Comments

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  Michael Lim

  November 2020

  As I have just replied on FishingKaki Facebook group, here is an extract of the reply there and also some additional points.
  
  
  
  Rods are often bass or hard rock fish designs which can take the weight of the lures as well as your tackle.
  Small crankbaits (deep divers) can be as light as 7gms or range all the way up to 40+ grams.
  Weight class can be as light as 8-14 all the way up to PE 5 to 6 even for those who are casting the bigger divers and on heavier lines. But they suffer with the drawback that it's gonna be heavy and hard to use with smaller lures.
  So you need to make a educated judgement and see which works best for you.
  I have a Daiwa HRF setup which is rated for 5-35gm lures and 10-25lb line. My Daiwa HRF reel is loaded with PE 2 line and approx 40lb leader for general use.
  I have even landed groupers on G-Loomis 8-14lb CBR rod and a Daiwa Steez with 10lb line. It was a lucky shot and may not always work for everyone though.

  
  

  Reel options can be Shimano Conquest, Daiwa Catalina, Lexa, Tailwalk Elan, etc.  Something which can load some heavier lines if needed such as PE 2 and above line for general use.  I have seen frens use as high as PE8 line but that really limits the use of small lighter lures.
  
  So make a choice and weigh out which you need more, heavier line class (and use only the bigger lures) or you want to use smaller lures and have to use lighter lines and leaders to match accordingly.

  
  

  Casting behind the current lets you dig down into the current quickly but you can also snag up easily.  So make sure you get the diving depth correct and have the boat positioned right.
  
  Conversely, casting against the current would require you to crank at much higher speeds to get the lure to dive down into the correct depth to reach the target.  This gives you less room to work with as the boat is drifting towards the lure you have just cast and the amount of time left in the target zone will be less.  But this would snag up less than the other direction.

  
  

  Have fun trying out the various setups and methods, and once you get the hit from the grouper...  you'll understand why it can be addictive.