Recommendation For Fishing Tackle

[victor2107]

What are the recommended brands and model numbers for rods and reels recommended to fish in Thailand? Also what brand and how heavy briad line is ideal? Thanks.

[kenny999]

It all depends on what species you are fishing for, the fish in Thailand are huge so very strong tackle is required to cope with them, I use Lemax and xzoga rods between 5'6" and 6'3" PE 6-8g with best drags 8-12kg these rods will cope with the biggest fish, I use Shimano 8000D bait runners with Power Pro 50lb and 80lb braid this is not cheap tackle if you do choose to buy cheap the big fish here will soon destroy it.

Once you have decided what you will be fishing for then you can decide what tackle you will need to cope with that type of fish.

[robblok]

If you can use a casting reel it might be good to buy one of AVET you will outcast the spinning reels. I own a spinning reel (shimano 6500B) because i hate the casting reels or multiplier reels as they are sometimes called.

Then you have to decide what kind of rod, many Thais have a GT1 rod (local shops will know it) and line wise you can choose between nylon and braid. If you plan on float fishing don't take a braid as it will make you crazy.

Also if your not fishing the big pla bug an other kind of rod might be better as it is more fun.

[victor2107]

Thank you for the feedback. I will fish for mekongs,carps and arapamais. Likely venues be Bungsamran and Lake Monster and hopefully another pond nearby to Bangkok. Not luring or spinning. just bait fishing. After reading it seem that baitrunner reels is the way to fish in Thailand. So Shimano or Okuma baitrunner reels?

[robblok]

Yes you are right about that personally i think you cant go wrong with a shimano 6500b baitrunner. I bought a daiwa baitrunner that was better for casting but the drag was worse then the shimano. I still use it because i like the longcast spool but the drag is annoying.

[kenny999]

Thank you for the feedback. I will fish for mekongs,carps and arapamais. Likely venues be Bungsamran and Lake Monster and hopefully another pond nearby to Bangkok. Not luring or spinning. just bait fishing. After reading it seem that baitrunner reels is the way to fish in Thailand. So Shimano or Okuma baitrunner reels?

Do not know what Okuma are for me Shimano baitrunner are the best, I haved had no problems with my 8000D's they are no not cheap but you get what you pay for and that is quality.

[robblok]

Thank you for the feedback. I will fish for mekongs,carps and arapamais. Likely venues be Bungsamran and Lake Monster and hopefully another pond nearby to Bangkok. Not luring or spinning. just bait fishing. After reading it seem that baitrunner reels is the way to fish in Thailand. So Shimano or Okuma baitrunner reels?

Do not know what Okuma are for me Shimano baitrunner are the best, I haved had no problems with my 8000D's they are no not cheap but you get what you pay for and that is quality.

Did they come with one or 2 spools ? I like to have spare spools so i can switch between lines (nylon and braid). So far i got spare spools for my shimano 6500 and 4500's but it was hel_l to get them.

[zoso]

Fishing tackles are individual preference but IMO you can't go wrong with a Shimano baitrunner. I personally favor the 6500 baitrunners-which I am using-recommended max power pro braid is 50lbs and if you like a newer model then the 8000D-recommended max power pro braid 65lb. Perhaps on reels I always favor Shimano.

As for rods it's recommended to buy a graphite made. So it comes down to budget. Many Thais use heavy jigging rods-cannot cast far-or to the extreme use light baitcaster rods(alternative to baitrunner)-cast very far- which have no control of caught fish. Just can recommend Shimano, Xzoga and my preference Megabass.

[zoso]

If you like thin braid check out Spiderwire at your fishing tackle shop ,which I use for 2 of my rods, as not many shops in Thailand carry it. I use Varivas and Power Pro too.

Also suggest you use shock leader since braid line has almost no stretch it don't do well on fishes that hit hard and run.Although a baitrunner reel will compensate it..A shock leader to match the length you require to catch your quarry/targeted fish. For eg: I use 8ft to 10ft shock leader fishing Saimese Carps as you need to strike hard and the hook may tear the mouth of fish. The longer the leader the more stretch.

Edited October 30, 2010 by zoso

[zoso]

FYI the latest 2011 Shimano baitrunner XT series is on the market so perhaps you could you can check it out.

[victor2107]

Thanks again for feedback. Definitely buy and fish with my own tackle. Will get a baitrunner reel and how many pounds bradi yo guys recommend? Do I need a long casting rod? Thanks

[quiksilva]

Another vote for Shimano Baitrunners (I have two 6500bs and love them). I also have an Okuma multiplier which I can't recommend. The drag failed on my last fishing trip so I had to retire one rod. It never saw that MUCH action, and the fish whilst a respectable 10-15kgs should not have caused the reel to fail.

Ok its not a top of the line model and is close to 8 years old, but even then, these things should last a bit longer than that. I have heard that Okuma's newer big games reels are much improved, but for blue water fishing Im not prepared to take the risk, so just brought a Shimano Tiagra (yes I'm a huge fan of Shimano gear, its not cheap but I have never had one let me down).

I wouldn't use a rod which is too long as you will find it hard to control the fish close to the raft, these cats have lots of fight and will often revive when they get close in, if you can't control them here they'll go under the raft and head straight for the snags.

A short rod has the best control below the tip, so you can bully the fish and turn them close in. A longer rod will add yards to the cast, but they can't exert they the same levels of pressure as a short rod can close in.

I have still not got my ideal cat rod yet,(The one I have is functional, just) so am looking for a decent balance, so a rod about 6'-7', and probably rated for lines 30-50Lbs, with a medium-heavy to heavy action.

Im looking at saltwater popping rods made for targeting species like GT's, as these should have a nice combination of reach and power

Edited November 1, 2010 by quiksilva

[kuripot]

I am looking at sorting out some tackle for the bigger cats etc and wonder what the thoughts are on some of my existing rods/reels.

Penn Liveliner 760L fixed spool. I know this should be a capable reel and have a performance similar to the baitrunners with a 260lb cat at Gillhams taken on one of these reels recently.

Daiwa SL50SH which is the largest of the range and has a good line capacity.

Accurate Boss 870 twin drag. Not so good for casting but has a superb twin drag system. I would say it's similar to the Abu 7000 series in line capacity.

As for rods I currently have a few Stand-up sticks of the type favoured by

Kiwi Anglers Bangkok

these consisting of a Shimano Beastmaster 5'6" 30-80lb line model BR-1556rf all roller guides which would be no good for braid but ok for mono and casting ability restricted, although I have seen quite a few photo's of similar type rods being used.

Penn Mariner 5'6" 20-50lb line

Star Rods Deluxe 6" 30/60lb line

I currently don't have any longer rods such as the Free Spirit 10" Cat Tamers 6lb test curve that seems to be popular at some fisheries. Possibly some of the heavier "uptiding" rods in the UK may be suitable as these are slightly shorter.

Any constructive comments welcome as it's going to be a learning curve.

[tingtongfarang]

Its always personal choice but at one time i also used spinning reels at most fishing parks in bkk including bsr, Then at one point i turned to baitcasters...my 2 main reels are avet sx 6.4 2 speed and a new shimano jigger 4000LD 2 speed, The avet now comes with optional 5 setting magicast (magnets) with this there really are no birds nests or over runs on the spool and very easy to master, In my opinion the avet is the best value for money and powerful enough to handle all that comes along at bsr, To be honest myself i built in my own magnets in all my reels and it works fine but i notice that after 150+ bugs the single dry drag washer on the avet is worn and with very large fish i,m sometimes having to thumb the spool...only costs 65baht for a new drag washer but have been to lazy to replace it as i,m so often using the shimano jigger now,Both have the lever drag system,

As robblok said the GT1 rod from loomis is a good choice but i was curios about the very short rods with small baitcasters which seem to be the fashion at bsr of late and some days ago got to try one from a young thai guy, It was a jigging master 4.9ft 5-10pe paired with an accurate 400bx reel spooled with a power pro 50lb braid line and i imagined casting any distance would be a problem on such a short rod but infact i managed the middle of the lake on the first cast! and the whole experience of the fight with that tackle was good ...once up close to the pier when the fish wanted to go under it was a piece of cake to stop him but tackle like that will cost you around 30,000+ baht (not sure where these young thais get the money)

Cheap and unbreakable way to go in my opinion is an avet sx mc (circa 7500bht) with a GT1 rod (2500bht) or an ugly stick (1500bht) I have seen so much tackle break at bsr and am sure this setup will never let you down.

Edited April 25, 2011 by tingtongfarang

[kuripot]

Its always personal choice but at one time i also used spinning reels at most fishing parks in bkk including bsr, Then at one point i turned to baitcasters...my 2 main reels are avet sx 6.4 2 speed and a new shimano jigger 4000LD 2 speed, The avet now comes with optional 5 setting magicast (magnets) with this there really are no birds nests or over runs on the spool and very easy to master, In my opinion the avet is the best value for money and powerful enough to handle all that comes along at bsr, To be honest myself i built in my own magnets in all my reels and it works fine but i notice that after 150+ bugs the single dry drag washer on the avet is worn and with very large fish i,m sometimes having to thumb the spool...only costs 65baht for a new drag washer but have been to lazy to replace it as i,m so often using the shimano jigger now,Both have the lever drag system,

As robblok said the GT1 rod from loomis is a good choice but i was curios about the very short rods with small baitcasters which seem to be the fashion at bsr of late and some days ago got to try one from a young thai guy, It was a jigging master 4.9ft 5-10pe paired with an accurate 400bx reel spooled with a power pro 50lb braid line and i imagined casting any distance would be a problem on such a short rod but infact i managed the middle of the lake on the first cast! and the whole experience of the fight with that tackle was good ...once up close to the pier when the fish wanted to go under it was a piece of cake to stop him but tackle like that will cost you around 30,000+ baht (not sure where these young thais get the money)

Cheap and unbreakable way to go in my opinion is an avet sx mc (circa 7500bht) with a GT1 rod (2500bht) or an ugly stick (1500bht) I have seen so much tackle break at bsr and am sure this setup will never let you down.

Many Thanks for your input. I will look into adding these items to my tackle bag but would definitely buy in Thailand as the Avet sx mc is over 11,000 Baht here in rip off UK. I actually have an ugly stik rated 30-80 line so I guess this would pass, but if the Loomis are only in the region of 2500 it's hardly worth bringing a rod across next trip. Presumably these can all be bought at the tackle shop at BSR.

[tingtongfarang]

never seen the loomis in the bsr shop...i bought mine at a shop in rangsit, bear in mind that the loomis gt1 is a 5.9ft rod and i would,nt go any longer than that at bsr and the trend there is to go even shorter,

Just checked...the avet sx mc is actualy only 6,500bht at bsr (http://www.7seasproshop.com/product_detail.php?keyword=avet_avet_sx_mc_cast) says the pink ones are out of stock

But the 2 speed model is 7,800bht ..i would go for that ( http://www.7seasproshop.com/product_detail.php?keyword=avet_avet_sx_2_speed)

Edited April 26, 2011 by tingtongfarang