Fishing Rods used by Fish That Snag

Fishing Rods

Austackle Masterclass IM9 Rod & Reel Combo

In September of 2016 I purchased an Austackle Masterclass IM9 Rod and Reel Combo comprising of a Masterclass IM9 graphite 2.10m, 2-5kg fast action spinning rod with split EVA butt design and Fiju K guides and the M2500 Masterclass spin reel with 8kg sealed carbon drag, a gear ratio of 5.2:1, 9+1 stainless steel Japanese anti-corrosion ball bearings and which weighs only 270 grams. Over the last few months I have targeted bream, flathead, dart, queenfish, trevally and even mack tuna with this combo and it has not skipped a beat. The rod length of 2.10m provides excellent casting distance and is surprisingly strong on tough fighting fish who want to stay deep under the boat and the aluminium body of the M2500 spinning reel feels very solid whilst you are in the throes of combat with hard fighting pelagic species.

Austackle Camo-Stik Spin Series Rod

Over the last few months I have been using a Austackle Camo-Stik Spin Series Rod which is a 1.83m 1-3kg, 1 piece rod built with IM7 Graphite. I chose this rod specifically to target, bream and flathead on the flats and in the skinny creeks along the western side of Fraser Island. The casting distance that this rod can achieve is phenomenal and the extremely light build provides a fine level of sensitivity for detecting those subtle bites. Although light, when it comes to the battle the rod is extremely tough and more than capable of dealing with those large lizards hiding in deep holes. Matched with the Austackle Verto 2000 sized spinning reel this combo is my go to light tackle combo for flats and creek fishing.

Shimano Revolution Inshore Rod

Throughout 2015 I have been using a pair of Shimano Revolution Inshore 6102SP Spinning Rods matched with Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 2500’s spooled with 8-10lb braid. These serve as my 2-5kg lure casting outfits with the majority of their work involving casting 3” to 4” SP’s rigged on weedless through to 1/2oz jig heads, also 7 to 10g hard body lures, squid jigs and occasionally surface lures. The rods themselves are 2 piece and approx. 2.08m in length, graphite with Fuji K Guides and split EVA grips. They both have a line rating of 2-5kg, lure rating of 1-8g and retail for approx. $160. Both of these rods have performed well over the last year and are perfectly suited for casting lightly weighted soft plastics during a hunt for species such as flathead and bream.

Palms Molla ST Focus II Rod

In January of 2016 I purchased a Palms Elua - Molla ST Focus II Graphite Spinning Rod (Model – MSGS-69MLF) from The Tackle Warehouse in Brisbane for $349. The MSGS-69MLF is a 1 piece, fast action, 6ft 9” rod with a weight of 110g, rated for lures between 3.5-10g and line of 4-10lb. I matched this with a Daiwa Certate 2500 spooled with 6lb Platypus P8 braid to serve as my go to, 2–5kg lure casting outfit with the majority of its work involving casting 3” to 4” SP’s rigged on weedless through to 1/2oz jig heads, and also 7 to 10g hard body lures. The rod is built on a X-carbon graphite blank to provide an exceptional amount of power, and is equipped with the latest Fuji K guide set up finished off with a Torzite tip. From its first cast this rod has not let me down and has accounted for a large number of fish, I am particularly impressed with it casting range and sensitivity.

Shimano Raider Yak Rod

I originally purchased my Shimano Raider Yak 601SP Rod for chasing whiting and Australian bass in tight country. As it turns out this 1.83m, 1-piece graphite rod with Fuji guides, line rating of 1-3kg and lure rating of 2-8g matched with a Shimano Stradic Ci4+ 1000FA spooled with 4lb braid has accounted for some monster catches. Many of my earlier YouTube videos feature this outfit in action against fish well in excess of 3kg. Besides catching fish well above its weight class this rod is perfectly suited for tight country in which room for casting is limited. For around the $120 mark this is a great buy.