Thanks for everyones input but one question hasnt be answered= will the fuji alconites cope ok,compared to the sic guides...I have used them with mono but not with braid.any comments good or bad?

no wind knots reel appeal.Titahi ref exp rod= Good point.

Mark.I will let you check em out for me...sure you will pick the ideal one(for now anyway)

Is there any distance casting guys or clubs in your area? A few minutes with one of these guys will have you loading any rod properly and achieving distances you would not think possible...I had to re-learn how to cast after buying a Distance 222 from Kilwell as it was technique I was lacking not shear grunt.

Go and catch some fish on the rods you have and when and if you can upgrade don't hesitate. Maybe someone in your area has a "purpose built" stick bait rod to show you the differences?

I think fishi is right , I can make my old holden go fast, but a new purpose made one will do it better, way better. The ole killwell rods are minters, the E glass tips over graphite butt sections was a revelation.... 20 years ago.   ( might have even been 21  years ago???)

 I wonder what Mark Kitteridge replaced that rod with..... a new purpose built one?

Having stood beside people at the Mongonui wharf casting stickbaits with a Diawa expedition rod all of 8 foot something long and watching their jaws drop when ya let one rip, especially when they are casting with 12 footers is mint

Keep going hard and look forward to seeing a bend in some of those rods soon.

 

Reelappeal...true the lure will travel different....on one cast the sinker had speared into the ground and i had to pull it out LOL....I have thought about the FG  knot/mid knot but have trouble getting my head around it and find the PR easier. I used a sinker that was about the weight of stick bait i plan to use but some sticks i have are lighter,some will be heavier....Had a few strange looks off people,while  casting on the field but i got it done before the rain came in.

Falco and Sid...thanks for your comments about my cast and your points....I wasnt sure what most people get..i suppose if you have the room ,the longer rod is ideal but a smaller boat,maybe my 7 footers would be more suited.....How about the Fuji Alconites compared to the sic guides? Are they going to cut the mustard with all the kings im going to fight?

SID...i have a friend in indonesia and he bought that expensive varivas line(smp) you mentioned...he fishes for GTs and he said he wishes he hadnt and that he prefers this line(he has pe3 ,pe5,pe6,pe8 in this one)....He didnt say why but i will quiz him over it.

No offence taken mate,Your entitled to your opinion..However,The composite developments rod was owned by mark kitteridge...he used a penn 850 reel on it and used to catch yellowfin tuna on it(have seen the pics) and it has sic guides on it(these are not old school guides and neither are fuji Alconites...the later are whats on the braid concepts i bought off you)

The kilwell Pink panther has caught 18,16(2),12 and 10 pound snaps plus a 48 pound king off the bricks and is very light.I have two of them and they are 17 years old and still going strong.

The kilwell jelly tip 15-24(thats 15 years old) along with the 10-15 kg are one of the most bought rods in NZ.I heard one guy on here,say he wanted to catch a marlin on one soon(15-24)

I was also told by mark off extreme charters that some of the old rods are better than some of the new...new is not always better mate.I have also been fishing  here for 21 years bro...maybe,a bit longer than you But im still learning.

All of the above rods were made in New Zealand...Not china.Thats why they have lasted.Kilwell dont make crap...None of these rods cost more than 250 bucks.The cd was second hand of kitterdige mind but was expensive at the time.I wont be selling any of these rods..thats for sure(unless i leave the country!)

Have you tried an FG knot for your leader connecting knot? I personally rate the knot for casting...

As falco mentioned 6m is a long trace, you would pick up some metres if this was shortened to a couple of wraps on the spool...

Expect to lose a few metres with an actual lure as they are'nt quite as aerodynamic as a torpedo sinker...After all this your lure will get smashed right at the boat!! Hehe 

Haven't used Varivas, but have used cast man and cant say that I notice a huge difference from more standard type braids. Also am quite interested in some of the other thinner braids casting quality like Power pro and/or Whiplash etc, will get around to it as respools happen.

Also the casting braid that Varivas is really famous for is GT SMP, which is hugely expensive and as a result I haven't bought any yet, some others may comment. I know Gman rates it very highly from his beginners post.

On another tangent, what I am starting to think about rods is that length is great for casting and generally longer rods get a better cast. However I use reasonably successfully a 6'3" rod for some casting. Easy to whip around the boat and is multi purpose, if the bait weight is matched fairly well to the rod this can be more important for the cast distance than purely rod length.

However on the retreive a well balanced rod with a good medium type action and a decent length (like 7'6" plus) can really get a good swim out of a stick bait. The shorter rods shorten your sweep and the run from the bait is shortened. Hence I would choose a longer rod generally not just for cast length but for a better retrieve with stickbaits. Poppers don't reckon it matters as much.