the asian angler - december 2013 digital issue - malaysia - english

Sting Of The Viper

Abu GarciaA Villain In The House

Skill EnhancersFishing With Soft Plastic

Part 6: Presenting Shrimps

Fishing VFox Style

Abu GarciaThe Mighty Red Max

Knowledge WiseUnderstanding Fishing Rods Part 7: IM Confusion

VFox Tackle Protection

Ofmer HelipropTwin Prop System

MegabassThe Encounter

The Asian Angler Asia’s AnglingLifestyle Magazine

December 2013

1

New

SXOrra

7+1 HPCR bearingsX-Craftic alloy frameGraphite sideplatesPower Disk drag systemMagTrax brake systemCompact bent handle and starDuragear brass gear

OrraWinch

7+1 HPCR bearingsX-Craftic alloy frameGraphite sideplatesPower Disk drag systemMagTrax brake systemExtended bent handle and starDuragear brass gear

New

Pure Fishing Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (515617-X)

No. 36, Jalan Kartunis U1/47, Kawasan Perindustrian Temasya, 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor. Tel : 603 - 5032 9288(Hunting Line) Fax : 603 - 5032 9388 Email : [email protected]

The Debut!T H E A L L N E W 2 G E N E R A T I O N O R R A S E R I E SND

Use your mobile device to learn more

- 7+1 HPCR bearings- X-Craftic alloy frameTM

- Graphite sideplates- Power Disk drag system

- MagTrax brake system- Compact bent handle and star

- Duragear brass gear

TM

TM


TM

- Graphite sideplates- Carbon Matrix hybrid drag system

- MagTrax brake system- Extended bent handle and star

- Duragear brass gear- Titanium coated line guide

TM

TM

TM





TM

TM

TM

MODEL # MONO CAPACITY BRAID CAPACITY MAX DRAG GEAR RATIO INCHES PER TURN WEIGHT BEARINGS HAND RETRIEVEORRA2SXORRA2SX-LORRA2SX-HS

12 lb/145 yd 30 lb/140yd 15 lb 6.4:1 26 7.3 oz 8 Right 12 lb/145 yd 30 lb/140yd 15 lb 6.4:1 26 7.3 oz 8 Left

12 lb/145 yd 30 lb/140yd 15 lb 7.1:1 29 7.3 oz 8 Right MODEL # MONO CAPACITY BRAID CAPACITY MAX DRAG GEAR RATIO INCHES PER TURN WEIGHT BEARINGS HAND RETRIEVEORRA2WINCHORRA2WINCH-L


MODEL # MONO CAPACITY BRAID CAPACITY MAX DRAG GEAR RATIO INCHES PER TURN WEIGHT BEARINGS HAND RETRIEVEORRA2INS 12 lb/180 yd 30 lb/180yd 20 lb 7.1:1 29 8.1 oz 7 Right









TM

TM


TM




TM

TM

TM





TM

TM

TM






New

Winch

7+1 HPCR bearingsX-Craftic alloy frameGraphite sideplatesPower Disk drag systemMagTrax brake systemExtended bent handle and starDuragear brass gear

OrraINSHORE

6+1 HPCR bearingsX-Craftic alloy frameGraphite sideplatesCarbon Matrix hybrid drag systemMagTrax brake systemExtended bent handle and starDuragear brass gearTitanium coated line guide









TM

TM


TM




TM

TM

TM





TM

TM

TM














TM

TM


TM




TM

TM

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TM

TM

TM






3

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

6lb (0.205) - 150M8lb (0.235) - 115M12lb(0.385) - 80M

Gear Ratio

Max Drag Power

Weight

Ball bearings

Line Capacity

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

8lb (0.235) - 155M12lb (0.285) - 110M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

318g

7

8lb (0.235) - 220M12lb (0.285) - 150M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

320g

7

12lb (0.205) - 200M16lb (0.235) - 150M20lb(0.385) - 115M

Allu

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SpooL.

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SPARE SPOOL

AVAILABLE ON

RED COLOUR

5.1

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2.5

kg

27

5g

7

6lb

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05

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(0.2

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6lb

(0.3

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5.0

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31

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32

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12

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20

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16

lb (0

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11

5M

Alluminium SpooL. Changeable Knob

SPA

RE

SPOOL

AVA

ILA

BLE

ON

RED

COLO

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Max Drag Power

Weight

Ball bearings

Line Capacity

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

6lb (0.205) - 150M8lb (0.235) - 115M12lb(0.385) - 80M

Gear Ratio

Max Drag Power

Weight

Ball bearings

Line Capacity

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

8lb (0.235) - 155M12lb (0.285) - 110M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

318g

7

8lb (0.235) - 220M12lb (0.285) - 150M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

320g

7

12lb (0.205) - 200M16lb (0.235) - 150M20lb(0.385) - 115M

Allu

min

ium

SpooL.

Cha

ngea

ble K

nob

SPARE SPOOL

AVAILABLE ON

RED COLOUR

SPARE SPOOL

AVAILABLE ON

RED COLOUR

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

6lb (0.205) - 150M8lb (0.235) - 115M12lb(0.385) - 80M

Gear Ratio

Max Drag Power

Weight

Ball bearings

Line Capacity

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

8lb (0.235) - 155M12lb (0.285) - 110M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

318g

7

8lb (0.235) - 220M12lb (0.285) - 150M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

320g

7

12lb (0.205) - 200M16lb (0.235) - 150M20lb(0.385) - 115M

Allu

min

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SpooL.

Cha

ngea

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SPARE SPOOL

AVAILABLE ON

RED COLOUR

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

6lb (0.205) - 150M8lb (0.235) - 115M12lb(0.385) - 80M

Gear Ratio

Max Drag Power

Weight

Ball bearings

Line Capacity

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

8lb (0.235) - 155M12lb (0.285) - 110M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

318g

7

8lb (0.235) - 220M12lb (0.285) - 150M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

320g

7

12lb (0.205) - 200M16lb (0.235) - 150M20lb(0.385) - 115M

Allu

min

ium

SpooL.

Cha

ngea

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SPARE SPOOL

AVAILABLE ON

RED COLOUR

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

6lb (0.205) - 150M8lb (0.235) - 115M12lb(0.385) - 80M

Gear Ratio

Max Drag Power

Weight

Ball bearings

Line Capacity

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

8lb (0.235) - 155M12lb (0.285) - 110M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

318g

7

8lb (0.235) - 220M12lb (0.285) - 150M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

320g

7

12lb (0.205) - 200M16lb (0.235) - 150M20lb(0.385) - 115M

Allu

min

ium

SpooL.

Cha

ngea

ble K

nob

SPARE SPOOL

AVAILABLE ON

RED COLOUR

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

6lb (0.205) - 150M8lb (0.235) - 115M12lb(0.385) - 80M

Gear Ratio

Max Drag Power

Weight

Ball bearings

Line Capacity

5.1:1

2.5kg

275g

7

8lb (0.235) - 155M12lb (0.285) - 110M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

318g

7

8lb (0.235) - 220M12lb (0.285) - 150M16lb(0.330) - 80M

5.1:1

5.0kg

320g

7

12lb (0.205) - 200M16lb (0.235) - 150M20lb(0.385) - 115M

Allu

min

ium

SpooL.

Cha

ngea

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nob

SPARE SPOOL

AVAILABLE ON

RED COLOUR

5.1

:1

2.5

kg

27

5g

7

6lb

(0.2

05

) - 1

50

M8

lb (0

.23

5) -

11

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12

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5.1

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5.0

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31

8g

7

8lb

(0.2

35

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5.0

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32

0g

7

12

lb (0

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20

0M

16

lb (0

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20

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5) -

11

5M


SPA

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SPOOL

AVA

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5

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How Best To Experience The Asian Angler Magazine

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9

Contents

Heliprop LuresBy Ofmer

124

VFox PolarizedClip Ons

132

Overland RodBy Rod Ford Creations

142

Understanding Fishing RodsPart 7: Making sense of it; IM Confusion 192

Tiger 5 Fishing Pond Wrestling GiantGroupers

154

WrestlemaniaAbu Garcia Red Max Fune 18

The Sting Of A Viper

Viper Sting Rod

46

Megabass Shop InShop Launched ByMr Yuki Ito

171

Fishing With SoftPlastics: Part 6Presentation Methods:Prawns, Shrimp... 204

Light Moments With Mr Yuki Ito 186SebileInnovative Fishing 236

Pictures in this issue; courtesy of Pure Fishing, MGFA (Malaysian Game Fishing Anglers), Sea Tackle, Sure Catch World, Zerek Innovation, and Brilliant Tackle

A Villain In The HouseAbu Garcia Villain 64

VFox Tackle Protection System

94

Videos

Click on the icons to go directly to your preferred article...

Rod Ford X- Forge HeavyWire SplitRing 326

Product FeaturesSiam Spoon Rainbow Scale Edition 327

Ofmer MajigLures

252

World Pairs Angling Championship 224

Fenwick Techna AV

238

Abu GarciaVoyager

239

VFox Apollo HookHolders

240

Like Us On Facebookwww.facebook.com/theasianangler(Offi cial Page)

11

My dear fellow anglers and friends,

It is the monsoon season and the sebaraus are calling.Sebarau runs are fun and they draw anglers like sugardrawing ants. Do be careful though as rivers can swellalmost like magic.

We anglers do spend a lot on our fishing gears especially rod and reel. But not many anglers keep them safe and give them the TLC that they require. In this issue we look at some accessories that will help you protect your investments.

In this issue we will also debunk a myth and that myth is “espensive rods do not break.“ With that we also look into one very confusing term that not only confused anglers but people in the fishing industryas well. That term is called IM. Find out more inside.

The end of 2013 is closing in. It is time for resolution making, planning what to achieve in 2014. For us at The Asian Angler, we want to make The Asian Angler better and more interesting for your reading plessure. We want to also give you the opportunity to be more engage with the fishing industry. This is our plan.

Should you like to be a freelance (unpaid) field tester, send me an email at [email protected]. I will then send you a form and explanation on the role. Return the form to us and we will do our evaluation. Who knows, you could be chosen to test fishing products with us.

Have fun reading. Thank you and Merry Christmas to our friends who are cel-ebrating this festival of giving, and to the rest... Happy New Year.

Cheers,PhilEditor In Chief

Stone-Mashe For All Your Offi ce Needs

Stone-Mashe Sdn. Bhd.L-1-2, Pusat Perdagangan Kuchai,No. 2, Jalan 1/127,Off Jalan Kuchai Lama, 58200 Kuala Lumpur.Contact: 016 202 2635 Email: [email protected]

13

Auto Reign Sdn. Bhd.14, Jalan PJS 11/18, Bandar Sunway,

Subang Jaya, 46150 Selangor. Tel: +6016-722 1800 Email: [email protected]

Auto Reign Sdn. Bhd.14, Jalan PJS 11/18, Bandar Sunway, Subang Jaya, 46150 Selangor. Tel: +6016-722 1800 Email: [email protected]

WrestlemaniaAbu Garcia Red Max Fune By Philemon Foo

Test Drives

WrestlemaniaAbu Garcia Red Max Fune By Philemon Foo

I used to be a fan of wrestling during the days of The Honky Tong Man, Ricky The Dragon Steamboat, and Randy “The Macho Man” Savage. If you are a wres-tling fan and you’ve not heard of these names then consider yourself lucky to be blessed with youth.

19

Thrown In The RingNot long ago I was invited to a commercial pond in Sitiawan (in the state of Perak, Malaysia) where giant groupers have bro-ken countless rods and reels in many a wrestling match with countless anglers.

I was thrown into the ring and the tools bestowed upon me are an Abu Garcia Red Max Fune reel of which is an entry level baitcasting reel made for the Japa-nese domestic market (JDM) and an Abu Garcia Vektor Light Jigging rod. I was a bit sceptical but then... just bring it on.

Large Gearbox I guess the fellows at Abu Garcia knew what they were doing when they told me that this little reel can handle the giant groupers. With a larger gear box that houses larger gears, cranking power is definitely higher. Bigger gears also take abuse better... isn’t that com-monsense?

The drive gear in the Red Max Fune is made of brass and is made tough. Big + Tough, sounds like a bodybuilding wrestler on ste-roids sitting inside a large gear box ready to take a beating and lash out its own brutality.

23

Not Supersonic But FastWith gear ratio of 7.1:1, the Red Max Fune is not super fast but it is fast and at par with many higher end reels. It may not be as fast as fighter jets but it is speedy enough to regain tension when the line goes loose during the acrobatic leaps and jumps of the ever ath-letic barramundis.

Magnetic BrakesOh yes, it comes with Abu Garcia’s famous MagTrax braking system. The MagTrax system on current Max series reels seems to be better than the first Max low profile reels. These magnets do give much better control over the spool but do not make the mistake of not training your thumb.

So how effective are they? Put it this way, I was torturing it cast-ing out soft plastic baits as light as around 12 grams to as heavy as over 30 grams for slightly more than six hours, and the magnets didn’t take a nap. I like it.

29

Stopping PowerThe maximum drag on the Red Max Fune is said to be at 6.8kg. Well, per-haps when it is new out of the box. After messing with some wrestling mad giant groupers (lab test done after the fishing trip), the maximum drag that we regis-tered in our lab is only at 12.4lb of which translates to 5.6kg.

31

While the drag is silky smooth, the silk ran out at 10.7lb or 4.9kg drag (after wrestling giant groupers). I have no complains about the drag and its smoothness. Even the 5.6kg maximum drag that we reg-istered at our lab is really quite de-cent for a reel in its price range.

33

Wrestling GiantsGetting into a wrestling match without any sleep for slightly over 48 hours is not something that I recommend but unfor-tunately I had to fight on. I chose a white Berkley paddle tail soft plastic lure and started casting it about the ring. I was casting and trying to get focus on the game at hand.

The reel felt smooth and it cast well. Ev-ery cast was long and smooth. Soon I realized that I also needed to catch fish and started trying different presentation techniques. Almost half asleep I was jolt back to full consciousness by the sudden tug and pull of my line. I was on to my first fish, a barramundi that the Red Max Fune handled without even breaking a sweat.

35

It was on my third strike that I was on my first wrestling match with a giant grouper. With friends fishing nearby I had to control this fish well. I also didn’t want to go home with a burnt thumb. I had the drag pretty high and in match one the giant grouper was subdued. Not long later I was on to another one. Brute after brute after brute and after 6 hours we emerged victorious.

37

Red Max Fune After WrestlemaniaThe Red Max Fune took on one giant grouper after another without giving up. It didn’t break nor did it complain and moan. It did its job well wrestling one brute after another. In fact on the way back, I swear I heard it ask when the next visit to wrestlemania would be, while being in a state of dual consciousness feeling like Cheech or Chong after smok-ing a joint.

Stop jumping to conclusions. I don’t smoke weed and if you do not know who Cheech and Chong are, darmn... you are young. Go Google Cheech and Chong. I was high from lack of sleep, in pain from carrying defeated brutes for photos, and am impressed with the Red Max Fune’s capabilities.

My ThoughtsHaving wrestled brutes together I am impressed with the capabilities of the Red Max Fune. I was a sceptic and now I am a believer. It may not be a high end baitcaster with a “bling” name but it is one heck of a workhorse that can take the beating some more ex-pensive reels can’t.

When you want to keep the RM1,000 (about USD300) over reel safe and away from the brutality of brute wres-tlers and yet you still want to take these brutes on, the Red Max Fune may be your weapon of choice.

It is tough, it can take a beating, and it doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket. Even if you throw into a demolition derby or a wrestling ring with crazy brutes and the Red Max Fune is bro-ken and gone, so what? Stop com-plaining. Pick yourself up and go buy another one. It just saved you money taking the place of your RM1,000 over reel.

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45Back To Content

The Sting Of The ViperBy Philemon Foo

Test Drives

Vipers are stealthy, fast, and attacks with a deadly bite of which leads to a sting-ing and painful experience before death befalls its victim. Thus is the Viper Sting fishing rod that was sent to me for a test, minus the deadly and painful bits.

Last month I was asked to test some rods by the good guys of MGFA (Malay-sian Game Fishing Anglers) here is what I thought about the rod. One of them that arrived in a long plastic tube is the Viper Sting Luring Range of which is a medium heavy 5’6”, one piece rod.

The Sting Of The ViperBy Philemon Foo

47

First ImpressionWhen I first laid eyes on it, the one thing that came to mind was Saturday Night Fe-ver with John Travolta. I felt like I had sat in a silly old DeLorean DMC-12 and went back to a time when Buicks and Cadillacs were the norm on the streets.

The Viper Sting Luring Range is a classic designed rod with a dark facade adorned with gold lines, somewhat like what Mr Ford mentioned before, “You can have it in any color you want as long as it is black.” Fur-ther adding to its classic looks is the old pub signature styled font which reads “Sting.”

49

Feeling Of ModernityPicking it up for the first time I was some-what shocked as the way the Viper Sting Luring Range looks doesn’t follow through to the way it feels. It looks all classic but feels modern. I was expecting something weighty but the Viper Sting is lighter than expected.

The Feeling Of PowerFlex the rod tip and you feel the Viper flexing its muscles. It is by no means a light rod for patsy peacock basses. This rod is made to go head on with giant snakeheads or even bigger predators. You can go into a barbaric tug-of-war game with them and you could very well emerge the winner.

53

Fuji QualityThe components of the Viper are all high quality from the compact high density EVA to Fuji guides and Fuji reel seat. You are assured that things will go on smoothly during your battles with the scaly monsters wherever they may lurk.

55

Luring RangeThis particular rod is made for luring and is given the name “Luring Range.” I find it a tad bit too solid, a feeling of not being “for-giving” enough but when you need to strike fast and hard, this rod will set the hook right in even before the fish has the oppor-tunity to register that the food it chose to indulge in is nothing more than mere plas-tic (or wood).

Lab TestWhile petrol heads send their cars for Dyno we pressure test rods to see how much pressure they can take or at least they should meet what they specify in their specs. This Viper Sting has a line weight of 8-17lb (3.6-7.7kg). We managed to get it to 8kg and decided to stop as it met its specified target range.

59

VerdictUnassuming with a classic design, the Vi-per Sting may not appeal to everybody. Its strong points make it a serious contender within the rod segment where the giant snakeheads come within sight. It is a pow-erful rod with a very strong backbone being supported by high quality Fuji components... there are lots to like.

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A Villain In The HouseBy Philemon Foo

Test Drives

In every hero type movie there will be a villain and in most cases, the villain no matter how strong and tends to draw the losing card at the end. Few villains actually emerge heroes such as Robin Hood and his merry men, and Zorro. They are villains since they go against the government although they do it for the good of the people.

A Villain In The HouseBy Philemon Foo

65

Abu Garcia VillainThe Abu Garcia Villain rod has finally arrived in our shores (Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei) af-ter years of waiting. I do know of a lot of anglers who have been waiting for it to arrive. Some have given up and decided on something else instead. Anyway, will this villain emerge hero or will it draw the losing card?

67

The CharacterThe Villain does indeed look like it comes from the dark side. It definitely has character from its sinister looking blank wrap that exudes a feel of mystery to the custom designed reel seat. If the crisscrossing lines on its wrap were in red I would be on the lookout for ectoplasm. Beware, the Villain has landed.

69

40 Ton GraphiteOne of the reasons for the Villain’s delay into our mar-kets is its blank of which is a wee bit off acceptable sanity levels. 40 ton graphite rods are superb for sen-sitivity, lightness, and feel but not for the old school angler. It will require extra care as it contains much higher contents of graphite and carbon with reduced infusion of glass.

This means that the Abu Garcia Villain rod is very sen-sitive allowing you to feel many things, is also lighter as compared to rods of similar specs with blanks of lower graphite tonnage, but they are more fragile and requires extra care. Let’s put it this way; a Ferrari will give you all the thrills, stability, and fun that you could crave but at the expense of extra care and higher maintenance.

71

Sensitivity Ala Spider Web Spider webs are so sensitive that it alerts the spider the second a meal gets trapped in it. It transmits vibration along the many webs all the way to the spider. The spider could be far away from where its meal got trapped yet it still knows due to the sensitivity of its web.

The Villain works in somewhat a similar manner thus the need to use titanium-alloy (Ti) guides with titanium-nitride (TiN) coated insert instead of stainless steel guides with ceramic inserts as ti-tanium-alloy guides transmit vibrations better. This allows you to feel vibrations from the lightest takes.

73

Missing WeightThe Abu Garcia Villain was made for the Abu Garcia Revo MGX reel that was launched a few years ago. For those of you who pur-chased the Revo MGX reel, I feel your frustration as I too bought one and waited for the Villain to come. The lightness of the Revo MGX complements the Villain well.

75

So where has the weight gone?

We know that the Villain’s blank made of 40 tonne graphite with low resin content is lightweight. But there are a few other areas where fat has been cut making this rod a sportsman’s “love to have it” equip-ment.

77

Lightweight Guides & WrapsTitanium-alloy (Ti) guides are some of the lightest guides available today. Usage of the titanium-alloy (Ti) guides lowers the weight of the rod significantly as compared to stainless steel guides with ceramic inserts. These guides are carbon wrapped further reducing weight.

Carbon Reel SeatThe reel seat adorning the Villain is made of C6 carbon. This “Total Exposure” carbon reel seat is lightweight and it looks like it was designed in Bat-man’s design lab. It allows for a lot more connec-tion between the angler and the blank of which means improved sensitivity.

The disadvantage is the space behind the trig-ger (casting models only) of which could hurt your finger during a long day of fishing. Then again it depends on how one holds the reel and the rod. You will have to find a way to hold them in a way that suits you best.

Field TestTo test some rods that I had I returned to one of my favourite testing grounds, the Exotic commer-cial fishing pond in Rawang, Malaysia. This is a pond where brutes the likes of the Mekong Cat-fish, Pacu (also known as Piraracu), garfish, etc. are stocked for anglers to fish.

Casting AbilityCasting the Villain is a joy. I didn’t have to cast hard to get my bait flying good distances. The feel of the rod tip flicking out the bait is quite an ad-dictive feeling. I have used quite a number of Abu Garcia rods this year and I must say this is one of the best casters (this year only).

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Fish Battle ManagementThe power within its blank allows for really good “fish battle management.” One of the fishes that took my bait took it quite near some pillars and the rod did well indeed to turn the head of the fighter away from the pillar and also away from the aerators.

For the purpose of testing I decided to go brute vs. Brute in a game of tug of war. The Villain withstood the battle a few times with a few fishes; such as Red Tail Catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliop-terus), some other catfish, and the Me-kong Catfish.

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VerdictThe Abu Garcia Villain emerged hero in this case. It is an American de-signed rod and it looks good, riddled with mystery, custom reel seats, and high quality EVA. It is also light thanks to its 40 tonne graphite. It cast like a charm and it fights fish like Manny Pacquiao minus the weight.

This is certainly an Abu Garcia rod to own but extra care is definitely needed as the 40 ton graphite blank although being more sensitive, light-weight, and responsive; also is more fragile as it is a high carbon content rod. If you’re getting one always use a padded rod bag especially during transportation.

Numerous long tan (Dragon Grouper) fell victim to the Villain on an earlier field test-ing trip.

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VFox Tackle Protection SystemBy Philemon Foo

Test Drives

VFox Tackle Protection SystemBy Philemon Foo

Recently whilst having tea with a few anglers (also readers of The Asian Angler), one of the subjects we talked about is how we tend to spend on expensive fishing tackle like reels costing some RM600 to almost reaching RM4,000, or rods costing RM1,000 upwards, but don’t do much into caring for them.

Yes, while we agree that most of us do service our reels or at least have them serviced at a service centre or dealer, but when it comes to trans-portation and use, they tend to get abused. Same goes to our expen-sive rods. We know of people who have broken them out of abuse or negligence.

After this “teh tarik” (pull tea, a Ma-laysian styled tea) session, I de-cided to hunt about tackle shops for something that could help provide safer transportation and at the same time make the angler look good. After all, you wouldn’t send your Ferrari to a roadside car wash would you?

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Felt Like I Found GoldWhile visiting a tackle shop I stumbled upon a brand that I’ve not known. I have heard of it but it wasn’t a brand that stayed in my head. That brand is VFox. What surprised me most is that VFox has a variety of bags that are great for anglers. Here are some that I found.

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VFox Reel BagEvery professional assassin (I am feeling a little bad-dish right now) carries his or her tool and in a case, a gun (rifle type) in a carry case. You’ve seen these scenes many times in movies. He or she gets up to a building or window somewhere, lays down the case, opens it, and takes out pieces of a gun and assem-bles it. Exciting and nice...

Why the carrying case? Well, for starters it hides a piece of equipment that could scare the insides out of most people walking the streets unless it is the zombie apocalypse then no one gives a crap. Sec-ondly, it would keep the gun safe from damage just in case the professional assassin stepped on a ba-nana peel and fall.

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Just like the said assassins, we an-glers have reels and we pay a lot for them. Why not put them in a carrying case or a bag made for them? This will keep your reel safe from harm in the form of nooks and dings. Put your reels in a bag and have them knock each other during your drive to your fishing spot is a good way break a heart.

So I got in contact with Brilliant Tack-le and asked if they would allow me to test some of the bags and they happily did.

So, on my fishing trip I placed my favourite reels in the bag and de-cided to also place my camera and lenses in there with them. Super convenient! I no longer have to carry a camera bag, a fishing tackle bag, and my box of lures. I have eliminat-ed the need for a camera bag.

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VFox Z-TX SO1The Z-TX SO1 is what I took on my fishing trip. I like if for its size and its designed is quite simple and clean. In fact it looks professional. More like what a CEO of an IT company would take to his office. But there is more. It is a bag made to keep your equipment safe.

Fully PaddedThe reason I paid a mini bomb for a camera bag is because of its padding. Such a bag keeps the lenses and the camera body safe from damage. The Z-TX SO1 does the same too. If it can protect camera lenses, it will definitely have no problems protecting your reels. Its padding is really good and sufficient to protect them.

The 1” padding gives “all around pro-tection” to whatever you intend to put in it. It is padded all around from the covers to the sides, padded, padded, padded, padded. I like them.

Padded Front Pockets

Even the front pockets are pad-ded. I used one of the front pockets

Padded Front Pockets

Even the front pockets are pad-ded. I used one of the front pockets

Adjustable PaddingThe positions of the pads are ad-justable. You can play Tetris with them making enough spaces for reels of different sizes. Adjusting them is as simple as removing them from one place and putting them in another, perhaps one that you fancy. They are after all fas-tened together with Velcro straps.

Padded Front PocketsEven the front pockets are pad-ded. I used one of the front pock-ets for my pliers and braided line cutter, as well as leader lines. In the other pocket I placed a small box of jig-heads. They are certainly safe and cosy sitting in there. You could opt to put your point and shoot cameras or may-be a mobile device.

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Hard Frame The Z-TX SO1 has a hard frame that allows it to stand and also take impact. One good thing about this frame is that your bag is kept rigid standing if you want it to. It doesn’t go limp like a deflat-ed balloon. Makes organiz-ing your boot space easier. This frame also allows you to stake things above it but to a certain limited weight of course.

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Easy To CarryLike most bags of this century, the Z-TX SO1 has a shoulder strap with padding for comfort and a handle should you just need to carry it up and move it about. This handle comes with a rubber holder that gives you better grip and it looks nice giving more points to cosmetics.

VerdictThis is easy. I love it love it love it love it love it. This bag, the VFox Z-TX SO1 is one of those bags that make me jump with joy. It keeps my reel safe. It keeps my camera and lenses safe. Best of all it that I don’t need to drag about two bags on fishing trips.

I think that you should get yourself one. We all buy the best fishing tackle that we can afford. Why not also do what’s needed to protect our investments or toys as some say? Invest in a reel bag like this one and you not only keep your fishing reels (and camera, etc.) safe. You also look more professional.

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VFox Rod BagWe have all heard of rods breaking and some of you may have even broken some rods. There are many reasons why rods break. I used to work with a team somewhat like the CSI teams that were doing their jobs on television, solving crime. The team that I know solves crimes against broken rods. Cool minus the blown up heads, swollen corpses, gross depictions of the death.

Rod DamageMany of you may not know this but most of the rod breakage that you’ve encountered whether a personal experience or someone else’s could actually have started during the transportation pro-cess, that is when you put your rods together and place them in the trunk or on a boat.

Modern rods being made of carbon graphite comes with tremen-dous benefits but they have one weakness. They are fragile at heart. Vibrations against anything solid would bring them harm in the form of hairline cracks that are unseen to the naked eye.

VFox T-BladeThe first rod bag that I tested from VFox is the VFox T-Blade. It looks brilliant. It looks like what a professional assassin will use to carry his rifle in. It is designed to look like carbon fibre with a hard enough and flexible shell. I believe many of you would have at one time fantasised being an as-sassin or someone along the lines of James Bond; style, excitement, danger, adventure, and cool.

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Protective ShellThe T-Blade has a protective shell to keep your rod safe. This hard but flexible shell is strong enough but with limits albeit more than what’s needed. It will very certainly keep your rods safe. Unlike cer-tain rod tube with very hard shells but heavy in weight, the T-Blade is quite light and is convenient to carry in a car or at the back of a pickup truck.

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Tie To SecureInternally there are places to tie your rods to so that they do not move about and in the process injuring themselves. However, I would recommend the use of sponges or newspaper for added safe-ty. While most of the vibrations would have been dampened by the carbon fibre designed outer skin, additional protection will be needed especial-ly when travelling on flights where your bag gets thrown about despite a fragile sticker stuck on it.

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Solid Plastic Bottom (Platform) The bottom of the T-Blade is a hard plastic platform that allows it to stand somewhat properly without wind blowing. With the presence of wind you will have to let it lean on something. Anyhow, a hard bot-tom is better than a soft one as it is stronger against gravel or sandy surfaces and is easily washed.

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VerdictI like its design and ease of carrying and transport-ing with padded straps and handle. It is not too heavy and rigid which is great helping the make for a lighter load. It also looks good and keeps my rod safe.

The T-Blade goes well with the Z-TX SO1 reel bag. Want to feel like James Bond or simply look more professional? More importantly, want to keep your tackle safe? I highly recommend these bags. Looks good, feels great, and a worth while investment.

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HeliProp By Ofmer

Introducin’

Many snakehead hunters would have use a lure with blades also known as helicopter lures because of the blades that burble and create turbulence in the water of which attracts the atten-tion of snakeheads especially the gi-ant snakeheads. There are quite a variety of such lures in the market and the Ofmer Heliprop is one.

HeliProp By Ofmer

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Double PropThe Ofmer Heliprop comes with two pro-pellers, one at the front and one at the rear. Ofmer says that this lure type called the Double Propeller lure is patented by Ofmer internationally and have been in use for many years with great success.

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Smooth Propeller SystemThe Smooth Propeller System used on these lures ensure smooth rotation of its propellers by giving them (propellers) an almost friction free movement (between propeller and stem) allowing both propel-lers to rotate well.

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High Quality LuresThese lures were created by Japanese engineers and craftsmen spending years on research using various fish species. These well balanced lures are made with high quality materials thus ensuring that quality is amongst the highest.

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VFox Polarized Clip Ons

Introducin’

One of the disadvantages of having a less that normal eyesight and needing prescription glasses is that sunglasses using prescription polarized lenses cost a bomb and you cannot have them on groovy or more sporty designed frames (too much curve). Even if it can be done, that bomb of a price will be quite sub-stantial.

VFox Polarized Clip Ons

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The not so good looking wear over glasses.

The Old Fashion OptionHaving need prescription glasses or the world is a blur, I resorted to wear-ing old fashion bulky wear over po-larized sunglasses a few years ago before making prescription polarized lenses for my Oakley’s. Those wear over sunglasses were huge and ugly however they do work with some in-conveniences.

As for mine, I actually only used them once and decided that the best place for them is inside my storeroom until the day I gave it away to one of my fi shing buddies who wanted polarized wear over sunglasses.

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The Good LookingRecently while checking out VFox’s products I came upon a set of polarized clip-ons that look sporty and nice. These clip-on polarized sunglasses are clipped onto the cap and they are adjustable until a comfortable level or rather, place-ment.

Convenient & Easy To CarryThese clip=ons are light weight and easy to carry as they come with a soft plastic case. When it’s time to fish, just clip it onto your cap and you are ready for a fun day out on the water.

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Saves You MoneyWhile prescription polarized sunglasses cost a bomb, these VFox polarized clip-ons cost only a fraction and they work as good. Furthermore, you have a variety of lens colors to choose from, from the nor-mal plain dark to other colors like green, etc.

VerdictIf you need prescription glasses and you feel that polarized prescription lenses cost too much or are out of your budget, you have this option of which is good. I love the idea of these VFox clip-ons. They look good, convenient to carry and use, and don’t cost a bomb.

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Overland By Rod Ford Creations

Introducin’

Overland By Rod Ford Creations

The name Overland fits this rod very well and if Land Rover were to build a rod, this would probably be it. The unassuming but elegant looking Overland rod feels every bit the workhorse, ready to take large fishes hidden beneath the water’s surface.

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Combination Of Two CountriesThe Overland looks like it is born of two countries. The design of which includes carbon fibre wraps, hy-brid EVA and compressed rubber cork handle, and split rear handle seems to lean towards a Japanese type of design while the blank is very American.

I do like the Hybrid EVA design of which is not too elaborate nor to little, but done just right. It also feels great as it seats right where the Fuji reel seat is.

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Test SubjectThe model that was handed to me for test is the Rod Ford Overland RFO662MHS of which is a 6’6” rod with medium heavy power rating, and line weight of 10-20lb. It is a pretty weighty rod with a 60/40 bal-ance with the weight more towards the tip.

Giant FreshiesBeing a tough and powerful work-horse, I believe that Rod Ford Cre-ations designed the Overland for freshwater pond anglers who tar-get large Mekong catfish and other large fish species. This rod will be almost perfect for such a game. Take a look at the design...

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Longer Rear Handle This is a 6’6” rod with a reasonable long handle. Many brands have resorted to shorter handles as it allows the an-gler more room to manage their lure presentation, without the rear section getting caught on the shirt or sleeves. This is great for luring at the expense of leverage when playing a fish.

A longer rear handle section also sits better in rod holders making them ideal for bottom anglers. So after casting out that ball of bait, the angler can insert his fishing rod into the rod holder with plenty of support for the rod handles. When the fish takes the bait, the longer rear handle gives better leverage during the battle.

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Great For Power CastingA longer rear handle also aids the angler allowing him or her to cast out further using both hands to perform a power cast. This is also possible on rods with shorter handle but the amount of power or rather force sent from the an-gler to the tip of the rod during the cast is much lower. Perhaps now you understand why a katana has a long handle.

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VerdictI have yet to test it in any pond but I am sure looking forward to it. As of now all I can say is that it is a tough and powerful rod which seems to be made for battling giant power-houses such as the Mekong catfish in fresh-water ponds or lakes. If you are into this sort of game then you may have found yourself a new weapon.

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Featuring

Tiger 5 Fishing PondWrestling Giant / Dragon GroupersBy Philemon Foo

I have long lost interest in wrestling since finding out that most of the matches that are aired on television are as real as “Jack The Giant Slayer” or Justice League; which also means that the fel-lows from the TV series Jackass, has got bigger kahunas.

Recently I was thrown into the ring to wrestle giant groupers. Unlike the wres-tling you see on TV these days, the one that I was in didn’t come with a movie script. One similarity though is that I was given some props of which consisted of a rod, a reel, fishing lines, and lures both hard and soft with de-barbed hooks.

Tiger 5 Fishing PondWrestling Giant / Dragon GroupersBy Philemon Foo

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Battle GroundThe venue is the Tiger Five commercial fishing pond where giant groupers are bred for sale. This pond is located in Sitiawan, Perak (Malaysia) about an hour and a half away from Kuala Lum-pur. There are a few ponds within the area but we were allowed to fish in only two.

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Ready, Fight!We took a couple of minutes to figure out how to entice these giant opponents of ours to take our lures. After about 15 to 20 minutes we started wrestling. Al-though these giant groupers do not fight as hard as their cousins out at sea, they are still bulls; bulls with their horns sawn off (not as dangerous but still deadly).

Before lunch my hand were already sore having wrestled one giant grouper after another with the odd barramundi every now and then. I generally used soft plastic lures and white was the col-or of the day.

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After lunch I was dizzier than a spinning top but we had to wrestle at another pond of which is more technical (has more snags). Fishes in the second pond seemed small-er but because of the snags below, one will have to manage the fish well or share vocabulary that one will not normally share in front of kids.

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Beaten Up And HappyAfter six hours of which marked the end of our fishing, I felt like I’ve just completed the Boston Marathon. Even speaking took a lot of effort and I wasn’t the only one to feel that way. This feeling is almost expected as the giant groupers are really quite willing to wrestle you if you present your lure well.

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VerdictI had a good time as the fishing was really easy. I seldom fish commercial fishing ponds (in Malaysia) as I find them less exciting as being out in the wild. Comparing to all the commer-cial ponds that I have fished at, Tiger Five wins hands down in terms of the amount of catch and ability to tire one out. The fishing is satisfactory.

The price to book the pond is RM1,800 (about USD 515.00) for six hours. Sounds like a bomb but I actually think that it is really reasonable. You could invite 10 friends and share the cost. It is definitely cheaper than fishing in most saltwater commercial fishing ponds that hold giant groupers but with catch possibilities as low as any one of the seven dwarves.

TipsPresent your lures really slow.

Large lures for giant groupers and small-er lures for barramundis (this does not mean that giant grouper will not take small lures).

The sun gets really hot. Bring a hat, wear long sleeve, use long pants.

Bring water, ice, titbits, etc. as there are no shops around the area. Driving back out just to buy these things would be deemed ridiculous.

Sunglasses are a must.

De-barb all hooks.

Only one single de-barbed hook is allowed at one time, per lure.

You will need a four wheeler (4x4).

Tell the guides to wait up for you when driving. Getting lost in an oil palm plantation is no laughing matter.

Get enough rest before the trip.

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Megabass Shop In Shop Launched Highlighting

Megabass Shop In Shop Launched

Megabass has officially land-ed in Malaysia on the 23rd of November 2013. Mr Yuki Ito the CEO of Megabass was flown in by Kepong Tackle to launch Malaysia’s first and of-ficial Megabass Shop in Shop.

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The event started with a crowd of anglers hanging about Kepong Tackle eagerly awaiting the arriv-al of the esteemed CEO. Outside there were caterers preparing finger food for this eager crowd. I was delighted to be meeting up with angling buddies. After a short wait, a black Toyota MPV arrived with Mr Yuki Ito and his team.

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The LaunchThe first thing Mr Yuki Ito did was to officially launch the Megabass Shop in Shop with a ribbon cut-ting ceremony together with Mr Loo and Mr KC Tan, owners, en-trepreneurs, and forces behind Kepong Tackle, and the signing of a plaque.

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What followed was a speech by Mr KC Tan thanking fellow anglers, journalists, and sup-porters for attending this event and he invited Mr Yuki Ito to give his speech.

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Mr Yuki Ito started Megabass some 26 years or so ago in Japan during his days as a professional angler because he wasn’t happy with what was avail-able. He wanted more than what the brands at that time could offer.

Being a creative person as well as an artist (he draws very well). He fathomed many new designs for the Japanese fishing tackle market and the brand Megabass started to soar. It wasn’t long before Megabass entered the USA and became a well known brand worldwide.

Now Megabass has made it to Malay-sia and from here perhaps spring up all over Asia. Mr Yuki Ito remains mum on the subject of Megabass’ future for Asia mentioning only that he will be working closely with Kepong Tackle and together they will grow the busi-ness.

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Autographing MarathonAfter giving his speech Mr Yuki Ito began an autographing mara-thon that lasted over two hours. He signed posters, catalogues, leaflets, and shirts. He also drew fish and he is really good at it, even to the ex-tent of asking what fish some of his fans wanted him to draw.

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Light Moments With Mr Yuki ItoAfter the launch, we were in-vited to spend some time with Mr Yuki Ito where he shared more about his childhood, how he became an angler, and the ideas behind some of his de-signs. Do watch these videos (in the coming pages) taken during the sharing session.

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Bits And Bobs Of Mr Yuki Ito

Comes from a family of fishermen.

His father was a commercial fisherman.

He started fishing very young but only started to like fishing when he grew up.

He never purchased any fishing gear when he was young but designed rods out of bamboo.

He started making lures while still in primary school.

His household was an agent for Fuji (as in Fuji guides and products).

He competed in Japan and the USA as a pro angler.

The next few pages are videos of our sharing session. We apologize for video and audio quality in advance. We’re still learning and it looks like we need better equipment...

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMA59AH5mPI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6KGBTp6InU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6KGBTp6InU

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxL4k0eX4n4

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxL4k0eX4n4

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Understanding Fishing Rods Part 7Making Sense Of It: IM ConfusionBy Philemon Foo

Knowledge Wise

When we talk about modern fishing rods I am pretty sure that you have come across the term IM of which refers to the graphite used to produce the blank. So what does IM have to do with rod blanks and how can it help you to decide on which rod to buy?

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Note that this rod tells both Power & Action. Power is Medium Light while the rod is a fast action rod.

IM (Intermediate Modulus)IM6, IM7, IM... is one term that even people within the fishing industry get confused with. It has been described as quite a many differ-ent things like the millions of modulus inside the graphite; example IM7 meaning seven million modulus. Someone once told me that it meant how many strands of graphite they have in the graphite sheets.

Sounds like something from the set of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and the more people you talk to the closer you are to Hogwarts (School of Witchcraft and Wizard-ry) where Harry Porter and his fellow friends went to school.

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Not An Industry StandardFirst and foremost the term IM is not an industry standard nor does it show the quality of rod blanks. IM has got nothing to do with how much graphite is in a graphite sheet. IM7 may not contain seven mil-lion strands of graphite.

IM is simply a trade name originally developed by the Hexcel Corporation to differentiate the different types of graphite rod blanks manufactured by them. You will find these on some of the Fenwick rods.

IM was originally used to indicate different blank stiffness with IM7 being stiffer than IM6 rod blanks (the higher the modulus the stiffer the rod) and this is accurate only if the graphite is made by Hexcel Corporation using Hercules Fibres (brand) and no other brands.

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A

B

C

D

IM And Rod Blank EngineeringTo help you understand IM better let us go a tiny bit into the en-gineering of rod blanks. Graphite blanks are generally made up of carbon and glass fibres. Using carbon alone will cause the rod to be stiff and very brittle. Adding glass fibres to it makes it flexible and less brittle but weight goes up.

Let’s look at IM8 rods, high carbon rods of which simply means that the blank used on the rod has a very high content of car-bon and lower amounts of glass fibres. These rods are very sensitive, super responsive, very light weight, feels stiff, and they cost a lot more to produce.

If we were to add more glass fibres to it, what happens is that the carbon and glass ratio changes with the ratio of glass going up while that of carbon reduces. This makes the rod more flex-ible, less sensitive, less responsive, weight goes up, and cost drops. This could be IM7 rods.

Add even more glass fibres and the rod becomes very flexible, even less responsive (slower action), much lower sensitivity levels, and they are a lot cheaper to produce. This would be in the region of IM6 rods.

Choosing A Rod Based On IMBefore I continue let me make one thing clear. My advice is not to choose a rod solely based on IM alone. There are other characteristic and qualities to look at. This is article is solely to help you understand better what IM is or stands for.

Since IM is simply an indication of stiffness with IM8 being stiff-er than IM7 and IM7 being stiffer than IM6, if you are looking for a rod that is stiff your choice will be to go for a rod of which its blanks is rated IM8 and manufactured by the Hexcel Corpo-ration. If you want something more flexible, IM6 could be your choice.

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Breaking A MythUnfortunately, without further engineering high carbon rods such as IM8 rods have lower strain rates which mean that they are more brittle or fragile and are more easily dam-aged. Thus these days wraps have been added to give these rods better strength while maintaining their character-istics.

With this a myth has been broken. A lot of anglers have mentioned this, “it is normal for cheap rods to break be-cause they are cheap. Expensive rods are harder to break because they cost more.” This is totally false. The more ex-pensive the rod, the more easily it is to break.

If you’ve paid top dollars for a rod that is super flexible yet not fragile and can even take abuse, you’ve paid top dollars for a rod that is cheap to manufacture but priced up there to create a good impression. Nothing’s wrong with that. We pay for what we believe in or what’s impressive to us.

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Now That You Know...So, if someone comes up to you and tells you that IM7 rods are of bet-ter quality to IM6 rods, bring out your wand and repeat this as you point your wand at that person, “Flipendo.” Do it right and that person will be knocked backwards hopefully to where he or she came from. If it doesn’t work... go watch Harry Porter again.

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Fishing With Soft Plastics: Part Presentation Methods: Shrimps, Prawns, And CrayfishBy Philemon Foo

Skill Enhancers

Some of my favourite soft plastics lures when fishing the mangroves and sandy beaches are prawns, shrimps, and crayfish. They have caught numerous mangrove jacks, barramundis, small barracudas, and a few other fish species that call the mangrove sanctuary. From here on into the article I will generalize them as shrimps.

Fishing With Soft Plastics: Part Presentation Methods: Shrimps, Prawns, And CrayfishBy Philemon Foo

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Understanding Shrimp DesignsShrimp soft plastics come in a few designs. Some designs are more rigid while some have flexible bodies with a fan type tail that helps wiggles underwater. Crayfish on the other hand have ap-pendages that mimic claws and feelers. These are designed to move underwater looking like a real shrimp or crayfish and they at-tract attention of hungry predators and opportunistic feeders.

Some of these shrimp soft baits also have appendages that are at the bottom of the head area of which mimic legs. They look as if they are searching the bottom or crawling as they are slowly pulled along sandy bottoms.

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Moving Like A ShrimpHow do shrimps move? If you observe shrimps, they tend to stay at one place for some time before scooting off. They can also swim either slowly or zap at high speeds depending on situations.

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Because shrimps do stay in one place when they are relaxed or perhaps when they have their minds full on something, adding scent to them makes sense as being stationary allows the scent trail to move about giving time for it to lead preda-tors to the bait.

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Presentation MethodsDo observe how prawns act and try to imagine these actions when you are presenting them. You can learn a lot by observing them in an aquarium. Mean-while here are a few presentations that have worked.

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Rod Tip1. Jerk upwards

2. Drop tip

Pause

Drop

Pause Pause

Jerk

Jerk

Jerk

Drop

Jerk, Pause, And DropThis presentation style mimics a shrimp panicking or es-caping danger. Jerk pause, jerk pause (short pause), jerk pause the rod tip upwards a few inches at a time, and then drop the rod tip all the way to the bottom, followed by a pause for about 30 seconds to a minute. This makes the shrimp scoot two or three times upwards a few inches at a time and them slowly return to the bottom.

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Slowly retrieve your soft plastic shrimp bait to make it walk the bottom.

Slow RetrieveThis presentation is easy. All you have to do is to cast out your shrimp soft plastic and crank it back at a very very slow speed. Have it drag the bot-tom as if walking or scouting the bottom for food. Remember to imagine how slow shrimps move and how they move.

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Pause

Pause

Pause Ground

Jerk And PauseI am pretty sure that you have seen shrimps zap a short distance and pause as they slowly move back to the bottom. This is how they escape predators and this is the effect that we are trying to mimic.

To achieve this first tighten your line. Jerk the rod tip lightly to twitch the shrimp soft bait a few inches from its original position and then drop your back down. Pause for about half a minute to one minute (more or less de-pending on you), and then jerk the rod tip again.

Pause

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Constant Retrieve

Cast out your shrimp soft bait and retrieve at a constant rate. It is that easy. This may not mimic the swim or action of a shrimp but they actually catch fish. Retrieve at differ-ent speeds for different depth levels.

Retrieve your soft plastic shrimp bait at a constant speed.

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Swimming About Foliage Rigged wheedles, soft bait shrimps can be used in weedy areas as well. You can swim your paddle tail about weeds, inside the weedy areas, even around lily pads, mangrove roots, and various other snags.

These presentation methods are proven methods and have caught numerous fishes. Give them a try on your next fishing trip.

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World Pairs Angling Championship By The Guv’nor

Happenings

World Pairs Angling Championship By The Guv’nor

Many a sportsmen dream of rep-resenting their nation, and anglers are no exception. We’ve become so used to our national football team, badminton players, track & field ath-letes and cyclists adhering our fine sporting tradition of not winning any-thing significant all these years. But is there a ‘national’ angling team to continue this tradition? Or indeed is there such a World Championship for angling?

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Many years ago I started the idea of setting up a national team to compete in the FIPS-ED event, a World Angling Cham-pionship for Freshwaters. The idea had to be put on hold main-ly due to lack of expertise in the particular coarse fishing style which is made up of mostly pole and waggler fishing and also the costs involved. The system is actually a team event compris-ing of 5 anglers per nation com-peting for 2 days.

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Fomer World Champion Bob Nudd is one of the big names in the championship

Recently, my good friend and coarse fishing ‘consultant’, Steve Lockett, insisted that we try out for the World Angling Pairs Champi-onships which is more manage-able and somewhat more realistic for us to compete in.

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Steve is active as a fishing reporter and contributor to many angling publications and has agreed to help us out. For a start, we are on the look out for potential and talented anglers out there, and of course, potential sponsors.

Steve Ringer and brother Phil were runners up.

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To get the ball rolling, we are having a coarse fishing ses-sion and briefing with Steve on the 11th of January 2014 at Fish Valley Semenyih (date & venue to be finalised so watch this space). So if you think you are world cup material or just want to learn more about coarse fishing do drop by.

Lakelands and Inland Waterways World Angling Pairs Champion-ships winners 2013 Cathal Hughes & Phil Jackson

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Also if you wish to know more about the event just follow the links :

www.worldpairsangling.com

www.redangler.net

http://www.fips-ed.com/index_eng.php

FB: Coarse Fishing Malaysia

Email : [email protected]

Cheers!

Guv’nor

Cathal Hughes won the individual title as well.

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the asian angler - december 2013 digital issue - malaysia - english

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