MAH

Thought I would clarify, that when I was talking about the quality of Rui jigs in comparison to other brands I should have been clear that I was comparing with the basic models from these companies. So when I think of Rui vs Yamashita it's the Yamashita Egi Sutte R I have in mind, and in my opinion Rui is the better product.

These are a couple of the Rui jigs I have. The cloth on them is very good, if it it has a foil underneath they are nice and vibrant, the double crown hooks are a good quality and don't rust (I wash my jigs in fresh water after every outing), the attachment point is solid and they have a good shape meaning they fall well and dart well.

On the orange jig you can see a couple of spots where the cloth is damaged, but this is just normal wear from being attacked by a big squid. I had this jig under a float when it was damaged. In my experience, jigs tend to show more damage when used under a float probably because I don't notice them as quickly because I'm also working a jig on a rod.

I stick with 3 and 3.5 jigs. I've got some in both sizes that a specifically for shallow water which have a slower sink rate. But for heavier jigs I just add weight to a standard jig. You can do this simply by putting a 3gm or 5gm ball sinker on your leader just above the swivel. Or better use specific sinkers that you can clip to the front of the jig. I use Nakazima sinkers. Rui sells sinkers for his jigs. I like adding weight rather than heavier jigs, so I can use any of the jigs I already have.

41 minutes ago, TENNANT said:

Thanks MAH That is very helpful information. Have you given the KG and sand Whiting ones a go? They are the fish I target, while I am squiding,  seems to make sense to use what they are use to eating.

 

No, I haven't used those. I haven't found that you need to match the hatch with too much with squid.

I have a squid jig addiction and currently have jigs by Yamashita, Daiwa, Shimano, Duel (YoZuri) and Rui. I like the Rui jigs quite a bit. Overall the jigs are not quite the same quality as the Daiwa, but they would be close to the others. What sets the Rui jigs apart is the wide range of colours and size and how readily available they are at a good price.

In the Rui jigs I really like the red head and this is the only brand of red head I buy (I use it a lot so have to replace it a couple of time each year due to snags). I've also had a lot of success with the mullet and one that looks a bit like a tiger prawn called KR54 UV Glow. In the past I would buy the Yamashita mullet looking jig, but no longer bother and just buy the Rui. I don't think I will buy Yamashita again.

The one down side to Rui jigs, is the limited range of rattle jigs.

I've always had quick deliveries from Rui. I prefer to order direct from his website rather than through EvilBay.

If I could no longer cheaply buy Daiwa etc from overseas, I'd be perfectly happy to buy just Rui jigs.

I like jigs that either reflect UV light (fluorescent) or glow (photoluminescent). Some jigs even combine fluorescent and photoluminescent elements.

Aside from colour, try rattle jigs. Of the rattle jigs I like the Daiwa Emeraldas Gold Goma Saba.

One jig I own, I really want to hate because I think it's ugly, but it has been very successful is a Duel Dartmaster. It combines fluorescence, photoluminescence and rattle. Last weekend I went to Brighton jetty for a quick flick. It was packed as usual but no one was catching any squid. I was having no luck and after 20 mins I put the ugly Dartmaster on and second cast I landed a nice big winter squid. I then packed up my gear and went home!

I'm looking at doing the same thing. I've ordered a Daiwa Legalis LEGSD902LBF. It's an import that I picked up cheap.

https://www.daiwa-france.com/products/rods/legalis-squid-8.

Rod should arrive in a week.

It's only rated from #2.0 to #3.0 jigs (5-15gms), but that's fine as I also have an Atomic Arrowz AAE-83ML for #2.5-#4.0 jigs.

9 foot rod that weighs 125gms and can easily throw a 10gm Halco twisty or #3.0 squid jigs jigs.

On 22/05/2021 at 4:29 PM, TENNANT said:

All my life I have bought the cheap stuff so as "not to waste money" 

It depends what you call cheap. Personally I think $150 is cheap for a rod, so to me I think you can get a good rod pretty cheap.

With a lot of fishing gear, particularly rods, your bang for buck has significantly increased over the past decade. Reliable name brands such as Shimano and Daiwa have graphite rods with Fuji guides and reel seat as little as $125.

Fishing for KGW from a boat doesn't require anything overly expensive, it's basically a whiting winch. So if it has enough sensitivity to detect the bites and enough power to pull a KGW, then it will be more than adequate and you don't need a lot of money for this. I personally wouldn't spend more than $250 and this would buy you an excellent rod; and i don't really believe you need to spend this much. 

What I consider expensive for a rod tend to be specialist rods, often ultra light weight rods designed for lure casting or extra long surf rods.

Don't over spend on the rod and use those savings on other items that will improve your fishing experience, maybe better line, an improvement to your boat, better sunglasses.

Same principle applies to reels. You can get super smooth reels pretty cheap, but you start paying more for specialist reels, or ultra lightweight reels or extreme water protection.

Last night I snapped the tip off my Atomic Arrowz Bream Surface rod. I was flicking a 1/4 oz jig head and must of had a line wrap near the tip, as I flicked the jig the line snapped off and then I realised it had also snapped the tip of the rod just below the top guide.

So the rod isn't a high end rod, but at RRP $147, it's not a throw away rod either. My question is how far is it worth going with the repair?

I'm confident enough to get a replacement tip and glue it on, but what about the transition from the blank to the rod top guide? From the factory it has some whipping and epoxy to make it a smooth transition, is there any problem with not having this? Should I have a go at adding the whipping and epoxy, or is the extra effort not needed (other than the cosmetic)?

I like using 1000 sized reels, they just feel right for the type of fishing I do, which is land based mainly for garfish YFW and squid. I have normally stuck with Shimano and have a Sienna, Sedona and Stradic Ci4+ all in the 1000 size. The Sedona is just a smidge over your weight at 215gms and $99. I like this reel a lot and often grab it over the Stradic; there is a bit more weight in the spool, so there is slightly more effort to start  turning the handle, but once spinning the extra mass feels nicer than Stradic. The Stradic has better water protection, so I take this when wading. If I had a need for another reel I would opt for the Stradic FL, which has even better water protection.

I have just bought a Daiwa Emeraldas 2500 for squid fishing, which is also a small reel. It's a bit heavier at 240gms but is a double handle. I bought this reel specifically because it has a faster retrieve than the Shimano reels I already own.

Not under 200gms, but a bit over I would suggest the Sedona or Nasci. The Sedona and Nasci (and Sahara) are the same basic reel, with the Nasci having an extra bearing and better water protection. At 200gms and $199 on special I think the Shimano Ultegra would be ideal. At 185gms and $268 the Shimano Stradic FL would be my reel of choice. There is a good video giving a full breakdown of the Stradic FL

I've never raked for crabs on the metro beaches, but keep hearing reports for places like Tennyson and West Beach. I've spent many hours raking for crabs on the Yorke Peninsula and the norther flats, but at these places the tide goes out a long way and exposes weedy spots where you find the crabs. It seems quite different to metro beaches.

Any tips on methods for the metro beaches? Do you still look in weedy spots? Do you need a very low tide? Any help welcomed.

Cheers

Mark

I have the exact same waders you bought. Just this Saturday I was wading a local metro spot (very murky and caught nothing but a single puffer). It was a nice sunny day, but the water was still pretty cool. I wore a cotton t-shirt with a light long sleeved shirt (made from bamboo fibers), I had a thick pair of socks and cargo pants, which are made from cotton and about the same thickness as denim jeans. I was fine, not cold at all. Only problem is in moderate conditions like Saturday, you will sweat inside your waders and my pants were fairly damp by the end of the session (about 3 hours). Unless you pay a lot more money, this is what you have to accept. I felt fine while fishing, it was only when I was taking the waders off , that I could feel the sweat. It wasn't a big problem and by the time I had finished packing up my fishing gear, the sweat had dried.