TACKLE TEST: Gary Howard ultra-light Tidal Terror spin outfit

boatsales.com.au Tackle Rating
Overall rating 86/100
Suitability: 18/20
Quality: 18/20
Performance: 16/20
Enjoyment factor: 18/20
Value for Money: 16/20

We are still reeling — boom, tish — after our successful independent on-water tests of two new Jarvis Walker light-spin outfits.

We have already reported on the good-value Rovex Airstrike Advance with Quantum Iron spin and 6kg/13lb HMPE WFT Gliss Pink Braid line.

This radically ultra-thin line is as high-tech as its coding sounds. We caught a Watsons leaping bonito and a few other scrappers to prove this outfit's worth.

Now, something very nice indeed — a Gary Howard Tidal Terror one-piece 7ft carbon ultra-light flick stick with a fast action, 2lb-8lb line rating and 1/32oz to 3/16oz (1-5 gram) lure casting weight. This rod hails from the excellent Aussie Natives range offered by Jarvis Walker.

With the Quantum Smoke reel also supplied by Jarvis Walker, spooled in the office with 2.7kg/6lb fluoro yellow Rovex Viros braid, we had in our hot little hands a wonderful finesse fishing stick.

The one-piece rod, while not as practical in a travel sense, adds to the sensory experience and communicates the point that you are holding a high-quality fishing outfit priced a few rungs up the tackle ladder from average. This a $300 ultra-light outfit not a $100 combo.

Armed with a bunch of micro soft plastics, hard bodies, divers and poppers, and small casting metals, I had just the test for the Tidal Terror…

You see, for some time, on a well-known playing ground in Pittwater, I had been spotting big whiting aka southern bonefish mooching over the flats through my polarised sunnies and from my stealthy stand-up paddleboard (SUP).

With everyone catching whiting on poppers pitched from finesse tackle these days, the scene was set.

I tapped into some whiting-lure-fishing-lore through my social-media network, armed myself with the outfit, threw a little pack with some gear on my back, and sallied forth on the SUP with my carbon-fibre flick stick and carbon-fibre paddle to the battleground.

THE TIDAL TERROR 7FT
The Tidal Terror is built on an impressive intermediate-modulus graphite blank that makes easy work of casting small lures over great distances, so you catch more of those finicky estuary fish such as bream, whiting and flathead, claims Jarvis Walker.

Each Tidal Terror is fitted with excellent Fuji K-Series Alconite guides and camo grips, with a split rear grip to lessen weight. I like the chunky little fighting butt and the fact this rod is fitted with a genuine Fuji reel seat. Without risk of insulting anyone, yes, it was built on the backbone, of course.

In your hand, the 7ft Tidal Terror is super lightweight. The wife’s kitchen baking scales said 83 grams.

The action on the sticker says: fast. That it is, leading to a great casting stick and sportfishing fighting stick. Gary says a lot of tournament anglers love this rod. I love it , too. There I said it.

THE QUANTUM SMOKE
This beautiful lightweight spin reel with weight-saving cut-outs in the rotator and spool, with the matt-grey smoke finish and the bright pink anodised collar flashing as you wind, is a little ripper.

The Quantum Smoke 25 PTiA feels oh-so-smooth to wind because, well, they’ve thrown nine ball bearings at it.

It’s the second smallest reel in the range with a handy 5.2:1 retrieve, that still requires you rip the handle due to the small diameter spool, and it swallowed the full 300m of the 0.10mm 2.7kg/6lb Rovex braid (expect to get 160m or 175yds of the 6lb mono on there).

According to the specs, the reel has an indestructible titanium bail wire, a lightweight C4LF carbon-fibre rotor design and CSC carbon-stainless-ceramic drag system.

According to me, it’s like a fine piece of machinery, delightfully lightweight and positive in its operation, with a smooth drag that was put to the test on a hot summer’s day in Sydney. This report is for the boatsales Fishing page and our second tackle test…

THE FIELD TEST: Gary Howard Tidal Terror 7ft and Quantum Smoke 25 spin reel
Target species: We put this light outfit to the test on big whiting mooching over the flats, flathead along the edge and bream around the rocky foreshores. There was also some spinning for small pelagics that resulted in chopper tailor.

Test Rig: All the fish were caught on soft plastics and micro poppers up to about 7 grams in weight. The 6lb Rovex Viros braid in high-vis fluoro yellow was tied to a Rovex Fluorocarbon leader of 8lb and then 4lb for stealth, using a simple uni knot with plenty of turns in the thin 0.10mm braid.

From the SUP, I was casting downwind about 30m with my little popper and nailing the bream that didn't even know I was there. Just keep that popper just moving and popping and you will get them. The 7ft rod length helps lure presentation for sure.

Hooked up, the rod has a fast action and useful amount of poke down in the butt for 2.7kg/6lb braid. It loads progressively off the soft tip but then locks up suddenly, unlike more parabolic rods. This is great for setting hooks, as is the 7ft long rod for gaining slack. I had a few wind knots, but the single-foot K Series guides are pretty snag free. The fighting butt, reel seat position and foregrip, the whole set-up for casting and fighting just fits. ( It would be great for glo-bug and nymph drifting on trout).

As for the Quantum SMOKE 25 spin reel, it sure is silky smooth and easy to cast. There were a few loose loops around the spool at times, but there’s nothing much to catch the braid there. The bail arm doesn’t clunk over and it doesn’t need much force, adding to the refinement. While early days, the drag was just outstandingly smooth and it really added to the pleasure of fighting the bream in skinny rock-studded water from the SUP.

Retail Price: A bit of search reveals the rod is selling for around $150, the
reel $135 and the braid another $35, amounting to a $320 outfit. Maybe
you can find one 10 per cent cheaper out there, but this is a quality outfit with commensurate feel and feedback. One to store in your bedroom rather than the boat for sure.

Verdict: I wasted no time heading out to get into the
fishing action, straddling my SUP with the carbon-fibre paddle and carbon outfit in hand, and
finding the whiting. The Gary Howard Tidal Terror with Quantum 25 spin
reel was beautiful to cast the lightest micro nipper-imitation poppers
in my kit.

Alas, I tried poppers in 1.5m of water, soft plastics
jigged before the whiting’s very eyes, and a little diver just out of
boredom. But while the whiting snubbed their noses at them all — I will
return, when it's not a full moon, don't you worry about that — I did nail a nice dusky flathead over
the flats that gave our Quantum a little smoke.

The highlight
were schools of aggro bream mooching about the
oyster-covered foreshores and under the overhanging angophoras on the
high tide. Micro popping these little bad boys with big boy attitude was
a hoot from the SUP. I had this aspect of my fishing totally sussed,
boating or rather boarding a number of nice sporty fish.

Did I mention I like this outfit. Definitely one of the best ultra-light spin sticks I've had the pleasure of testing. More at Jarvis Walker.