INDIANANGLER

Hi Guys,

I'm going to have a crack at Mahseer on the Cauvery in January and am not happy with my spinning outfit. I know there have been some posts in the past but when reading them most people seem to be about to buy something. I was hoping to resurrect the topic and maybe get some up to date advice.

I currently have a TFG (total fishing gear) Jouneyman 8 ft 40-100gms rod but am being advised locally that it is not up to the job. I don't expect to catch anything enormous but at the same time don't want to risk losing it if I do.

One suggestion I've had was to consider a Shimano Forcemaster Uptide/HD. Seems like a nice rod that would also do for baitcasting but I'm not sure about the weight. At almost 700gms without a reel it's surely going to be too much to use all day.

Any suggestions would be most welcome. If you can come up with a reel to use with it, even better (I currently have an Okuma Interceptor Pro).

As I'm normally fly fishing I doubt this outfit will get a great deal of use in future so don't want to spend much money on it. 150 pounds sterling max.

Thanks

John

John, welcome aboard. The TFG should do the job for spinning, most lures for mahseer do not weigh more than 2-3 ounces and the Journeyman looks like it can handle that.

The Forcemaster will work well as a baitcasting setup for use with Ragi as a bait.

The Okuma Salina is a good bet for a mahseer spinning reel. I use the SA-55 with 30lb Sufix Performance braid.

Cheers
Bopanna

Thanks for the quick reply. Regarding the answers -

The lures I was intending to use are up to 14cm Rapalas which are well within the casting weight of the rod, the concern seemed to be over whether it would be able to handle a big fish in fast water.

The Okuma Salina isn't available in the UK, not under that name anyway.

I've been advised not to use braid. Apparently the guides don't like it and it's also not very abrasion resistant. I was planning on 25lb mono for spinning & 35lb mono for ragi.

John

John, If you are going to be fishing in the rapids around Bheemeshwari stick to the uptide for spinning The heavier beastmasters are a good option.

The larger Shimano spheros and the baitrunner 6500 are good bets if the Salina is not available.

On that stretch you will be better off using Ragi for the mahseer. They are used to ragi and may not be too keen on chasing a moving plug.

Bopanna

Thanks. Not exactly sure where I'm going. On John Bailey's trip which is to Galibore. No idea what the various parts of the river are called.

I'm hoping they will have a go at moving lures as I'm also taking a fly rod and want to see if I can encourage some 20lb fish to take those - that would be fun.

The Spheros is available for around £100.

John

John, send "dave fish" a PM. He will be part of John's group and should be here in Jan. He's been here before and should be able to offer some tips.

Hi John.

I fish travel rods all the time in India and lure fish for the mahseer regularly. I've had loads of 20's, a 30, a 47 and a 77 on a St Croix Tidemaster spinning rod rated to cast just 2oz. OK, so it's actually under rated and will blast out 3oz with ease but the point is that heavy spinning rods in the same league as the TFG rod can and will handle big fish.
If you need to be able to throw bigger lures and or want a rod that will do for bait fishing but which is light enough to hold all day, check out the Shimano Beastmaster AX Pilk 300 or the Wychwood Grande Tourer Catfish rod which is just a little longer. I have the Shimano and it's a 4 piece and rated to cast 190g and I've handled the Wychwood and can confirm that it's a nice rod rated at a 5lb test curve.
Fosters of Birmingham are currently doing the Shimmy for £80 and the Wychwood for £60, so they're not going to break the bank.

As to reels, it's a matter of choice. The Spheros is reputedly bomb proof and I've just ordered one from the US for a mate for half of the price that you've been quoted - so shop arround.
I personally use an 8000 size Shimano Stradic with front drag but will also be packing an Okuma as a spare and because it's baitfeeder function will be handy for bait fishing.

I found the fly fishing hard work on the last trip and although I failed to hook up, I did prick two very nice fish before going back to the lures. There's a post on here somewhere about my fluf chucking attempts.

You havent said whether you're travelling on a package or independently. If it's the latter, do try to find some time to fish the coast. There's some spectacular fishing to be had.

Nice reply Ken, thanks.

I can't actually find either rod on Foster's website but have elsewhere. Is a pilk the same as a pirk and therefore basically a very heavy spinner? My large lures are mostly in the 40-50 gm range. The Shimano is rated 50-190gm, does this mean that my lures are too small for it and it wouldn't cast them properly ?

Also, you suggest I could use it for bait fishing. For that I was thinking of getting the Abu Seven multiplier, would it be ok with a multiplier? Or maybe I should go back to my original plan of a decent fixed spool reel with two spools.

I'm travelling with John Bailey on an organised trip so sadly no sea fishing. However, I'm very keen to try the Himalayas so I'm sure I will be back and may try and get some sea fishing on that trip.

Couldn't find much about your fluff chucking exploits, only one very short post. What flies did you see being taken but fail to hook up on?

Thanks

John

Pilk does indeed equal pirk. It's just a bit of Euro English because the rod is designed for the German market. It is a heavy spinner and it is definatly rung for fixed spool use so perhaps it's not the best choice if you're after a multi rod. If the lures that you're chucking are only 60g, you don't really need that sort of power. Just go with your TFG.

Have you looked at the Abu conolon travel boat/uptider rods ? They might be a good choice if you're happy casting a multiplier.
Personally, I wouldn't use a multi as a travel reel given the choice. Drop it in the mud or have a sand filled wave wash over it and it needs a full strip down or it wont cast right and it sounds like a coffee grinder. Do the same with a fixed spool and it's good to go after a quick rince. Also, as you point out, if you get a big fish that drag 60m of line through rocks and shred it, with a FS, it's just a change of spool and you can re-load the original spool in camp when it's to dark to fish. Do that with a multi and you have to strip the spool and re-load it with line and that wastes fishing time.

The flies that generated the takes were big 4 an 5" decievers fished on a WF sink tip and a flouro tippet. None of the deer hair surface patterns generated a strike, even at dusk. I did have a fast sinking line with me but never got the chance to fish it.
The fly rod will be going with me again in January so if you have any success, let me know what worked for you.

BTW, I know the rods arn't on the Fosters website but ring or e-mail them and I'm sure they will sort you out.

talking about travel spinning rods - it would be great to get some feed back on mine cause i hvnt caught but one fish on it and i broke it on the occasion. its a dog tooth tuna 9 foot spinning. 4 sections. what concerns me is that dog tooth tuna rods are only available at this one shop in edinburgh. i tried looking for it on the web but got diverted to the tackle shops page. guess its one of those inhouse brands. ? i wasnt expecting fireworks anyway but are such in house brands common and more importantly are they 'decent'. i bought it cause it suited my budget.
regards.

Sounds like your local tackle shop has bought a job lot from china and had them branded with his own "Dogtooth Tuna" company name.
You do have rights though.
If the rod simply shattered and you were using it within its design parameters, then you can legitimatly argue that it was not of merchantable quality. Trading standards will be able to help you out if the guy gets unreasonable but give the shop a chance to put things right first. It may be that it was a one off fault with an otherwise acceptable batch of rods.

Another route to persue might be your travel insurance, but a loy of cheaper policies will make you pay an excess that's more than the value of the rod that you broke.

There is a lesson here. Take a spare ! I actually rather overdoo this philosphy and take rather to many rods.

Edit: I just did a quick search and noticed that there's a user on the WSF forum called "seaboys" who lists the Dogtooth Tuna Accucast as his favorite rod, so it seems unlikely that they are purely pureyors of tat.
I also failed to find a single review (negative or positive) which would indicate that it's a small suplier and/or a custom branding for the shop.
You should definatly pop into the shop or contact them by e-mail and try to resolve things amicably.
OK, so lack of a spare limited your holliday but try to be nice and put that to one side when you're taking to them.

cheers ken. can always trust you for some quality advice !

This reply maybe too ate for John, but i hope it helps others fishing the stretch in question.

Don't waste your time with lures on the Bheemeshwari or Galibori or Bush Betta stretch.
Ragi and chilwa work best here. A soft lure might be mistaken for a chilwa and get taken in the rapids, but a 40-100gm rod will go bust, as it will not be able to cast either a ragi ball or a sizeable chilwa with lead. Besides your rod will be permenantly in a three quarter test curve bend if it is 40-100 gms CW with only the bait attached.

Get yourself a sensible rod, even a 3 lb TC carp rod or a catfish or pilk rod with a reel that can hold 250 meters of 30-40lb mono. Forget braid.

Any make of rod and reel will do as long as it can take the strain and has a reliable drag.
You will find most guys on the stretch fishing with multipliers and 4-10 oz bait casting rods.
If you like spinning, bring along 3" to 4" silver spoons (strong ones) fitted with 4/0 to 5/0 trebles. Some size 3,4& 5 Mepps style spinners will also score now and again.
Regards
Owen

Owen could well be right. From our party I think only one fish was caught spinning but not many hours were spent on the method. The vast majority came to ragi with a few to chilwa and even less to crab.

I did get 3 small ones on a fly and if I went back again, which I would like to I would only take the uptide and fly rods, not bothering with spinning.

John