Charles Kretzmann from Australia imported some KP reels and Poseidon surf rods to try on the local Aussie waters. Here are a few pictures and stories of what he has been up to.

A recent photo of our trip attached.  This is only the second time I’ve ever hooked a saltwater fish with a lure in its mouth.  The first time was in Mozambique and the kingfish had just broken off a 6kg outfit without probably noticing it.

Here is the photo I said I’d send of the shark mackerel remnants and the lure you gents lost a couple of days before.     The fish took a Hopkins Shorty spoon that I was fishing slowly for cobia and was taken within seconds by a big shark.  I was trying different ways to get some tackle back in these circumstances and I let it run under medium pressure.  The shark took a lot of line (250 or 300m) and then the head came free.   I then wound fast so as to get the bit away from the shark and was a bit surprised to see that some other wanker had been throwing lures at my fish.....

Interestingly this tactic worked at least two other times that trip.  If you hold hard to try to get a bit of the fish, you seem to lose the lot.  If you fish for the hookup (slack line for 40m to 50 m then tighten) you sometimes get a good hookup and  then have a long fight until the trace wears through, and you lose the lot.  A medium drag lets the fish run, but it seems that when the jaws do go through the fish, then there is a chance of a lure back, at least. 

Here a photo of a 15kg cobia taken on that Poseidon Bantam you sent to me last year.  

The setup is 12kg line on a Penn 545 Graphite, with a 100g raider lure.  The L tip is a bit light for a full-on cast with that lure, so I was using the M tip instead. 
I can get a long way with that, some 130 to 150m.  The fish took at the limit of my cast, and took off down the coast.  The rod performs very well, is a lot stronger than the “Bantam” name would have you believe, and was a big help when I finally got it in close.  Had a couple of Spanish Macks (Katonkel) the same day, but they were about 10kg, and were quick to come in.   A good day!

I also had a big bronzie about 3m long take a Raider, and then some 500m of line (300m of braid, then 250m of 12kg mono for the cast) I was about to pop it off when I felt it slowing and shaking head.  I held for a while, and then it turned.  And so I thought I could beat it, and so it proved – back and forwards for over an hour, then it came for a look at the base of the bricks.  I have no use for such a big shark, so I popped it off the short line and sent it on its way with a bit of red-and-white face jewelry.  All the time the rod tip folded when it needed to and gave a good strong butt when required.  That’s a better value rod than you can by on this side of the pond.