Using The Rail

[DaFrogman]

Jon,

Thanks for the pics and the follow up, nice end to the story....those look to be 30-60lb YellowFin Tuna dude, nice.

Mak,

Ahhhh they were popping.......Well, you know I'm not a popping kinda guy, I'm waaayyy too lazy for that dude (which is why this jigging thang ain't hit me either).... I think Mike may have been infected by the bottom fishing cannon disease that I have contracted.... poor bugger.... but I do like his electric reel idea

If they make a Twinspin popper special, that would be an interesting reel.... I know Jon would just love a Twinspin type 10000 sized reel, all metal, huge drags and maybe just 700g yeahhhh...

Regards,

Saimee

[Sportfisherman]

Saimee ,

Those YellowFin Tunas are every bit 30 - 58 kg in weight and I wud not buy TwinSpin30 yet , I heard the last trial in Rodriguez the shaft was bent after only 1 day , this was supposedly the improved version after Coral Sea expedition .

I think my mind is pretty well made up , I will wait for the next generation Stella and hopefully my remaining Saltiga Z4500 lasts me till them , the latest news was those broken Saltigas were sent back to Japan and we are told to wait for the results of Daiwa investigations into how them stem of the 2 reels broke under 7 kg drag .

Looking forward to the 2006 YellowFin Tuna season , if they turn up as in 2005 , we will be ready for them !

Sportfisherman .

[Makaira]

Originally Posted by Sportfisherman

and I wud not buy TwinSpin30 yet , I heard the last trial in Rodriguez the shaft was bent after only 1 day

Well, here's my take on this -- be it the Accurate Twinspin, Shimano Stella or Daiwa Saltiga. The way those anglers (ab)use their gear, I seriously doubt any gear will stand up to that kind of usage in the long run, or even in the medium term. For the less "hardcore" anglers that most of us are, the Stella or the much maligned Saltiga will stand up very well to long term usage. Testing gear via tying a line to a tree trunk & striking with all their might to simulate a strike (one or two reels were destroyed in such "field" tests) or attaching it to a motorbike to test the drag isn't really a natural occurence in fishing is it? Eventhough sometimes it may feel like it when a biggie strike

To make a long story short, my point is that to classify a reel as good or bad based on what a small select group of anglers' experienced may not be the way to go. A reel may be call a P.O.S. because its rotor cracked or its bailarm flew off because it failed the "tree test." IMHO, what it merely represents is that reel failed to meet the expectations of that particular group anglers, and it doesn't mean the reel is a P.O.S. Just in case I stand accused of not reiterating the complete story, if memory serves me right, the reel in question gave way at a drag setting below the published Max drag that reel is capable of, which pissed off the "tester" even more.

Someone in the trade who had direct one-on-one discussions with Matsutani of Seven Seas about the ins & outs of jigging & popping came away enlightened that M-san only uses 20-25# of drag at the max for all his fishing. As such, is there really a need for 20kg plus drag out of a spinning reel? I guess some would say yes. For us mere mortals, what the hell for?

Just my point of view. No offence intended to any parties.

[Sportfisherman]

I can assure you what happened to those Saltigas of ours were normal fishing by anyone standard , as for TwinSpin30 being tested in Coral Sea and in Rodriguez , they were " tested " to avoid unpleasant surprises by
prospective customers so please take it positively , as for me not thinking of buying TwinSpin30 , it's just too heavy to start with and I am not looking for another big spinning reel , infact I am looking for a back up for my remaining Saltiga Z4500 , just incase .

As for only using 20% - 25% of the max drag , in the area where I go GT popping which is Komodo , you might as well not fishing at all because if
the fish can take more than 20m of your line against your set drag , you will be cut off in no time . Now M-san may have been everywhere else but he has never been to Komodo yet and if K-san still use 12kg drag set , who am I not to follow ? O-san of Smith testing the Tokara 60 at a much
higher drag set than anyone else in Komodo , he " welded " the drag of Saltiga 6000GT once .

As for tree test , that is just one giant Frenchman doing destructive test and " destructive " tests are done by manufacturers all over the world to determine what are warranted and what are not warranted , why do you think they crash a car onto solid wall for if not to test the safety of the car itself ?

With TwinSpin30 still having recurring problem in the shaft , I think they ought to look into this , afterall they are claiming very high drag figures for this reel . I am sure the agent wouldn't want to have problems from
irrate customers if the reel does not perform , wud you ?

Sportfisherman .

[Makaira]

Hi Jon,

I fully appreciate your point of view vis-a-vis Komodo fishing. You have fished for GT's there more than anyone in the world!!!!! No opposing views from me as I have not fished there before No one is asking anyone to follow the way M-san or O-san or anyone of the Japanese sifus fishes. I was simply pointing out the way a particular angler fishes; someone whom S'porean fishos are familiar with via his fishing VCD's. As for the reels & drag settings, probably Komodo & some of the other exotic locations require specialized equipment because of the fishing environment. The point I was trying to put across is that for most fishing situations most anglers will encounter, the gear available in the market will suffice.

As for the Frenchman you mentioned .. oh well ....... what can I say

As for the Twinspin, only time will tell if it will stand the test of time.

As for those broken Z4500 ... it is a pity. Thank God mine is still in one piece after much use over the years on pretty decent fishes albeit not in the same class as the YellowFin Tuna's caught in Indon waters I must say you guys are very lucky you don't have the problem of sharks that is often encountered in the coral sea.

Best regards,
Makaira

[Sportfisherman]

I hope 2006 tuna season will be as good as the one in 2005 , sharks are there but yes they are nowhere as savage as in GBR or Coral Sea , I guess .

The TwinSpin30 will come out , eventually but the next generation Stella may eclipse it , such is the competitions in the real world and Shimano is certainly a formidable company to compete with .

I still have a Z4500 but now I am using it with lighter line targetting smaller tunas , before I was using it with LR86 but now I am using it
on BC75MH and PE4 line .

Sportfisherman .

[Makaira]

Hi Jon,

Good choice. I currently use 30# Power Pro or Jerry Brown on mine. I did use a Daiwa PE4 on it in the past. Drag setting at max of 12 lbs or so. Perhaps that is why it has survived unscathed till this day.

As for the sharks in the Coral Sea, savage is an understatement!!! Especially at night!!! I was fishing Osprey Reef in October. They seem to home in on every little twitch, shake, rattle & roll of any hooked fish!!!!!

Best regards,
Makaira

[stickbom!]

Originally Posted by DaFrogman

I think Mike may have been infected by the bottom fishing cannon disease that I have contracted.... poor bugger.... but I do like his electric reel idea

What to do Genius @ work you know :P