Spin Gear for barra

[NAGG]

What a read! More of the same old same old from a typical Nagg thread, just like the one he started up on trolling.
Nagg get yourself some therapy mate, do this. go out in a boat with a spin rod a troll all day!! Relax! LOL!!
99.9% of the fishing population are not represented here, most of them can go out and enjoy a day on the water and relax. How ever did people get on before all this gear was available? I remember going fishing and spending endless hours of total enjoyment as a kid catching Bobbys (Spangled Perch) with a stick of bamboo and a bit of 6lb line just tied on the end!!
All this hyper inquisition over styles and gear is way beyond me. Last year in a day I nailed 7 barra at Awoonga on a 95 dollar spin rod, total enjoyment! Who cares??
Lets just go fishing and enjoy ourselves.
Fishing also involves interaction with the great outdoors, the birdlife, sunsets, billy tea, chilly dawns, a coldie at 4pm, and your mates!
If you have your bum up and head down in a managerie of gear, stressing out whether your last cast reached the required distance etc, whether the rod bumped your arm etc, how can you possible enjoy a day out fishing?

Flatzie

Not all of us are just happy to just fish!!!!!!!
Some of us even take to the challenge of angling for barra ...... & catching them on a consistent basis ..... sitting idle & whistling the day away while watching the world go by is not going to achieve it
We try different things & techniques ....... & this is where the tackle discussions become interesting.
I like to tinker with my lures & tackle ........ If it doesn't feel right I wont use it - Its not unusual to see me spend a 16 hour day on a barra dam ..... so quality light , ergonomic rods & reels are important to me.
As for stressing out about it ....... just ask anyone who has fished with me - "any more chilled & I'd have icicles growing on me"

As for a Typical Nagg thread ..... if it promotes participation , thought & discussion ...... Well as far as I'm concerned its a good thread ! After all the freshwater chat was getting a bit dull.

Now Flatzie ..... you can troll your way back to your lurking shadows & wait for the next opportunity to add your valued input to the next topical thread ...... I can't wait

[darylive]

You guys

Come on now play nice .

There is a lot of good stuff here, a great thread.

Just a comment from the cheap seats .

If nothing else (and there is plenty in here) I am sure we can agree that everybody is different and my outfit might not suit you etc. As JM states in a profession where you are trying to cater for all sorts of punters you want something most people fell comfortable with, hence his collection of spin rods.

I respectfully submit there is a difference between comfortable / content and very pleased. This is where those with the means, who are keen enough try to improve on what they have to get the elusive perfect set up. I don't see that as a problem if you have the means to do it and credit to NAGG for trying. He may or may not find it. I am sure if he does we will all be interested. I am equally sure his set up would not suit every one else and let's be mindful that is not what he is striving for. The question as I interprete it was to seek feedback on spin gear for Barra having tried it but found a preference for BC when plenty are using spin. i.e. Am I missing somthing here? (am I right Chris)

Some interesting input from Lindon as always. Lindon you would be the first to recognise the same shoe is not going to suit every player even though they might all be on the same team playing the same game. A simple analagy but I think it fits. While there are some techniques we could all improve on regardless of gear choice and there is always room for improvement, individual physicalities and preferances are the reason we have different gear and I personally like to hear peoples prefrences and the reasons for them, although I may not always agree. Some mechanical effects are simply a matter of fact and that too is interesting and should be considered. But leverage depends not only on the length of the stick but the fuclcrum it is balanced on.

Take from this thread any information that helps or entertains you. Just because because your shoe doesn't feel comfortable on my foot doesn't mean it is not the best shoe for you. But if it is not comfortable on your foot consider another and maybe ask around as to what others use.

Sometimes having considered all the proposals people agree to disagree. I think here we can all agree it is a worthy cause to try to improve and wise to seek input from others in the field, consider practical responses, acknowledge we are all different and be thankful for all these things.

Now it is too nice a day to be on the computer. Go fishing or at least casting in the paddock if you think it matters

[Steve B]

Daryl,

FINALLY - THANKYOU.

Pass on my thanks to whoever wrote that for you.

The good info from Lyndon, Chris, Johnny Mitch, Scotty on a variety of indepth aspects of spinf/BC, rods, reels, stances, actions et etc etc has pretty much been exausted until people ACTUALLY get on the water and test what they have or have not learnt here...simple.

INFOMATION AND FACTS....GOOD. Bring them on. Until then, let it all rest PLEASE. Its ruining what is a great thread for the folk wanting to learn and take a few more tiny steps forward in their learings....they now have a singnificantly increased amount of info to absorb and tinker with, not much more can be done now without on the water practice...(other than casting on a field...please continue to post them results...that is worthy of interest).

And anyone else that wants to come in with usless personal remarks or attacks can bugger off....yes we all enjoy being on the water, scenery, social relax, catch fish on XXX combo while having a beer.....been there, and WE DO that already...thats not in question in this thread. This is about futher advanced classes/info for those WHO WANT TO PARTICIPATE.

But, alas, I think its all been flogged until someone gets on the water.

just my opinion. Agree or not, I dont give a toss

Steve

[Steve B]

Hi all,well taking everyones comments and giving it some thought,thanks Lyndon.I've come up with a spin set up that I suppose is a bit of a compromise given present fiscal policy.I have a Avaya 7'spin rod rated to 8kg and after some deliberation have teamed it with a Daiwa Excelor 4000.The 4000 hopefully won't be to much of a problem with long periods of casting,had a run in the back yard and first up seems ok.I'll have to use it for other scenarios as well as Barra.I'm going to put the markers down the yard on the weekend,will keep you posted on results.Just a quickie 30lb braid seems to be the line of choice for most of you guys,what length leader? I usually have the leader just long enough so the knot doesn't get into the guides as I worry about damaging the guides and shortening the length of the cast.Also,what knot do you favour?I use the double uni mainly because in the heat of battle its the quickest one I can do even if its not the best one for the job.
Paulo

Thats a nice looking combo paul, except the handle appears to be on the wrong side

I like to use about 40cm of leader, I think others prefer it longer. I use the slim beauty knot...I havent had it fail, and it seems to slip through the runners with minimal fuss, noise or damage. Its pretty easy to tie too.

Cheers Steve

[NAGG]

How many people were using spin a couple of years ago? Or should the question be " How many people were using baitcasters only, because their friends were or they were brainwashed by advertising, instead of going out and trialling both and making their own minds up?"

Probably a couple of hundred thousand fisho's both serious, part timers and social fisho's use spin gear. The only thing is they go un-noticed as they are outside the small impoundment scene we might have some contact with, that's all. Or maybe they were snobbed or seen as behind the times for using spin. Maybe they are not noticed at all.

Live, spend time fishing or travelling above the Tropic of Capricorn or even better the line from Cairns to Broom and you see plenty of spin setups. The whole world of tactical and technical development isnt' all invented in the southern impoundment barra scene or just in the tournament minded or on the net.

Shitloads of good work gets done with a minimum of fuss across hundreds of thousands of barra captures, it's just that in the SEQ we hear mostly about the impoundment scene with only a scattering of northern reports in 2-3 mags, which just scratches the surface. Many between the ages of 40ish to 80+ don't use the net so we never hear of their experiences. If people are just getting in to spin now maybe it's just a form of catching up or waking up. Having a second opinion at hand might just be a smart idea.

By the way the difference between 44m and 70m is over 75 feet which is enough of a gap to drive about 5 trucks through. That's a big variance in setups and casting distance. This might provide some food for thought.

Cheers Lyndon.

Hi Lyndon

Being a traveller .... & having fished the impoundments from Tinaroo down to Mondy ....... I've got to have a look at what fellow fishoes were using. Camp ground discussions often turned to tackle ( show & tells) ..... I particularly remember my first trip to Faust (Oct 06) & the discussion that took place one evening - Dave Hodge was there along with a few other knowledgeable anglers (I was a newby to impoundments- so I was oh so keen ) - I can tell you now , there was so many outfits dragged out & not a spin rod to be seen ( it was all about blacksheep & other millionaire derivatives , calcuttas & stump puller rods)

Lets not even talk about the gear that the mainstream fishing media was promoting as ideal impoundment barra tackle ..... just look through your mags around the 03-06 circa

It was all about the reel with less emphasis on the rod

But how things have changed - now it would be unusual to not see a spin stick on a boat - + with the quality of todays small spin reels - there is no drama.

Sure people have used spin gear in impoundments since day 1 - but it would have been adapted from their normal fishing - As the fish grew the tackle was developed along the baitcaster platform .... beefed up (50lb Braid) - & away we went.....

Lyndon - I'm sure if you are honest with yourself - & not just go by the influence of others (or for the sake of the arguement) ....... you will agree that spin gear has really only entered the mainstream impoundment scene in recent years ....... thats why the likes of Miller , Egrell , Gary Howard etc have only started to add dedicated impoundment spin rods to their range in the last 12 months or so ......... & most of the large manufactures are yet to add them to their range ........ On the flip side dedicated impoundment bait cast rods have been available for years.
Ask yourself - Why did JM feel the need to get a couple of custom spin sticks made

Chris

[darylive]

Daryl,

FINALLY - THANKYOU.

Pass on my thanks to whoever wrote that for you.


And anyone else that wants to come in with usless personal remarks or attacks can bugger off....
just my opinion. Agree or not, I dont give a toss

Steve

Good on ya Steve,

I do some of my best work early in the day before the drinking hour

I am currently on long service leave perhaps I should come up some time so we can put some of this theory into practice .

Daryl
Honors, Effective Speaking Trinity College of London.
Who would have thought?

[NAGG]

Well said Daryl & Steve

Time for me to pull my head in ...... (unfortunately I love a good discussion )

Go to the park to improve on my 46M with a spin rod ( without a run up )

Then develop that ideal barra spin rod ..... As per our discussion Steve

All in all ...... Its all good

time to find another controversial topic

Chris

[A_DIFF_PERSPECTIVE]

Just to clarify
My customised spin and overhead sticks are for personal use- mainly salt and some fresh. Designed, or altered for specific jobs.
*off the shelf spin rods suit the other 50% of the fishing I do- charter and personal.
Cheers,
Johnny Mitch

[leelee]

Have to agree with you there Daryl.

My gear works for me and I don't really care how other perceive or even like the feel of my outfits because they were chosen by ME for ME.

Being relatively new to the barra scene, but having a heap of experience in other forms or fishing, it has really surprised me how forth coming many anglers are in sharing ideas and experiences. I am always grateful for all the help I am given and would like to say a big thankyou to Steve_B, Nagg and F@xy as on the last trip up to Mondy i have once again learned something new

Never let it be said that there are not nice people in this sport.

Cheers

Lee

[Dick Pasfield]

Lyndon - I'm sure if you are honest with yourself - & not just go by the influence of others (or for the sake of the argument) ....... You will agree that spin gear has really only entered the mainstream impoundment scene in recent years ....... Thats why the likes of Miller , Egrell , Gary Howard etc have only started to add dedicated impoundment spin rods to their range in the last 12 months or so ......... & most of the large manufactures are yet to add them to their range ........ On the flip side dedicated impoundment bait cast rods have been available for years.
Ask yourself - Why did JM feel the need to get a couple of custom spin sticks made

Can't ague with that, from an impoundment perspective but impoundment barramundi is only a component of the larger barramundi recreational fishery spread across Australia that goes back decades. From that wider fishery its my experience that spin gear has always had a following, be it one or two steps behind baitcasters but certianally on the same footing as hand lines in terms of popularity.

[Dicko]

Lets not even talk about the gear that the mainstream fishing media was promoting as ideal impoundment barra tackle ..... just look through your mags around the 03-06 circa

It was all about the reel with less emphasis on the rod

But how things have changed - now it would be unusual to not see a spin stick on a boat - + with the quality of todays small spin reels - there is no drama.

Sure people have used spin gear in impoundments since day 1 - but it would have been adapted from their normal fishing - As the fish grew the tackle was developed along the baitcaster platform .... beefed up (50lb Braid) - & away we went.....


Chris

Interesting thread.

I recall bumping into Dale, Fitzy & crew one weekend down at Faust in about 03 or 04. It was an interesting weekend, for a variety of reasons

Whilst we were getting the odd fish, we had many more tales of lost fish due to broken lures, straightened hooks etc. One thing that stuck in my mind was that Fitzy was quietly landing metre plus fish in the timber using his light bream/bass spin gear & 12lb (20lb ?) braid.

Lots of these new fishing techniques aren't always so new.

[aussiebasser]

Interesting thread.

I recall bumping into Dale, Fitzy & crew one weekend down at Faust in about 03 or 04. It was an interesting weekend, for a variety of reasons

Whilst we were getting the odd fish, we had many more tales of lost fish due to broken lures, straightened hooks etc. One thing that stuck in my mind was that Fitzy was quietly landing metre plus fish in the timber using his light bream/bass spin gear & 12lb (20lb ?) braid.

Lots of these new fishing techniques aren't always so new.

Fitz was using a 2kg Loomis, Daiwa Fuego and 20lb Bionic. He pulled that 107 out of the trees in Barra Alley and I filmed the whole thing. It certainly opened my eyes. The next fish opened Fitzy's eyes though. That'd be the same weekend you lost your tackle box Dicko and I broke the 665 Loomis and stripped the gears off the 5500 Abu. I think there were some spin rods in my boat that weekend too.

[NAGG]

Can't ague with that, from an impoundment perspective but impoundment barramundi is only a component of the larger barramundi recreational fishery spread across Australia that goes back decades. From that wider fishery its my experience that spin gear has always had a following, be it one or two steps behind baitcasters but certianally on the same footing as hand lines in terms of popularity.

I think this whole discussion needed some clarification ...... Its about impoundment barra fishing.
This is no different to todays offshore jigging ( pre 21st century) probably just about everyone used a overhead - - - today its about Saltiga , Stella etc spin reels ...... those same spin reels are now knocking over big marlin - Who would have thought But West Australians have been using big spin reels for decades .......


Chris

[NAGG]

By the way ..... I just improved on my 46M (new pb of 58M) ..... there was less of a cross wind & I respooled my reel ..... mind you I wouldn't cast that way off a boat

Chris

[Dick Pasfield]

I think this whole discussion needed some clarification ...... Its about impoundment barra fishing.

No its not Chris, There's a heap of info in this thread that is directly applicable to barramundi across the board. To suggest exclusivity would be to reduce your input base and that would be a mistake.