Baby GeeTee

Ok.... now that I've fully recovered from the sandfly onslaught some 2 weeks back, I can start posting fishy pics again. 

Still feeling a bit 'sore' from those pesky things. That'll teach me to wear long pants whenever I go fishing.

Jeffroman @ minnow reports in again from a secret spot somewhere - with a baby GeeTee landed on X-Rap! Not those massive GTs from popping but a Trevally nevertheless - from a very unlikely spot too! Well done Jeffroman!

Release!

Beware the Sandflies!

I've been itching 2 days straight... literally! 

Ps A, D. Jerry and myself had just returned from a day trip to one of the nearby mangrove river systems, hoping to get some Barramundi action. We got lots of action alright - from the sandflies that literally chewed us to bits.

Ps A was the smart one - wearing long pants and long sleeves while D. Jerry and myself were the macho guys in shorts. But somehow he had less bites than me! I wonder if it's coz my lack of hair on my legs made the difference...

Even though we were well equipped with liberal doses of insect repellent to keep mozzies and sandflies at bay, somehow these sandflies, gnats or whatever you call them, seemed to have mutated to become resistant to the repellent. In fact, I can almost swear as if the repellent seemed to ATTRACT them instead.

2 days have passed any both my legs are covered with little bites that itch to no end!!! A word of caution for anglers heading into the mangroves - wear long pants and long sleeves. Or you'll end up like an ape scratching yourself silly in public for days to come.

Entering the beautiful mangrove system

Ambush point. This is where the Barra will hunt when the tide recedes 

First hookup

First fish landed for the day

Little Baby

Yup, they took Storm Wildeye Swim Shad too

Happy smiles!

I used 1/5 of this bottle and it still didn't stop the sandflies. They must be supaflies!!

This was the first part of the day - by the end of the day, my sexy, hairy-less legs were to be covered in bites. *scratch scratch*

Sufix Lines - Preeettty Good!

Ever since the news of Rapala VMC acquiring Sufix, it seemed like it was about to be a 1-stop fishing tackle mega-brand with its finger on rods, reels, lures, optics, apparel and now lines. 

Long before Sufix was an established line company, I had been fishing with their mono range and I must say they were pretty good and value for money. In those days, braid was super expensive and when they released the Matrix Pro in economic spools, it was one of the more affordable braids out there. I was a student then and money was hard to come by.

Fast forward 10 years down the road where braid and lines are made more affordable with the advent of newer technologies and materials. So it doesn't take much to know that I was truly pleased to check out some of the new Sufix products that landed on my doorstep one day.

Items:

Sufix Tru-Braid

Sufix Performance Braid

Sufix 100% Fluorocarbon

The Tru-Braids use 2nd generation Dyneema fiber and is supposed to  have pretty good knot strength and from the packing datasheet, also features Corona Fusion Coloring Technology TM that ensures colour intensity and retention are to the max. It comes in 5 colours: blue, yellow, light blue, red and orange, each marked every 10m length. Perfect for jigging as you'd know the depth of the water column where you want to present your jig.

Performance Braid, easily recognizable from the hi-vis yellow colour, is the next generation of microfilament line. Like Tru-Braid, it utilizes Digital Y6 braiding technology to produce  a small diameter line that is long casting, quiet and strong on knot strength. Feels pretty nice and after a full on jigging trip, the colour retention on the line was pretty good - the bright yellow still looked bright and certainly was a lot quieter when line whizzed out through the guides. 

Haven't had a good chance to use the fluorocarbons yet but from the feel, it was pretty hard and seemed to have a high abrasion resistance.

Pretty lines, pretty lines...

Lure angler's companion in the pouch

Sufix Tru Braid (L) & Sufix Performance Braid (R)

Made with Digital Y6 braiding process, supposedly to produce a thinner and quieter line

High vis yellow

Multi colours for the Tru-Braid - perfect for jigging