Tackle Ready
Well the boat is washed and packed and ready for the 12 hour road trip to Pinnacle on Saturday morning, and the finishing touches on the tackle is pretty much taken care of (Is it really? says the little voice in my head).
This trip I’m going to do things a little different. Generally when I get to fish Eungella it’s while I’m up north running the BARRA Tour, so it’s a get in, catch as many fish as you can with tried and true techniques then get out and get back to running tournaments.
This time around there’s no work items on my to-do list so instead of going straight to things that I know work, I’m going to try some stuff that’s different.
So here’s a break down on the new stuff that I’ve got in mind.
Skirted Jigs
I’ve tried these a few times on sooties but with limited success. I’ve caught bass on them before and I’m certain they’ve got to work on sooties. They’ll happily eat plastics and spinnerbaits (including big ¾ oz models) on the drop so it’s only logical that they’ll eat these…..surely!
I’ve packed a selection of small finesse styled jigs, mostly light skirted, some with and some without weed guards, so I’ll be able to fish them in some reasonably nasty country and not get hung up (hopefully). Dan Stead from PML and Impact Tackle has made up a bunch of compact, super tough finesse jigs for me also that look the bomb, in addition I also have a couple of small sized Imakatsu chatterbait styled baits that I think are going to rock. I’m really looking forward to some close quarters pitching with these. Let’s hope the fish are as keen on the jigs as I am. Two days on the water will hopefully give me an answer of yes.
Plastics
Fishing soft plastics doesn’t ring my bell much other than when they’re fished on the surface. Pink grubbing for bream and bass are high on my must-do list when fishing so it’s time to drag them out for sooties (I’ve used them in the streams before, just not on dam fish).
Ecogear Power Shads and Grass Minnows are packed and ready to be bow waved through shallow back waters and places that are hard to fish with sub surface lures. I’m also keen to fish some critter baits, with Jackall Cover Craws and OSP Do-lives earmarked to be texas rigged and dropped into some shaded pockets.
Hard Baits
My list of hard baits to use is probably my longest list of all. Small jointed swim baits (Imakatsu Killer Bills, Jackall, & River 2 Sea), super shallow crankbaits (OSP, Jackall, & Sebile), suspending crankbaits (OSP Power Dunks), deep crankbaits (Megabass X Dads, Hide Up HU 300, OSP Blitz DR, etc) and surface lures (OSP Bent Minnow, Megabass Siglett) form the bulk of the list.
Rods, Reels & Line
I have two new rods to use on the trip, a Steez Lightning (681MLFB) and a Steez Flogger (671HMHFB). The low modulus nature of the Lightning will see it used for crankbaits, while the heavier Flogger will get used for big spinnerbaits (3/4oz) down deep on the trees. There are three new reels that I’m keen to use, the Daiwa Freams spin reel, Daiwa Pixy Type R, and last and most excitingly the Daiwa T3. Yep I manage to get a lone of one for the trip.
Well enough of the first two let’s focus on the T3. My first impress on my first hold is, whoa baby. Nice lines and classy understated silver and black stylings, and as with all Daiwa high-end reels feels super smooth in the hand when the handle is turned. She’s been spooled with 15lb Shinobi PE and strapped to a Daiwa Steez Machine Gun Type 1 (661MRB) rod. All she’ll need is 12lb leader and a mid depth crankbait tied to the end and she’ll be away.
I can’t wait to see if it lives up to the hype. I’ll try it on a few different rods and throwing a few different lure types so hopefully I’ll get a diverse look at what the T3 can do.
I’ve re-spooled a couple of spin reels with some new line, in past I’ve primarily used the orange Daiwa TD Sensor, but this time I’m trying something else, namely the new Berkley Exceed Fireline (8lb) and Daiwa Shinobi. Let’s see how they compare and which wins the battle of best first impressions from day one on the water.
