Hi,

looking at a few blanks for a build i plan on starting soon.

the blank needs to be able to cast 1/8th ounce jigheads a good distance and be in the realm of 6-15lb, will be casting 1/8 and 1/6th the most but sometimes up to say 3/8th or 1/2ounce

using it for snapper on plastics over here in australia matched to a shimano biomaster 2008 C3000. running 20lb braid and leaders ranging from 10lb to 30lb

so far ive got

G-Loomis P902-GL3 (rated to 1/4 as min cast weight so a bit worried on casting 1/8th ounce)
G-Loomis SJ843-GL3
GUSA B70M

which in your opinion would be best suited to the job?

Thanks

Hi Tom.

The SJ843 GL3 I can tell you from now will not do well with 1/8. It is a beast of a blank, with heaps of power, but still a fairly light tip. However, I feel it would need at least 1/4 oz for casting any distance. May also be a bit heavy for a C3000. That reel is a 2500 with a bigger spool.

The popping rod will probably be in a similar vein, but not as powerful. Fast tip, quite light and powerful though. It should cast 1/8 plus a 4" placcy fairly well however, as it's not as stiff as the SJ.
The GUSA B70M would probably work well too. Maybe some of the other fellows on BM, Ausfish, etc. may be better able to give you some advice, having done some of that style of fishing.

hmm thanks for that ted

yeah i posted on ausfish so ill see what they have to say

looks like the SJ is out

The 70M is good with 1/8oz, as well as up to 1/2oz even though it's not rated that high. THat's imo.

The popping rod is going to be your best bet from the information you provided here.

.................

I've built a few rods for the same type of application. I used a Lamiglas LP903 and it works very well. I throw anywhere from 1/16oz jig with plastic to 3/8oz plugs. And it has some pretty good backbone for pulling on the big fish.

You may want to look at the G Loomis P8400 in GLX. This is an excellent blank for what you describe.

the GLX is probably a bit to exxy for me at the moment

i think its out of the B70M GUSA or the popping Loomis

P902-GL3 7'6 MED-LIGHT FAST 6-15lb 1/4-1/2oz

or

B70M 7' Fast Medium 6-17lb 1/8-5/16

If it was me I'd use the G Loomis GL3 HS 9000 blank over the P 902. I think it would throw the lighter weights better and it has as much or more backbone as the popping rod blank. I think it's probably the most versatile blank G Loomis builds, it's built as a freshwater and saltwater rod by G Loomis in 1, 2 and 3 piece models and in all the better graphites.
I perfer the GL3 models over the others due to the softer more versatile tip. It's also cheaper here in the US than the 902.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/16/2008 02:37PM by Spencer Phipps.

I would agree with Spencer except for the fact you mentioned using 20# braid and 30# leader. That is the reason I didn't bother to post until now. IMO, there isn't a blank that will do what you are asking AND stay in the same number of pieces as purchased, with that type of line being used.

Jim, it's common to overline blanks with braided line and Mono, just for abrasion resistance and fishign sticky structure. IT's a fine line many have to walk, I don't know what his reasoning is, btu I know I fish 20-40# graphite rods with 65# braid and 50# Mono, and I havent' broken any of those (hae broke others). Fishing 40-110' of water, on structure where you are hung up 1/2 the day and it's common to lose 5-10 rigs - its' fun breaking 50# out of the bottom with a graphite rod, but it is done all teh time.

Many of my clients overline, it is an unfortunate issue with today's superlines - however, I wouldn't recommend going over that far on a HS9000 blank. It is a very fast blank AND it has a light tip. Certain blanks tend to be more tolerant than others, IMO this is not one of those blanks. It isn't my money being spent on the blank, but I thought I would toss my two cents into the hat just the same.

BTW, that blank IS one of my all-time favorites and they are great blanks to fish.

Tom, the C3000 won't do very well with 20 lb braid either, IMHO. Unless you are jigging some very rough ground and have to really go hard on fish, then 10 -15 lb braid will be more than adequate. Thinner line has less water resistance, so you'll get to bottom quicker and need less weight to do so. It will also drag less in the current.

How big are the snapper you are targeting? Squire, snapper or beasties???? LOL. The HS9000 sounds the ticket, and I remember reading about it being used with great success in one of the back issues of NAFA. 2004, Kim Bain on Loomis models for Australian fishing. HS9000, as mentioned by Spencer, is built into production rods in GL2, GL3, IMX and GLX, in several configurations. HS9000 GL3 I reckon would be nice and sensitive, whilst being pretty tough.

thanks for the posts fellas.

i was leaning towards goign 20lb because i already have a combo that runs 10lb. i have some 17lb here that i might use.
but i had thought of 20lb because you can get some rather large fish in the bay 10kg plus which you need to stop before they get you in the reef. there is also a good amount of longtail tuna in teh bay aswell which i think 20lb would help. as long as i am careful with the rod there is no reason it should break. i am running 10lb on a 2-4lb blank and havnt had any troubles.

im just guessing at this point really.

ill look at the HS9000

Ok, Tom the problem you are having is with rod power, specifically lifting power, not line strength. If your rod can't put the hurt on the fish, then you're stuck wih trying to hold it with the reel, and like I said before, a light spinning reel will not hold up to that for too long. 10 lb braid will break at about 16 lbs or maybe more, assuming fresh line, no damage, and well tied knots and a good leader system. So you can put a world of hurt on a fish, provided you have a strong enough rod. 15 lb or the 17 lb you have will allow you to put the wood to fish too.

The trick would probably be to get stuck in and really work the fish quickly initially to get it off bottom, get it's head up and keep it off balance. I mean right off the strike, set and cup the spool, and pump and wind like your life depends on it for a few strokes.

However, I don't see a 1/8 jig holding a 20 lb fish under the hit and hold style you are describing, unless it's one with a bloody stout hook . As for longtail, you'll need both capacity (better served with thinner line or a bigger reel) AND more rod power for when they settle into a fighting circle down deep. I reckon you could look at a lighter powered SJ (2 power) as well as the Hot Shot and the Popping blanks.

hmm thanks ted

ummm

most of the fish this blank will see will be mostly around 50cmish with the occasional biggun. 17lb seems a good breaking strain of line to spool up the C3000 with. itd be nice if they came with a spare spool. its just i cant decide what blank

i really like the idea of two matching GUSA blanks for my two most used and favourite rods. my breaming small squire and bass stick is built on a PUR70UL and i like the idea of having my two favourite setups be the same color of blank etc etc.

but the hotshot blank looks nice.

90% of the time will see leaders in the range or 10-16lb its only if i am getting constantly reefed ill go up in leader size.

the hotshot is rated as extra fast and 6-12lb (3-6kg) whereas the GUSA is rated fast and 6-17lb (3-8.5kg)

the GUSA is 30$ cheaper which is nice for me at the moment.

looks like i have some thinking to do

B70M 7' Fast Medium 6-17lb 1/8-5/16, I really like GUSA blanks, especially for the price. Like you i'm also from Australia, and do a fair bit of snapper fishing with plastics down south, for the size of the fish it seems you're catching this blank is perfect.

20lb braid sounds like a bit of an overkill for 50cm snapper, even over the tiger country. I believe the B70M will allow you to utilise the braids power, especially with reds you'll know how crucial it is to lift there heads. I reckon matching that blank with a quality 15lb braid such as Varivas or sunline is a deadly way to go fishing.

There you go. Hey Tom, how did the PUR70UL turn out?

Thanks Harry that helps, looks like im going GUSA saves me 30 dollars too

Ted, ill let you know when i finish it hahaha. im putting off wrapping teh guides until i get the C2000 biomaster for it. im ordering both reels tonight of f plat so they should be here in a week and a bit.


Thanks to everyone for your help :)

2 most used and favourite rods: not even finished yet? Wow dude. What are you currently using then?