Gear and Tackle
When you are gas ballooning from
the Quobba coast a heavy duty 24kg
overhead outfit is considered the
standard choice of tackle. Fishing
from these rugged cliffs and the
amount of resident sharks waiting to
steal your catch makes it very difficult
to fish with light tackle. I run a 30w
reel with a 15-24kg Wilson Live Fibre
Texalium rod.
My gas ballooning rigs are primarily
made up of Wilson terminal tackle
and Mustad Hooks. I use an 83.3cm
length of 175 lb Mason 49 Strand wire
with an extra one metre length of
size 10 Mason single strand wire to
prevent me from being snipped off
by an aerial strike. I run three 10/0
Mustad octopus hooks, which are
snelled on the Mason 49 strand wire.
A 4/0 Mustad treble hook is added to
the bottom of the ballooning rig to
act as a stinger hook. A bright pink
6” Wilson squid skirt is also added
to the rig to attract pelagic predators
and it also makes it easier to locate
your skip bait when it’s drifted a few
hundred metres out to sea.
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