# Kingfish Setup?



## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

After I buy my yak, I'm planning on adding to my (admittedly small) rod collection, so that I have a rod for most forms of kayak-based fishing in my area. I already have a 2-4kg flick stick and a 6-weight fly rod, and am going to get another cheap flick stick combo so I can have two out at one time (one for HB's. one for SP's). The other setup I plan to buy is an overhead combo, mainly for snapper and kings. However, having never done any of this kind of fishing before, I don't really know what I need :? .

I'll be fishing around all headlands on Sydney's Northern Beaches, particularly Barrenjoey Headland, the stretch from South Palm Beach to The Ovens south of Whale Beach and Long Reef. In truth I'll be happy to get ANYTHING  , but like I said, I'll be aiming for kings and snapper on bait, HB's and plastics. I went into Kmart the other day and I had a browse, eventually planning an outfit that I think might be appropriate, It consists of;

A 6-8 kg Penn Powerstick.
An Abu Garcia 6000 (or maybe 6600?) overhead reel.
20lb braid.

As you can see, I'm trying to keep it cheap, and I will wait until they have a fishing and camping sale, but does this look OK? Is the rod a bit light? Should the braid be heavier in case I hook something serious? Does anyone have any other options?

I really have no idea, and I'm only vaguely going off what I've read in trip reports and the Tackle Talk section&#8230;

Cheers in advance,
Rowan.


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## KingsRule (Sep 14, 2005)

Gatesy, 4lb is possible on kings , even off a wharf 8)

But i think 30lb is a good mark, i use a TLD25 with 30lb and regularly get smoked, the powersticks are great value , aswell as the crystal tips from silstar (under $100) , i'd be going for a 10kg stick if your fishing rocky areas, provides the extra bit of grunt when you need it. Will you be using baits? , i find mono to be the best for kings for abrasion resistance reasons, might leave you with some extra $$ for the reel.

Rob


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## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

Yeah, using baits, lures and plastics. If I go 30lb, should I get the 8-10 kg Powerstick?

Cheers,
Rowan.


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## Milt (Sep 2, 2005)

If your intending to keep the cost down go mono 30+ lb for more strech in the line and better abbrasion resistance, a leader of 50-60 lb's. Buy the best rod and reel you can afford so you don't waste your time out there loosing a good fish.

Milt,


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## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

OK-

I looked on the Silstar website last night, and found that they have a 5'9 6-10kg boat rod. Is this an overhead rod? It looks pretty god, and is only around $55, but would it be a bit short?

Also, would the Abu reel be suitable? I was thinking maybe the Charter special or the TLD star drag (I think) as other options. Does anyone have anything to add, like experience with any of these reels?

So many questions I know, but like I said, NO EXPERIENCE 

Thanks,
Rowan.


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## KingsRule (Sep 14, 2005)

I have 3 crystal tips and they are virtually unbreakable. I rekon you would go alrite with a 5'9 , i use a 5'6 off the tinny and its not bad, 6' is perfect (for me ) , kings will destroy cheap tackle quick smart, what would be the budget be?, might be able to get a TLD 15 and that should suit. If eggbeaters are on the board, shimano baitrunners are well priced (ebay or 2nd hand will get you a good deal).

hope i havnt lead 2 far astray from your question :lol:


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## wigg (Jan 6, 2007)

Long Reef is a good place to start.
I have 2 Abu 7000s and have used them for a long time at Longy.
both were involved in an incident with the sand monster and have come thru fine (espacially since I give them no love or attention)
I also have 2 Penn rods
I would be using minimum 20lb line
I prefer 7foot rods myself
You are welcome to borrow either setup so that you can get an idea on how they feel
These reels are good when chasing reds too. Leave it in freespool with the ratchet on. Perfect. 
Ideal for trolling or floatlining
Bump me a PM if you want to borrow one

Cheers

Wigg


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## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

Ken; on that note, I found a spin rod in the shed this arvo that looks suitable - it's a Shimano Quickfire 12 - 20lb, medium action, with an old Abu Cardinal spinning reel attached. The reel runs smoothly, and all the rod needs is a new butt! The only concern is, the rod is 9ft long; will this be impractical from a kayak? If not, I'm stoked - I'll spool it with 15lb line and get the over-head setup as a heavier second rod! :lol:

Most of the areas I'm going to fish are pretty rocky, so I want to be able to turn fish fairly quickly. Budget is probably no more than $250 for the rod and reel, so the Power-tip/Abu setup comes in well under that. Any other ideas? Please remember this is a MAXIMUM budget, obviously I'd prefer to keep it under 8) .

Cheers,
Rowan.


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## Astro (Nov 27, 2006)

i have the abu 6600 c4 and the shimano charter special, for trolling and live baiting both work well but for casting then the abu is the way to go

the CS is a heavier reel and i plan to set it of a trolling live bait rig in the future with 50lb braid


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## Rstanek (Nov 5, 2007)

OK thanks Wigg, I might take you up on that once I get my yak...

So, it looks like I've got my overhead combo FAIRLY sorted, but is my spinning rod too long?

Cheers,
Rowan.


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## rawprawn (Aug 31, 2005)

You can get good old US made Penn 6500ss from eBay for $150. This will more than do the job. A proven performer with great drag for a reasonable price. I use a 7 foot Penn Spinfisher 650 rod. Again reasonable price $65 and a good reliable rod.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/PENN-6500SS-SPIN ... dZViewItem

I also use lighter gear. I have a 6ft Shimano Backbone which only cost me $50 because it was last season's model. And I have teamed it up with a second hand Calcutta 200. You can also find these for a reasonable price if you look around. It's a much smaller and user friendly kit than my heaver Penn gear but is more that up to the job of catching kingies.

It you shop around you should be able to find something suitable in you price range. That's as much as I ever spend and I have never had the need to spend any more than $250 on a kit.


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## Marty75 (Oct 23, 2007)

Hi Rstanek,

I've got 2 outfits to target kingies (though yet to catch one :x )

One's a 7-12kg 7ft graphite Okuma Trinus spin stick mated to a Daiwa Advantage 3500A spinning reel and 20lb braid, and the other is a 8-15kg 6ft Silstar Crystal Power Tip (bloody strong) mated to a Penn Spinfisher 750SSM with 25lb braid for bait fishing. I got the rod for around $60, the reel on special for $119 and 300m of the braid for about $40 (not much over your $200 limit). Shop around online and don't discount buying online. For bait fishing you can get a 4500 baitrunner delivered from the states for about AUS $130 which is also a bloody good reel.

If I was after one outfit that would do all 3 (bait, hb's and sp's) it would probably be the first one as the Silstar outfit is a bit too stiff and heavy for soft plastics in my opinion.

Good luck

Marty


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