No matter how long you’ve been casting into the salt, the thrill of standing on the bow of the boat, rod loaded, about to launch your lure into a feeding frenzy will always send tingles down your spine.
Just getting to that point, within casting range of a big marine predator—be it a striper, a bluefish, a mahi, or a tuna—is the culmination of hours of preparation, networking, glassing, and riding. To capitalize on the often-too-rare opportunities, you’ll want a tackle system that is perfectly suited for everything from making the cast to working the lure to battling a big saltwater gamefish.
The Cast
All that preparation is for naught if when you finally find your target, your cast falls short—or, worse, if you have to drive the boat so close that you scatter the bait and fish.
Rod and line need to be perfectly synched to deliver long casts to these fast-moving targets, but they still have to strike a balance between casting distance and fighting power.
Thinner diameter line will give fishermen a few more yards on the cast, at the expense of breaking strength, but with the PowerPro Super8Slick V2, an angler can increase their range without limiting their power. The dense-weave, 8-end construction with smooth coating reduces friction of the Super Slick v2 on the spool and through the rod guides, allowing lures to fly farther.
A rod needs to have a weight to strength ratio that allows the angler to make many casts, all day, without getting worn out by a heavy stiff rod. The rod also plays the largest role in an angler’s accuracy, which is especially important when trying to lead a school of fast-moving fish.
The Shimano Grappler Type C jigging rods are made using Shimano’s Spiral X and Hi-PowerX. This is an inner and outer layer of carbon tape that is tightly wrapped diagonally in opposite directions with a vertical sheet of carbon material in between. This makes the Grappler rods thin, strong, and lightweight while preventing rod twist which improves casting distance, accuracy and control.
And of course, the lure itself plays a role in achieving the necessary casting distance. While heavy, slim lures will cast the farthest, they often sink quickly and lack action. Lures with more action tend to catch the wind or tumble, falling short. But some lures, like the Shimano Coltsniper Lineup, use technology to create a lures that casts like a dart.
The long-casting capability of the Coltsniper series is owed to the lures internal Propulsion Weight Transfer System, which helps them cast up to 22% farther than lures with similar dimensions. Instead of a free-rolling ball, like many lures with internal weighting systems have, the Shimano Propulsion Weight Transfer System has a cyclindrical weight on a spring, that insures the weight returns to the precise location needed to perfectly balance the lure for the retrieve.
The Retrieve
Once you’ve gotten your lure in front of the fish, now you need to bring it to life.
Lures like the Shimano Coltsniper Jerkbait have their own built-in action thanks to the lip, which creates a frantic baitfish kicking action. The Coltsniper Jerkbait is “slow floating” which means it hangs momentarily on the pause before beginning a slow ascent to the surface, a move that stripers and school tuna can’t resist
Lures like the Coltsniper Stickbait require more angler input, which results in a more lifelike action aimed at finicky fish. Featuring a sand eel-like slim shape design, the slow-sinking stickbaits have a wide slide swim action when retrieved.
Of course, you can’t head out in search of surface-feeding fish without a walk-the-dog topwater, like the Shimano Coltsniper Walk Hi-Pitch. In addition to its easy-walking action, it features a glass fiber material for hi-pitch rattle sound, to bring fish to the top. Noisemaking topwaters are a wise choice for search baits on days when the fish are feeding subsurface.
The rod must be responsive enough to enact an angler’s will on the lure. The combination of Shimano’s Spiral X and Hi-Power X technologies in the Grappler Type C rods provide perfected lure action, allowing fishermen to effortlessly transfer their movements through the rod to the lure, allowing them to walk, dart, glide, or stop cold, triggering a fish to bite.
The Fight
Once that striper, bluefish, mahi, or tuna latches on, the fun—and the work—begins.
While the reel came to play during the cast and the retrieve, it plays its biggest role during the fight. A powerful, saltwater-capable reel with a smooth drag like the Shimano TwinPower puts the odds further in the fisherman’s favor.
The TwinPower SW Spinning Reels feature Shimano’s HAGANE reel design, which features a metal reel body with high rigidity that virtually eliminates body flexing, and less body flexing means more cranking power with less effort.
That strength and durability extends to the HAGANE gear, which provides long-lasting smoothness, especially when fighting big, strong fish. Relying on Shimano’s cold-forging capabilities, this process for forming the metal gears delivers the level of durability need to fight powerful fish.
Combine the HAGANE body with X-Ship technology, where large precision cut gears with increased bearing support provide power transmission efficiency, and anglers have a reel where maximum pressure can be used when fighting big fish.
The reels also feature X-Shield and X-Protect to provide water resistance in the most extreme conditions, while the X-Rigid aluminum rotor handles the high drag pressure when using braided line.
And speaking of braid, the Super8Slick V2’s toughness comes into play during the fight with its knot strength and superior abrasion resistance thanks its smooth coating.
On the four larger TwinPower reels feature the X-Tough Drag, where the drag washers are compressed both above and below for smooth and consistent drag performance.
While the drag tires out the fish, it’s time for the rod to steer it back toward the boat.
Built to do battle with the toughest pelagic heavyweights, the Shimano Grappler Type C popping rods have a sturdy fish-fighting backbone to compliment the softer tip for casting a retrieving. The Spiral X that aids in casting by elimination torque, also puts more power on the fish, while keeping the rod lightweight enough so that the fisherman doesn’t tire before the fish.
And because any chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link, all of the Coltsniper Lures are reinforced with through-wire construction, built to handle everything from tail-walking bluefish to hard-charging tuna.
The Next Bite
Fish boatside, adrenalin still pumping, an angler needs to know that the gear is ready for another battle, because nothing revives tired arms faster than the sight of blitzing fish.
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Thanks
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Thanks
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06870
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Best Wishes to all! Stay Safe!,
Dan
How does one enter to win these prizes?
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Thankfully spring is here, and We have the fishing season back again. We need it more than ever! The excitement is hugely escalated by the prospect of winning the latest and greatest Lures and equipment provided by the already infamous Shimano company. Thank you for the added excitement that is greatly appreciated. Best wishes to you all. Wade?
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Christmas in June.
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???????? I LOVE TE FISHING
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Sweet!
I could use a new rod and reel, after someone stole my equipment.
Always a productive striped bass lure go to!
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Love those Twin-Power reels! Got to use one a friend had and it is without a doubt one of the premier reels out there.
Work life balance = Fishing❗️
Work life balance = Fishing❗️
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All most time, let’s go
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Thanks
Stop begging and wishing .Im gonna get picked .Lol
where do you find the winners???
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Need new fishing gear…
Wife Used mine and never returned!
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Need this —-<*{}{}{}{}<
Thanks
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Thank u
thanks OTW and Shimano for the shot at winning a sweet package
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Lol all of these beggars.
Onthewater staff must get a kick out of this ,so f ing funny,??
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How long does this run until?
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THANK YOU
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I don’t own a boat and I am prone to motion sickness so I’m stuck to sure fishing. So many articles I read on salt water fishing is from boats. I’d like to see helpful articles for shore fishermen.
awesome
Nice!
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Just started fishing last year, made a mistake getting a 15ft 9 beachcaster as my first rod, would love that shimano rod, it looks amazing. Was my birthday yesterday so what a late present it would be.
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I have a Stradic 4000 that I have been fishing with for years and years and it catches big reds and little ground mullet, best reel ever.
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I’m in!?
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Can really see myself using this for stripers
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I could only dream
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I have wanted to get back into fishing in a long time and now that I’m paralyzed and what’s my leg it would be great to win this so that I can get started thank you for the opportunity
Shimano makes the “best for the money” gear in the market. Saragosas and Baitrunners mounted on Trevalas have been my goto rig for years. Need the gear to take the sting away from losing my Shimano cap in Fiji March 20, 2020. Can’t wait to hit the cows in Buzzards Bay soon.
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I have always wanted to win some fishing gear! Never won anything before!
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Thank You!
I really need some new stuff my rod broke because of a big fish.
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Need a. Ew pole and reel mine broke
Hello! How do I enter myself in the drawing for the giveaways? Thanks! 🙂
-Bryce Spaur
How do I sign up to win? It would be great to have to teach my kids to fish