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Yellow Fin Whiting Lure Fishing Gear


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Yellow Fin Whiting Lure Fishing Gear

I am frequently asked to recommend YFW Lure fishing gear.

It lead me to summarise my thoughts on what I consider to be the most important factors in your gear selection for this particular pursuit.

My suggestions are in a prioritised list. Starting with what I consider to be the most important bit of gear to the least important based on how I feel it will impact on your success with YFW lure fishing. I am sure my opinions will raise a healthy debate!

So what are your thoughts on the perfect set up and the most important factor?

 

1) ROD

Absolutely the most important item in this game. This should be your biggest investment.

A 7’6” rod is ideal. It can cast small lures long distances easily. Cast distance is the most important factor in successfully catching YFW on lures consistently. A long cast goes way out there amongst unsuspecting fish! It provides a long retrieve, covers more water and gives the fish the most time to be attracted to your lure. So get a rod that can cast small lures far.

The latest materials and construction methods of the better quality ultra light rods, facilitate the storage and recoil of elastic energy, which imparts lure action almost naturally. The tip sensitivity of ultra light rods, brings a lure to life and seriously makes a lure dance with little effort. A very sensitive top section is also well matched with a powerful bottom end.

The extra length of a 7’6” rod has very good shock absorption for the hard runs that big YFW have when they are in close. You will definitely pull less of those small assist lure hooks from these trophy fish.

I have found the Abu Garcia Eradicator Real Finesse Rod the best I have used to date. Model# ERFS-76LT-TZ  7' 6" Rod. Rated for 0.6 - 3 lb Line Lure weight 0.1gm-12gm The whole rod weighs just 66 grams.

The Samaki Zing Xtreme V2 762SSTXL is a close second. Rated for line 1-3kg with a Lure rating of 1 to 7gm.

The Shimano Zodias ultra light is great for those who prefer a shorter 7ft rod.

The Shimano T Curve Premium 21TCP782LC … 7" 8" 1-4 Kg line, 1-7gm lure. 2 pc  It is a little more powerful, which I use with the heavier lures.

There are a lot of good ultra light options today in the 7' 2" to 7’ 6” range, rated for 1-4 Kg line, 1-10gm. At prices to suit those just starting out. But you will soon get the feel and desire for the subtle finesse improvements in the more expensive models.

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2) LURES & HOOKS

There are lures that have a long proven record for consistently catching YFW. This is fundamentally due to their good design. They do not really need to be “worked” so much. On retrieval their natural action, imparted by a good rod, does most of the work for you … naturally.

Bigger lures catch bigger fish I find. They also cast a lot further out to unsuspecting fish and work over more water, increasing your chances of a strike.

Colours … nearly always Clear with some Orange. Other colours have a fast diminishing success rate and are very rarely more successful. Lures with UV colours are a bit better in low light conditions.

The Sugapen 95 in Colour MB16 is by far the standout lure in all conditions for me. The Daiwa Slippery Dog 80 is a distant second. These Stick bait lures work better than poppers except may be on the windier days. Then I find the Shimano Brenious Rise, MMD Splash Prawn, or the Atomic Hardz, Poppers to be good.

Blades and Vibes in prawn imitations can catch as many fish on their day. But you loose the visual pleasures of the chase and a surface strike. The Ecogear ZX ranges are by far the most successful blades.

I never use treble hooks on the lures. They catch too much weed. My lures are all retrofitted with Atomic Trick Bitz size 8 or the Ecogear ZX Assist Hooks. They catch less weed and hook up well. A more detailed post on lures later.

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3) LINE & LEADER

A small diameter braid is best. Braid assists in imparting more natural action and provides a better feel of your lure’s movements. I find Sunline Siglon PEx8 10 lb Braid is good. I have since moved to Sunline Siglon PEx8 ADV. I have heard some great reports for J Braid, but I am yet to try it. Again it is about getting a bit more distance in your casts. Thin lines have less drag through the air and cast further. There is little risk of abrasion on the open sand flats.

I use a variety of leaders, both mono and fluorocarbon, as this I find is not as big an issue as some make out. Especially when using the larger floating lures whose action is less affected by the leader. Again back to the rod, a quality 7’ 6” ultra light rod with a sensitive upper section, has great shock absorption. So you do not need a lot of leader for stretch and shock absorption. Around 18” in length I find good. I also use a Decoy Spiral Snap for quick lure changes so I don’t use up leader length in retying lures.

 

4) REEL

Reels are often overrated in terms of their importance here I feel. Correct weight balance with your rod, a smooth sensitive drag and a smooth retrieval action would be the main functional demands. A wider or a long stroke spool provides a longer cast.

With repetitive lure casting over long sessions, I you will appreciate a lightweight reel. A gear ratio of around 6:1 in a 2500 size reel suits the ideal lure retrieval speed. Given the harsh treatment these reels experience whilst wading for YFW, salt water resilience is important. Shimano Stradic CI4+, Shimano Vanford and Abu Garcia’s Revo MGXtreme, have all worked well for me. Should you have strong arms, strong wrists and a smaller budget, there are plenty of inexpensive heavier reel options that won’t reduce your chances of catching a fish on lures.

5) WADING TUB or BAG

Essential for carrying all your food, drink and tackle out there for a long day. Thanks to spotting  @Territory Lad  I added a "triple Axle" to mine.

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6) TECHNIQUE … aka … Pretentiousness

Mostly a lot of garbage by people posturing as super skilled experts and making a simple task appear complicated.

If you start with the right equipment it is simple and close to an automatic process. It is usually people with a substandard rod, heavy line, and inappropriate lures, that have to work so hard to achieve the right lure action. A good lure with a modern day ultra light rod almost provides the right lure action automatically. It is so easy to “work” a lure. You really don’t have to try!  The only thing you could play with is your rod height position and your retrieve speed.

 

I hope this helps in unravelling the not that mysterious art of YFW lure fishing.

 

Cheers, Des.

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@Des That is a great write up. Couldn't agree more, The technical specs/parameters you have stated on what people should be looking at when purchasing gear are spot on and pretty much what I say on a near daily basis over summer, I can talk it all day but I don't think I could have put it in writing as well as you have.

Great contribution 👍👍

Cheers

Yorky

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