Stella 4000sw

[Avishkaar]

Hi guys
What rod would you ideally pair with a Shimano Stella 4000sw
I already have spooled the reel with 15lb PowerPro SuperSlick 8
Going to be used from the surf targeting game fish (Garrick,Kingies etc)

[FishStyx]

I use mine on a custom built Beastmaster Tiger Special... A bit short for throwing in the surf but an amazing combo off the boat. I have Gosen PE1.5 on it but I reckon the SS8 will be magic as well.


 

[Plugger]

Go to the two main tackle shops in Durban and ask the guys there.

[Kes]

Go to the two main tackle shops in Durban and ask the guys there.

I don't understand this type of ridiculous feedback. Better not to respond in that case.


My understanding of this forum is that it is an evolving knowledge base and that we are here to help each other out and to provide honest and experienced feedback. But now we get to a place where we flog a guy off to the nearest tackle shop to be the at the mercy of the hounds that are resident there. Seriously?


Like I said, better to respond in that case.

[Kes]

Hi guys
What rod would you ideally pair with a Shimano Stella 4000sw
I already have spooled the reel with 15lb PowerPro SuperSlick 8
Going to be used from the surf targeting game fish (Garrick,Kingies etc)

Hi Avishkaar and welcome to the forum.


When you say that you are going to be targeting Garrick and Kingfish, I suppose you will be wanting to spin for them?


The 4000 size Shimano reels are a tad small so with 15lb braid, I venture that you probably managed to get around 260m on there? That is more than enough line or is it? With your target species in mind, my view is that you are going to need a rod with a fair amount of backbone should you hook into either of those fish above the 5kg mark, especially a GT above 5kg.


So let's take a hypothetical situation as an example; if your average cast is around 90-110m (this will get better as well with time) and let's say you hook into a fish with a few turns of the handle, line will peel off your reel at the rate of knots and although the reel has a 11kg odd drag, that won't matter because you have 15lb line on your reel and you will only be able to adjust to under 2/3 of your max drag on the run. Realistically, probably less than or around 1/2. So with line peeling off, you have about 150m left over to work with before that GT reaches the nearest reef. This is where the backbone of the rod comes in because that's your best chance of turning that fish before it reefs you.


With a 4000 size Shimano, the best option, in my opinion, is a rod not longer than 10ft and since you have the rolls royce of grinder reels, you would need to pair it with an appropriate equal that would serve to maximise the potential of the reel. My suggestion is to that you have a look at the Shimano Aerocast XH 9.8ft spinning rod. Its not a cheap rod at all but it may very well fit the bill for what you are trying to achieve and it will be a very well balanced combination. It has a casting weight of around 2.5oz max. I stand correct on this figure though. 


What I do suggest is that you take a drive down to Basil Manning or any other local tackle shop that stocks this rod and get a first hand feel for it. Take your reel with you and put it on the rod just to get a sense of the overall outfit. Whilst you there, you can have a look at other offerings and because you have your reel with you, you can find one that is most comfortable for you.


The other rod that I can recommend is the Assassin  Amia Zero 9ft XH. It has a casting weight of  1-3oz and is around half the price of the Shimano although it might be slightly heavier than the Shimano. The Amia Zero Edition are brilliant rods with loads and loads of backbone that wont dissapoint.

All things considered, get to a tackle shop and get  a "feel" for yourself.

[Avishkaar]

Hi Kes.
Thank you for the welcome,much appreciated.
I will be spinning for them from the surf.Basically anything that will take a lure (shad,kob etc)
I have been using 19lb Gosen Casting for a while,had about 400m on there with backing.Had a few bad experiences with it so decided to try out the PowerPro with 15lb being the lightest I could get my hands on at Bassil Manning.I have roughy +-380m on it with backing.
I have been using the Berkley Air 9ft XH,Shimano Technium 9ft XH.
Your suggestion with the Aerocast breaks my heart because I got sold mine to get another rod...the joys!!!
I have purchased a blank from Jigstar Africa,Black Hole Striper 9.6ft (2.5oz-5oz rating) and got the rod built up....it's a beauty of a rod BUT.....I feel it's a to much of a rod for the Stella 4000,if that makes sense.Tried my Stella 6000 and it feels better....maybe I am just a fuss pot!
I have heard of the guys speaking about the Major Craft brand of rods which also has been making a name for itself of recent,but the only you is to feel it for myself which is difficult when the guys who use them you hardly meet/see.
I am going to have a look at the Amia some time this week,or maybe I should just ask the guys for the Aerocast back...LOL...

[FishStyx]

IMHO, I reckon a 9" is the longest you should go with a 4K shimi. The 4K Stella is a small reel and spool diameter is very small. Trying to get massive distance with a 10' or 11' rod is probably going to get you a lot of wind knots (because of the small diameter)... When I read Kes' suggestion of the Aerocast, I thought perfect, but rather the 9' (or even 8' if they make one).


I had considered suggesting the 9' Air, but the reel is too small IMO. I have my 5K stella on an Air and it's just perfectly balanced.


I also feel that if you set your mind to consider the 4K setup as a sort of "very light" rig, and kept your 6K as the "light" rig, you'd find more balance in your approach and your targets (if that makes any sense). The Striper would be a totally awesome pair with a 5/6K reel. Majorcraft build phenomenal rods too. Ask Steenie about his.

[donovann]

Hi Avishkaar,


I have two Major Craft rods, the one for your application(my opinion) would be the N-ONE, 10fT Can trow 50Grams with ease, i have mine paired with the new stradic 5000 and 15LB Seaguar kanzen.

[REEFMAN]

Yussie... Stella's, Aerocasts, Majorcrafts, Seaguar, Black Hole.... 

Premium tackle boys... very very nice, and jealous as heck! 

[Kes]

Hi Kes.
Thank you for the welcome,much appreciated.
I will be spinning for them from the surf.Basically anything that will take a lure (shad,kob etc)
I have been using 19lb Gosen Casting for a while,had about 400m on there with backing.Had a few bad experiences with it so decided to try out the PowerPro with 15lb being the lightest I could get my hands on at Bassil Manning.I have roughy +-380m on it with backing.
I have been using the Berkley Air 9ft XH,Shimano Technium 9ft XH.
Your suggestion with the Aerocast breaks my heart because I got sold mine to get another rod...the joys!!!
I have purchased a blank from Jigstar Africa,Black Hole Striper 9.6ft (2.5oz-5oz rating) and got the rod built up....it's a beauty of a rod BUT.....I feel it's a to much of a rod for the Stella 4000,if that makes sense.Tried my Stella 6000 and it feels better....maybe I am just a fuss pot!
I have heard of the guys speaking about the Major Craft brand of rods which also has been making a name for itself of recent,but the only you is to feel it for myself which is difficult when the guys who use them you hardly meet/see.
I am going to have a look at the Amia some time this week,or maybe I should just ask the guys for the Aerocast back...LOL...

The BlackHole Striper is too much of a rod for the Stella 4000. You would probably need a 10000 size Shimano to pair up nicely with the rod but then again it also depends on what you want to fish the rod for. The Striper can be fished with some decent sized baits so its not only for spinning. For spinning the Stella 6000 might actually be perfect (On second thought).


If the Aerocast is long gone, check out the Amia. I promise, you wont be dissapointed.


Keep us posted..

[Kes]

IMHO, I reckon a 9" is the longest you should go with a 4K shimi. The 4K Stella is a small reel and spool diameter is very small. Trying to get massive distance with a 10' or 11' rod is probably going to get you a lot of wind knots (because of the small diameter)... When I read Kes' suggestion of the Aerocast, I thought perfect, but rather the 9' (or even 8' if they make one).


I had considered suggesting the 9' Air, but the reel is too small IMO. I have my 5K stella on an Air and it's just perfectly balanced.


I also feel that if you set your mind to consider the 4K setup as a sort of "very light" rig, and kept your 6K as the "light" rig, you'd find more balance in your approach and your targets (if that makes any sense). The Striper would be a totally awesome pair with a 5/6K reel. Majorcraft build phenomenal rods too. Ask Steenie about his.

9ft was my thinking initially but then I heard Kingfish and Garrick which is what made me say 10ft.


There is an 8ft Aerocast also, actually a 7.9ft..

[Steenie]

Maybe its just me, but I really struggle to spin with short rods here in KZN. Our conditions are much different to those in the Eastern Cape, for example.  Our shore breaks are very big, the beaches often very steep, the sand very coarse or even pebble-like. And to make matters worse there are often some seaweed being tossed around in the shorebreak. Long casts are often required. So it really helps to have a rod of around 10 ft or longer for our local conditions unless you predominantly spin deep water points.

With a 4000 Stella one would ideally want to use a super light rod, capable of fishing a diverse range of lures effectively. I have tested a Shimano Technium 9.10 ft 1 - 2 oz recently. It is feather light and casts a mile! And you can fish many different lures effectively with it. Tip action is brilliant. Or as others suggested the Majorcraft N-one range is awesome as well. I use the 10.6 ft 1 - 2 oz N-one and its super light, but with more backbone than the Shimano Technium mentioned above.  To give you some idea, the N-one weighs around 30% lighter than the 11 ft Assassin Sierra heavy (1 a 2 oz).

[tackle whore]

Look for a 9ft Caspian the old white one .it's a super underrated blank you can even rebuild it to your specs.

[fishatic]

Can I weigh in one more opinion?
Nothing wrong with a 4000 sized reel.
Does it loose out to a 5000?
A bit yes, but it wont explode in a cloud of flying monkeys.

Of the alternative between the Aerocast and the Technium:
Technium wins.
Shimano have set the Aero up with a guide train that WILL suffer fraps / knots at the 1st guide. 
Technium uses a much better set up.
It’s light, fast and casts well.

The 9'2 Black Hole Striper Special is a powerful rod.
It can and many in the US cast 1oz Daiwa SP minnows no problem.
However, it would be better with heavier lures and a bigger reel.

A 3m stick will be just fine with your reel.

Your braid equates to PE2.5 which is a little heavy but will work OK.
I can understand why you gave up on the sub PE2 braids, they can be a handful.

WHEN it wears out… consider (shush all the nay-sayers) something along the lines of Nanofil in 7kg.
It is as thin as PE 1.2 but is WAY WAY easier to live with with the following caveat:

You MUST use a braid casting leader with it.
It will dramatically increase distance and is a good handling alternative to hateful PE1.2 braid. It is GOOD friends with a 3000 sized Daiwa or 4000 sized Shimano.

Steenie would agree I think?

[fishatic]

Further thought.

If you want to consider Black Hole, the Suzuki Specials in 9'6" or 9'10" should be on your short list
The jignpop website calls the longer rod a 1002 ie 10' 2 piece. It is NOT 10' long.

Don't mix Imperial and metric. There are 12 inches to a foot. 25.4mm to an inch.

Suzuki Special 962:
9'6" long. 114" and is equal to 9.5' or 2.895m.
Rating is 1-3oz but you can cast from 3/4 upwards. Built weight around 185g.

Suzuki Special 1002:
9'10" long. 118" and is equal to 9.84' (mixing imperial and metric gives weird numbers) or 2.997m, call it a 3m rod....
Rating is 1-2oz but you can cast from 1/2oz upwards.
Built weight around 165g.

I have built both and love both, but the 3m wins my heart.
But they will cost you more than a factory rod.

[fishatic]

Machine test of the 962:
machine test of light 9'6" Black Hole Suzuki Special rod
Dont know what I am doing wrong - cannot get the video to embed properly... the "s" it https is gone..Reefz? Help.
FIXED. Rfz

[FishStyx]

Machine test of the 962:
http://youtu.be/ewmE_Bwv1-s
Dont know what I am doing wrong - cannot get the video to embed properly... the "s" it https is gone..Reefz? Help.

    and that angle looked very "high stick" to me... Wow!

[Kes]

Machine test of the 962:
http://youtu.be/ewmE_Bwv1-s
Dont know what I am doing wrong - cannot get the video to embed properly... the "s" it https is gone..Reefz? Help.

    and that angle looked very "high stick" to me... Wow!

You can high stick a Black Hole but you shouldn't.. [/size]