Best Fishing Supplies
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.
Ive been using 40 pound mono for several years now and the last lot of 500mtr started to stretch and coil back Ive been using same rig same technique same line for about twenty years and the last lot was rubbish Show details
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
Berkley Gulp
Swimming Mullets only issue is once opened you have to use all of them or the bag leaks everywhere and the smell will smell like death. The Porgy… Read more
paddle tails work great if can find one where the tail actually works but good luck with that usually only 1 in a bag of 8 works correctly. Tried to reach out to Gulp and Berkley the phone numbers are fake and if go to the web site waste of time . I will not ever buy Gulp or Berkley products ever again they just want to steal your hard earned money. Personally I'm so p*ssed with these crooks who obviously hate their customers that I'm going to contact The Department of CONSUMER AFFAIRS and file a formal complaint. Tired of getting ripped off anyone else having these problems should do the same . Gulp is pretty expensive bag of 8 almost 10.00 at Walmart I will just buy SALT WATER ASSIN BAITS FROM NOW ON F*** GULP AND BERKLEY. Here are the phone numbers that ring and ring no answer no recordings nothing 910 579-8850, 978-849-8850, 800-239-5539, 800-467-8439 . Customer satisfaction dosent matter to this company I have been using Berkley rods since I was 10 yrs old im done Berkley should be embarrassed to be associated with Gulp scammers is what they are . I fish everyday im retired so I spend tons of money on hunting and fishing fresh and salt water I'll be spending my money elsewhere from now on.Would suggest everyone else do the same cut their cash flow run them out of business they suck.
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 – 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.
little pocket rocket – This light weight reel is a little beauty, it punches way above it's weight. I'ved used it for a variety of fishing from bream, whiting, salmon to… Read more
shallow water snappers. The more I use it the more it grows on me. The aesthetic about it is just beautiful. This has to be one of my favourite reel. It's one of those reel that always put a smile on your face even when the fish aint biting. She's a gem. silky smoothness, sound of the drag when she screems, feels light but tough for it's size and just the unigue styling.
A bait caster reel thats built for a lifetime! – I've owned a 5500C4 for the last 10+ years and its had a fair amount of use, with trolling lures and casting from the banks for flathead and other… Read more
larger estuarine fish.
The reel is built around a brazed chromed brass metal frame and aluminum side plates, with most internal parts being brass or bronze, with some parts being aluminum or a nylon plastic for those less critical areas.
Stripping the reel down is easy with three screw's on the RH side allowing you to access the spool and the casting control brakes or to add the heavier brake blocks. Within regards to servicing, with these reels harbouring a varying range of materials there is a issue with 'anodic' reactions with salt water. I have drilled two small holes on both side plates to ensure that any water that gets inside from fishing or washing is expelled during drying on a cloth - 90% of the time the reel is pulled apart to air with no noticeable side effects noticed so far with this process - but ensuring that you use Inox and good quality greases keeps corrosion at bay.
The C4 series have a higher than average retrieval rate opposed to the C3 series, this allows a better lure retrieve and helps lures actions when cast and retrieving. Further to add, more bearings usually means a greater ability to get consistently further casts - however means more servicing with bearings (which is not an easy job for the inexperienced!)...
All in all the C4 series are generally the same as the C3 when pre 2009 years - 2009 on are generally the same however not seen inside these newer reels as they are cheaper as Abu sold out to Berkley 'Pure Fishing'. Abu Ambassadeure's are still made in Sweden, and their design is still similar to those made 50 odd years ago, the design difference of the Abu Ambassadeur C4 compared to others in the line is really just some pure aesthetic changes and it doesn't harbour a great deal more / benefit other than retrieval rate and an extra bearing in the level wind RH side. Rock solid & Genuine [censored word removed] proof design (2009 prior), ease & low cost of spare parts, easily fixed without special tools or parts. 2009 design went a little cheap when Abu sold out to Berkley / Pure Fishing, otherwise the Abu remains the same as usual.
Best rod ive ever owned A+ for sensitivity – Without a doubt the best value rod on the market in my opinion and durable too. Own the spin model at the moment will be going back to get another… Read more
baitcast rod for my abu revo do yourself a favour get onto these rods you wont regret it i havent. durable lightweight and sensitive comes to life when a fish is on the end.
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
Excellent – This is a smooth and solid reel that will last a very long time if care taken after each use. It has a metal body construction so the reel doesn't… Read more
twist and warp when fighting a big fish. The price is low considering you're getting a metal framed reel and you will definitely get your money's worth from its long use. Metal body and solid construction. No warping in the reel frame when connected to a big fish. Smooth drag. Good line capacity and line lay. Infinite anti-reverse. Good priced. Its a little bit heavy so you wouldn't want to be holding it all day. Drag is not as smooth as a higher end reel but hardly noticeable.