Best Fishing Supplies
Amazing line! – I have now caught all of my metre plus Jewfish using line rated between 20 and 40 lbs. The reliability of this line is second to none! Great Knott… Read more
reliability and abrasion resistance. I don’t mind paying a little more if it means I’m confident once I hook up.
I’m happy to use this line for ever more!!
Makaira 10th Anniversary model MK-15TSea10th, Nice bling – A while ago I was looking at getting a small Okuma Makaira lever drag game reel but when I looked at the 10 and 15 size they were just a little bit… Read more
too small for what I wanted. I already own a 50W and the 30 so just wanted something smaller, anyway Okuma brought out the Limited Edition 15T 10th anniversary model which has been anodized in a triple splash colour scheme, this is a tall version of the 15 and it is also quite blingy! It will be a shame if I scratch it up with use!
Size wise it is about the same physical size as a Penn Fathom FTH30LD2 speed with about the same amount of line capacity, with a few more Kg's of drag and it has Helicut gears, so it is much nicer to wind the line on than the Fathoms. It is a taller version of the 15 size so it holds more line and drag as well compared to the 15, but not as much as the 16 which is a bigger reel again. In the USA fishermen are catching Tuna up to a couple of hundred pound weight on them so these are quite a strong reel for the size. They also made the other sized models in this anniversary style colour scheme. All of them are 2 speed reels.
Out of the box it comes without the harness lugs fitted (they are included) and I had them fitted for no charge. Spooled it up with 65lb braid and added a 80lb mono top shot.
Shimano baitrunner 8000OC – I own two 8000OC reels we use them weekly. Loaded up with 50lb braid. We haul in nice size fish regularly without issues. Then something big like a… Read more
1.2mtr black tip shark hits. The reels work brilliant and handle anything thats thrown at them... never had a single issue with either... wash them off with fresh water after every fishing trip. Spray with lanolin lightly. Good to go following weekend..
The best line and I can prove it – I have used light tackle for years and trial and error has led to one of the few monofilament lines I will use. Many other lines would break… Read more
unexpectedly but when tested in the hand they had seemed strong. This doesn't happen with Maxima. Why? Because the rough part of the spool your line comes on is on the outside NOT the inside AND where your new line now has minute cuts all along it's length when it was spooled. I saw one top Japanese brand line recently which had a ridiculous amount of large sharp mold ridges and put it back on the shelf immediately.
Maxima is supple yet strong, the best line you can buy IMO.
Unbelievable for the price – Have had a 2000 sized affinity for about 3 years now, probably the smoothest drags i have felt, awesome line lay and no wind knots, it still feels as… Read more
smooth as the day i got it, a little heavy but i like that in a reel, they have full metal bodies unlike other reels in that price point with weak graphite bodies, 8 ball bearings too which is also uncommon for a reel in that price.
Excellent Value for Money Reel, Highly recommended – I have the Okuma LongBow LB30 which was superceeded by the Epix 30. I actually have an Epix EB30 Spool on the reel, as they are interchangeable and… Read more
I use several different line classes on it, with 3 different spools (4lb, 6lb and 10lb). I have 2 spools with braid and one with mono. I have been fishing for over 50 years and have a lot of equipment. I never buy cheap, as you get what you pay for. I usually look to buy middle to higher end value for money products. I have 4 Bait Feeder reels. Shimano Thunnus 6000 & 8000; an Okuma BaitFeeder Trio BF40 and the Okuma Longbow LB30.
My Okuma Longbow LB30 is now 17 years old. It gets used every couple of weeks and still looks as good as the day I bought it. It has never failed me in any respect and I have never had to replace any parts. I strip it down and service it about every 3 years. I also meticulously soak it and wash it down in fresh water immediately after every use. It is not "junk" as one reviewer here indicated, but an excellent value for money product. I have given it 4 stars from 5 as it isn't quite as good as the Shimano Thunnus (it's very close), but it's also 1/2 the price. The longevity and reliability of all fishing tackle is related to how you treat it and how well you maintain it. I use this reel for a multitude of purposes including floating unweighted live prawns and nippers to tossing soft plastics for flathead. It has caught many hundreds of fish over the past 17 years. Flathead to 4kg, Bream to 2kg, Jewfish to 8kg, Snapper to 4kg etc. I highly recommend it as an excellent value for money product. The Okuma Trio BF40 is also an excellent reel and great value for money. If you stay away from the very bottom end products, from most manufacturers you will generally get something pretty good that will last a very long time, if it is properly treated and cared for. Eg. I have an ABU 7000C Syncro Drag that is 40 years old and still looks good and still works perfectly.
good it seems – good brand and good reel, its a little small for me, dont buy it if you cant cast properly with these types of reels as they can be sensitive and you can loose alot of line. If you know how to handle them its a pleasure to use this kind of reel. Show details
Excellent reel – I have 3 of these reels, (the oldest is well over 20 years old) and have found the Abu Garcia 6500c3 reel to be one of the toughest baitcasters… Read more
around. The early reels were made in Sweden, my latest is made in Asia somewhere but still feels as good as the originals. This is a no nonsense reel with serious stopping power that can handle all the rough stuff bouncing around in your tinny, yet still perform when needed. Simple in design and very easy to dismantle and maintain even for the novice angler. While not as smooth as some of the low profile baitcasters they have rarely let me down. Spooled with mono or braid to around 20/25lb I have found it to be a very good all round reel for bottom bashing or for landing that monster Barra.
Berkley Gulp
Gulp lures – I recently purchased several different types of Gulp lures to use. I have gone fishing every day the past week and have had zero bites on any of the… Read more
lures after hours of fishing at various fishing locations around Cape Town. I was very disappointed with the product as it has turned out to be ineffective every time. Will not recommend this product to anyone.
Lucky craft performance without the price – I like bream fishing with hardbody lures and have tried many types. This work a treat. They are easy to walk the dog and cast well. A bloke at the… Read more
tackle shop told me about them and as a consequence I will not be buying anymore Sammy 65's. It's nice to buy a cheaper bream lure that works as well as the big names. Great lure. Great value. Good colour range. None
Diawa Exceler DA 2000 Review – I've had the 2000 model for about 2 years and it cannot be faulted. Sold to me at the fishing store as a low-cost entry into finesse bream fishing.… Read more
Unless you're a pro tournament angler or have money to waste, then you should buy one of these. Lighter and way cheaper than any Shimano equivalents. And if you use it for bream, etc, it'll have no problems. Obviously not a Stella but at about $160 as opposed to $800 its affordable. I use mine with 4lb flourocarbon on one spool, 6lb braid on the other (came with 2 spools). These reels are probably now old stock though as I don't see them at fishing stores. Diawa has a new model - Aird - which is not metal body (but I've found you really do not need that in a small reel anyway) and so its light, is a funky metallic orange (that's different!), way fast (6.2:1) and has 9 bearings and Digigear. Seems to sell for $129 but I got two (the 2500/3000 and the 3500/4000) on special at BCF for $99 each. BARGAIN. Was gonna get two Exceler DAs on clearance for $120 each at another store (the only store I've seen them in lately) but decided I'd rather the speed and extra bearings of the Aird over the metal body Excelers. So unless you need speed (the Exceler is about 4.7:1 - not much line cranked in per turn, being a small spool, but fine for finesse breaming, etc) and if you like the idea of a metal body, I'd recommend the Exceler DA if you can grab one on clearance for $100 or so. quality, reliability, light weight, price not fast - no prob for the 2000 or 3000 but if you wanna saltwater spin, it may be slow in the 4000 size
Hard to find, great to use – I always use the Tortue Nacrita dark brown fishing line as I find that I seem to get the best results with it even tho' my fishing partners beside me… Read more
are using the same bait but with a different coloured line. I've started putting this down to the colour of the line. Perhaps the brown colour is more invisible. Apart from that, the line is very thin & supple and very easy to use for knot tying.
Excellent customer service!!! – Customer service in Vic is so amazing!! If you have a problem I’m sure you’ll receive 120% excellent customer service!! We enquired about replacing a… Read more
small part on the reel and they sent us a whole new reel!! Good old fashioned customer service!!! The rods work great too 5 stars
Excellent – Spend a little more money when buying a net and get some of these ones for your boat. They give you a tangle free alternative to a rope net. They… Read more
will give the fish a better chance of survival as well if you return them to the water. Worth every penny I paid for it. It is a great net that is easy on the fish, fishing gear and angler. It is tangle free for both the fish and the lure or hook. Iused it for the first time a month ago and I have thrown away my old nets and replaced them with you-know-what. Not sure if they will deteriorate in the sun with constant punishment - unknown at this stage.
Best monofilament fishing line I have ever used – Absolutely agree with previous review. I bought every size from 5lb to 20lb too many years ago to recall exact date and still use the spools I got. … Read more
Very thin, very tough, high abrasion resistance and very high knot strength. I have used it in fresh and salt fishing, even for fly fishing furled leaders and tippets, though it's a little on the stiff side for the last. Next best thing to wire trace when it comes to toothy critters, shame I can't buy in Australia any more.
Alvey ROD550
Alvey lover from way back – Alvey, what can I say ? Simple, reliable and never let me down. I have several Alvey rods and reels from my baby 45b estuary reel to my stump… Read more
pulling 650c. Love Alvey.
Have used Alvey for over 40 years and still have my first reel a bakelite model also a rosewood that keeps a special place.
OK – A fantastic baitcaster for the price you pay. Good value for money. If you are chasing bigger fish than 5kg try something else. I used it on a 12kg… Read more
barra in Darwin and almost broke it to pieces! The smoothness of this reel is fantastic. It is the first thing that strikes you when you reel it for the first time. The sooth drag is great as well. The casting system is good and it appears to get less birdsnests when casting. The build quality of mine was substandard. 2 Screws were loose and a ball bearing was missing. Abit dissapointing butit may not be Shimanos fault.
An oldie but a goodie – I have had this lure a long time. I recently freshened it up by adding a clear coat of UV paint and new trebles. Tonight I caught a Tailor and an… Read more
Estuary Perch on the T121 Classic in fading light on a run out tide. Good lure diving fast and straight.
great priced with great quality – i bought my penn 4 years ago and have caught flathead to trout to tailor. Its quality does not match its a cheap price. The quality is amazing… Read more
(enough said). the only negative comment i have is its weight. it is very heavy for its size which can be a pain for some people.
Alvey 650BC
Cheapest but best reel in my arsenal – Bought a 500bc reel due to wanting to buy Australian instead of Swedish, Japanese reels for a change. Takes a little getting used to like my… Read more
overheads and baitcasters but a beautiful piece of engineering. Simple and no features that only cause dramas on your fishing trip. It's a shame Alvey made them so strong that they will outlast owners...
What a beauty! – Perfect for almost every fishing trip! Even I can cut out one of the bottom section for easy access! I spent some time to find a matching bucket in… Read more
Australia because it is designed for American 5 gal bucket. Hey but Jarvis Walker bait bucket is the perfect fit! I got it from local K Mart. This is such a beauty! I can even sit on it :D
Barra Excitement – Just back from six great fishing days in the Kimberley coast. The TangoProp was ideal in calm waters and good slow & short twitching gave me nine… Read more
solid barramundi on this lure alone! Yes, the lure does reflect the 'barra boofs' with paintwork delaminating but no signs of rust. (I freshwater rinse before storing)
It outperformed my mates conventional sub-surface lures in these calm conditions. I also hooked up on salmon and one shark!
This is an essential lure for my tackle box!
Low qaulity – The bait casters may be ok but i got a Blackmax rod and reel in the spin versions. The reels line roller wouldn't budge so I returned it unused. Kept… Read more
the rod. Today I was spooling up another reel on the Max rod and after doing it tried the drag to make sure the line wasn't turning and was bedded in on the spool properly. The Max rod is rated at 4kg. Had just 1 kg drag set and was nowhere near high sticking it, nice gentle angle, I've fought big fish at more aggressive angles, and at just 1kg drag the rod snapped just below the fourth guide. So the reel was a failure as well as the rod. In all my 30 yrs fishing I have never had a rod do that whilst doing what I did which was a simple drag test at low tension. In effect it would have broken simply fighting an average fish. They are both the worst fishing gear I have ever owned, both failed without ever seeing the water. Can't get any worse than that.
Handy way to store your Gulp lures – Though they can leak a bit and lose moisture, mine seem to have sorted themselves out now. Great way to store your Gulps and if needed you can just… Read more
add a bit more scent or even water to replace the lost moisture. Recommended. I like Plano brand, well made products.
Excellent – I have bought in a lot of fish with this reel in saying that I have it set up on a Juro Coastal Barra 7ft 6inch in the old scale but find the… Read more
combination works for me 87cm Gummy Shark and 4 Snapper 3x45cm & 1x65 cm this reel was a dream to use..
I have it set up with 20lb mono with a 40lb leader it has a greatpersonallity and so far has not let me down. Great reel the dual drag is fantastic it makes reeling in snapper real easy once the drags are set there is no chance of the coming off Other than the handle being a little to big it makes a great reel
A decent combo outfit with bonus tackle box with some goodies! – I bought the Pryml Force rod reel spinning combo from BCF, and it came with a bonus 250 piece tackle box. There were other length of rod and reel… Read more
size options which is good for choice, but i could only fit the smaller combo in my car, so thats good for me. The rod is very light and the reel comes ready spooled with mono(2-6kg i think). I put some braid on and used the mono for the handline supplied in tackle box.This is ok for me only using light stuff in rivers and off the breakwall. I have used this mainly for spinning and lures, its so effortless and i also used for bait and have caught a few fish up to 3kg too. Very good value for money and seems good quality. The tackle box fits extra stuff like a knife & pliers and a few more bits and pieces, and 90% of the tackle box goodies I will use.
AWESOME Rod and reel – Fantastic rod and reel. Great value for the price and compact being a telescopic rod. Highly recommend even if you only use it once or twice. It doesn't break the bank at $20.
A better designed rod than the others I've tried – I've been having a lot of trouble with finding a suitable rod for my Alvey 500C5 that I purchased a few months ago... I've purchased a Wilson Live… Read more
Fibre 2pc that was horrid in casting and feel and came apart 3 times within 12 casts, and the second rod the Gary Howard Estuary 9' was another horrible casting and feel rod that was too light and had no guts at all...
I found the Alvey Estuary Special by chance as it was on a combo and noticed that it had a full Fuji Alconite guides and a Fuji reel seat and it was a 10'6" in length and perfect reel seat placement and great guide spacing as it's specifically built for an Alvey. The issues of other rods were that the first stripper guide is not far enough up the rod and so that the line slaps and bunches up at the first guide during casting.
The Alvey 555 rod has a full fibreglass blank and with it being 2pc there is a gusseted ferrule that is slightly ugly to look at - however strengthens the rod in this critical area. Once loaded up and tested with the line through the runners it looks quiet powerful for a 3 to 5 kg rod - unlike the Live Fibre and the Gary Howard which were very soft and had slow actions and bent all the way to the butt... This rod has a nice sweeping bend that stops fore of the top hyperlon grip, I would suggest that its a fast action than anything else I have seen and is similar to my Alvey Light Surt and something I am accustomed with. The rod would be perfect with 4kg Platypus line that I am using and would be suitable for Bream, Flatties and Whiting etc.
The only gripe I have with the rod is that the Fuji winch seat seems lesser quality than previous years and grips that I own, the Fuji reel seats arent really designed for Alvey Reel seats as they are quiet steeply footed. I found it hard to seat the reel at first and had to massage the reel seat hoods down while screwing the locking screw down and only got it at the end. There are also some gaps in the binding and the blank is slightly off it's backbone and some bubbles in the epoxy at the guide feet and over the rod's spec's at the reel's for grip - these bubbles are tiny but detract from the overall quality finish.
Its a good rod, at a dirt cheap price! The price of the rod is beyond excellent and at $75 it absolutely knocks the socks off the Live Fibre at $160 and the Gary Howard at $135! As Alvey continues to strive to make purpose built rods for their reels, some things could be improved, however at the price this is at it is the only choice for smaller 500 and the Graphite 55 series reels that Alvey produce!
Well done Alvey.
Edit: Since going for a quick fish with the rod on the 24th July 2012- I used a small ball sinker and gave it a cast. The sinker literally flew half way across the Coomera River, this was achieved with very little effort at all! When the rod was loaded up with a small bream, you could see where the power kicks in from, the tip is supple enough to feel the light nibbles and the lower end of the rod is the working end - just cant wait to really try it out with larger fish.
To me it feels very well constructed and a natural rod to fish with. Quality Fuji fittings! Great action and feel for the reel I have! Nice blank and well gusseted for longevity. Some bubbles in the epoxy, Fuji reel seat not really suited for Alvey reel feet - a bit difficult to seat properly.
Excellent – its a great reel for the money i compare it as good as a penn internation and okuma but if your looking to buy the best no reel touches a fin or but… Read more
you will pay the price. wow this reel is great i like it so much i bought another one i use it for amberjack fishing and red snapper and shark it handles great this reel is just as good as my penn internation 30w and penn internation 50 looks great easy to grease up level drag is great handle is great as well nice and big brings the big fish in without any problems i just catched a 81 pound amberjack like butter on 30 pound test line.
A standout reel – I actually own the STX10 and STX40 but there was no STX series in the menu. I have flogged them hard without an issue. The first one was the little… Read more
STX10 which I loaded with heavier line and worked it to try and break it but to no avail. Upon servicing I think they are quality way above their price tag. Supposed features of more expensive Daiwa's or Shimano's are standard on these reels without the fuss. I recommended these to a friend who bought the SX10 and SX40. He loves them. Key features are the sealed carbon drag which is beautifully engineered. The spool sits on a well designed hub for a more stable drag setting. All alloy body means no flex. No problems at all.
There is not much difference between the STX and SX series. Only bearings versas bushes under the spool hub and bearings in the handle separate the models. I think these are discontinued now. Quality without the big price Second shallow spool is a bit useless