A New Reel, Then ...

Hi there,

Not long ago, I got a new fishing reel.
And it is so far, a good story from start to finish.
Actually, I didn't bought the reel, but won it in a competition.
The North Australian Fishing and Outdoors, magazine had a competition to win a Daiwa Cosatal Barra 135 bait caster reel, and I won it.
The competition has been running for some time, with a reel being given away every month, and is still going strong in the current issue of the magazine. (If you tried, you could be the next winner of a Daiwa Reel).
For a few month in a row, I had entered the comp., hopping to win, as I have never owned or fished with a Daiwa reel, and they are supposed to be very good.
It is then very easy to understand how excited I was upon learning the good news, and I couldn't wait to received my new reel.
It arrived and was beautiful, blue and gold, but catastrophe! This is a right handed reel, and I use left handed ones...

Daiwa Coastal Barra 135.

The reality of it hit me hard, this is a reel that only come in the right handed version...
It was smooth and the spool seemed to turn for ever with just a little push from the thumb...
But the handle was definitively on the wrong side...
What to do?
I started to think that maybe I could swap it for a fishing rod, to replace the one that I broke the previous month.
So I started to monitor the FFF forum and other places to see if any one had a fishing rod for sale, hopping to propose a swap.
And it happened, a member for the FFF wanted to get ride of a G.Loomis GL2 baitcaster rod, and I was after any good fishing rod. This one would have fitted the bill perfectly.
Once contacted the fellow was in fact very interested in trading his rod for a brand new reel, and even offered to come to my place in the very same afternoon to close the deal.
And this is how I got a new rod to replace my broken one.

My new fishing rod.

It was impossible to wait, I jumped on my pushbike and went to the closest beach where I could to try it. Fannie Bay was the destination, and the rod is here coupled to an Abu Garcia Revo Inshore reel. 

It casted very well, and I am now rather impatient to test it with a fish at the end of the line.

Here is a little photo to show you the beautiful place where I was doing my field testing. Yes it is hard, but someone had to do it...

Fannie Bay, Darwin Northern Australia.

Yes there is some more unpleasant place to go to for a quick flick, just to test a new fishing rod.

The only thing that bugs me a little in all this... Is that I have still never fished with a Daiwa fishing reel yet, even if I owned one for a few days...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.

My precious prizes.

Hi there,

Yes I have received the prizes for my win the the fourth round of the Top End Barra Series.
And let me tell you that this is some really cool prizes...

The best of them is the fishing rod: a G.Loomis GL2 CR665.

Yes, that's the one.

A fishing rod to which I would only give a quick and furtive glance once in a while at the tackle shop. Too expensive for my fishing budget, it was till last week just a dream.
And then all it took to have one was just an enormous amount of luck, and one of them become mine.
It is ultra light in the hand, yet cast like a breeze, and seem to be able to show some guts if a fish was to be caught. I can't wait for my first catch on this rod.
For the reel, I have mounted my old and trusty Curado 201E7 on it.

In situe.

This is a very nice combo, light and beautiful. 

One of my favourite things about this rod, is that it comes accompanied by a very large understatement. Like most items of high quality, there is no bling attached to it. Just a very simple, short and efficient rod, made of the best materials possible. This fishing rod could be described as being chic, rather than trendy.

The lure on this images is a Reidy's B52.

This rod was the prize for winning the round.

The second prize was for having caught the biggest Barramundi of the round, and it is a Plano 1374 Guide Series tackle box.

An absolutely massive tackle box, which I think I may use mostly as a storage box for my lures at home. 

First because I don't really see myself going fishing on the pushbike with such a large tackle box. Then, because it would be a bit awkward when I am lucky to be invited on a boat, to arrive and occupy half of the boat room with my gears. And finally for the very simple raison, that I need a one and all storage place for my lures at home, instead of having them all over the place...

Have a look at it:

My biggest tackle box so far.

So yes, it would be faire to say that when I look at my prizes, I am a happy chap.

Even if it is true that now I am very afraid of breaking my new rod...

But hey, it could be worse.

Have a good day,

Me.