Ed.

Hope everyone has a Merry X'mas and a great new year. May your lines be tight and your fish eskies full!😁

Hope everyone has a Merry X'mas and a great new year. May your lines be tight and your fish eskies full!😁

Hope everyone has a Merry X'mas and a great new year. May your lines be tight and your fish eskies full!😁

Hope everyone has a Merry X'mas and a great new year. May your lines be tight and your fish eskies full!😁

Hope everyone has a Merry X'mas and a great new year. May your lines be tight and your fish eskies full!😁

Personally I am not a fan of WTF Gliss line, I bought a few spools of 18kg gliss, put it on my reels and decided to test it one day, it wouldn't even pick up a 2.5kg weight off the floor without snapping so I binned the lot. Others here have much better success with it, maybe I got a bad batch, who knows?
As for reels I prefer Penn spinning reels mainly in the live liner version such SSVI4500LL, it is a strong but heavier reel than comparable brands for the size and has more than adequate line and drag capacity. The SSVI2500LL is a smaller size but slightly larger than what you have so probably not an major improvement for you.
I recently bought a Abu Veritas 3 9'2" 6-10kg 2 piece which will fit it and they do make smaller sizes in that rod model, it seems like it a reasonable rod and should do the job for break wall and rock fishing and such, giving me extra reach from the rocks but as yet I haven't had a chance to physically try it out.
Currently I have the SSV4500LL on a Ugly Stik 7', 2 piece 6-10kg USG-SP702GP rod and I have  a spare spool. On the spare spool which is loaded with 40lb Powerpro line and the other I have a thin diameter 18lb mono. As there are heaps of other models of rod and reels that will suit, it makes it hard to choose as personal taste  will dictate what you like.

Personally I am not a fan of WTF Gliss line, I bought a few spools of 18kg gliss, put it on my reels and decided to test it one day, it wouldn't even pick up a 2.5kg weight off the floor without snapping so I binned the lot. Others here have much better success with it, maybe I got a bad batch, who knows?
As for reels I prefer Penn spinning reels mainly in the live liner version such SSVI4500LL, it is a strong but heavier reel than comparable brands for the size and has more than adequate line and drag capacity. The SSVI2500LL is a smaller size but slightly larger than what you have so probably not an major improvement for you.
I recently bought a Abu Veritas 3 9'2" 6-10kg 2 piece which will fit it and they do make smaller sizes in that rod model, it seems like it a reasonable rod and should do the job for break wall and rock fishing and such, giving me extra reach from the rocks but as yet I haven't had a chance to physically try it out.
Currently I have the SSV4500LL on a Ugly Stik 7', 2 piece 6-10kg USG-SP702GP rod and I have  a spare spool. On the spare spool which is loaded with 40lb Powerpro line and the other I have a thin diameter 18lb mono. As there are heaps of other models of rod and reels that will suit, it makes it hard to choose as personal taste  will dictate what you like.

Just get a surf board and go out around Ballina. Shouldn’t take long. They’ll find you.

Personally I am not a fan of WTF Gliss line, I bought a few spools of 18kg gliss, put it on my reels and decided to test it one day, it wouldn't even pick up a 2.5kg weight off the floor without snapping so I binned the lot. Others here have much better success with it, maybe I got a bad batch, who knows?
As for reels I prefer Penn spinning reels mainly in the live liner version such SSVI4500LL, it is a strong but heavier reel than comparable brands for the size and has more than adequate line and drag capacity. The SSVI2500LL is a smaller size but slightly larger than what you have so probably not an major improvement for you.
I recently bought a Abu Veritas 3 9'2" 6-10kg 2 piece which will fit it and they do make smaller sizes in that rod model, it seems like it a reasonable rod and should do the job for break wall and rock fishing and such, giving me extra reach from the rocks but as yet I haven't had a chance to physically try it out.
Currently I have the SSV4500LL on a Ugly Stik 7', 2 piece 6-10kg USG-SP702GP rod and I have  a spare spool. On the spare spool which is loaded with 40lb Powerpro line and the other I have a thin diameter 18lb mono. As there are heaps of other models of rod and reels that will suit, it makes it hard to choose as personal taste  will dictate what you like.

A few years ago  I was undecided about which LP bait casting reel to buy,  the Abu Toro Revo Beast T2 BST60 or the Daiwa LEXA HD 400HS-P which were similar specifications wise, umm'ed and err'd for ages,  but in the end I bought  the TICA UZIO GCB 300H which was about a third of the price compared to the other two at that time, what I do miss in it though, is a magnetic brake as it only has the centrifugal brake.
But for chasing smallish tuna I would still much prefer to use my Fathom FTH15LD2 which has only 9Kg of drag VS the 15Kg of the Uzio, but that is just me as I don't use light line and provided I don't have to cast with it.

Technically they probably do produce the stated drags when they do their measurements but there is no legislation that says how they have to measure them, as in full spool or almost empty spool and also for what length of time they have to keep providing that amount of drag, at what speed  or for how many runs, it is merely an indication and not a good one at that. So at the end of the day,  lots of grey areas and none that can be enforced so most likely marketing data, so lots of ways to embellish the product.
Having said all that, if I bought a game real that claimed it could produce 15Kg of drag and I could only get 5kg of drag then I would be taking it back, and if the store or manufacturer refused a refund or exchange then I would be taking it up with the Office of Fair Trading as it would not be fit for purpose or faulty. If the reel could produce 15kg of drag but only for a 30m run before fading then that would be a gray area as technically it did produce the stated 15kg albeit only temporarily. That is the realm of legal teams!
One of the biggest problems with drag is that it produces heat so a larger reel generally has a better chance of getting rid of that heat vs a smaller one, taking into account design and drag materials etc. So if you take two overheads and they both state the same drag amount but one is twice as  big than the other, then my money is on the bigger one to do better, excluding twin drags and such.

Technically they probably do produce the stated drags when they do their measurements but there is no legislation that says how they have to measure them, as in full spool or almost empty spool and also for what length of time they have to keep providing that amount of drag, at what speed  or for how many runs, it is merely an indication and not a good one at that. So at the end of the day,  lots of grey areas and none that can be enforced so most likely marketing data, so lots of ways to embellish the product.
Having said all that, if I bought a game real that claimed it could produce 15Kg of drag and I could only get 5kg of drag then I would be taking it back, and if the store or manufacturer refused a refund or exchange then I would be taking it up with the Office of Fair Trading as it would not be fit for purpose or faulty. If the reel could produce 15kg of drag but only for a 30m run before fading then that would be a gray area as technically it did produce the stated 15kg albeit only temporarily. That is the realm of legal teams!
One of the biggest problems with drag is that it produces heat so a larger reel generally has a better chance of getting rid of that heat vs a smaller one, taking into account design and drag materials etc. So if you take two overheads and they both state the same drag amount but one is twice as  big than the other, then my money is on the bigger one to do better, excluding twin drags and such.

I wouldn't put too much stock into drag numbers, there is a fair bit of fudging going on with the numbers, as in; Did the manufacturer measure the drag with a full spool or not and just because a reel can put out 8Kg of drag will it be able to handle it for extended long runs or will it fade very quickly after a few seconds and loose most of its drag capability.
I have a Tica bait caster that can put out 15kg of drag but if I compare it to a Tica ST-468 overhead which I used to have, and which had only 8kg of drag, the Tica overhead would stop a much larger fish and do it much easier than the baitcaster.
If you are using a line class much lighter than the drag rating for most of the time then it is a mute point as you won't stress the drag no matter which reel you use.

I wouldn't put too much stock into drag numbers, there is a fair bit of fudging going on with the numbers, as in; Did the manufacturer measure the drag with a full spool or not and just because a reel can put out 8Kg of drag will it be able to handle it for extended long runs or will it fade very quickly after a few seconds and loose most of its drag capability.
I have a Tica bait caster that can put out 15kg of drag but if I compare it to a Tica ST-468 overhead which I used to have, and which had only 8kg of drag, the Tica overhead would stop a much larger fish and do it much easier than the baitcaster.
If you are using a line class much lighter than the drag rating for most of the time then it is a mute point as you won't stress the drag no matter which reel you use.

I wouldn't put too much stock into drag numbers, there is a fair bit of fudging going on with the numbers, as in; Did the manufacturer measure the drag with a full spool or not and just because a reel can put out 8Kg of drag will it be able to handle it for extended long runs or will it fade very quickly after a few seconds and loose most of its drag capability.
I have a Tica bait caster that can put out 15kg of drag but if I compare it to a Tica ST-468 overhead which I used to have, and which had only 8kg of drag, the Tica overhead would stop a much larger fish and do it much easier than the baitcaster.
If you are using a line class much lighter than the drag rating for most of the time then it is a mute point as you won't stress the drag no matter which reel you use.

Thank you Hamish for the offer  but not a good time of the year for me,  I would like to but at this stage with getting the house ready for sale I am not sure if I even will have time to do any fishing for quite a while as I have a heap of work to do here. Christmas is almost upon us and I have all my daughters rocking up from all over the country side, picking up the first one, her hubby and grand daughter  tomorrow, so that will also put me further behind and lastly in the new year I have a couple of medical issues that I need sorted which may lay me up as well so it may be months before I get a chance hence the reason I didn't put my name down.
I will just have to read and drool about all the fish being caught by everyone else.

I wouldn't give up hope, you might just need to try to fish in different areas, because fish travel a lot, one day there may be heaps in one area and the next 4-5 days zilch, and if they are not there then no matter what bait you try you won't catch anything. You could always try adding burley to where you  are fishing but it would have to spread far and wide to attract fish to where you are,  this is assuming that they are hungry at that time, because you don't want them to nibble and pick at the bait, you want them to gulp it down like it is their last meal, and in most cases it will be.😁

Thank you Hamish for the offer  but not a good time of the year for me,  I would like to but at this stage with getting the house ready for sale I am not sure if I even will have time to do any fishing for quite a while as I have a heap of work to do here. Christmas is almost upon us and I have all my daughters rocking up from all over the country side, picking up the first one, her hubby and grand daughter  tomorrow, so that will also put me further behind and lastly in the new year I have a couple of medical issues that I need sorted which may lay me up as well so it may be months before I get a chance hence the reason I didn't put my name down.
I will just have to read and drool about all the fish being caught by everyone else.

Thank you Hamish for the offer  but not a good time of the year for me,  I would like to but at this stage with getting the house ready for sale I am not sure if I even will have time to do any fishing for quite a while as I have a heap of work to do here. Christmas is almost upon us and I have all my daughters rocking up from all over the country side, picking up the first one, her hubby and grand daughter  tomorrow, so that will also put me further behind and lastly in the new year I have a couple of medical issues that I need sorted which may lay me up as well so it may be months before I get a chance hence the reason I didn't put my name down.
I will just have to read and drool about all the fish being caught by everyone else.

I wouldn't give up hope, you might just need to try to fish in different areas, because fish travel a lot, one day there may be heaps in one area and the next 4-5 days zilch, and if they are not there then no matter what bait you try you won't catch anything. You could always try adding burley to where you  are fishing but it would have to spread far and wide to attract fish to where you are,  this is assuming that they are hungry at that time, because you don't want them to nibble and pick at the bait, you want them to gulp it down like it is their last meal, and in most cases it will be.😁

I contemplated one also, but the wife has rung all the tackle shops and had me banned.

Thank you Hamish for the offer  but not a good time of the year for me,  I would like to but at this stage with getting the house ready for sale I am not sure if I even will have time to do any fishing for quite a while as I have a heap of work to do here. Christmas is almost upon us and I have all my daughters rocking up from all over the country side, picking up the first one, her hubby and grand daughter  tomorrow, so that will also put me further behind and lastly in the new year I have a couple of medical issues that I need sorted which may lay me up as well so it may be months before I get a chance hence the reason I didn't put my name down.
I will just have to read and drool about all the fish being caught by everyone else.

Thank you Hamish for the offer  but not a good time of the year for me,  I would like to but at this stage with getting the house ready for sale I am not sure if I even will have time to do any fishing for quite a while as I have a heap of work to do here. Christmas is almost upon us and I have all my daughters rocking up from all over the country side, picking up the first one, her hubby and grand daughter  tomorrow, so that will also put me further behind and lastly in the new year I have a couple of medical issues that I need sorted which may lay me up as well so it may be months before I get a chance hence the reason I didn't put my name down.
I will just have to read and drool about all the fish being caught by everyone else.

I wouldn't give up hope, you might just need to try to fish in different areas, because fish travel a lot, one day there may be heaps in one area and the next 4-5 days zilch, and if they are not there then no matter what bait you try you won't catch anything. You could always try adding burley to where you  are fishing but it would have to spread far and wide to attract fish to where you are,  this is assuming that they are hungry at that time, because you don't want them to nibble and pick at the bait, you want them to gulp it down like it is their last meal, and in most cases it will be.😁

It's a long way back to get the boat if the weather is good. 😛😂