b'KAIPARA TEST The editor flicked out a baitWe moved along following I took the combo to Northlandon the rod in the Kaiparathe school and I landed a for a weekend where the planshallows and scored a nicecouple of rat kings on the was to meet up with an old50cm snapper, the rodTica set, the drag was smooth school mate, Shawn House,and reel combo provedon the reel and the rod its versatility.and fish the Kaipara.It wasfelt good under load with late summer, and the lack ofplenty of power to lift the rain had meant the fish werescrappy kingies.pushing well up into the riverThe reels tear drop handle and shallows amongst theis small, I would prefer a mangroves and sandbanks atfoam ball or t-handle shape, high tide to feed. but many anglers wouldnt We launched at Ruawai onmind this.a dead still Saturday morningWe had plenty of fun on the in mid-February and cruisedwork-up for over half an hour down the Northern Wairoalanding a few big kahawai and River to the Kaipara where wethen moved off to drift over came across a work-up withthe sand banks near high tide.terns and kahawai bustingWe cast Zman 5 Jerk Shadz up on the surface.I cast ainto the murky water and New softbait into the school ofPenny colour was the winner, fish and was hit instantly as aresulting in several nice pan big stroppy kahawai jumpedsized snapper to 50cm and repeatedly until it threwa few solid trevally that gave the hook.Shawn was intogood fights.The 7ft rod was something else putting upapt at casting the softbaits and a good fight, which provedsetting the hook in the shallow to be a small rat king which2.5m water.The fast tapered we released. design enables the angler for quicker hook setting, which we found out while drifting the Kaipara shallows.In summary, the lightweight rod is easy to cast, strong and responsive to work lures well with a quick hook setting, and a nice slim blank design.The Tica Kazumi Pro Light Jig comes with a one-year warranty and RRP of only $99.99, so offers outstanding value for a quality rod.The Flash Cast FC4000 reel retails for $135.99, so overall this is an affordable new combo that provides good versatility.FIGZKey SpecsTICA KAZUMI PRO LIGHT JIG 150 RODThe Tica Flash Cast+Length: 2.1m (7ft)FC4000 is the ideal+Pieces: 1-piece blankmatch for the light jig+Cast Rating: 30-150gmrod to fish lures, the reel+Line Rating: PE1.03.0was spooled with Sunline+RRP: $99.99XPlasma 16lb braid. /FISHINGINGODZONE77'