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Strike Pro Armour Braid
$ Price/m - 13 cents
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$ Price/m - 15 cents
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The ultimate 20lb braid test? Here’s what we found by Steve Morgan We’ve been planning to do this test for a pretty long time. Finally, we assembled all of the sample lines just before COVID hit. So it all got shelved during lockdown and only reappeared on the radar in the middle of 2020. At that point I hit up Gareth Williams from Brisbane’s Tackle Tactics to borrow some of his testing machines. Gareth recently acquired Platypus lines and as far as I know is the biggest braid manufacturer in Australia. Gareth agreed, and after a few hiccups (which involved us taking out power to the entire TT operations while they were ultra-busy) we got the work done. What are the results? Well, you’ll need to read on to find out, but I learned a lot about braid and braid testing along the way. And I’m happy to take y’all along on the journey. Gareth summed it up pretty well on day one. “Although braid has plenty of amazing properties, it’s all pretty poor when it comes to abrasion resistance - monofilament line will win that battle every day of the week. It’s why we tie leaders to the end of most braid setups. Abrasion resistance and to reduce visibility,” he said. At the end of the day, there’s
> Highly technical gear - like this $60
Aldi microscope - got dragged out to try and untangle the braid equation.
plenty of ways to test a braided line. We tested with the machinery that we had available. Other companies test different ways and other industries test different ways as well. And we know that different anglers look for different properties in a line. Some want thinness, others abrasion resistance and others just want to spend as little money as possible to get the job done. We get all of that, which is why we’re aiming to rank the lines in plenty of different ways based on these preferences. The first thing that stood out to me
Nomad Pandora braid
$ Price/m - 20 cents
60x >
Strike Pro CFS Fish Floss
$ Price/m - 20 cents
60x
> Here’s Platypus’ abrasion testing machine. It’s been around for decades but there seems to be no standard way to test abrasion that’s accepted industry-wide.
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was that there’s no, one line that’s the best at everything. If there was a braid that was the cheapest, thinnest, most abrasion resistant, most supple and had amazing knot strength, then we’d all just buy that. Guess what - it doesn’t exist - at least not yet. There’s 24 lines in our test, which we think represent most of the braids on the market today. There were a few companies who declined to participate in the testing, and we didn’t force the point. Let’s start off at the easiest comparisons first …. Let’s rank the braids cheapest to dearest.
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Price
Line Price/m Strike Pro Armour Braid 0.13 Berkley X5 0.15 Daiwa J-Braid x4 0.16 Siglon PEx4 0.17 Nomad Pandora braid 0.20 Strike Pro CFS Fish Floss 0.20 Daiwa J-Braid x8 0.23 Berkley X9 0.23 Siglon PEx8 0.23 Platypus Platinum Braid 0.25 Toray Super Strong PE 0.25 Sufix x8 0.26 Shimano Kairiki braid 0.27 Daiwa J-Braid Grand 0.28 Platypus Bionic Braid 0.29 Sufix 832 0.29 Platypus P8 0.29 Power Pro 0.29 Toray Jigging PE PG 0.30 Schneider Super 8 0.33 Sufix 131 0.36 Power Pro V2 0.36 Daiwa Saltiga EX 0.50 Toray Sea Bass PE 0.57 There’s lots of variability in braid packaging. Some are measured in metres, others in yards and there’s all sorts of different lengths. We have converted all of the braids into price per metre. It’s worth taking into account, because the cheapest braid (Strike Pro Armour Braid at 13c/m is less than a quarter of the price of the dearest (Daiwa Saltiga EX at 57c/m). All of these prices are based on the manufacturers’ stated Recommended Retail Price (RRP). Chances are that you may well be able to get a better deal from your local, independent tackle store, so keep that in mind when looking at these rankings. BREAKING STRENGTH One property that we could test that won’t stimulate much argument is the overall breaking strength of the line in a straight pull. Platypus had a machine just for that and it was pretty easy to use. You had to load the line
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into the machine making sure that it wasn’t pinched anywhere and you flicked a switch to do the rest. Overall, the results were very tightly grouped - there was usually only a pound or two difference between the highest and lowest breaking strain in a particular line. Where there was a lot of variability, however, was the actual strength of the lines. In fact, none of the lines we tested broke at 20lb - the closest was Toray SeaBass PE which averaged at 22.8lb. The strongest “20lb” line in our tests was the Schneider Super Smooth Braid 8, which didn’t let go until it hit a staggering 53.3lb. But there wasn’t daylight between the places, Sufix x8 and Daiwa J-Braid x8 both came in at 48lb. And with the strongest 20lb breaking at nearly double the weakest, you have to question the way that manufacturers label their braided lines. Indeed, the labels often give this variability away. Berkley braids are a prime example of this and they label a braid once that will sell into many worldwide markets.
Daiwa J-Braid x8
2020
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$ Price/m - 23 cents
60x Berkley X9
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60x Siglon PEx8
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60x Platypus Platinum Braid
>
$ Price/m - 25 cents
60x Toray Super Strong PE
> Berkley’s labelling tells the story.
Amazingly, this 20lb is stated to break at 37lb, it actually breaks at more than this and everyone seems OK with this.
You can see in the image that Berkley’s 20lb X5 braid is labelled for USA, Europe and Asian markets simultaneously. It’s a 20lb braid in USA, a 17kg (37.5lb) in Europe and 0.17mm. In Asia it’s called 37lb and when we tested it, it breaks at 37.5lb. Confusing? You bet. Especially since Australia gets braids that were originally made for all of these markets. From what I gather, Americans want a 20lb braid that breaks at 40lb, Europeans work on diameter and Asians just want to tell the truth about the breaking strain! So, to be fair, we should take
>
$ Price/m - 25 cents
60x Sufix x8
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$ Price/m - 26 cents
60x
continued to page 6 FISHING TACKLE
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Shimano Kairiki braid
$ Price/m - 27 cents
... continued from page 5
breaking strain into account when looking at things like diameter, because we are literally presented with lines between 23 and 53lb breaking strain here. And this will effect other tests, like abrasion resistance.
>
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Daiwa J-Braid Grand
$ Price/m - 28 cents
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Platypus Bionic Braid
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60x
Tested Breaking Strength
Line Toray Sea Bass PE Sign PEx8 Siglon PEx4 Daiwa Saltiga EX Platypus Platinum Braid Toray Jigging PE PG Sufix 131 Nomad Pandora braid Platypus Bionic Braid Strike Pro CFS Fish Floss Toray Super Strong PE Strike Pro Armour Braid Power Pro V2 Power Pro Shimano Kairiki braid Berkley X5 Berkley X9 Sufix 832 Daiwa J-Braid Grand Platypus P8 Daiwa J-Braid x4 Daiwa J-Braid x8 Sufix x8 Schneider Super 8
lb 22.8 23.2 23.4 24.6 24.8 26.4 27.8 30.2 31.1 31.8 34.3 34.8 35.3 35.5 36.8 37.5 38.4 38.8 39.6 40.7 43.4 48.0 48.0 53.3
been using it for years. It uses a moving rough surface (800 grit sandpaper) against a small length of line under a small amount of pressure. But when we see how other line companies test their abrasion resistance, it’s the polar opposite. Daiwa have a video on their site that shows their J-Braid being abrasion tested on their own machines. It moves the line across a smooth, smaller diameter edge under much more pressure? And I’m sure that each manufacturer has their own testing regime. Which one is right? Maybe they all are. What we learned very quickly was that if you did a series of tests that used the same piece of sandpaper, it would fill up with abraded pieces of fishing line and the results would 100% reflect the order in which the lines were put on the machine. To test this, we ran the same line repeatedly over an unchanged piece of sandpaper.
>
Using Same Sandpaper Test # 1 2 3 4 5
Revolutions 40 77 134 298 344
ABRASION RESISTANCE
>
Sufix 832
$ Price/m - 29 cents
60x >
Platypus P8
This is the section which will definitely cause the most debate. Let me remind you of Gareth Williams’ original words. “…it’s all pretty poor when it comes to abrasion resistance - monofilament line will win that battle every day of the week,” he said. We also borrowed Platypus’ line abrasion testing machine. You can see exactly how we set up the machine and used it in the accompanying video (that you can watch by scanning the QR code at the start of this article) and we did it the same way that they have
$ Price/m - 29 cents
60x >
Power Pro
$ Price/m - 29 cents
60x
> Yep. There were some pretty
good messes that we made on the way to our final conclusions.
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By the 5th test, the result was nearly 10 times more revolutions than the first test. So any of the test you see online that use the same piece of sandpaper over and over will be rubbish. The later they test the line, the more abrasion resistant it will appear. That said, this type of ‘brute force’ testing will also be influenced by several factors and I think that the main two are the type and amount of line coating that the braid has and the number of strands in the braid itself. The higher the number of strands in a braided line (there’s 4 up to 13 in the samples we tested), the thinner the individual strands are and the more easily they seem to be plucked apart by the grit. But also, a thick line coating tends to still have an effect of dampening the sandpaper’s effectiveness. For instance the Strike Pro Armour Braid seemed to wear nearly all the way through and then get polished by the sandpaper fill of the coating. So we took a different tack. We decided to measure the lines and plot the thickness of the line against abrasion resistance. If there there was a trend between thickness and abrasion resistance, then thickness and breaking strain, there’s no point ranking lines in terms of which one is more abrasion resistant than the other. It’s not a fair fight. So now all we had to do is measure the diameter of the lines.
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Toray Jigging PE PG
2020
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$ Price/m - 30 cents
60x Schneider Super 8
>
$ Price/m - 33 cents > Wrapping the test line around a glass microscope slide and photographing under the 60x setting gave us a good enough image to measure diameter.
BRAID THICKNESS Of course, measuring the thickness of the braids isn’s an easy task. Some braids flatten out easily, meaning that when you measure diameter - even with an awesome pair of verniers - it’ll read thinner than it actually is. Some companies use lasers to average a diameter and others don’t even state a thickness on their packaging. Many Asian braids use a PE rating as a proxy. So out came the Aldi microscope, a metal ruler and some creative thinking to get the job done. We wrapped the braid 10 times around a glass slide under a small, constant pressure and taped off both ends. We then put the slide under a constant (60x) magnification with a constant focal length and took a pic. Then we gave the ruler the same treatment and on the computer, made a moveable measurer with 1/10th of a millimetre increments. We’d pick the thickest, thinnest and then three random measurements of the diameter and average these out to get a number. That was ‘our’ braid thickness. During the process, there were some interesting images generated. For instance with the Sufix 832 braid, you could quite easily see the single, GoreTex fibre running through the line. It seemed to not take any of the colouration that the other fibres.
Most of the 4-strand braid were noticeably angular. You can feel this through your fingers when when you run the line through it. The more strands in the braid, the smoother it feels as a general rule. But what did we find? Some of the measurements were pretty much spot-on with what was written on the packaging. If there was to be a “Most Honest” award, it’d go to Siglon - their breaking strengths and diameters stated on the packaging were pretty close. Scan the QR code to watch how we tested these lines.
Most were thicker than stated. None were thinner. Regardless, we were able to ascribe a diameter to all test samples and plot this against the measured breaking strength. And guess what - there’s a correlation between thickness and strength. Who would have thought? After that, we plotted strength v abrasion test results and also thickness v abrasion. Also a relationship. All of this passes the pub-test, although there’d definitely be some Karens on social media that’s sense a conspiracy.
60x Sufix 131
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$ Price/m - 36 cents
60x Power Pro V2
>
$ Price/m - 36 cents
60x Daiwa Saltiga EX
>
$ Price/m - 50 cents
continued to page 8
60x Toray Sea Bass PE
>
$ Price/m - 57 cents
60x
> Here’s the Platypus’ line strength testing machine in action. FISHING TACKLE
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> FISHING TACKLE ... continued from page 7
SO WHAT CAN WE REPORT? After finding correlations between strength, diameter and abrasion resistance, we’ve decided no not publish the individual results for these three tests. It’s not a fair fight. Generally, a non-Asian market braid labelled 20lb line will all of the
fights. That’s because it’s really a 40lb braid. Generally the Japanese braids are pretty honest, the American ones are understated and the Europeans seem to buy on diameter and don’t really worry about anything else. Does this make it a ridiculously difficult market for the consumer? Yep. Should there be some standardisation in how braids are labelled? Most definitely. Will this Fishing Monthly
Strength v Diameter
article make it happen? It’s unlikely. This sort of sucks, because we went into this piece hoping to come out with some pretty solid rankings on what’s the best and what’s the rubbish. In reality, It comes down to you. Armed with this information at least you’ll know that when you’re buying braid to fill up your next reel, if it feels nice, it’ll most likely do the job and if you’re on a budget, you know what
braids to look at. And when you’re fishing it, just make sure that you have enough leader to cover all of the contact with fish and structure. Like most of our features, you can watch the video-version of this test on the Fishing Monthly YouTube channel. You can do it by scanning the QR code at the start of the article and we all know how to do it now, thanks to COVID.
Diameter v Abrasion
Strength v Abrasion
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Concept Z SLD
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The original Concept Z rocked the industry with its ground-breaking CZB technology. Pushing the edge of design, engineering, and materials forward is what the Z SLD is all about. The Concept Z SLD starts with the new SLIDE magnetic cast control system located in the per-fect place for anglers to adjust without missing a single casting opportunity. Control casting downwind and then upwind on alternating casts with a flick of the thumb. Pitch, flip, or just let it fly by combining or isolating the low-friction centrifugal braking with the magnetic SLIDE braking. Zero corrosion CZB bearings and an advanced polymer drag system are placed within the new rock-solid cast iron carbon frame and side plates. This design sets the new bar for material inno-vation. Other features include a Ti-Armour aluminium Hamai cut drive gear, arrowhead line guide, rein-forced clutch cam, KeepR integrated hook keeper, low friction 6-way braking system, beetle wing rapid access side plate system and a compatibility to all 13 Fishing Trick Shop parts. SRP $459
It’s here and it’s ready to take on Australia’s toughest saltwater rivals. Specifically designed for saltwater use, Okuma Cedros spinning reels feature Okuma’s rigid Mag-Alloy Blade Body design, Dual Force drag system for extreme stopping power and proprietary High Density gearing, designed with a special corrosion resistant coating. Combine this with a high-speed gear ratio and a customised aluminium handle, and you have a beast of a reel that is ready to take on all challenges in its category. Initially available in 14000, 10000 and 8000 sizes, with smaller models to follow. Enhancing reliability is a manual bail trip, 6HPB and 1RB corrosion resistant stainless steel bearings and a watertight drag seal and a precision cut brass pinion gear. The spool is machines, two-tone anodised aluminium. RRP: from $279.90
Shimano’s Saragosa SW has built a reputation across the globe for remarkable cranking power and unmatched durability. The latest evolution – the Saragosa SWA – has been upgraded with Shimano’s latest reel technologies and is now available in two additional sizes. Adopting the same Infinity Drive technology as Stella SWC, the Saragosa SWA has improved pinion gear support and the main shaft has been treated with a special skid coating to provide even greater and smoother cranking power. Additionally, Shimano’s X-Protect water resistance system has been incorporated into the line roller, increasing durability to an IPX8 standard. Saragosa SWA also houses Shimano’s super strong and reliable Cross Carbon Drag system that has proven itself against some of the biggest, meanest fish on the planet. The Saragosa SWA continues to deliver top tier Shimano reel technologies such as X-Protect, X-Ship, Hagane Body and Hagane Gearing into a lightweight, more compact body. The newly designed body of Saragosa SWA has been re-engineered across the entire series and improve the reel’s handling and balance. The Saragosa SWA series retains the famous silver and blue cosmetics and features 8 models including a 5000XG, 6000HG, 8000HG, 10000PG – two new sizes 14000XG and 18000HG – 20000PG and a 25000 size. RRP: from $399
The new Vanford is the latest addition to Shimano’s spinning category with this series being designed to become the ultimate finesse fishing reel with a super-fast start up. The Vanford series replaces the iconic Stradic Ci4+ and is equipped with a range of technology upgrades that sets the Vanford apart. A lighter and more balanced new MGL rotor makes the reel 48% lighter to turn when compared to a standard rotor design. When combined with the Ci4+ body material, the Vanford is up to 9% lighter in some models. Now anglers will have an improved ability to finesse casts more accurately and transition to working the lure with ease. Micromodule Gear II and Silent Drive is featured in the new Vanford and ensures the gears align and perform with nominal resistance and minimal reel noise. Additionally, the Hagane Gear has been upgraded for added strength. By combining Shimano’s waterrepellent coating and specially designed water channelling construction, X-Protect provides high-level water resistance without sacrificing light gear and rotor rotation. This has increased the durability of the Vanford’s roller clutch and line roller to an IPX8 standard. By incorporating the new Long Stroke Spool design, casting performance has also been improved. Felt drag washers are fitted to the 1000 to C3000 models for smoothness and Cross Carbon drag washers are fitted to the 4000 and 5000 models for added power. RRP: from $359
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Aird is a name synonymous with affordable quality from Daiwa, with Aird LT reels setting the bar for small spinning reel performance. Now, that same evolution is here for rod design, with the introduction of 20 Aird-X. Featuring Daiwa’s Braiding-X technology, Aird-X blanks are more powerful than ever, and have been made lighter by the use of new finishing techniques to reduce unnecessary weight. This reduction in weight improves blank sensitivity, making 20 Aird-X the most sensitive rods in this price point Daiwa has ever produced. Fuji’s Corrosion Control (CC) finish ‘O’ ring guides give a high level of confidence to the angler, and a uniquely designed Daiwa reel seat improves ergonomics and comfort over a long period of time. Designed from the ground up for Australian techniques, 20 Aird-X boasts the most significant model line-up of any Aird rod series. Brand new models catering to all kinds of angling situations mean there will be an Aird -X rod to cater for every anglers’ needs across the country. RRP: from $99
Daiwa welcomes two new line-ups to the famous Infeet family with the releases of the 20 Infeet and 20 Infeet Z rod ranges. 20 Infeet is the initial range in the family, consisting of five of the most demanded models by light tackle anglers. Utilising Daiwa’s X45 and HVF technology, Infeet rods are incredibly light weight, weighing in under 90g for all models. Sculptured ergonomically designed reel seats fit perfectly in the hand for ultimate comfort and control while Fuji Fazlite guides provide precise line flow and trouble-free casting performance. 20 Infeet Z is the middle tier in the Infeet family and blends some historic Daiwa design and modern materials to produce a high-performance finesse rod series. Six models feature in the range, with a new Air Sensor ‘Heartland’ style reel seat delivering anglers one of the lightest reel seats on the market, while Daiwa’s latest in X45 technology, Next Gen. X45 Technology, features in the butt section of the rod to increase increasing torsional stiffness and improving blank recovery. A combination of Fuji stainless steel SiC guides on the butt section of the rod, and Fuji Titanium SiC guides on the tip, makes Infeet Z rods responsive, crisp and an absolute joy to use. RRP: from $189
Any product carrying the Saltist name invokes a level of trust and dependability few others can match. Now in 2020, a new generation of Saltist Hyper rods is here, leveraging all of Daiwa’s advancements in rod technology to elevate the range to a new level of design and performance. The blank of the all new 20 Saltist Hyper is where the bulk of the advancements have been made with Daiwa’s new X45 technology, Next Gen. X45 Technology increasing torsional stiffness to significantly improve casting performance. A newly developed grip section catches the eye thanks to the unique spiral foregrip, while quality Fuji components including the newly released Corrosion Control (CC) Fuji ‘O’ ring guides and Fuji branded reel seats and butt caps further enhance looks, design and function. The 20 Saltist Hyper brings with it a host of new actions dedicated to the growth in the lure casting sportfishing market that is so prevalent in coastal Australian waterways. Whether it’s throwing stickbaits for tuna or reef species over shallow coral flats, or throwing a timber hardbody off the breakwalls of the northern rivers for mulloway, there’s now a 20 Saltist Hyper for almost every conceivable mission. RRP: from $299
Joining Shimano’s extensive range of saltwater rods, the new 2020 Anthem SW series is built tough and designed specifically for Australian anglers. This series of dedicated sportfishing series of rods feature 12 purpose-built models that include 2 overhead, 6 spin, 2 stick bait and 3 jigging models across varying line ratings. Incorporating premium components and technologies, the blanks are built from Shimano’s durable and lightweight TC4 blank construction which creates an extremely durable, yet light rod that performs incredibly when casting, jigging or popping. TC4 is based on double inner layers of advanced dynamic T glass which are then over-wrapped with a spiral of highmodulus graphite. This allows the Anthem SW blanks to deliver incredible strength and durability, with actions that are inspired by the original TC4 Terez and Ocea Offshore series. The Anthem SW series further incorporates premium Fuji K Faz Lite guides which allow for optimal casting ability and distances. The Faz Lite guides also disperse heat from the line around the inner which helps to reduce damage to the line. To improve handling and performance, the rods features specially designed custom shaped EVA moulded grips and Fuji reels seats. If you are looking for a premium, up spec’d and sturdy rod to tackle those big offshore and inshore species the Anthem SW series is sure to have you covered. RRP: from $299
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NEW 2020PRODUCTS PRODUCTS >> NEW 2020
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T Curve 2020
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This year brings anglers a redesigned and upgraded iconic Shimano favourite, the new TCurve 2020 series. The reputable TCurve series has been used by Australian anglers for years and it was time to bring this series back to life and into anglers’ hands once again. The new range consists of 13 specially designed models to suit an array of fishing styles and techniques throughout Australia. The cosmetic design features a classy grey blank with slightly darker bindings to complete the sleek new look, giving it a modern finish. The butt design features a mix of custom shaped EVA and cork split grip butt sections with a Fuji reel seat. The guides showcase Fuji’s premium Faz Lite K frames in silver, which provide great casting performance. The Faz Lite guides are designed to disperse line heat from extended fights around the guide, reducing damage, ensuring you land that PB fish. The blank technology incorporates Shimano’s premium TC4 blank construction which allows the blank to be extremely durable yet remain a light and sensitive rod with a crisp feel. TC4 blanks are based on double inner layers of advanced dynamic T glass which are then over-wrapped with a spiral of high-modulus graphite. This allows the blanks action to deliver incredible performance, while maintaining the strength and durability Aussie anglers demand. The 13 models cover all bases from light estuary, heavy offshore, baitcasting, swimbaiting and all fishing styles in between. RRP from $279
Rapala is diving head first into the bream market with the release of the brand new, 4cm/4g Shadow Rap® Fat Jack 04 crankbait. Designed in Australia with input from Tim “The Bream” Morgan and a handful of bream tournament anglers, it fills a gap in Rapala’s small crankbait range. The long-casting Shadow Rap® Fat Jack 04 dives fast when cranked. With a very slow rise on the pause, it perfectly imitates the fade of a dying baitfish. Designed for slow presentations with a steady retrieve and built with a subtle, natural rattle created by two internal glass beads, Fat Jack will draw aggressive strikes even from the most passive fish. Detailed Shadow Rap® Series baitfish and attractor patterns help cover all fishing situations while the wirethrough construction withstands even the biggest fish. There are 26 colours in the range designed for both fresh and saltwater species and there’s a mix of natural colours for the bream market and more vibrant hues for the bass and trout segments in the fresh. MSRP $23.95
It’s designed for anglers who only care about one thing: hunting the biggest fish that swim. The largest Gulp! ever, the 9” Jerkshad has got more surface area, and therefore more scent dispersion than any other softbait. With an extended tail, this legendary profile now has an incredible swimming action on a medium-fast retrieve. Whether jigged deep amongst the reef or skipped across the surface like an out-of-luck garfish, the 9” Jerkshad revs up predators from miles to have a swipe! Watch it hunt. Available in 10 colours. RRP $11.99
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It’s an instant classic. The best of both worlds have combined to produce a bait that not only swims like an athlete, but has that winning Gulp! scent and fish-attracting flavour. The robust tail action fires up all manner of predators, with the 3, 4 and 5” baitfish profiles covering your freshwater, estuary and inshore bases. Whether you slow-roll, hop or burn: if you could only pick one bait profile to have in your bag, the Gulp! Paddleshad is it. Available in 6 colours, 3 sizes: 3” 4” and 5”. RRP $11.99 W
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Powerbait HD Hollowbelly
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The Hollowbelly range needs little introduction, a renowned paddle tail profile known for one of the widest, most irresistible body rolls in the game. This year, the Hollowbelly gets an upgrade of High Definition finishes. There are four ultra-realistic colours in the lineup: Yakka, Slimy, Mullet and Garfish, all of which are high on the hit list of an Aussie predator’s menu. Available in 4 new colours, 3 sizes: 4”, 5”, 6”. RRP $14.99 W
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60M Crankbait
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Bait Junkie Soft Plastics
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Hard Armour Leader
JOLLIP
DAIWA
PLATYPUS
Jollip lures Specialise in making bass lures and now have stepped up to the plate with this awesome new crank bait the MF 60M. Already in its prototype stages it has taken out a 1st and 2nd place in the ABT Bass Electric series on the venue it was designed on - the mighty Richmond River. The MF 60M is the ultimate river crank bait reaching depths up to 4ft paired with its silent approach it’s a must in your tackle tray this summer. Coming in a range of great Jollip colours they’re sure to be one that ticks your box. These will be available shortly at www. jolliplures.com. RRP: $23.00
Bait Junkie is the culmination of years of collaboration between Daiwa engineers from Japan and local Australian R&D teams. Developed specifically for Australian conditions, Bait Junkie is the furthest evolution of soft bait design, incorporating innovative material science with unique and functional 2D and 3D designs to release a full range of soft plastics that are just as effective as they are exciting. Made from Daiwa’s Elastomax material, Bait Junkie baits are stretchy, durable and buoyant material, with Elastomax allowing thinner designs to be created to optimised swimming action and performance at slow speeds. Amino-X, a natural based flavour and scent masks any unnatural plastic odours or smells, while Bait Junkie baits and packs are also loaded with Shrimp PowerOil, a powerful shrimp-based formula to make sure that the moment your lure hits the water it’s working. The range includes six of Australia’s most popular soft plastics models, including 2.5” and 4” Grub, 2.5” and 3.2” Minnow, and 5” and 7” Jerkshad. Packaged in a double clam tray to keep each bait straight and true and kink free, Bait Junkies are available in an extensive range of fish catching colours, with UV colours prominent throughout the range. Built tough and designed for Australian anglers and species Bait Junkie is the range to give you your soft plastic fix. RRP: $11.99
Tackle Tactics history of product development and innovation has seen a new release from Australia’s oldest fishing tackle brand, Platypus Fishing Lines (Australian Made since 1898). Hard Armour Leader is the result of countless hours of laboratory and on-water testing and R&D, resulting in a leader that has increased knot strength and up to 20% more strength and abrasion resistance when compared with equivalent diameter leaders from leading brands. Available in both a Tough, for maximum abrasion resistance in harsh environments, and Supple for maximum action without sacrificing abrasion resistance, Hard Armour is manufactured in Australia from premium Japanese co-polymers for outstanding clarity, knot and crimp strength and controlled stretch for shock absorption. Includes a bonus line tamer for easy dispensing and spool management. Hard Armour Tough: 20lb – 150lb / Supple: 20lb – 100lb RRP: $19.95
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jolliplures.com Jollip Lures @jolliplures
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fishplatypus.com.au Platypus Fishing Lines @platypus_lines
daiwafishing.com.au Daiwa Australia @daiwaaustralia FISHING TACKLE
2020
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NEW 2020PRODUCTS PRODUCTS >> NEW 2020
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Gulp! Gel | Rub On Scent
BERKLEY
You’ve been asking for it forever. We’ve finally perfected the development. 30 years of scientific research and on-water testing boiled down into one tube of undisputed fish catching ability. Now, legendary Gulp! scent isn’t just for soft baits, but can be applied to all manner of lures. No other scent triggers a bite response from fish quite like Gulp! Available in 35ml tube. RRP $14.99 W
berkley-fishing.com.au/ Berkley Fishing berkleyfishing_aus
Roadie 24 Hard Cooler 2
YETI
The Roadie® 24 Hard Cooler is a fresh take on a tried-and-true YETI favourite. It’s 10% lighter, holds 20% more, and performs 30% better thermally than its legendary predecessor. With no drain plug, you can ditch excess water or ice with a quick flip. The all-new design accommodates an upright bottle of wine, allowing you to instantly up your picnic game. Plus, its slim design means it’ll slide behind the front seat of the car, giving you quick access to ice-cold drinks no matter how long the journey. Please note: The Dry Goods Basket is sold separately. RRP: $299.95
Trailhead Camp Chair YETI
Once you’ve conquered a killer trail, you’ve earned an even better break. Our Trailhead™ Camp Chair is a best-in-class seat designed for legendary durability and hardcore comfort. Included carry bag makes it easy to take your chair on the trail. And ultra-supportive FlexGrid™ Fabric makes for a comfortable landing. You and your seat are going places. RRP: $399.95 W
au.yeti.com YETI @yeti_au
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Panga 75 Duffel
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Edge Master
YETI
PLANO
The YETI Panga™ 75 is an ultra-durable, fully submersible dry duffel. This dry bag is built to take a beating and keep your gear dry in the face of whitewater, or when you’re fishing off-shore. This is a whole new category of waterproof. RRP: $449.95
Over two years in the making and countless hours of research and development has led to a tackle storage system that solves every major problem anglers encounter. Every feature on Plano’s new EDGE series is part of a well thought out system to help you be a better angler. With a family of 10 boxes offering both general purpose and specialised storage that fit into the current Plano system, they will prolong the life of your tackle and give you an edge on the water. One quick glance shows these tackle boxes are different. Look closer and you’ll find they’re not only different – they’re better in every way possible. The EDGE Crank features the patentpending Crankbait Catcher – a system of silicone pegs that hold crankbaits securely to prevent hook tangles. This is the first crankbait storage solution of its kind and you’ll only find it from the fishing experts at Plano. The shallow depth of the EDGE Crank – Small provides the perfect protection for finesse baits, jerk baits and slim-profile lures. Also available in an extra-large size for deep-diving crankbaits. RRP: $69.95
Daytrip Lunch Box YETI
This fresh-for-hours, easy-to-clean lunch box is your one-way ticket to packing a lunch you’ll actually look forward to. It’s loaded to the gills with insulation power, engineered with a water-resistant exterior, and built with a rock-solid form factor so it holds its own when riding in backpacks and bags. RRP: $109.95 W
au.yeti.com YETI @yeti_au
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jmgillies.com.au JM Gillies @jm.gillies
Meet Jack’s Little Fat Brother...
NEW FOR 2020 Diving jerk bait up to 10ft • troll or cast retrieve with twitching action • available in 6 colours • best for jacks, flathead & barra • rrp $30
TWITCH 105
Shadow Rap Fat Jack 04
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BU
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R AD JN H S Z 60mm • 10 grams • floats when paused • available in 6 colours • best for bass • rrp $25
online store and stockists
www.jolliplures.com
Slow Rise • Subtle Rattling with Glass Beads • Wire Through Construction • VMC Black Nickel Hooks • Targeted for all Estuary Species both Freshwater & Saltwater
Model No.
MSRP
Running Depth
Length
Weight
Buoyancy
SDRFJ04
$23.95
3m
4cm
4g
Slow Rise
All new website now live
All your fishing needs at the click of a button
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CLN
CPE
GGIU
GHP
GHS
GNT
HAY
HBG
HGT
HH
HLW
HROL
HTY
MBLU
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PEL
PSC
PUPU
ROL
RTL
SML
TRL
Latest News • Product and Species Search • Where to Buy Product Reviews • Newsletter • Video Content for Various Products Tips and Techniques • Optimised viewing on all devices
Visit us online at
www.jmgillies.com.au jm.gillies
Rapala
@rapalaaustralia
rapala.com.au FISHING TACKLE
2020
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FISHING TACKLE
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