NZ Fishing World

Perfect Inshore Option

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It's sometimes hard to find a good balance between affordability and performance, but this Fin-Nor/Van Staal combo comes pretty close.

"Drop now," said Lionel. "A lot of kings at 30 metres!"

Once again he was right and no sooner had I dropped 30 metres of braid out than "Whack"! I was in again and holding on for dear life as a hearty kingfish did its absolute best to reef me and claim yet another jig. But I held on, didn't muck a round with the evil drag level I had set, and waited for the fish to tire. Which didn't take too long at all. I soon had a nice 11kg kingfish on the surface.

This was a scenario repeated probably 15 times through a great morning when I was testing out the new Fin-Nor Biscayne FS80 spin reel on a Van Staal jigging rod. We were out with Lionel Korach, skipper of Memory Makers charters, off the coast of Whakatane – prime kingie country.

This rod and reel package is a very affordable option compared with a lot of the jigging sets available these days. So I thought it would be great to put it to the ultimate test against some angry kings.

The whole setup feels pretty good and capable of holding a reasonable fish. So with the reel loaded up with 80lb Rovex braid, I dropped countless jigs over the side of Memory Maker and have to say I was pretty impressed.

What impressed me most was the drag this reel put out, it was enough to stop even the scrappiest kings of the day and was smooth enough to never cause any concern. This model is rated to have a locked drag of 80lb, plenty to put the brakes on any inshore kingfish.

One feature that really let the reel down was its handle though and it is a little small to jig comfortably with. A good handle is key on any jigging reel and unfortunately it is where this one falls short of the mark. However, once the fish were hooked everything worked well and the setup handled beautifully.

While most will associate Van Staal with making pretty solid, grunty reels, it seems they make rods that make the grade as well. Although I had locked the drag up on the reel, the rod produced a solid bend and I could feel the hurt it was putting on each kingfish I caught.

All in all, this is a very affordable entry-level package for anybody wanting to go out there and tackle with kingfish. It probably isn't the setup I'd choose to take up to the Three Kings, White Island or the Ranfurly Banks but it is more than capable of dealing to kingfish up to the 20kg mark.

Reel

Name: Fin-Nor Biscayne FS80

Speed: 4.9:1

Capacity: 250m/65lb braid

Ball Bearings: 4+1

Max Drag: 38lb

RRP:from $200

Rod

Name: Van Staal VJS58-325

Length: 5'8"

Line Class: 60-90lb

Max Lure Weight: 325g

RRP: from $320