Rovex HT Monocast

Rovex have not just released a new range of braids…they also took steps to develop a massive range of monofilaments to suit any situation. Today I’m looking at the Rovex HT Monocast, a line designed to cast a mile while retaining the abrasion and strength of thicker mono’s.

First impressions are good. The line is incredibly soft and supple. Often mono lines are stiff and wirey which hampers the castability and overall performance. So far so good.

HT Monocast retains very little memory after being on the reel, so you don’t get those coils coming off as you cast. The HT Monocast comes in a high visibility orange colour which makes it a lot easier to keep an eye on your line in low light conditions.

After spooling up my Daiwa Emblem Pro with a spool of 12kg(26lb) it was time to hit the surf. As expected it cast my 6oz sinker a country mile. I put a fair bit of oomph into the cast using my graphite 13ft Innovator Nitro, and the line held up as well as expected.

Around the rocks the line again performed pretty darn well. I’ll admit there was shock leader one the reel, but a few times the HT Monocast inevitably grazed the rocks and still came out on top. After a few sessions with the Rover HT Monocast it was time to put it through the paces back at the office.

After a considerable amount of breaking strain tests it averaged a respectable ~10kg(22lb) breaking strain. While it was not the 26.4lb as mentioned on the box, for a 0.40mm diameter line its about right if not a bit above what other 0.40′s lines would break at.

Rovex HT Monocast is an affordable well rounded monofilament. If your looking for a high vis, low memory line that casts well and is well suited to rough conditions, the HT Monocast is definitely worth a look in.

Bloop Fish off! hand wipes

One thing you cant really avoid when fishing is the smell. No matter what style of fishing or techniques you use, you always end up with some sort of fishy stench on your hands. Until now there was not really much out there specifically designed for fishermen.

A company by the name of bloop finally filled that void, with the Bloop Fish Off! Fishing Hand Wipes. So what do they do?

Firstly they remove the scents and smells associated with fishing in a far more effective way then soaps. The Bloop Fish Off! Hand Wipes also easily remove stubborn bits of grime and fish that you have left on the hands for too long. Finally they have an inbuilt fish attractant and are 99.2% chemical free.

Working in the industry I can tell you , we cant keep up with these. They have been a super popular item in tackle stores and won “Best Fishing Accessory” at the Australia Fishing Tackle Association show last year.

The Bloop Fish Off! Hand wipes will keep you smelling great while on the water.

New additions to the Duel Range

May brought some new additions to the Deul(Yozuri) Japan range of fishing products. They added a few extra colours to the lure range including the Yozuri EBA Shads, EBA Poppers and EBA Minnows. Here’s a few snaps :

The colours were also expanded in the Duel Arquid Jig range , including the new crushed hologram finish .

It wasn’t just a month for colour range overhaul. Duel released a new flurocarbon leader material called Power Carbon Fune. This is a ultra supple, soft, easily tie-able flurocarbon. Ranging from 8lb to 35lb. If the Power Carbon Fune is anything like the rest of the Deul products, it will be a hard to beat leader material.

Finally I will leave you with a new video Duel have released on Youtube featuring a few of their products :

May Photo Competition winner

Thanks to all who entered this months photo competition. The person chosen to win the free tackletester.com t-shirt is… forum member Ziggy!

Ziggy caught this cracker Queen Snapper in 50 meters of water on the way back in after a days trolling for Dolphin Fish(Mahi) off Perth WA. Tackle used was a Uglystick Bluewater ,Penn 950ssm and 40lb braid. Nice work!

Next Months winner will win a Sebile Lures  XOS Swimbait! Check out our competition page up the top for more details.

Saltist Lever Drags not far off..

Daiwa is due to release the first of a new range of Saltist Lever drags in July 2009 in the US. Websites such as Meltons are taking pre-orders now for what looks to be a very nice bit of gear. The original Daiwa Saltist(star drag) was one of the most popular reels in its class down under and around the world.

A few interesting features include the blue and black anodized bodys, a new EVA round power handle and even two speed models available. My bets are on these being released in Australia after the AFTA trade show in August for the Christmas season. The original Saltists are a tough reel that could withstand a beating. If the Saltist Level Drag performs half as good as it looks I’m sure it will be a hit.

Saltist Lever Drag Conventional Single and Two Speed Casting Reels combines a compact, lever drag design with the free-spool ability to easily toss live baits and hardware. Saltist LD features include: Choice of single or two speed models, Fast, One Touch gear shift, Six CRBB corrosion resistant ball bearings, Precision stainless steel gears, helical-cut for smooth, powerful winding, Ultimate Tournament carbon drag (UTD), Offset power handle with round speed knob, Aluminum frame and left sideplate are one solid piece for unmatched strength, Dual system Infinite Anti-Reverse (single speed models), Precision ratchet Anti-Reverse (two speed models), and Machined aluminum spool.

Marlin&Tuna – The Bentley of game reels

Sticking to the incredibly expensive fishing gear theme, I’ve stumbled across the Marlin&Tuna made by Ken.Matsuura Racing Service.

Yes, a racing car tuning company has been designing fishing gear. This is no side project though, with some serious engineering gone into what could be one of the most expensive overhead reels on the market. They have been out for a few years now but never really made big news.

The Marlin&Tuna uses a unique drag system called the R.D.S(Rolling Drag System). This is a tapered bearing system that moves away from the more conventional disc brake system. In other words, you’ll never have to change a drag washer on this reel.

They have taken an odd placement for the lever and put it on the left side of the reel, which may take a bit of getting used to. All pieces of the Marlin&Tuna are made from machined solid aluminium.

With Motorsport racing, teams look for a car that will perform flawlessly in order to win the race. Game fishing is much the same, apart from angler error the only other problem encountered is in the tackle. At around $6000USD for the 50 size they are right up there, but confidence in your tackle comes at a price.

Penn 16VS claims World Sailfish Championships

The 2009 Sailfish World Championships have been won by team “Get Lit” owned by Miami angler Kit Toomey and skippered by Quinton Dieterle.  The weapon of choice for team Get lit was the 16vs and a good selection it was.  The win netted Get Lit $340,825(USD). 

Get Lit Wins Key West Event Using Penn International 16VS Reel

Get Lit, owned by Miami angler Kit Toomey and Captained by Quinton Dieterle, claimed the 2009 World Sailfish Championships this past week, using the Penn International 16VS reel. Dieterle and Get Lit claimed the event in Key West, Fla., that came with a prize worth $340, 825.

Using the Penn International 16VS reel, Get Lit caught and released 22 sailfish during the three-day event. Get Lit has a history with Key West, winning the event in 2003 and 2007. The only thing missing during the event was lunch for the Get Lit crew.

“We never ate on the boat during the entire tournament — we were very focused,” said Toomey.” It’s how you react when things go wrong that can result in extra fish, and every fish counts. Our gear never failed us. That is why we use the Penn International 16VS reel. The Penn International outlasts the competition and has enough fight in it for another round.”

Braided line ready, the Penn International series gives the saltwater angler Dura-Drag washers that virtually eliminate hesitation, even under the strain that braided lines put on a reel. Four ball bearings give the angler the smoothest performance in saltwater. Penn International Reels are available in four sizes – 16VSX, 30VSX, 50VSX and 130 VSX – to accommodate any saltwater fish. The line selection for Get Lit was 20-pound Stren Stamina with a 40-pound Stren Tinted Fluorocarbon leader.

“The Penn 16VS reels and Stren Stamina are high performance gear used by everyone,” said Mike Rice, Penn Sr. Marketing Manager. “The International series of Penn reels have the best cranking power and offer unmatched performance while fishing in pressure situations. Get Lit earned this victory with hard work and superior equipment.” Source – www.pennreels.com

Dai-Ichi RECYCLER-DS

Braid line is part of just about every fisherman’s arsenal these days. Its a necessity that a lot of people can no longer do with out. It’s thinner, stronger, casts better, gives better capacity; but all that comes at a price. Most braids average from $50-100AUD per spool, with some exceeding that figure drastically.

This is where the Dai-Ichi Recycler-DS comes into play. The Recycler-DS is gadget for cleaning, drying, inspecting and reversing braid. Often you will only use the top 1/3 of your braid, and after it wears out or colours fade the bottom 2/3 ends up in the bin, not anymore. With this handy little machine it allows you to easily change braids when ever you like.

It flips upside down for either spinning reel or overhead mounts and even tensions the line you are putting on the reel. Sure you have to still wind the line on, but it saves a lot of hassle and is a one man job.

On the line maintenance side of things, it comes with an attachment for washing your PE or Braid lines. A hollowed out spool allows for even spread of line and airflow to dry.

I’ve only seen this on www.plat.co.jp and at 22,000JPY(about $300AUD) it may be cheaper to head down to the local tacklestore and ask them to do it for you. But if you prefer to maintain your own gear or spool reels regularly the Recycler-DS would pay for itself in no time.

Here’s a vid from Plat on how it works..

Daiwa Bluebacker 200bb

The Daiwa Bluebacker 200BB is a serious reel in a small package. The Millionaire series of reels are synonymous for being super high quality baitcasters and the Bluebacker 200bb is no exception.

The frame and side plate are machined from solid bar stock Aluminium, which translates to an incredibly strong reel.A lot of competitors have used cast alloy bodies for even their highest end of bait casters, but not Daiwa. Even the spool is made of machined aircraft aluminium.

The Bluebacker 200 has been salt water treated and is hard anodized to avoid corrosion. Even with all the metal parts on this reel, you shouldn’t have any oxidization issues.

Internally the reel is just as tough, using Phospor bronze main gears and a hyper tournament wet drag system to provide effortless drag pressure under load.

They have kept the bearings to a minimum but not to say that’s bad thing. As long as the bearings are in all the right places, its less things that could potentially rust up over time.

Now enough big words, how does it perform? In a nut shell, its been great. The combination of a super smooth reel and centriflex cast control mean its a pleasure to cast all day.

The synchronized levelwind is an often overlooked part of a baitcaster reels. This can lead to bust off’s at the spool on similar reels that use dis-engaging levelwinds. Daiwa has put the synchronized level wind in the bluebacker 200bb and 300bb sizes and its a great addition to a superb reel.

The oversized handle means the 200bb can be jigged easily and is very manageable during a long fight. During our tests we tangoed with samsonfish to 15kg and Kingies to 12kg, and the reel peformed flawlessly.

My only disappointment with the reel is the drag pressure. A claimed 7kg of pressure was supposed to be pulled off the reel. During our tests 5kg would be more appropriate, but hey thats what your thumb is for right? The 5kg was still perfect for the 20lb test we we using on the day.

Over all Daiwa have produced another superb piece of fishing equipment. With a RRP of around $499AUD they arent the cheapest bait caster out there, but you get what you pay for.

Mugen Shiipou Ishidai..worlds most expensive rod?

Daiwa japan are well known for there limited edition fishing tackle. Keeping with that tradition Daiwa have released possibly one of the worlds most expensive rods the Mugen Shiipou Ishidai. With around a 1,050,000JPY retail ( $10,500USD) it certainly is up there in price.

I’m not the best at translating Japanese to english but from the specs it looks like the Mugen Shiipou Ishidai is not only the most expensive, but could be one of longest rods out there to. Coming in at a whopping 5.7 meters its guaranteed to attract something during a lightening storm.

The line class is rather extreme aswel, at 100lb. Max which is some serious string. A few other stand out features are the:

• Yaku Cedar Butt End ( a rare wood)
• Stingray Skin grip ( same as old Japanese Swords used to use)
• Technical Artword coated with Shikki(Laquer)
• 18 carat gold reel seat
• Customers name written in gold on the blank
• Kaga Yuzen soft case
• Paulownia wooden rod case

These rods are made to order and are available from June 5, but for how long we dont know. All I can say is these are for the faint hearted, weak armed or shallow pocket. A serious rod built to the highest specifications and technology available; The Mugen Shiipou Ishidai’s are a nothing short of Art.  Despite the effects of the recession there is still plenty of money out there and I wont go far past saying that I’m sure a few will turn over.  A few more pics..

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