Territory Lad

For rods & reels I stick to proven brands and am very much a quality over quantity person. For the most part I work to a price range of $150 - $200 p/item. If there is something im seriously keen on that is outside that range, ill wait till its on sale (Boxing day, Easter, Fin Year etc.). Reels I tend to gravitate towards Shimano, in particular the Stradic. Rod wise Im a mixed bag, Shimano, Samaki, Atomic etc. but my preference is currently Samaki. Terminal tackle I stick to proven brands, Owner, Gamakatsu, BKK, Decoy etc. TL

Personally, im a quality over quantity person and for the most part I stick with proven products / recommendations. HBs are my personal vice, with preferences geared towards YFW, Flathead (I hear they exist ) and Bream, in that order. In terms of types, im landbased and mainly target the flats so Im genrally looking at surface or shallow --> medium diving. Stickbaits for YFW, Minnows for Flatties and both cranks and small minnows for Bream. Havent purchased any SPs in ages, but if I did I would probably start with Zman or Ecogear. TL

Congrats Vogon

3rd crack - 126

125

124

Holy smokes! Well played squire, cracking fish!

Your right, they are great bags for rock hoping. Sounds like you had considered most if not all options before settling on the Wading bag, so im sure it will tick all your boxes. Hopefully you will fill it with a few YFW soon enough.

For what it is worth, those rapala sling bags are a great (there would be other brands / versions that do the same) alternative to a wading bag. Holds more than enough tackle and supplies. Slides around to the front for easy access and even doubles as a work table. You can clip on a fish / scale / keeper bag to the D ring on the bag as well. Whilst I have upgraded to a tub with an esky for my flats wading, I still use the sling bag for all my other land based fishing, especially where mobility is key. Another idea I know others use, is a fly vest. Its lite, everything is accessible and again, you can carry a keeper bag attached to your waste. For what it is worth, that Atomic Arrowz rod you got, if its the Bream Surface rod, its a great rod, especially for the price. I have one in my arsenal of wands epecially for wrangling YFW on surface lures. I havent been dissappointed.

Thanks for the advice everyone! New toy arrived today On advice from the store, paired it with a 2500 Stradic for balance purposes. Whilst I wont get a chance to christen it for a while, initial thoughts are: Pros: Definately has the softer tip I was after. Length seems good at 7'3. No micro guides, so hopefully no/less guide wraps. 2500 seems to sit well on it. Cons: (all minor and nothing game breaking) Noticeably heavier outift weight wise than what I have been using. Makes sense given upsizing from 1-3kg with a 1000 up to a 2-5kg with a 2500. Overall: Time will tell, but initially appears overkill for what I was after, although may end up being a great all rounder for wrangling lighter estuary species (Bream, Flatties, YFW, School Jew/Mulloway etc.). Cant wait to get it wet!! TL

@IamDangerous I feel your pain. I have spent two years chasing Flatties for a grand total of 1 (albiet a bloody good one!!). I will continue working at these beauties until I crack the code. What everyone has said about persistance and patience is 100% accurate. The only point I would add to this is - have a back up plan / 2nd option. Either carry a 2nd outfit to target a different species, or carry some other rigs and change it up. I chase my Flatties (albeit unsucessfully) by wading the flats, flinging HBs around. These flats also generally hold YFW. Whilst I have failed miserably on the Flatties front, I have successfully wrangled a number of quality YFW. To the point now where I am confident I can chase Flatties and fail, but still come home with a feed of YFW. I have never targeted or caught Gar, but if your chasing them from a Jetty, it wouldnt hurt to carry 2-3 squid jags and maybe some rigs for Whiting. Even a crab net. A small seafood basket of squid, blueys and whiting would make a failed gar drip a lot easier to swallow I would think. Best of luck.

Thanks for the info Des, much appreciated. I probably didnt articulate overly well what I was after. What Im looking for is: 1. A slightly stiffer rod that can handle the larger YFW lures, yet soft enough tip to not regularly pull hooks 2. Light enough to wade the flats and cast all day 3. Specifically looking at something in the 7ft 3 range as I already have a 7ft and a 7ft 6. I get that they are all different rods and the length is not the be all and end all, its more about finding a happy medium between castability vs handling (especially with guide wraps etc) whilst in knee - thigh deep water. I spoke to the guy over the phone at the shop today (they are based in QLD) and had a chat. He seems to think it will do exactly what I want - but he has a vested interest in selling a product, so yeah... I have also spoken to stores that no longer stock them and they rave about the blanks, so they must be a good rod (especially as they no longer have a vested interest in selling them). I have decided to back my judgement in and get one, I figure if it does what I want then fantastic! If not, its another lesson learnt and I can always use it for other things like wrangling flatties or bream. Will let you know how it goes. Cheers TL

Hahaha thanks for the effort Doobs. Yeah the Atomic Arrowz they sell are great rods, especially for the price!

Hi Lads & Ladettes, Being eyeing off a new wand for wading the flats for a while and think I have found someone who is still stocking these. The particular one I am looking at is the 732 Light Spin (2 piece, 2-5kg). I have phsyically picked up and sampled the smaller 702 version with the same ratings and it seems a good rod in general and good option for surface YFW on the flats. Anyone have any experience with either the TK3Gs in general or more specifically the 732 Light Spin? To give you some context on what I am comparing it to, below are my two current wands for wrangling YFW. Samaki Zing Extreme, 7ft 6, 1-3kg + Shimano Stradic CI4+ 1000, 6lb Sunline Siglon Atmoic Arrowz Bream Surface, 7ft, 1-3kg + Shimano Stradic CI4+ 1000, 6lb Sunline Siglon Looking to add a 3rd wand to the stable that brings some slightly different characteristics but still maintains that soft tip required for the flats. Appreciate any thoughts or advice on this rod. Cheers TL

^^ This too!