod wise, IMO I would steer clear of the cheaper loomy stuff, it has really gone downhill. I'd have a look at a Shimano T-curve or I know Daiwa have some excellent rods out this year. Might end up saving some $$ too!

depending on how you live bait, you might find the Millionaire not entirely suitable. It has no ratchet so difficult to leave it in freespool waiting for a strike.

[mjc85]

Morty: He was caught in around noosa itself #:)

Wheezer: I usually fish with the rod in my hand, but yeh now that i think about it, with my old abu i would put the ratchet on and leave the button clicked on and then wind and strike. So do any of the upper class mllionaires have ratchets ? Do the luna have a ratchet?

Yeh maybe i should just stick with a cheap rod like the procaster, can afford to buy a new one when it gets broken by a careless mate lol

And i think i will go for 20lb braid of some sort, just sussing which reel has a ratchet now

[NeilD]

I picked up a 6-10kg T Curve and could not be happier with its casting performance,
It is yet to be tested in anger but feels great. Great price from Sundown.

Neil

[roz]

You have probably had a look see at the rod in my post ( finally finished rod etc etc) well it's a samuari, don't know if they sell those already built, but if they do I can highly recommend one.

I've been using mine since last October. so I've given it a good workout.

The reel I use with it is an ABU baitcaster with 13kg braid, lovely to cast lures with.

As for terminal tackle, you sound like you are on the right track.

Cheers Roz

[roz]

One more thing..... if you are tempted to build a rod, the samuari was under $100. Good value for what you end up with.

[mjc85]

One more thing..... if you are tempted to build a rod, the samuari was under $100. Good value for what you end up with.

I would love to build my own rod, the samurai blank you used is the one that is distibuted bu Fuji ? I have no idea how to build a rod, is there any way i could really stuff it up ?

[PMC]

If you are looking for a top quality Australian product, check out the Egrell B4-6 or B6-5. I know they are expensive, but are rated with the best rods on the market. The Egrell retails for around $500, but other competitors start at $600 and go up. You have to cast and fish with an Egrell to believe that performance can be enhanced. Tough, uncompromising rods.

[wheezer]

The only millionaires that have ratchets are the biggest 300 size, way too big to also cast lures. I would stay with your 203 as a dedicated lure casting outfit and then get something to fish bait with. If you want to stay with a baitcaster, get a smaller Abu which still has a ratchet, I think the 4600 size still has one. Or go for an eggbeater like a Shimano baitrunner.

As for rods, as roz said the Samurai stuff is great, I've built up a fair few of them from light spin to barra sticks through to heavy jigging. The perfect blank for you would be an RBC008, it's a 7' 6-8kg stick with a good tip to cast smallish lures or lob bait around but more than enough grunt to handle jacks and decent barra. I trimmed mine to 6', it's featherweight so you can cast all day and it has had no dramas stopping mid 70's barra at monduran. I've since rolled up an NV7 as well which is a dedicated heavy barra stick, would be too stiff to cast lures around noosa for jacks though, it is unbelievably powerful, handles 8kg+ of drag with ease.....

I was out there over the weekend trying to break my jack hoodoo, concentrated on the lower reaches but drew a blank. I only use lures though. I have heard of a number of jacks caught in woods bay on poppers as bycatch when chasing trevors

[mjc85]

As for rods, as roz said the Samurai stuff is great, I've built up a fair few of them from light spin to barra sticks through to heavy jigging. The perfect blank for you would be an RBC008, it's a 7' 6-8kg stick with a good tip to cast smallish lures or lob bait around but more than enough grunt to handle jacks and decent barra. I trimmed mine to 6', it's featherweight so you can cast all day and it has had no dramas stopping mid 70's barra at monduran. I've since rolled up an NV7 as well which is a dedicated heavy barra stick, would be too stiff to cast lures around noosa for jacks though, it is unbelievably powerful, handles 8kg+ of drag with ease.....

Thanks for the reply wheezer, i see you mention the RBC008 6-8kg would be a suitable blank for me. I had a look on www.fujitackle.com.au and that blank doesn't seem to be listed? The closest thing i could see was the

S005 - Grey
6' x 1 piece Baitcaster - Spin 4-6kg. Butt Diameter 13.0mm, Tip Diameter 2.4mm. A strong single or double handed trigger grip blank. Well suited to heavy lure casting for barra, jacks, etc.


Do they have more blanks that what is listed on their site ? Also what are your guide spacings on the rod ?

Regards
Mitch

[wheezer]

pm sent.....you won't like the S005, too heavy in the tip. their website hasn't been updated in ages that's why there is no mention of some of their newer blanks including the RBC008

[morty103]

Wheezer
If your fishing for jacks you don't need the rachet

[mjc85]

Wheezer
If your fishing for jacks you don't need the rachet


It would help alot if you are bait fishing and want to use more than 1 rod. You can engage the ratchet and click the cast button down so its like a baitrunner.

[wheezer]

thanks mitch that's what I was getting at. besides you don't want to put smelly bait all over your new millionaire! ;)