I don't fish for big kingies offshore, mainly harbours, shorelines and inner Hauraki Gulf. 

BIG QUESTION: is 10kg max drag enough? The 6500 size BG has 15kg max, but is a lot bigger reel. 

on a side note:

Thanks Dmitriy, I've got the order for a 5000H in with Plat, awaiting notification of the shipping cost. 

I don't want to seem like I'm second guessing, but I just don't want to rush into a purchase on the basis of a great sale price and make a mistake - end up with a reel that isn't QUITE what I need for the sake of saving a few bucks. 

I've done that before, and feel stink afterwards.

Great feedback, Structfab. Appreciate your input. I've never really considered what drag I've actually got the reel wound to, just do it by feel and how a fish is pulling line.

Thanks for the kind offer re the braid, but I've got a spool of Varivas set aside for the job. 

It'll be a while before I can afford a Saltiga. Maybe for my 50th!

$300 incl shipping

Dunno how you'd go for parts etc though, so many cool reels Daiwa don't bring into NZ

Hmmm, dammit. Now I'm really unsure. Why can't the BG have 15kg drag? !

It's interesting how those sites vary on price. Digitaka has a considerably lower starting retail price, and free shipping. But the Plat gear that is on sale at the moment is quite a bit lower than Digitaka, but they charge quite a bit for shipping. Unfortunately, that size Blast isn't on sale on Plat, only the smaller ones.

I think I've been watching too many videos of Japanese guys catching 31kg kingies off the bricks at the tip of Coromandel.  

Dan, do you think I'd get in trouble if i sold my wife's "jumping" saddle to buy a Saltiga? She's got a "dressage" saddle which looks just the same, surely she won't notice one has gone?? 

What brand of braid are you running, Fishy? 

Haha, I'd never be heard from again. At least her spend on those - which was more than 2k each second hand (must be made from rare antelope leather at that price!) - and other associated crap means I have plenty of ammo for buying new fishing gear. And we trade off her horse riding time with my fishing time. 

Used lighter reel with Tasline on it recently....not a single wind knot.

Just something about that rod vs. JB 60lb??? hoping the Varivas sorts it that's for sure.

JB hollow 100lb is thinner dia. then the 80lb

Thats why..

Another query while you guys are on fire with the braid talk:

The Ocea stick bait rod is rated "30-50lb". As a general guide, what braid strength is realistic - or safe, might be a better word - for using on that rod?

Is it okay to use 50lb stated, which the manufacturer says breaks at max 70lb (seems to be PE or #3 or 4 depending on the supplier) on that rod? Or better to use 30lb stated that breaks at "max 50lb"?

I don't want to snap a rod through overloading. I guess that with a reel at the lower end of the drag scale, I'm less at risk than if I was cranking up a Saltiga to max drag with a heavy line, but just checking.

Rod ratings can be highly inaccurate, tho I've no experience with the Ocea's so can't comment on that specifically, but in the case of a failure it's rarely the braid that'll go 1st unless it's cheap crap, or has been nicked by a toothy critter or similar. I don't like going to light on braid for casting lures over 50g, just cause it's so thin, and can cut your fingers/gloves when casting. I'd go 50lb, and if the rod looks to be close to exploding, back off the drag, or point the rod down at the fish. It's hard to say with out knowing the rod, but you can't do anything to counter-act braid that's too light.....other than lose fish. my 2 cents anyway for what it's worth

Or I'll be yelling like the Port Jackson Japanese guy when he busts off that first kingie after trying to hand line it on to the rocks. Be good to hook that: a stonking fish and a free Carpenter Bluefish in its jaw!

As the likes of DV know, I've been collecting a few lures - both new and second hand (a RAL off this forum), more at the low to mid price than the top end. Mainly I've got the 60-100g class. 

I've also got some big integrated weight soft baits and some sub-surface lures to try - X Raps etc. The rod says it is designed for 50-150g but I've read that it's better in the middle of that range, not at the extremes.

Thanks for that info. Not a brand I'm familiar with, but the guys at Go Fish know their stuff. Got a lovely soft bait rod off them. I find the braid equation a bit of a mystery at times, when the PE rating is involved, and some say "breaks at maximum" of xxlb etc., some say "breaks at average".

I ended up cancelling the Plat deal - they came back overnight with a NZ$60 shipping and handling cost for the reel and some braid, and I don't need the reel urgently. So I ordered a 5000H from a shop in the US (NZ$152 - which was $20 cheaper than Plat's sale price anyway), shipped free to my YouShop account in Oregon. It'll be about NZ$30 to get it home from there.

Can't wait to give it a go.

Alan Hawk recommended the 6500 if regularly catching fish in the 15kg+ range. I wish!!

I caught a 22.5kg king off the bricks with a 6500 baitrunner and the max drag on those is around 7kg i think and i didnt use anywhere near the max.......the more you put on them the more pissed they get.....so yes.......10kg max drag is fine.....especially as you are using lighter braid/leader right?......7 kg of smooth drag is quite a bit of hurt to put on a fish.

On the braid front....plenty of good suggestions already made but id go Tasline Allwhite 50 pound.........pretty sure its an 8 carrier braid....which makes it smoother and stronger and it breaks at 74 pound......but hey........if braid touches structure ...Your ****ed anyway.......its good braid all the same.

Thanks for the input LBD. Alan Hawk says the drag is very smooth on the BG. The only time i've actually measured the kg rating of drag was when I bought my TLD25 for mono live baiting and the boys at Big Fish in Pakuranga got the scales out and set the 'strike' drag on it to 9kg. I recall that requiring a fair bit of grunt to hold on to when they were pulling 9kg.

Snap, re the braid. I was going to get some Varivas from Plat in the same order as the reel, but as explained above, I felt the shipping charge was a bit over the top for what I was ordering. So yip, seriously thinking of Tasline Elite White. I've got some in a lighter rating for soft baiting, and like it a lot. I know one top Kiwi fishing mag writer who's a big fan of it based on long-term hard use, but hasn't mentioned its name in the mag because it's not yet available retail in NZ.

I'm likely to go the 50lb you describe, not the 30lb that breaks at 50. It's good value including shipping from Busted.

Then re-watch that FG knot tutorial on youtube!

Interesting Makka. What's the story with those icecreams? Good on kingies from the shore, just cast and retrieve erratically?

I'd kind of promised no more spending on lures until I catch some kingies with the ones I've got already. But if they are X factor lures, I'm tempted!!

No need to retrieve erratically....they do that for themselves......you cant get one for smooth conditions and one for when its a bit choppy and just wind flat out........shout short assist off the back is good....they dont come rigged/

Top one is 4 oz and bottom one is 6 oz......

4 oz has a 6/0 shout assist on it.......the 6 oz has a 7/0 assist on it......the hook underneath is a shout 7/0 single but has a shorter cord.......for kings i d maybe go for the bottom hook with shorter assist........7/0 could be used on both(to save on costs)....big solid hook.......the longer assist would be more suited to Gts. who come up from behind and engulf.

Really.I bought mine a while ago now ....so I guess they have done the right thing then........what rig do they have on them?

I remember now....they came with a short piece of red assist cord and what looked very similar to  a black magic 7/0 L/B hook.........would probably be good for kings........but i went for the hooks above for two reasons

1....very solid hook ....reliable.

2....make the lure, look longer when being worked.....that black one certainly wont be seen.

NZ$181 landed from the US via YouShop. The US seller offered free shipping within the US. 

I just did another search. Go Fish in Takapuna has the best local price ($260), a lot lower than Marine Deals ($330) which I did my original calculations off. Rod & Reel is another $10 higher than Marine Deals.

The big difference for me, and what attracted me to the reel, was the fast retrieval rate for various lure fishing options.

As you can see from the thread, I had a question mark over the drag power in the smaller size 5000H (because I'm a relative newbie at kingie fishing I didn't have a clue what that really mean in practical terms) but in the heavy duty sizes, there is heaps of drag.

I know it's great to support local stores - like Go Fish, and Big Fish in particular, i'm not so fussed about the chains - but for me, it was a good saving.

From memory, I think he isn't a fan of the Azores, which got a lot of marketing hype in the US. Ditto the big Penn Clash. It'll be interesting to see when he reviews the new Penn Slammer III.