Thomas Stroker PE1 Jigger Update

Just a quick update on the Thomas Stroker PE1 Jigger that we previewed late 2011. We have used the custom built jigger on a few occasions now and have been very impressed with the performance. We even managed to successfully use the rod as a soft plastic outfit on a few trips of late for something different.

The rod has enough backbone to work jigs around the 80-150 gram mark well yet still enough finesse to fish lighter weighted soft plastics. On a recent trip to Exmouth in Western Australia, the PE1 Jigger boated many local species including the Spangled Emperor you can see below.

As expected the K guides really do make a difference when using braid. We did not have any problems with braid loops or wind knots, even when using light weights.

My only gripe with the rod is that the fore-grip could be an inch or two longer, as it was a tad on the small side. Also, the aluminium reel seat looks amazing but functionality wise, a Fuji deluxe graphite reel seat would be more practical on the spin models. Both of these issues though can be changed when you place an order with Thomas, I guess thats the advantage of Custom built!

Overall the PE1 Jigger was built well and performed even better than expected. Keep up the good work Thomas!

Berkley Tournament Pro Series

With the increasing popularity of tournament fishing, anglers are searching for new tournament level weapons to add to their arsenal. The Berkley Tournament Pro range has been designed with the help of the Berkley Pro Team, with the aim of giving anglers affordable, quality tournament gear.

The range features a modern matt black blank finish. Berkley has added additional layers graphite toward to the base for added strength and extra pulling power when you need it. Tournament Pro’s are built on IM7 graphite and come complete with Fuji SiC guides, Fuji’s IPS reel seat and a high density handle grip. Higher density grips come a lot closer to replicating the sensitivity of cork than more traditional EVA’s, with the added advantage of increased durability.

Available in a wide range to suit just about any anglers tournament needs.  Check them out at your local tackle store today.

Model	Type	Pce	Length	Action	Line rating
TP 701-24	Spin	1	7’0″	Light	2-4kg
TP 702-24	Spin	2	7’0″	Light	2-4kg
TP 681-25	Spin	1	6’8″	Light/Medium	2-5kg
TP 721-35	Spin	1	7’2″	Medium	3-5kg
TP 722-35	Spin	2	7’2″	Medium	3-5kg
TP 761-48	Snapper Spin	1	7’6″	Medium/Heavy	4-8kg
TP 701-59	Sea Spin	1	7’0″	Medium/Heavy	5-9kg
TP 610-68	Snapper Spin	1	6’10″	Medium/Heavy	6-8kg
TP 751-79	Snapper Spin	1	7’5″	Heavy	7-9kg
TP 600-610	Tropical Spin	1	6’0″	Heavy	6-10kg
TP 661-810	Jerk n Jig Spin	1	6’6″	Heavy	8-10kg
TP T681-460	Trigger	1	6’8″	Medium	4-6kg
TP T671-59	Trigger	1	6’7″	Medium/Heavy	5-9kg

 

Gary Howard North Fork custom rods

Well known Australia rod build Gary Howard has been hard at work recently creating new ranges of custom rods, built for Australian conditions. The North Fork range are custom built on the US-made North fork blanks and feature superb componentry and build quality.

The high quality mid-modulus graphite North Fork blanks are matched up with Fuji Ti guides on the spin models, and Amtac guides on the baitcasters. Cork grips all round keep weight to a minimum and increase sensitivity.

As the name suggests, each rod is hand built in Australia and built to a standard so that you can rest assured, your Gary Howard custom will last you many years to come.

The four models available range from 4-8lb right up to 12-25lb. For further information check them out at the link below

http://www.jarviswalker.com.au/gary-howard-north-fork-custom-spin-rods.html/

Silver Kings on Light Outfits

With so many rods out in the market globally, how does one choose what rod to purchase and what reel to outfit it with?

For the last six months or so I have been using Hurricane Redbone rods with Penn reels. This specific outfit is 7′ Med. Hard (10-20lb. braid rated) , single piece, cork handle, and Fuji everything. The rod is relatively light and has a very strong backbone combined with the Penn Conquer 5000.

Spooled with Power Pro 20lb. (moss green) braided line to 60lb. flouro tippet tied uni-to-uni to a 6/O Owner circle hook with a large, live pilchard, I was able to land this 50lb. Tarpon with guide Capt. Jorge Amores out of Miami, FL.

This light tackle outfit not only handled over twice its rating and the Penn Conquer gave the tarpon almost no chance to spool me as the HT-100 drag system had this “silver king” going nowhere fast.

The Penn Conquer has the EAS (easy access system) which allows for easy maintenance of oil and grease as every finely tuned tool requires for optimal use especially under heavy loads. This outfit is light weight and great for inshore and can handle some excessive abuse.

Contact Capt. Jorge Amores at www.miamibayfishingcharters.com or call him at (786) 202-7673 for your next adventure on the waters of Miami, Fl.

Hai Truong

Thomas Stroker Custom PE1 Jigger preview

I had heard along the grapevine about a range of bling-ful custom rods that had not only had the look, but also the ability to tackle just about any sport fish you can throw at them. That range of rods was Thomas Stroker Custom Rods(Jdartac.com) and I was delighted to hear Thomas himself ask the team at Tackle Tester to test one of his custom made master peices.

Thomas Lee had just released a new range of custom PE1 Jiggers and he arranged for one of them to be send out to be feild tested. Well, the weather has not been kind recently and both trips planned have had to be shut down last minute, so the rod is yet to be “blooded” but never the less, I thought I would throw up a quick post about my first impressions.

The PE1 jigger is set up for spin and by Thomas Stroker standards, has kept this particular one relatively simple. A matt black finish blank, with simple yet elegant black bindings and gold trims. There is however a bit of Thomas’s signature bling sneaking through, with a ALPS aluminium finger supported reel seat. These are CNC machined and feature a aluminium woven insert.

The quality components don’t finish there, with Fuji KWSG double foot K Silicon guides to reduce tangles and braid loops when jigging. Thomas has finished the rods with a superb crystal clear epoxy job and his signature logo branded above the fore grip.

The PE1 jigger measures up at 5’8″ and is recommended for 10-20lb braid(approx. PE1-2). On first impressions it feels ideally suited to the 15-20lb end of the scale, but no doubt a good PE1 would also suit. I’m yet to trial it on a water, so stay tuned for jig weights and more specific details.

I can’t wait to get out and give this light jig stick a go. Thomas Stroker custom rods can be made to order or just grab one of the off the shelf models from exclusive tackle shops. Available in 2 different models; an economy model that uses the same blank but Taiwanese SiC guides and a Fuji graphit reel seat, or the deluxe model featured here with ALPS and Fuji Componentry.

In the meantime, you can see Thomas lee’s work at http://www.jdartac.com/

 

Daiwa Saltiga Boat Dendoh Style Deep Drop Rods

Right now we’re jigging out deep, and testing new ground, sometimes its good to have some bait to drop and see whats down there, especially when you just can’t hold bottom with a 600g jig.

After looking around and not finding anything locally, we found these Daiwa Saltiga Boat Dendoh Style Deep Drop Rods online and they looked great! Money down, some very prompt shipping and they’re here already from Melton International Tackle. We selected the baby of the family: 40-100lb and 5′ 6″ in length.

 

Spec-wise, we were really loving them. Fuji Alconite guides, Pacific Bay detachable bent butt, Aftco swivel tip to prevent those annoying tipwraps.

 

Fortunately some good weather turned up and we didn’t have to wait too long to give them a run on the boat. Conditions were very trying with a strong 4kn drift, so we sized up to 6lb sinkers. This style of rod butt isn’t really designed to be fished from the hip, more the gunnel, so each was placed facing out from the gunnels, like outriggers, to give us the widest spread possible, then safety-strapped in.

 

We ran them with two different reels, the Daiwa Tanacom Bull 1000, also available from Melton International Tackle, and the Miya Epoch Command 4. Both reels fitted and worked fine although ergonomics of the Miya were especially good. At that gunnel height, they put the screen and buttons nice and close to you, with the speed control dial at the front right hand side of the unit.

 

Before too long, it was fish on! The rod was great, it kept a bend up, but still had plenty of power left in it despite being just the baby of the family.

So whats down there? A nice Grey-Barred Cod comes over the side, pinned on the big circle hook.

Synit/Accurate Revisted

As frequent readers would know, we have tested and reviewed the Synit DeepShots a few times: here, and here, and dry-tested the Accurate Boss BX-600N here too. A few more fish later, it was time to see how they’re going!

We have had the pleasure of fishing the Accurate BX600XN and the BX600, and this is the two reels compared:

• Drag: we’re fishing PE5/70lb, or PE6/80lb and we have benchmarked the drag to 15kg and they seem to run that fine.
• Capacity: the BX600 takes 600m of PE6, the BX600N barely takes 600m of PE5. We really feel that is about the sweet spot for deep-drop jigging. So far we haven’t been overpowered on PE5 yet and do appreciate the reduced line drag in the water.
• Gearing: we really expected the high gearing to be less suitable for deep sea jigging, but it has so-far proved fine. You can’t grind small fish up on the high speed, you must pump and wind, but even 600g jigs can be spun up no problems. OTOH the low gear is fine and you can jig all day. It certainly provides a bit more turning power for those pesky Samson Fish.
• Palmability: the BX600N was a very good match for the Synit with the Fuji Palm Support System reel seat. The BX600 was a little wider and less comfortable, but if you need the capacity, go for it!
• Maintenance: both reels are going strong with nothing more than the occasional dab of the supplied Reel-X.
• Handles/Arms: its probably a touch on the short side, and you really only feel it with the high-gear.

If you want an all-round, all-day deep jigger, you can’t beat the Accurate BX600N, in either the high or low gear. We’re using 600m PE5/70lb for the cod, and swapping this out for 350m of PE8/100lb for the sambo sessions, hopefully a few more outings in the coming season.

We have grown fans of the awkward-looking Synit antacid wrap. Its really a step past the acid wrap a few brands are using. The oval guide very effectively zeros the spiral around the blank, and the taller reversed stripper keeps the line central for the narrow jigging reels like the Accurate BX-600N.

The blank is super tolerant of a wide range of jig sizes. We have successfully worked anything from 200g in 100m right up to 600g in 350m on it, and it handles it very well.

Our most recent trip was a good workout for the gear:  a 4kn drift in 350m. We sized up to the 520g LJ Nasout jig and only really just managed to hold bottom, a fellow angler with the same jig and PE6 just couldn’t make it down. Lucky the fish found it!

Lures ahoy! Daiwas Lateo Pirates

Daiwa continues to be a pack leader when it comes to shore jigging and lure rods. The Lateo Pirates appear to be no exception. This new and “innovative” range is designed to help you take on mother nature and overcome any casting difficulties that shore anglers face. Gone are the days of missing fish due to strong winds, rocky shore lines and big swells.

The Lateo uses Daiwas unique High Volume Fibre carbon blank process. A super strong but lightweight material. Lateos are designed to load all the way from top to button to provide max power, and a speedy cast.

Featuring Fujis Alconite K Guides, these guides reduce wind knots and line wrap. The angled face also provides little resistance letting the angler get the most of out his or her cast. They keep up with more fuji in the reel seat, plus some added bling with customised alloy components. The Lateos where designed with the less is more approach and sport simple aesthetics. This approach also eliminates unnecessary weight in the blank, seen clearly with the smaller fore grip and bare blank rear grip.

Five sizes available ranging from the LP76MH featuring a cast weight of 30grams and below, and right up to the LH110MH that can throw 60 grams a mile. Available soon, check out your local Daiwa dealer for more details.

Fin-Nor Offshore Jig rods

Fin-nor offshore jig rods have been out for a few years now and have proven themselves again and again as a decent jig rod for the money. While I’m sure there is much better out there, in this price range it is certainly worth considering.

The construction process they used in the Offshore series has meant that the blanks are lighter and stronger that graphite rods used by other brands. While this is a large claim, I have seen these buckled over and considering how thin the blank is they are remarkably strong.

The softer action rods give the angler a break for a change. Gone are the days of back breaking broom sticks. The Fin-Nor Offshore jig rods let you fish all day and avoid costly trips to the chiropractor.

Aesthetically they have kept it simple. Black bindings with a subtle gold trim. Fitted out with Fuji Alconite guides and Fuji reel seats they are ready for a long haul.

There is eight models available in both spin and overhead. For more information check out http://www.jarviswalker.com.au/catalog/category/view/id/42/

	Model	Product Style	Size.	Pc	Rating
	Offshore Jig 30lb OH	Overhead Rods	1.80m	1/P	15kg
	Offshore Jig 50lb OH	Overhead Rods	1.80m	1/P	24kg
	Offshore Jig 80lb OH	Overhead Rods	1.80m	1/P	37kg
	Offshore Jig 100lb OH	Overhead Rods	1.65m	1/P	45kg
	Offshore Jig 30lb Spin	Spinning Rods	1.80m	1/P	15kg
	Offshore Jig 50lb Spin	Spinning Rods	1.80m	1/P	24kg
	Offshore Jig 80lb Spin	Spinning Rods	1.80m	1/P	37kg
	Offshore Jig 100lb Spin	Spinning Rods	1.65m	1/P	45kg

Berkleys onto a winner with the Venom Rod range

Voted best new rods at AFTA 2010, the Berkley Venom rods are leaving there mark on Australian anglers, with more and more Aussies suddenly taking notice of the quality rods that Berkley is producing.

The Venom series are designed specifically for Australian sports fishing conditions, and to quote Pure Fishing “the brain child of well known Adam Royter“. The Berkley team, including Royter, spent 12 months extensively testing these rods around the country and the hard work has paid off.

Designed to cast further, cast harder and out perform a lot of rods on the market, the Venom rods range has something for everyone. From the finesse 1-3kg Death Adder, right up the t-rex of the series the Viper GT, Berkley is covering all bases.

What makes them so great? Well all the hard work in R&D means that the latest and greatest has been used to manufacture the range. Starting off with the blank, Berkley has used Flowbrace, an advanced graphite binding agent, designed to keep the blank super light whilst retaining superb durability. Combined with the Dynamic Fibre process that uses 55 million modulus graphite fibres to make a quality blank. Sensitive, Strong and sure as heck gonna give you a run for the money.

High density EVA is all the rage these days and gives you equal, if not greater sensitivity that cork with the added bonus of extra durability.

They finish the rod off with nothing but the best in Fuji componentry. The venom’s sport titanium framed silicone carbide guides, adding to the overall weight reduction and improved performance.

For more info check out http://www.purefishing.com.au/rods/berkley/test-6/

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