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13 Fishing Concept C2: A reel for all occasions One of the testing booths I did in 2021 was on the 13 Fishing Concept Z2 Slide baitcast reel (July 2021 issue). It is a very impressive reel, which now has pride of place as part of my favourite baitcast outfit. However, what do you do when a couple of your local fishing locations (Enoggera Reservoir and Lake Manchester) have fish that are increasing in size, but prefer smaller profile lures, which this outfit isn’t overly suited to?
be. I caught a number of larger fish that day and never felt underpowered, either in in line class, the rod, and certainly not the reel. It was a very exciting first impression. Facts about the reel Firstly, the Concept C2 reel is a very distinctive white colour and has a serious list of features (if you want to check those out go to www.13fishing.com), however the key specifications are: 9 ball bearings, 10kg of drag, weighs a tiny 162g, and is available in both left- and right-hand
The two outfits the author tested. The only difference is the retrieve ratios of the reels. 8.3:1 on the reel at the bottom and 6.8:1 for the one at the top.
Small lures like this Rapala Rippin Rap can easily be cast with 13 Fishing Concept C2 reel. This is the ultimate result; a solid 42cm bass comes to the kayak. You have a word to 13 Fishing’s Australian distributer Rapala Australia and see what may suit within their range. The answer, a 13 Fishing Concept C2 reel spooled with 10lb Suffix 832 braid and matched to a Storm Adventure Xtreme 662L rod. An outfit designed to cast lures between 5g and 12g and hopefully ideal to use on these small profile lure eating fish. The first time I was able to put this outfit to the test was at Lake Manchester and, I won’t lie, I did bring a back up spin outfit with me – better safe than sorry. Would my right thumb be educated enough to feather the spool and allow me to cast these small light offerings! A 50mm, 9g Rapala Rippin Rap was the first lure I cast with the outfit and although I was tentative as first, I needn’t have worried as with some minor adjustments of the spool tension, I was off and casting like a pro in no time. The eye opener for me was just how powerful a finesse outfit can
wind. There are two models in the right hand wind range with varying retrieve ratios (6.8:1, and 8.3:1) and one in the left (6.8:1). Approximately 120m of 10lb braid went onto the reel I tested. To summarise, you have a lightweight reel that can be used for either light line or heavy line applications and with 10kg of drag it has more stopping power than most people will ever use. Back on the water After such a successful first outing, I was keen to get back on the water again. Nevertheless, the reel I was provided had an 8.3:1 retrieve ratio, which caused no issues for me in the more open waters of Lake Manchester, however at Enoggera Reservoir I tend to fish small pockets of water amongst lily pads and weed beds. My lures were in and out of the zone way too quickly, so I wasn’t fishing as effectively as I would have liked. Slowing down helped, but I really wanted to try
Heavier lures and tackle are no issue for the Concept C2 reel. This golden perch ate a 5/8oz spinnerbait meant for a Murray cod.
the same outfit with a 6.8:1 ratio reel. A quick look online and I could buy the exact outfit from Freak Sports, which I promptly ordered and received in three days. What you hope after making this kind of investment is that the solution works and, yes, it did. The difference is approximately 15cm of line retrieved per wind, which made all the difference fishing tight country. So as much as I had my light lure baitcast dilemma sorted, the Concept C2
The right set up is essential and the reel is a massive part of that. Being lightweight with good casting systems the Concept C2 offers the option to put it onto a finesse set up, perfect to cast and use these lures. Like the Concept Z2 Slide I am very impressed with the Concept C2 reel and I
The author’s first outing was at Lake Manchester. It provided a great first impression for what the Concept C2 combo was capable of. isn’t just a finesse fishing reel. The specs for the reel suggest that it will comfortably deal with heavier lines and the species that go with it. For me, that generally sends me down the native fish path: Murray cod, golden perch, Australian bass and saratoga. In the salt, barramundi and mangrove jack spring to mind, but I am sure if I thought hard enough there are plenty more. I wasn’t able to target the later species however, Christmas in Canberra offered a few opportunities and the Concept C2 dealt with casting 5/8oz spinnerbaits and surface lures for cod without blinking an eye. Another discovery was the advantage of a higher retrieve ratio reel when casting skirted jigs. That extra 15cm of line makes a big difference when fishing these lures. Picking up slack line quickly is super important when fishing these lures. Final thoughts Prior to testing the 13 Fishing Concept C2 baitcast reel, I don’t think I would have considered a baitcast outfit to cast the types of lures I have been (an image of a few of them is hereabouts). Many would have considered them spin tackle only.
believe if you are in the market for a new baitcast reel they are well worth a look, even more so if you are looking to fish smaller lighter lures. To find out more about the 13 Fishing range of baitcast reels go to their website www.13fishing.com or check them out at your local tackle store.
Many of these lures were not considered by the author as baitcast tackle options. He has since changed his mind.
Please email contributions to: nicole@fishingmonthly.com.au MARCH 2022
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