Shimano Lipstix Pro

Helen Judd, daughter of Hunting & Fishing New Zealand, Kaitaia owners Shona and Barry was one of the first to fish with Shimano's new range of Lipstix 'Pro' Rods, she writes...

"Back in September as I travelled up from Hamilton to the beautiful Doubtless Bay near Kaitaia where my parents own the Hunting & Fishing New Zealand store, I prayed that we would finally have some nice weather. Good weather is essential for any fishing trip I know, but this time there was pressure to get out, we had the job of reporting back to the Hunting & Fishing New Zealand group on the new seasons up-spec'd ladies rods from Shimano.

I love my fishing so I was really excited about trying out the new Shimano Lipstix 'Pro' range, not just because they were pink - although it does add a natural man repellent! But I knew that Shimano were focused on making good quality fishing gear for women to make fishing more enjoyable. Introduced last season, the regular Shimano Lipstix rods proved so popular that they sold out before Christmas. Woman angling enthusiasts that had previously been put off by heavy boat rods, loved the concept of more sensitive rods with smaller grips and colour cosmetics that introduced a feminine touch. For 2008/09, Shimano have gone a step further by introducing the Lipstix 'Pro' range which are beautifully made rods featuring state of the art materials. The finishing detail has again been kept feminine with special SIC Harlequin hard guides and pleasing colour matches in the bindings, grips and blank. The new Lipstix 'Pro' rods feature models for most types of fishing including a surf rod. They all have lightweight high modulus graphite blanks and Fuji reel seats, but our testfire focussed on the new 7'6 Lipstix Pro softbait rod.

I've found Softbaiting brings so much more enjoyment to my fishing. Of course we have the usual trivial arguments on board the boat like what's best, cut bait verse's soft bait, or what soft bait colour works the best! For me and other ladies I have spoken to a big plus with soft bait is that as it is plastic or synthetic there is no more cutting up smelly bait. Gone too are issues like the pillies being too frozen then the pillies being too soft. Even for the novice fisherwoman it's easy to put a Softbait on a hook and know that it's not going to fall off! Best of all though, we have now proven that Softbait fishing can produce more and bigger fish, and that the lightness of the gear gives us girls a real advantage in that it is sensitive and very easy to use, and this new Lipstix Pro series just takes this to a higher level.

As we planned our fishing trip the night before, the weather forecast wasn't looking great so we made sure we were out on the water at first light before the wind got up. Mum and I with the challenge of giving the gear a work-out on some nice fish, while Dad (Barry) was to captain the boat and get us onto them. As we glided out across the bay we admired the beautiful rainbow - an evil disguise for the wind and rain that followed! It definitely wasn't ideal fishing conditions but never the less I didn't travel this far to go home empty handed. We cast out our lines and the first impression was the typical smooth action you expect from Shimano gear.

As with every good fishing story there is the one that got away, but my disappointment was short lived when mum got an awesome hook up. After a good fight we landed the 18.7lb snapper into the boat and the Shimano gear handled this beast perfectly! We were all ecstatic, first fish of the day and a tough act to follow. We continued fishing and I soon boated a 42cm snapper which at first glance appeared undersized when laid next to Mum's (since the success of Softbaiting we have imposed our own boat size limit of 35cm - instead of the Fisheries 27cm limit).

As the weather continued to worsen with more wind and more rain, Mum started to turn a shade of green and we decided to call it a morning. Everyone was happy that the mission had been accomplished. The gear had had a good work-out and that we had some great fish for dinner.

I have since made another trip up North specifically to put the new Shimano Lipstix 'Pro' gear through more testing - and the fact that Dad had a new boat! Thanks to the weather we had a much more pleasant days fishing. Mum sadly had to stay in the shop this day but Dad kindly took the day off to take me fishing. Although the largest snapper were only around 12lb this time, what was lost in size was made up in quantity. We had a great days fishing and I loved using the Shimano Pro gear. Fish after fish the sensitivity and power of the Lipstix Pro rod, together with the smooth drag in the Exage 4000 reel, allowed me to play these feisty snapper up to the boat with ease. Genuinely, the new range of Shimano Lipstix Pro series rods are a step up for the more serious lady angler. They certainly get my approval, check them out at Hunting & Fishing New Zealand this summer.

My outfit of choice during this testfire was the Shimano Lipstix Pro 7ft6 2pce soft bait rod and Shimano Exage 4000 reel exclusively available from Hunting & Fishing New Zealand stores.

Shona (Mum) adds...
For me the Pro series provides a rod that is positive in its action and of course the pretty guides and binding make it attractive. Matched with the Exage reel, this combo is a winner. The day I caught the 18 ½ lber, we had a lot of wind and drift to contend with, even with two sea anchors out. I knew I had a battle on my hands as this snapper ran fast and furious away from the boat. I was fighting the fish and the wind, but with some coaching from Barry on my 'lifting the rod tip and winding on the down stoke' technique, we soon had this beauty to the net. The Shimano set is so well balanced that even in rough conditions it makes life easier with smaller grips that sit comfortably in the hand. If you do get into Softbaiting as we recommend, I have just one word of advice to you ladies, get your own Softbait tackle bag as men get hung up on one colour or shape being the only one that works while Helen and I have fun experimenting. Barry hates it when I have three different packets open at once, even though the bags are re-sealable!