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as the name states they are a great rod for livebaiting for kings and macks both in a boat and as a begginner lbg rod. i dont own one but have used them in an overhead and found it quite nice
Are you thinking of buying the spin model or the overhead?
I've had the spin model for 4 or 5 years, but I haven't caught anything that really tested it yet - only some 3-4kg kingies, a few mack tuna to 8kg, and some smaller stuff. I have the older model that has a graphite gimbal, and I think the grips might be thicker than the new ones - a couple of years ago, Shimano changed the fittings to reduce the rod's weight. My King Mack weighs 490g, which is quite a bit heavier than some Shimano rods with the same or greater line rating (like the Lucanus Heavy Spin 20-40lb, which weighs approx. 275g). As you might've noticed, the foregrip is extremely long, which can be a good thing if you want the extra leverage, when you're fighting a big fish. Because of the rod's weight, I personally wouldn't use a reel under about 500g on it - anything lighter would feel too light for the rod for me. I used to have it matched to an old Shimano Thunnus 6000F (the heavy aluminium ones - 720g), but today I got a Shimano Thunnus CI4 8000 for it, which weighs 550g, and the outfit feels nice and balanced.
Judging by the experience I've had with it, you could probably fish somewhere between 6 and 8kg of drag over that rod if you had to, so long as you don't high-stick it when fish are directly below the boat, so it might be a little under-rated as far the 8-12kg line recommendation goes.
If it's the overhead version you're looking at, I agree with Byron_Moses: a Saltist star drag would be a good match, if you don't want to spend too much money. If you don't need the extra capacity, a 40 or 30 (in the old silver Saltist range) or a 40H or 35H (in the new Black Gold series) are narrower-spooled versions of the same reel, so they're less prone to "wobbling" on the rod. I used an old silver Saltist 50 (low speed) for jigging for up to 13kg kingies for a couple of years, and it performed flawlessly. It did get a bit of corrosion in the handle shaft bearing (which I only noticed when doing a long overdue service), but I replaced the bearing myself for $10. If you buy a Saltist, though, you might want to oil the sideplate screws when it's new - I had a problem removing one of mine.
Mate don't say sorry! that's exactly the stuff I wanted to hear thanks so much for all the info, I just bought it as a result! Pairing with a 10k Stella sw which is shared on my other rods. Thanks allot mate.
Hey great rod. I'm working up at Gove and got a T-curve 8-12kg spin out fit matched with a Stradic 6000.
Fished off the beach and got a wopper GT on Christmas day.
Don't know how heavy it was, maybe 12kg?
Shimano King Mack
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