Advise on Bottom Reel & rod

[land_cruiser]

Any recommendation on a good rod & reel for mainly bottom fishing?

fishing ground mainly in this region (up to Sabah)

[edylie]

Hi land_cruiser,

I have been using Tiburon QC7540 + Genesis BX57 on a PE6 line.

So far this combo has been working very well for me for bottom or jigging in shallow water

Cheers,
Edy

[jason]

Hi land
Shimano Torium 16 paired with Zeus Medusa 20-40 will be a good combo.....
Can use at regional waters......

Cheers
Jason

[stickbom!]

Depends on whether you're talking about OFFSHORE bottom or INSHORE bottom. For Inshore bottom fishing, all you need is a reel about the size of an ABU6500 and a baitcasting stick rated up to 20lbs. For OFFSHORE you'll need a heavier outfit like those mentioned above to fight.... the SINKER (Godzilla's Ballz :P )... not the fish most of the time This is why I do Inshore bottom fishing or offshore jigging.

[land_cruiser]

Hey all, Thanks for the reply.

I would shortlist the Torium16 & Medusa pair.

Stickbom,
it is more for offshore bottom where big sinker is reqd. any other combo to recommend?

Edy, I don't know much abt the Tiburon, care to give more detail?

Where can I get the Medusa rod?

[rascal]

Hi Land Cruiser

Think Joe's Tackle has both the Torium & the Zeus Medusa.


Cheers!

[jason]

Hi Land
The market price for Torium 16 is abt $220 while the Zeus should not cost more than $120....
U can get both at Tan Thong Cheong.....

[NightAngler]

Originally Posted by land_cruiser

I would shortlist the Torium16 & Medusa pair.

Stickbom,
it is more for offshore bottom where big sinker is reqd. any other combo to recommend?

Own a Torium 16 & is a very nice size reel to hold onto for bottom fishing. Reel had performed flawlessly landing 2 grouper at 24 & 29.5 lbs. Also successfully landed a 24 lbs deepwater catfish(jahan) which had easily stripped >100M of line on #15 drag. Just a couple of days back, reel had conquered a stingray to boatside (diameter abt 4.5 ft) before cutting off the leader. The plastic reel clamp together with 2 small diameter screws looks flimsy but yet to give any problem. Torium 20 has a better reel clamp/securing studs but the wider spool width would probably makes one uncomfortable when holding onto for >10 mins.

Not too sure whether the Medusa comes with the #20-50 version. If yes, a higher poundage rod(or #30-50, #30-60, #30-80) should be more suitable for your application.

When budget is not a constraint & lever drag is preferred, can also consider an Accurate 665N(own this reel too).

When cranking dead weight is concerned, a Torium has better cranking power than the Accurate(at most on par even when having aftermarket longer & offset handle).

In case you are curious abt the rod that is being paired with my Torium 16, it's a Daiwa Sealine X Interline rod #20-50 (heavy action).

Like to emphasize here that I'm not in any way associated with any local tackle shop/reel manufacturer. Opinions expressed are based on my personal experience with personal tackle used.

Yew Seng

[edylie]

Originally Posted by stickbom!

Depends on whether you're talking about OFFSHORE bottom or INSHORE bottom. For Inshore bottom fishing, all you need is a reel about the size of an ABU6500 and a baitcasting stick rated up to 20lbs. For OFFSHORE you'll need a heavier outfit like those mentioned above to fight.... the SINKER (Godzilla's Ballz :P )... not the fish most of the time This is why I do Inshore bottom fishing or offshore jigging.

Hi land_cruiser,

The tiburon QC7540 is a level drag reel. During my jigging trip in Israel, I have set it to 9kgs drag and we were able to land the Amberjack (32kgs) in 15 minutes time. Of course We were jigging around 35M depth of water.

Personally i find that it is a good reel with enough cranking power and during one of the Tanjung Pinang trip a snapper weigh around 3kgs++ was landed less than 5 minutes and again we were fishing around 30M++ depth of water.

Cheers,
Edy

[land_cruiser]

Very informative and useful.

I would take NightAngler's advise to look for higher poundage rod. In case I kena a biggie in Sabah.

Thanks for the good Info from all.

Cheers

[jason]

Zeus also have a heavier poundage rod 20-50lbs...But the color a bit cannot make it.....
U can consider Lemax which is good and cheap......
Maybe U want to consider Freams J 4500 for jigging in Sabah.....
They are selling good now that they are now sold out......


Cheers
jason

[Blackmarlin]

[quote="edylie

Hi land_cruiser,

The tiburon QC7540 is a level drag reel. During my jigging trip in Israel, I have set it to 9kgs drag and we were able to land the Amberjack (32kgs) in 15 minutes time. Of course We were jigging around 35M depth of water.

Personally i find that it is a good reel with enough cranking power and during one of the Tanjung Pinang trip a snapper weigh around 3kgs++ was landed less than 5 minutes and again we were fishing around 30M++ depth of water.

Cheers,
Edy[/quote]

Hi Edi,

Bring your Tiburon 7540 back to Sabre and ask Poh to add in an additional washer which he received recently and that will substantially increase the drag to at least 26-28lb drag. because my Tiburon 7530 has at least 26lb at strike after adding in the washer.

Cheers

[jason]

I have withnessed the power of the Tiburon drag when fishing at Taiwan.......
NO HORSE RUN!!!!!!!


Cheers
jason

[Fish_Fingers]

Hi. Here is my 2 sen review on bottom bashing outfits. Its a little late but I hope you still find it useful.

Some reels I haved used for bottom fishing: Torium 16, Accurate 665, Saltiga 30T.

The Torium 16 is still by far the best value for money reel among the whole lot. Very decent drag and cranking power, with good line capacity as well. Not the most refined reel, but it will get the job done. I first christened my Torium on a trip to Maldives. The idea was to test and abuse it, but it performed flawlessly. I bottom fished with it and even trolled with it. Didn't hit any monsters with it, but it did land some biggie red bass and GTs up to 15kg. I have since retired the reel after a couple of field tests, not for any other reason apart from having too many reels.

The Accurate is a drag monster, with good line capacity (mine is not the narrow version). However, the cranking power leaves much to be desired. Mine used to be a 6:1 ratio which was totally useless for deep bottom fishing. I have since converted it to the low-speed gears, longer handle and full throw lever. Should be great for heavier bottom fishing applications although I haven't used it much lately.

The Saltiga is a great reel for medium bottom fishing applications. Its the most refined of the lot, and has effortless cranking, even with a fish on! Drag is adequate for most bottom applications. It is also light and comfortable to hold. This is my primary bottom fishing reel for now.

Another reel which I think is often overlooked and under-rated is pro gear. I have an old faithful pro gear which is no longer in production. It is about the same size as an avet sx. That little reel sure is tough. It has great cranking power (with a modified handle) and adequate drags (also modified). The wonderful thing is this reel is almost maintenance free. I normally just rinse the reel off lightly after a trip and almost never open it up for lubrication. The anodising is top notch (no corrosion!) and it has never given me any problems. It has landed jewfish of about 25kg. I'm real interested to try out the larger sized newer models from this same manufacturer, but can't find an excuse to justify the purchase. Too bad pro gear doesn't have a local agent.

Things important to me in a bottom-fishing reel are cranking power and comfort. Its got to be able to fit in the palm of my hands.

For bottom rods, I like fast or extra fast sticks with tips which are not too stiff for good bite detection, but a stiff butt with quick locking point for fast hook-sets in deep water. I'm quite partial to calstars, but brands are not as important to me as the action of the blank.

One more thing. Most of my bottom rods are built with trigger reel seats, and I almost never use rod clamps on my reels. So far so good.

Ok. Back to work now......

[stickbom!]

I've seen and cranked the new Penn Baja special at SM tackle (Changi Village)... this baby, in my opinion, would be a serious bottom bashing reel. Monster drags, huge line cap and a narrow spool. Might not be the prettiest reel around but you would not want to "park" a thousand dollar reel in the rod holder right I'm seriously considering getting one for bottom bashing and jigging

Narrow Machined Aluminum Frame
Large Soft Grip Power Handle
Over 20lbs of Drag pressure
Anodized Aluminum Spool
High Speed Gear Ratio
Graphite Composite
5 Ball Bearings
375yds/30lb
4.25:1


Penn Senator 113HN Baja Special retailing for about $360 at SM.

[jason]

Hey Mike
Swee leh!!!!!!


Cheers
jason

[stickbom!]

Originally Posted by jason

Hey Mike
Swee leh!!!!!!


Cheers
jason

Actual thing looks quite "o-biang" but who gives a shit about looks when bottom fishing Like Edy once said, "fat/ugly chics are often more hardworking"

[jason]

Originally Posted by stickbom!

Actual thing looks quite "o-biang" but who gives a shit about looks when bottom fishing Like Edy once said, "fat/ugly chics are often more hardworking"

OoHhhhh!!!!!!!!!More hardworking teh!!!!!!!
I like the handle .....


Cheers
jason

[land_cruiser]

Hi Stickbom,
do you know what is the weight of the Baja special?

[stickbom!]

It's 29oz/820g. Tried fitting the reel onto a Tenryu Grand Marshall (16oz Jig model) and it felt pretty balanced. Will seriously consider using the Baja Special for x-heavy jigging/bottom.