excess of a thousand bucks are commonplace on
rock platforms nowdays. No longer do 11-foot
Butterworth fibreglass rods with Seascape reels
dominate the headlands, now nine-foot rods and
super high speed overhead and threadline reels
are used to achieve great casting distance while
still being effective fish fighting tools. Quality
outfits these days rarely weigh over a kilo or so,
yet are incredibly powerful.
I prefer overhead tackle with nylon
monofilament when spinning off the rocks
and believe it is the best option for spinning
metals. While braid has taken the world by
storm, many gamefishermen and LBG
spinmen prefer quality mono for its inherent
stretch and abrasion resistance. Another thing
I have noticed, particularly in sharky
Queensland waters, is fewer fish being sharked
when using mono. I think super sensitive
braid may act like a beacon leading the noahs
to the fish as it struggles.
Quality overhead reels like the Shimano
Trinidad, Penn Torque and Daiwa Saltist
backed with braid with a mono topshot will
tame just about anything that swims.
For newcomers and those who don’t spin
regularly, threadlines are probably easier to
use and start out on. Quality reels with
powerful drags like Shimano Stellas and
Daiwa Saltigas are often popular withdedicated spinmen. You need at least 300m
of 50-80lb braid backing if you’re going to
tangle with big tuna or macks on spin gear.
Regardless of the reel you prefer, rods
should ideally be nine feet in length to provide
optimum casting distance and fish fighting
power. I’m currently using quality graphite/
fibreglass composite rods from Calstar out of
the US and graphite CTS blanks made in
New Zealand.
Few forms of angling rival the challenge of
capturing big gamefish on lures off the ocean
rocks. For this reason quality gear and extreme
attention to detail are vital for success, and it’s
advisable that a high degree of angling experienceis needed before starting out in this game.
Rock fishing is one the world’s most
dangerous sports and demands your full
attention. For many, LBG spinning is the
pinnacle of lure casting, and more than just a
sport. Very rarely do the elements impact on
a sport as much as LBG spinning so it’s quite
ironic that such a challenging form of fishing is
dominated by the use of simple metal lures ...
No matter how much money you spend,
only time and dedication will catch you that
trophy fish from the stones. Take it from me,
getting a strike from a hard hitting tuna or
mackerel when winding a lure at warp speed is
about as good as it gets!20 | fishingworld.com.au | February 2015
COVER STORY: HIGH SPEED SPINNING
t would be great if an Aussie lure manufacture
consulted with land-based spinmen in the hope
of producing a premium metal lure designed for
high speed spinning off the stones!”
I
Patrick prefers big trebles to singles for
most of his LBG spinning work, mainly
because of bet ter hook up rates.LBG spinning is a team game, especially
when it comes time to gaff the fish!