Team Gulp Key West 2009 – Tackle Report |

Team Gulp Key West 2009 – Tackle Report

Well, I have finally got my breath back and had some much needed sleep so I felt that I should report on the tackle that we used and abused during our recent trip. This year's trip consisted of fourteen days of severe punishment to both anglers and tackle. A batch of very windy days meant that we had to spend more time shark fishing in sheltered waters than we would normally do on this trip, but as you'll see in the following report we managed to test most items to the limit. Much of the tackle was new to this severe punishment; the question is “how did it perform” ?.

Gulp Alive

Gulp continues to catch fish, on my Cuba trip the guides could not believe how good it was, we fished shad on jig heads and it was awesome.
In Key West I had less opportunities to fish with it, but every time I used it I caught good fish.

REELS

Penn 950 SSM

The Penn 950 SSM Fixed spool reel came along for the second year and we also used them on the Cuba trip. It may look outdated but it is the proverbial "brick !*^~house" reel that will not let you down.

I have now landed thousands of pounds of fish on this reel with dozens of individual fish over 100lbs. I like its huge capacity and I fish it with around 400yds of Berkley Big Game Braid 50 lb test and that still leaves room for plenty of backing. There were times this trip that I was very grateful of that extra capacity.

Like I have said, an old fashioned looking reel but as tough as nails and certainly built to last with no signs of corrosion and no wear and tear except for the occasional scratch. The only modification I have ever done to this reel was to fine-tune the drag.

Penn Atlantis 4000

The Penn Atlantis is a new model and I have to say that I'm mightily impressed. It is labelled as a braid special and that is what I used it for. I was provided with one of the smaller models and loaded it with 20lb Big Game Braid which to be fair is a little over the top, but if you are going to test a reel it is no use pussy footing about !.

One of the best ways to field test any reel is to catch a stack of Bonito on it. These fish, which we had up to 20lbs, will literally destroy any reel that is not up to standard.

The braid lay is very good and the drag actually works. For a reel that was on an intensive two week test it stood up very well and is showing no signs of corrosion.

Watch this space, as this reel will have huge potential.

ABU Sorren

The Abu Sorren is a reel I use for my normal coarse fishing. The test model was loaded with 30lbs Big Game Braid; I deliberately wanted to see if this reel would take some severe punishment.

It stood up pretty well. The drag could be better, but I would expect it to be fine with say maximum 20lb braid. Several lemon sharks up to 80 lbs made it squeal a bit, but at the end of the trip it was still working well.

This reel is not made for this type of fishing so the test was totally extreme. In normal use it is a good value reel that would take plenty of punishment.

Penn International 975 CSLD

This is my second year with this reel and again I subjected it to some severe use. I overloaded it with 30lb Super line and it stood up to everything I gave it including several huge Amberjacks and Sharks.

This reel simply inspires confidence, you just know that it will not let you down. At the end of fourteen hard, hectic days there was no sign of corrosion and the reel was working as well as it did on day one.

A reel built to last with a brilliant lever drag that will cope with every situation.

Pflueger Torsion

The Pflueger Torsion fixed spool reel was designed and developed for the Australian market. My sample was loaded with 20lb Berkley Big game Braid and the reel is exceptional. It has survived my Cuba trip and the Key West trip with no maintenance at all.

All of my reels are washed with fresh water from a hose after every day out on the ocean. Water contamination can be a problem with many reels but this Pflueger just kept on working. The drag is superb and so is the winding power.

My reel has now a few scratches, which shows it has been subjected to some rough wear and tear. A very sensible handle makes this an angler friendly reel. Again I think this is a reel that will last a very long time.

Penn International 30VSW

The Penn International series all have an awesome reputation; I used it for something it was not designed for. I loaded it with 80lbs Berkley Big Game mono and used it for wreck fishing for Big Groupers and Jew Fish, not to name some very nasty sharks.

Black Grouper such as this one put huge pressure on every part of your tackle

Most of the time I had the drag locked down so that I could only pull line off with a glove. However some of my fish certainly pulled some off. Everything about this reel is over the top, and it needs to be to survive serious big fish fishing.

This huge Bull Shark tested our tackle to the limit

The International isn't actually designed to fish for huge Bull Sharks such as this, bur it took it completely in its stride

I cannot fault this reel at all. Buy one and you have a reel that will last you a lifetime.

RODS

Waveblaster EVO

I had two Wave Blaster Evo models with me, so good were these rods that I have had to leave them with the Key West Guides. Forget the spec that is in the book, you can fish almost any line on them and not break them. I fished 30 lb through 65 lb Super Line on them and they were simply awesome.

Big Amberjacks, Sharks and Groupers are not a problem for these rods. I had the two-piece models that fitted together at the butt joint. They are light yet very powerful.

Top class fittings and Fuji guides make this rod a serious bit of kit for anglers of all abilities.

Waveblaster Travel - Four Equal Sections

Wave Blaster Four Piece Travel Rod

A large percentage of the research and development budget in recent years has been spent on producing travel rods that offer the same feel, strength and flexibility as the more traditional one and two piece rods. This particular model was to be my new Tarpon Rod. I matched it with 20lb Berkley Big Game mono and it is a dream. The rod says 20 lb/30lb class and it is spot on.

Tarpon were very thin on the ground on this recent trip but the rod accounted for some huge Sharks and it was certainly a fun rod to fish with. At no time do you feel that the rod is going to break and the four piece construction makes it so easy to travel with. Top class fittings and a very durable finish make this a brilliant buy for a multitude of venues.

It is now a firm favourite.

Conolon Pro Uptide Traveller

I have raved about this 4 piece 9’6” / 7’6” rod on many occasions, most of the time I use it in the 7’6” mode. I have now landed thousands of pounds of big fish on this rod.
Its soft tip makes it great for Sail Fish and Tarpon. Its forgiving action makes it great for deep water and wreck fishing. I frequently use 50lb Super lines on it at the top end, but also 12lb Big Game Mono at the bottom end.

If you wanted to fish your way around the world using just a single rod then this would be the one, it's amazingly versatile. The adjustable handle makes it perfect for fixed spool or multiplier reels.

For a rod costing less than £100 it is the very best.

Shakespeare Ugly Stick Boat 20-30

I knew that there must be a reason for so many charter boat skippers from all parts of the globe buying and using Ugly Sticks for a huge variety of fishing styles. After this trip I now know the reason...these rods are unbreakable. I certainly did my best but now believe that no human can break one during a normal fishing situation.

I overloaded mine with 20lb/30 lb class one with 80lb Big Game Mono and you still couldn't break it. Unbelievable value.

ABU Garcia Esprit Braid Boat 15-25

This is still my favourite Tarpon Rod even though I use mono with it. It's light and extremely responsive. I have not managed to break one and have now had dozens of Tarpon over 100lbs on it.

For a sub £80 rod it is exceptional value. Ideal for deep-water fishing with braid and you can fish 50lb Super lines on it with confidence.

LINE

Fireline Braid

This was my second adventure with FireLine Braid and I cannot fault it. It is very angler friendly and most importantly ties very good knots.

On this adventure I used 20,30 and 50lbs test in moss green. You quickly notice the round profile, which helps casting and avoids line dig-in on the spool.

Berkley Big Game Clear.

My all time favourite sea fishing mono. I have caught everything on this line. Yet again on this trip the lines great abrasion resistance caught me many bonus fish.

Extremely tough and angler friendly and will perform under extreme pressure when other brands fail.

Stren Fluorocarbon Leader

Every situation required Stren Fluorocarbon Leader material, and it never let us down.

Leaders rubbing against the sandpaper like skin of these bruisers had to be replaced fairly regularly but they NEVER let us down throughout the trip.

At less than £10.00 for a 100yds spool this must be the best Fluorocarbon line on the market and it offers great value for money.

If offers good knot strength and it's tough enough to tie directly to Super lines. I cannot fault this line at all.

NOTE

Although I work as a consultant for Pure Fishing I will not give any product a good report if I think it is poor.

My report is a fair review of all of the products I had with me on my latest Big Adventure.

Roy Marlow