Advantage - Written by Brad Arthur
Technology has grown exponentially in recent years, and the tackle industry is noexception. Rods, reels and lines have all had major upgrades; better materials andtechnology have certainly tipped the odds in the angler’s favour. Fishing skis have also
evolved at a rapid rate with more and more added features. Vacuum molding, materialssuch as Carbon and Kevlar, not to mention Computer Aided Design and CNC cutmoulds. Making sense of all this new jargon can be a little intimidating, so here’s abreakdown on what’s out there to give you the advantage.When I first starting fishing from a kayak, not too long ago, the only rods you dare usewere solid glass. Although they were tough and pretty unbreakable, they were heavy andhad very little sensitivity. High Modulus Graphite is the material of choice for top rodmanufacturers now. Top boat rods however make use of graphite butt sections and thenintegrate it into a composite glass tip to give you great pulling power in the base, yet astrong sensitive tip. The end result is a very light, sensitive and strong fish pulling device.Multiplier reels have now got carbon drag washers for a super smooth drag, newmaterials are also being used to manufacture gears enabling high retrieve rates as well asplenty of torque.The major advances in reels have come in the spinning reel department though. The daysof the “moffie-grinder” are over as these reels are now the weapons of choice forcatching just about anything that swims. With drags that can put over 30kg of pressure,they have the stopping power angler’s have been dreaming about for years. However,maximum performance from these reels can only be achieved when using braided lines.Braided lines are typically weaved from dyneema or micro-dyneema. They areexceptionally thin for their breaking strain and have almost zero stretch. Imagine a reelthat would only take about 200m of 20lb monofilament, holding 300m of 50lb braid. Thatis the reality we have today.Another major advantage available to us is Flourocarbon. Flourocarbon is a leadermaterial that has almost the same light refraction index as water. This however doesn’tmean that it’s invisible, but rather that it won’t cast a shadow. It is very clear underwater,but you can still see it. Slow trolled couta baits work infinitely better when you have aflouro leader. Flouro leader is also a must on you’re spinning outfit, it is very abrasiveresistant and will not deteriorate with age or in sunlight. It’s great whether you aredropshotting or just throwing a spoon. One thing you will notice though, once it has beenunder severe pressure it will become hazy and lose its ‘invisibility’. By then it has alreadydone its work and it’s time for a new leader. True flouro is expensive and the cheapcoated products are useless. If you want to use fluorocarbon, make sure you get the realdeal.Artificial lures are evolving at a rapid rate too. There are so many options out there, someto catch fish and others to catch fishermen. You get lures with rattles, lights, scents etc.Everything you could imagine to get the fish to bite. Soft plastics are being made frombio-degradable products containing fish pheromones as well as all sorts of other fancythings. The line between artificial lures and bait is definitely blurring. They are all outthere to give you, the angler, the best chance of catching a fish. When targeting gamefish,scented plastics do not always give you such a major advantage. Our target fish aremostly sight predators and they’ve decided that they’re going to eat your lure long beforethey’re close enough to smell anything. With that said, you must make the call onwhether catching one or two extra fish is worth the expense of the scented products. Theother really remarkable advance in lures is the finish and paint jobs that you findnowadays. It’s amazing to see how realistically they can paint a lure; some of them aretrue works of art.Fish finders are becoming increasingly more common. Being able to see the depth andstructure you’re fishing over makes a massive difference. GPS allow you to fish on thesame marks time and time again. No more having to rely on landmarks. You cansuccessfully fish in a place you’ve never been to, simply because you have the reefsmarked on your GPS. One word of warning though, electronic devices and water are notbest friends. You need to take special care or finders especially as I’m yet to see a unitthat can take the fishing kayak environment.Fish resources are under immense pressure and catching anything is getting increasinglymore difficult. As your quarry gets tougher to catch, so technology finds better ways oftargeting them. In all honesty, the way your great grandfather used to catch couta usingfeathers or tinfoil on a hook are truly over. There simply aren’t enough fish out thereanymore. If you’re serious about doing more catching than fishing, then you’re going tohave to move with the times and make sure you have all you can to give you theadvantage.
