i dont understand how Byron Tea Hill dosent have way over 5.8k subs the way his channel looks compared to many other people is just unmissable the quality of his videos are just on point every time and he always is uploading whilst having his youtube look like it could be his job, the ammount of effort that goes into each one of his videos is just next level and gives you the perfect information every single time whilst being entertaining which many fishing youtubers seem to miss, aswell as Byron Tea Hill always has the best of both worlds in his videos such as when he is trying out a lure as a challange and manages to provide action of using the lure and catching aswell as him talking about the science of fishing you dont expect to see a fishing youtube account this good
Mate how do I respond to this. Jacob this made my day mate, thank you very much for the support and the kind words legend. It's always hard to balance the right content, sometimes it works, sometimes not so much. lol. I appreciate the support mate, thank you again.
Couldn’t agree more Byron, valuable information right there. I now have 5 Miller’s paired with everything from Certates to Exists. It has taken my fishing to another level in just 18 months. Having said that a Diawa 732 ULFS mated to the new Airity is up there in our style of finesse angling. Another point worth mentioning is I have noticed that Diawa reels seem to sit at a better angle to the first guide helping casting and retrieval with less drag on the line. ……. Hey I’m a tackle snob now….your fault!
My fave combo at the moment is Daiwa TD Black Scratchy with Daiwa TD Sol III 2000D running 6lb braid. My dream combo is Millerods XFLC with a 2000 Airity running 6lb. I would use this as an all round light rod from the kayak, or shore based, catching bream, flathead, bass (when appropriate), Trevally, etc.
Another great video that gives plenty to think about - I have a Stradic C14+ 3000 and a Vanford 3000 with Samaki Zing 3 and Atomic Arrowz 70l. More than happy with both reels and the rods are pretty good for the fishing I do which is mainly Flatty hunting. The dream combo however would be a FlattieFreak 7'6'" combined with a Shimano Stella FJ 2500 - dream on! The rod makes all the difference as long as your reel is ok then I would spend the $$$ on a decent rod for sure but getting approval for such expenditure is hard work - maybe it will be easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission...
My favourite combo that I own is the Daiwa Gen Black Two Drunken Monkeys with a 1000 Shimano stradic CI4. It's ultralight and good for small surface lures on tiny creek bass. An affordable combo which has lasted me years and caught lots of fish. My dream combo would be a Millerods GrubFreak 7'3" with a Daiwa Gekkabijin Air 2003. A beautiful, lightweight combo perfect for targeting bream on small soft plastics over sand flats. I'm all about light weight!
Been toying with the idea of moving from mid range to high end over the last few months, so quite timely advice with some great points Byron. Favourite set up right now is my original Samaki 7'6 flats Zing Extreme with a stradic ci4 1000, throwing sugapens at YFW. Unreal fun! Dream combo, may as well shoot for the stars, Millerods Brawler with a Stella FJ and go hunting donkey bream in gnarly structure. Enjoy your style / approach mate - keep them coming!
My go to set-up is a Yamaga Blanks Calista 82M with a Daiwa Certate LT 3000-XH, it’s super light but with a very responsive yet powerful backbone. I use it for perch, seabass, zander and pike and it has caught me perch from 10 cm pike of 125 cm. It’s as all-round as it possibly gets!
Favourite rod and reel: Pflueger Patriach XTR 1-3kg, Shimano 2500ci4. Dream combo - Shimano Sustain with Miller Twitch Freak catching Archer Fish. They are only small and they all go back but my son enjoys that best.
Favourite current Rod is an edge black widow spinning Rod paired with a vanford reel. Dream Rod is a Millerod BarraVibe paired with a stella or an exist LT reel. Barramundi is the target.
I’m a little bit late to the party but l use a cross fire and 1-2 kg arid rod Little bit But it gets the job done and catch some whoopers I think if I won this Miller rod it would be a huge change to my fishing career
My favourite combo so far is the Luvias Airity 2500, paired with a Infeet z 732LFS. I dont do a lot of light tackle fishing but my dream combo would definetly be a Zenaq paired with a 2020 saltiga to go and chase world record kingfish in NZ! Do love light tackle fishing, super fun when a monster takes a bite and your drag screams!!
I've got the miller xflc and absolutely love it. It's a great estuary all rounder in my opinion I have it paired with a 2500 stradic I would love to add another millerods to the quiver
Currently a Daiwa Heartland on a Samaki Zing extreme is my top end outfit for bream cranking and soft plastics. The dream would be a Luvias reel on a Miller grub or twitch freak. Do a lot of both cranking and soft plastics for bream around the Hunter and Lake Macquarie area and could put either a grub or twitch freak to good use. Nothing better than not catching fish using high end equipment!
Hey mate, my current combo is a Abu Garcia revoMGX 2500s reel with 6lb braid to 4lb flouro matched with a Abu Garcia salty stage KRX ultra light 1-3kg jigging rod. I love fishing my soft plastics with this combo. But I am slowly getting into fishing hard body’s thanks to you Byron, all the information you have provided on your channel has now got me hooked on getting better at fishing with them.
Thanks mate some great advice I will follow. My favourite combo has been a Daiwa Battler paired with a Daiwa certate. I’ve been rapped with it until a week ago due a two rod horror accident I visited my local tackle shop and was suggested a Daiwa Rebellion. A midrange rod but by far the best rod I’ve fished ever. Paired with the certate I’m in love casting small hardbodies all day with long accurate casts.
I've always been a Shimano man until a mate working in a tackle store nagged me into a Daiwa TD Commander 742LXS Ocelot. Matched with a Daiwa Airity Luvias 2500 it is a truly beautiful outfit that is SO light and balanced in the hand. It casts light lures like a catapult and every bump can be felt. I have been tempted by the Miller rods and appreciate the quality. Only one thing has stopped me owning a few; I need even my finesse rods to have a bit longer butt section than most high end rods have (bad arthritis and wrist surgery). I need to be able to be able to grip the end of the butt with my thumb and forefinger of my non-casting hand because single handed casting even a 1-3kg outfit is painful. If a Miller was available that 'fit' me, I would buy a couple tomorrow; great value for a quality rod. Cheers Wayne
Currently running a 732 infeet z paired with a 2000 Gekkabijin X from Japan spooled with some 6lb braid and I must admit over the last 10-12 months I have not been more impressed with a setup ever, caught just about everything there is to offer in the way of light lure fishing on the far south coast on it and it’s stood up to the test time and time again using many different techniques. My dream combo however is probably very likely to be coming true soon, Revelry 2000 which I’ve already pre ordered paired on a Custom Miller rods Mudder spooled with 6lb braid and possibly a spare spool for some 3lb straight through fluoro, gonna be a dynamite setup for rolling the flats at coota or some of the other systems around home. As always another great video Byron keep it up legend
Really enjoying my new 8ft Rovex EGI squid and lure rod with a Shimano Vanford 4000 reel mainly catching trout, salmon, flathead, and squid. Perfect for the beach. My dream is the 8ft Atomic Arrowz EGI.
Okay, 1 searched your name 10 times 2 I love millerods the guys a gun for many years now 3 for me the dream rod is a swim freak, fr something different I’d be chasing a big mulloway or cod 4 if you send me a rod I’ll send you a Gillette Mach 10 razor 5 that footage of you casting and snapping a rod on the kayak brought tears to my eyes. 6 you are spot on with the sensitivity, perhaps this is the main issue, feeling the best of a skim swim tail, the feel of a stick or rock or bite helps decide what kind of strike or response I give, certainly makes me a better angler Love your work bth
My current favourite combo is a Shimano vanford 3000 paired with a shimano zodias 268 with 10lb Sunline siglon pe8 advance. My dream combo I would love to own one day would be a Shimano Stella 3000 spooled with Shimano Pitbull 12 PE 0.8 paired with a zenaq PA75, I believe that combo would really tick off most of the fishes that I can get down here in Victoria and would be an absolute beast of a combo to even own haha.
Another top video explaining it simply. I love my infeet and luvius combo, but I fish of breakwalls and I'd really like something a couple of feet longer. this video has given me some ideas, cheers.
Favourite combo would be a td hyper 1-2kg with a Freams lt 2500, Dream combo would have to be a Certate, with a infeet/miller rod. Would use the twitch freak for brim and yellow belly, mainly using jerk baits and vibes.
My favourite combo is a Kmart jervis Walker glass rod with a 10000 egg beater spoiled with 50 lb mono. I won’t need the miller rod cause I already have my dream rod as mentioned above
I bought a brawler a few months ago and paired it with a 2000 td black. It’s the best rod I own! Has been amazing pitching crabs into the ship docks. If I could pick another setup it would be another Miller rods with a certate!
Ripper video mate. My favourite setup is my shimano sedona combo that I got from anacona, it was my first ever combo and is what got me all started. A dream combo would be a Daiwa Exist paired with a Grubfreak, throwing SP's into snags!
Great vid mate, I have been building my own rods for years and have used Wilson live fibre blanks for beach fishing, Graphite USA blanks for baitcaster reels for barra and swimbait rods for cod. A variety of spin rods from Graphite USA, Hastings and lots of Samurai blanks from Froggleys Offshore. Always used titanium sic guides and tips for light weight and corrosion resistance. Sensitivity, strength in the blank, built properly on or under the spine to reduce blank twist under load. Butt length depending on the anglers arm length if you are casting with both hands, doing more casting or fighting fish will determine the reel seat position, the amount of guides and guide recipe for each rod blank will also vary. There is so much involved in building a well balanced, lightweight and functional rod that most anglers don't understand. Ian Miller has established himself well in Australia and the US because he fishes for multiple species and understands the different needs for different lure types targeting the same species. Rod blank materials and rod design is a science in itself.
What guys go through to make a good rod is complex and not easy imo. custom rods do offer a good amount of personalization imo. really appreciate you sharing your thoughts bud, I enjoyed the read! tight lines Evan.
I didn’t think high end rods were necessary, until I used one. I didn’t think I could enjoy fishing any more until I picked up a Miller Rod. By far my favourite combo is my Miller Rod Grub Freak paired with the Daiwa Luvias 2500S. My Dream combo, a custom made Miller Rod Brawler paired with either an Exist or Stella to drag big Bream from structure. Thanks again Byron.
Another great review mate. I wish I was a good enough fisherperson to justify a high end rod, I can appreciate all the benefits a high end can offer but I don't fish enough atm to justify a $500-$600 rod sitting in the garage. I've been plugging away with the rods I purchased back in '99 and finding with using the new soft plastics and getting a double clutch that the rods are just not responsive enough. Just brought a Daiwa BG 2500 and looking at getting a Daiwa 20 INFEET 732LFS to help with using all new soft plastics and surface lures. I've been looking at the Miller Rods and dreaming of one day maybe one day I will pull the trigger. Keep up the great content mate.
@@ByronTeaHill as you've said and it's a saying I have lived by for years "Do your research". I never make a vital purchase these days without researching sometimes for months, weather it's $100 or $1000 the internet is there so use it,
Nice video. I’m impressed with your non biased opinions. I have a mid range Miller rod and love the fact it is so versatile, I can use it for a number of species like Flathead, Bass even bream in the racks. It is paired with a 3000 Sustain. Cheers. Keep up the good work.
Very well spoken and explained bud. I agree with everything you have touched base on hear . I have used every hi end rod over the years but as soon as I stumbled across Millerods then it became easy for me to change my hole quiver to only Millerods. My go to is my Millerod blade freak uls matched with a Daiwa certate 19 with a vex blade. Great in the hand great to cast and great when loaded up. Twitch freak I am yet to perches but it’s my next in line..
Thanks Jesse. Hope your well dude! hopefully I get to see you at bemm next year! you're part of that cult following i was talking about! ahahaha thanks legend.
hi Byron. as usual all ur points r on point(sorry bout that lol). the last 15 years i have bought Daiwa products n wen i upgrade i pasted the combos to my sons until they started buying their own n now my grand sons get the combos. right now i have 3 Saltiga combos from 4/6pe to 10pe n 4 Daiwa Steez combos for river bass(have never fished a dam for bass). 3 r baitcasters for spinnerbait/chatterbait, jerk n crank the spin is for unweighted to 3/8. i have 7 swimbait rods, 5 r Millerods baitcast swimbait rods with Daiwa Zillions n 2 Daiwa Saltiga 10" spin rods with Saltiga 5000s. the 2 spins r for jew off the headlands using soft swimbaits n the other 5 r for barra/cod n flathead on the flats, different lengths n weights. also i have 2 Daiwa Commander rods in baitcast n spin for jacks which has a Steez A TW n a 18 Exist reel. i believe in buying the best u can n if so go that little extra. happy fishing everyone.
My dream rod has always been any of the miller range and had the luck to feel a few and fell in love my favourite combo at the moment is my custom plastics rod with a daiwa luvias but a miller twitch freak would slide into my regular rods very easily matched with a luvais or certate! Love your videos man and a top bloke was lucky enough to meet you at one of the qld team series rounds earlier this year. Keep up the awesome work man love ya stuff!!
@@jmfishn3155 mate, it was announced on this channel. It will come up on your feed, but if you didn't see it, you'll find it on the community tab of this channel.
Hey mate, have both complimented and criticised you on your vids. This type of vid is your cup of tea. Informative, well rounded, critical- yet not hacking on. I’ll show this vid to the Froggleys/ samurai rep that I talk too. Good constructive criticism that I agree with. Favourite combo (two) Gloomis DSR 4-8pd with my old school Steez 2500 (10yr plus and still baller). Or bigger: samurai 530 15-30pd with a shimano twinpower c5000 for the ‘less fish, bigger is best’ type thing
Hey Elivs, growth is important, sometimes we get it wrong, we live we learn. Thanks mate, super glad you enjoyed the video dude, entered and cheers again. Tight lines
My favourite rod and reel combo is Bream arrowz estuary 1-3 Kg with ci4+ 2500. My Dream combo will be the miller rod grubfreak with shimano stella 1000
My favorite current set up is my trusty trout rod with Shimano Stradic ci4+ 1000 with a 5"6' Storm discovery. Has been a great setup for the small creek fishing I do for trout. My Dream setup would be a Millerods GrubFreak or a Megabass Shoreluck sll-68uls paired with a Daiwa Luvias Airity.
I'm rocking a cajun rod with a shimano spheros 3k. Liking it a ton, although I think I'll throw a Stradic on there later this year. Dream combo would have to be that Miller with a Daiwa Certate
My favorite combo is Abu garcia veritas 4 and 20mgx Dream setup dont know never thought it may be a miller rod Im not fussed about fancy gear. As long as my line is in the water.
Picked up my first high end rod and reel today. Grabbed myself a Millerods Grubfreak and the Daiwa Luvias Airity 2500. Now to take a day off work to get the combo its first fish haha
My favourite rod and reel combo I have is the shimano raider travel 2-4 kg paired with the shimano 2500 nasci. I’ve caught so many different species around SA on it and absolutely love it. I don’t have a dream combo, i fish for multiple different species needing different set ups. I love my light weight trout fishing flicking hard body’s in tight narrow streams, to fishing the salt water systems hopefully chasing mullys and sharks this summer
My favourite combo is a shimano sedona 1-4kg. I think it’s pretty good and prefer it to the more expensive raider in the same category. I fully agree that the websites miss the technique and recommended application of the rod. I don’t know what to look for in a grub vs a hardbody crank vs twitch rod and why those differences are important. Would really love this rod to match the new vanford reel I got. Dream combo would be a millerrod grub freak and the vanford. Cheers!
My Fave rod and reel combo is my Shimano Zodias 270ML with my Stradic 1000 in 6lb. I would love something higher end such as Miller rod and a stella reel but I just can push the budget that far. I tend to do mainly land based in Parrramatta river so all the usual species, bream, flatty, tailor, trevally, flounder, jew, ect. Love flicking plastics and hard bodies. That rod would be a dream come true
My favourite combo I own is a NS Blackhole Amped II with a 2500 Daiwa Aird LT, and gotta say the twitchfreak with a Daiwa Exist LT chasing bream up the creek would be a dream combo.
Great vid Byron. Last year I bought an Okuma Helios sx 1-3kg rod and paired it with an Okuma inspira 20 reel. Awesome for the price, caught some great fish on it.
Gloomis nrx+ 6-12lb extra fast action. I'd use it flicking plastics for pinkies/snapper in ppb. Turtleback worms and jerkshads on 1/8 - 1/6 jig heads. 2500 certate with my fav saltiga 12 pe1 braid. Elite set up right there.
Awesome video byron was perfect for me i struggled a fair bit with matching rods n reels for the correct situation and this is simplified for me which is perfect.
100% agreed mate, the decision’s are very easy when you know exactly what they where designed for. As for favorite combo it has to be my Millerod Grubfreak with a 2000 Daiwa Luvis targeting bream around the pontoons.
I’ve tried a friend’s Miller Rod Twitch Freak and it is a beautiful rod. My favourite combo so far is the 2018 Daiwa Infeet 610 paired with the 2500S Luvias. I wished there was more shallow spool reel available in Australia for exactly the reason you said “fits in my hand” perfectly, feels like a light hot knife on butter when you cast and sensitivity to boot.
Iv loved my mullet switch freak UL with a 100 tatula I would love to set up a twitch freak with a certate and chase bass on jerk baits and some bream as well
Ok, here's a unique setup thats worth having a quick googling about. I've currently got a Daiwa triple b (BBB) 666TLFS, paired with vanford 21 2000 size. It's a trout rod that is JP only and TELESCOPIC. Ultra light rod and fast action makes it awesome for plastics and twitch baits attacking breambos. It's a bit difficult to import in but man, this rod has been my favorite setup since I've paired it with a vanfond just recently.
My fav combo is by far Certate LT 2500XH w the Millerod Twitchfreak. Dream combo is a Carpenter BlueChaser 83/40 w a Stella 18k for the bigger fishies!
Dream combo for myself would be a Calcutta conquest 300 with a dream freak. Would be used for Cod or Barra. Ive already got a few Millerods and they are great but I do agree with buying a few cheaper rods when your first starting.
Great vid with good information and tips. I’ve got some nice rods, but maybe not in your price bracket, but my favourite two rods would be the original Ian Miller Shimano Barra Raider & a three peace travel raider. Both are great value for money and matched with an old school Shimano Chronarch e7. the Barra Raider has been beat up and traveled and it still performs great and the travel raider enables me to explore new water when travelling. Living in SA, my perfect rod would be light and have a fast action so I could flick for mulloway here in SA or Barra when I get to Darwin. It would also need to suit my chronarch which runs 20lb braid. But let’s be real, the Ian Miller rod would be amazing and if I win, I’d find a nice reel match and new fish to chase
Thanks for the video, Byron. My favourite combo so far (I'm very new to fishing) has to be the Shimano Zodias matched with a 2500 Vanford reel - which I was lucky enough to receive for my birthday recently. I'm blown away by the feel and didn't know fishing rods could feel so good since I was only using budget Shimano combos prior to this. Dream combo wise? I wouldn't have a clue tbh but I'm keen to learn how quality fishing gear can improve my fishing experience so I look forward to more of your reviews in the future. Thanks!
Thanks for the vid, Byron. I walked into my local TackleWorld a few days ago, thinking I would buy a Zodias to match my Vanford 3000, and after trying the reel on about 10 different rods, walked out with a Shimano Poison Adrena 2611MH (there's that alphabet soups again!), which cost twice as much as the Zodias! I'm a bit of a tackle rat and been building up my collection for years but the Poison Adrena has quickly become one of my favourite rods, it feels fantastic in the hand, it's perfectly balanced and just makes me want to go out and fish! I'm using it to cast vibes up to 20g, like the Samaki Vibelicious and Jackal Transams, chasing fatties and mulloway in my local river system. My dream combo would be customer Millerds Bladefreak, with a Stella F 2500!
Hey Alf! Thanks for the entry dude!!! Haha yup I have no idea what 2611MH means. I think when you find that rod that feels well balance and suits you, you gotta buy it! Bladefreak and Stella, can personally attest - good combo right there!
Great explanation on high end rods Byron! My favourite combo that I own is my 2021 Luvias paired with my TD Zero. Dream combo would be an Exist on the MillerRod GrubFreak chasing on Bream on plastics.
My favorite combo is my Vanford 1000 that I've put on a Crucis 7ft rod. Wicked light combo and so sensitive. A dream combo for me at the moment would be the new Saltiga slidebaiting rod and Saltiga reel for big pelagics from the rocks.
I never had a Miller rod..but sounds and looks amazing..I use alot of light tackle..I love the grip and feel of light tackle..and the cast is also awesome. Thanks for the great tips.Thanks again and stay safe,my brother.
Hi mate I have owned a few over the years, I think my first was 1998 bream buster. My favourite still to this day that I own and use regularly is the bassfreak lt. I don’t have any salt water style models anymore but the twitchfreak would certainly be nice to get me back in the game. Keep up the good work mate
Couple of favourite combos ha - 13Fishing Concept Z's on Dobyns Champion Series (have a couple different size rods all with concept Z's for different applications) Also have a small stash of Miller rods that have stella's on them (1-3k sizes) Spinning/popping larger stick baits/poppers - Zenaq rods with Saltiga reels are my go-to. Started off buying "low end gear" never thinking id sink this much money into rods/reels, but after you use quality gear for extended periods of time on the water, you understand their worth.
My go to combo is a custom Nordic Stage Artist paired up with a 2004 Exist 2012. Awesome. Dream rod would be a custom hard body Miller Rod to pair up with my other 2004 reel for targeting bream.
my favourite combo i have is my daiwa phantom hyper and kix lt 2500 not the most expensive but a great combo for bream i rekon my dream combo is a stella fj and the reaction for my breaming
My fave combo is my Savage Gear 2-4kg Black Savage (great value!) paired to a 1000 Vanford (loving the long spool castability). Dream combo- any rod or reel that's gonna get me that 40cm bream on the flick, so that twitch freak looks perfect, maybe chuck a sustain 1000 or 2500 on it for good measure
I don’t own a bunch of combos so my favourite would just be the one I use most and my only light one which is a daiwa 20 infeet 702LRS pairs with a shimano sienna 2500fe. Don’t know what my dream combo is probably cause I don’t want to think about spending a heap of money on a fishing rod and reel. But my dream light tackle fish to catch in it would be a bream or estuary perch 50cm or above and it would be sick if it was on a surface lure
Current combos are all Shimano Raider and daiwa excelers. Cheap enough to trust with the kids, though I must admit it was me and not the kids who broke two rods in three recent trips. Breaking cheaper rods still hurts. Wanted to get a millerod for ages but never could justify cost compared to multiple cheaper outfits.
My current favourite out fit is my 7'2" Phlueger Patriot with a 30 Patriot reel very much under rated. My dream out fit....any Miller rod with either Diawa Exist or a Shimano Stella👍
Great tips as always, I should read the manufacturers website before purchasing more often. My favourite combo at the moment is my Razoredge Masksman Long Cast paired with a 2500 Vanford, the Marksman 7’3’’ length is a winner, it’s stiff through the middle but soft and flicky towards the end, shame their no longer available. My dream combo would be 5000 Daiwa Saltist Ltd (I just love how they look) paired with a 20 Saltiga Airportable so I could jump on a plane out of WA to target some big kings in NZ.
Favourite combo has to be my Certate with the Twitch Freak. The smoothness of the certate and the loading action of the twitchfreak are unstoppable. My dream set up that I would love to get is an Exist with a Grubfreak.
Favourite combo at the moment would have to be vanford 2500 with a zodias 268ml rod light but powerful. Dream rod and reel would have to be millerods switchfreak with a Shimano metanium bait cast reel. Would use for bass in Maggie and rivers and possibly for flathead in Tyers.
My favourite till now has been daiwa td black scratchy & vanford 2500 for soft plastic combo for bream .. because it’s amazing super light.. very sensitive & strong enough to drag bream from snags .. Next level up I am definitely looking samurai or miller rod .. to match my luvias
Thanks for the tips Byron. I’ve had a lot of success with my stradic 2500fl and jewel 1-4 recently, it just has that right amount of sensitivity for the soft plastic and hardbody fishing that I do. If I had to dream of a setup I’d probably try out a daiwa steez matched with a 21 Luvias 2500 for flicking lures at bream, flathead, trevally, rat kings and soapies.
I’ve been an Atomic Arrowz fan for years (budget wise, they are awesome for the money) but have just started looking up higher. The most recent rod I’ve purchased is a Samaki Gen 2 extreme and paired it with my saltist 2500 reel. Once you start going up from the budget range there really is no going back. I’ve been using it for snapper in the shallows on plastics - I was using finesse gear but was sick of getting smoked by the monsters. Keep up the good content Byron!
Great vid mate description of what the rod is designed for is essential imo. My favourite way to choose a rod is by using my mates ha ha. Luckily they have some high end daiwa and miller rods., which I'm still yet to own. My favourite combo atm is my 7" 7' Murasame bream x with 2500 abu alx .
Great video, good to hear about the differences in better quality rods. My fave combo I have is a Atomic arrowz estuary rod with a Pflueger supreme reel. But I'd love to have a Millerrod blade freak with a Daiwa TD Sol 3 2500 to blade for bream and flathead in my local estuary in the deeper sections. I could imagine fishing with this combo all day long would be great with very little fatigue. Cheers.
Great explanations throughout the video mate, the combo I run now is the shimano zodius 2-4lb with the 2500 vanford great light rod for the estuary, dream combo would be the certate 6000 combo with saltist to target bigger fish like jew, kings around my area. Great vid mate
My favourite combo at the moment is my Shimano finesse bream raider 1-4 kg paired with my Daiwa Exceller 2500, with 6lb braid, for whiting and Bream. It is pretty budget, and I’m saving for a new rod. If I were to win the twitchfreak I would target bream, bass and whiting on small hardbodies. Cheers Byron. You are smashing it with the content👍🤙🔥💪🎣👌
Gday Mate, my favourite rod and reel combo is the Miller rod finesse freak lc which I purchased a couple days ago but would have much of rather to get a twitch freak and I have a Daiwa tiara 2500 matched with it. I chase trout and am really dreaming to get that 8+ pounder. The Miller rod twitch freak would help me out tremendously and help me get the smaller hard body’s where I want them. My dream combo would be the Miller rod twitch freak and the Daiwa airity 2500. Loved the video again like always
Thanks again for a great review. 100% agree with the info provided by sellers/manufacturers of rods, must be full disclosure and descriptive. It's a mine field trying to decipher rod jargon. I don't go for the popular choice and like to try new rods. My favorite combo at the moment is TT black mamba paired with a Daiwa Freams LT3000. Mostly using soft plastics and surface lures for bream and flatties. Like most I own a bunch of rods but nothing super high end as I'd be nervous taking it out on the kayak 🤣.
My favorite combo right now is the phenix feather paired with the shimano stradic!hopefully my next would be something in the high end range and stronger so I can target these hybrids without fear!!!great review btw!!! Fish on!!
Although I've moved on recently my most favourite combo of all time is the G.Loomis GLX DSR820S 2-4kg paired with '11 JDM Twin Power C2000S absolute weapon still to day. Soft plastics, hard bodies, popping for bass in little creeks.
Great vid! My favourite combo is my atomic arrows surface with a stradic 2500. Dream combo (or concept) would be a Lucia's paired with a 8'6 razor edge lures marksman longcast. Rod isn't released yet... But I'd love the length for casting flats and shorebashing rockwalls for bream, and maybe a beach trip chasing salmon!
I'm currently running a mixed bag of rods and reels all low to mid price from an old Gary Howard samurai 1to 3kg thru to 2to 4kg strudwick sicstick. I'd love to use a twitchfreak on my stretch of the Brisbane river or maroon for bass, chucking a jerk bait. Cheers
My current/favourite combo is Steez rod STZ631 (about 14years old) and Steez ct sv tw 700xh spooled with some Daiwa morethan 12 22lb braid. Very light combo, haven’t found a rod that performs this well at this length. Hence why I still have this rod.
I love the twitch freak although the grip is much smaller than I am used to. I have a Daiwa caldia 2500 reel on it as I tend to use 10lb braid and can use the combo for bream or trout. I think the ideal combo if you want to get exactly what your after is to go custom. Then you can choose exactly what components you want and talk to the builder to get exactly what you want. I generally use 1 to 3kg rods so a high end daiwa reel either 2000 or 2500 size on it for me would be perfect.
My favourite combo is a Miller rods one freak with a Shimano Curado dc and my dream rod would probably be a Miller Rods grub freak for Yellas in the trees or a twitch freak for top water Redfin 👍🏻👍🏻
My current favourite combo is my daiwa legalis 2000 paired with the daiwa infeet 20 702lrs which is a solid affordable combo and looks great with the blue and white accents! My dream combo as got to be one of the millerods (grub or twitch freak) to go with one of the new 21 caldias in 2000. It would be great combo to catch bream on the yak! Cheers BTH, keep up the awesome videos!
Byron that's got to be one of your best tip videos yet, everything you said i 100% agree with. As for my combo, i have a 2015 2004 luvias matched with a miller rod grub freak. my dream combo would be the twitch freak with either the luvias airity or steez type 2 (Japanese model), running straight through fluro for bream on the flats.
This is a great tip, especially around the components. I’ve found through trial and error of different products in the past. It is great that some brands like MilleRods are doing a great explanation on what the rod would be used for. As you mentioned, most of the products are just bound by the magic technical numbers, where each brands tend to have a different interpretation. The most important part was around the blank quality, that certainly makes a major different from the mid to high end. I’m currently settled with the TD Black Scratchy + Vanford combo for a bit of all rounder lure setup, as I don’t have a high-end rod yet. But to dream off, I completely love with grub freak + luvias airity 2500s combo that my mate have. As I use soft plastics (especially grub) a lot.
I think it took me about 5 years to even begin to understand the numbers and what it may mean for the rod I was buying. Glad you enjoyed the episode bud
Very thorough video Byron! My main focus at the moment is fishing for impoundment barra and the points you raised are equally if not more important. Fishing 30 or even 50lb braid with heavy 80-100lb leaders make rod selection critical particularly for the more finesse techniques. It can be tricky for find rods that have the right action for the technique being used and the right components that allow long casts with heavy leaders yet light enough to fish for very long sessions plus deal with 1m+ barra. Personally the majority of my outfits now are Millerods with my favourites being the OneFreak/Tranx 200 or the Beast Buster LM/ Stradic 4000. The next addition will likely be one of the new barra spin models that I've heard are in the pipeline!
I would say my fav combo is a venom spin paired with my stradic. I fish that in so many applications from reef work to barra vibes its so versatile. Ide really like to pair it with a stella and it would be so light. That said I love the look and feel of the Millers. Ide love to have one and catch gold coast flatties on the twitch freak if im lucky to win. We'll done on the review I found your perspective very interesting. Thanks for putting this video together. Cheers Mark
i dont understand how Byron Tea Hill dosent have way over 5.8k subs the way his channel looks compared to many other people is just unmissable the quality of his videos are just on point every time and he always is uploading whilst having his youtube look like it could be his job, the ammount of effort that goes into each one of his videos is just next level and gives you the perfect information every single time whilst being entertaining which many fishing youtubers seem to miss, aswell as Byron Tea Hill always has the best of both worlds in his videos such as when he is trying out a lure as a challange and manages to provide action of using the lure and catching aswell as him talking about the science of fishing you dont expect to see a fishing youtube account this good
Mate how do I respond to this. Jacob this made my day mate, thank you very much for the support and the kind words legend. It's always hard to balance the right content, sometimes it works, sometimes not so much. lol. I appreciate the support mate, thank you again.
@@ByronTeaHill nah all good mate the videos are great and keep doing what you are doing
I’ve been looking at a Miller rod for the longestttt time. Cheers mate this will help me make up my decision👍🏼
Glad I could help
@@ByronTeaHill I got the grub freak yesterday👌🏼
@@joshdfishing my next rod for sure
Rod is perfec
Couldn’t agree more Byron, valuable information right there. I now have 5 Miller’s paired with everything from Certates to Exists. It has taken my fishing to another level in just 18 months. Having said that a Diawa 732 ULFS mated to the new Airity is up there in our style of finesse angling. Another point worth mentioning is I have noticed that Diawa reels seem to sit at a better angle to the first guide helping casting and retrieval with less drag on the line. ……. Hey I’m a tackle snob now….your fault!
My fave combo at the moment is Daiwa TD Black Scratchy with Daiwa TD Sol III 2000D running 6lb braid.
My dream combo is Millerods XFLC with a 2000 Airity running 6lb.
I would use this as an all round light rod from the kayak, or shore based, catching bream, flathead, bass (when appropriate), Trevally, etc.
Another great video that gives plenty to think about - I have a Stradic C14+ 3000 and a Vanford 3000 with Samaki Zing 3 and Atomic Arrowz 70l. More than happy with both reels and the rods are pretty good for the fishing I do which is mainly Flatty hunting. The dream combo however would be a FlattieFreak 7'6'" combined with a Shimano Stella FJ 2500 - dream on! The rod makes all the difference as long as your reel is ok then I would spend the $$$ on a decent rod for sure but getting approval for such expenditure is hard work - maybe it will be easier to ask for forgiveness rather than permission...
My favourite combo that I own is the Daiwa Gen Black Two Drunken Monkeys with a 1000 Shimano stradic CI4. It's ultralight and good for small surface lures on tiny creek bass. An affordable combo which has lasted me years and caught lots of fish. My dream combo would be a Millerods GrubFreak 7'3" with a Daiwa Gekkabijin Air 2003. A beautiful, lightweight combo perfect for targeting bream on small soft plastics over sand flats. I'm all about light weight!
Been toying with the idea of moving from mid range to high end over the last few months, so quite timely advice with some great points Byron. Favourite set up right now is my original Samaki 7'6 flats Zing Extreme with a stradic ci4 1000, throwing sugapens at YFW. Unreal fun! Dream combo, may as well shoot for the stars, Millerods Brawler with a Stella FJ and go hunting donkey bream in gnarly structure.
Enjoy your style / approach mate - keep them coming!
My go to set-up is a Yamaga Blanks Calista 82M with a Daiwa Certate LT 3000-XH, it’s super light but with a very responsive yet powerful backbone. I use it for perch, seabass, zander and pike and it has caught me perch from 10 cm pike of 125 cm. It’s as all-round as it possibly gets!
Favourite rod and reel: Pflueger Patriach XTR 1-3kg, Shimano 2500ci4. Dream combo - Shimano Sustain with Miller Twitch Freak catching Archer Fish. They are only small and they all go back but my son enjoys that best.
Entered!
Favourite current Rod is an edge black widow spinning Rod paired with a vanford reel. Dream Rod is a Millerod BarraVibe paired with a stella or an exist LT reel. Barramundi is the target.
I’m a little bit late to the party but l use a cross fire and 1-2 kg arid rod Little bit
But it gets the job done and catch some whoopers I think if I won this Miller rod it would be a huge change to my fishing career
My favourite combo so far is the Luvias Airity 2500, paired with a Infeet z 732LFS. I dont do a lot of light tackle fishing but my dream combo would definetly be a Zenaq paired with a 2020 saltiga to go and chase world record kingfish in NZ! Do love light tackle fishing, super fun when a monster takes a bite and your drag screams!!
I've got the miller xflc and absolutely love it.
It's a great estuary all rounder in my opinion I have it paired with a 2500 stradic
I would love to add another millerods to the quiver
Currently a Daiwa Heartland on a Samaki Zing extreme is my top end outfit for bream cranking and soft plastics. The dream would be a Luvias reel on a Miller grub or twitch freak. Do a lot of both cranking and soft plastics for bream around the Hunter and Lake Macquarie area and could put either a grub or twitch freak to good use. Nothing better than not catching fish using high end equipment!
Hey mate, my current combo is a Abu Garcia revoMGX 2500s reel with 6lb braid to 4lb flouro matched with a Abu Garcia salty stage KRX ultra light 1-3kg jigging rod. I love fishing my soft plastics with this combo.
But I am slowly getting into fishing hard body’s thanks to you Byron, all the information you have provided on your channel has now got me hooked on getting better at fishing with them.
Yewww!!!! Mate that's awesome to hear dude, time on the water buddy! more time on the water = more fish
Thanks mate some great advice I will follow.
My favourite combo has been a Daiwa Battler paired with a Daiwa certate. I’ve been rapped with it until a week ago due a two rod horror accident I visited my local tackle shop and was suggested a Daiwa Rebellion. A midrange rod but by far the best rod I’ve fished ever. Paired with the certate I’m in love casting small hardbodies all day with long accurate casts.
I've always been a Shimano man until a mate working in a tackle store nagged me into a Daiwa TD Commander 742LXS Ocelot.
Matched with a Daiwa Airity Luvias 2500 it is a truly beautiful outfit that is SO light and balanced in the hand.
It casts light lures like a catapult
and every bump can be felt.
I have been tempted by the Miller rods and appreciate the quality. Only one thing has stopped me owning a few; I need even my finesse rods to have a bit longer butt section than most high end rods have (bad arthritis and wrist surgery).
I need to be able to be able to grip the end of the butt with my thumb and forefinger of my non-casting hand because single handed casting even a 1-3kg outfit is painful.
If a Miller was available that 'fit' me, I would buy a couple tomorrow; great value for a quality rod.
Cheers
Wayne
Currently running a 732 infeet z paired with a 2000 Gekkabijin X from Japan spooled with some 6lb braid and I must admit over the last 10-12 months I have not been more impressed with a setup ever, caught just about everything there is to offer in the way of light lure fishing on the far south coast on it and it’s stood up to the test time and time again using many different techniques. My dream combo however is probably very likely to be coming true soon, Revelry 2000 which I’ve already pre ordered paired on a Custom Miller rods Mudder spooled with 6lb braid and possibly a spare spool for some 3lb straight through fluoro, gonna be a dynamite setup for rolling the flats at coota or some of the other systems around home. As always another great video Byron keep it up legend
Awwww yeah.. I am totally giving a reel you mentioned in your comment next week ;) tight lines dude and thanks for getting involved!
Really enjoying my new 8ft Rovex EGI squid and lure rod with a Shimano Vanford 4000 reel mainly catching trout, salmon, flathead, and squid. Perfect for the beach. My dream is the 8ft Atomic Arrowz EGI.
Current Combo:
Snags: Millerods Brawler / Daiwa Airity 3000S-C
Hardbodies: Samurai Infinite 2-6lb FIN-6 / Daiwa 15 Exist 2508PE
Placcies: Samurai Infinite 4-10lb FIN-10 / Daiwa 12 Exist 2506
Bass : Shimano Poison Adrena 267ML / Daiwa Steez Exist Custom 2506
Dream Combo:
Millerods Twitchfreak LT or Daiwa Infeet EX 702 paired with a Megabass Caiyen 256
Applications:
Gippy Bream and Bass all day, everyday
Those are awesome combos Ryan!!! thanks for getting involved mate
Okay,
1 searched your name 10 times
2 I love millerods the guys a gun for many years now
3 for me the dream rod is a swim freak, fr something different I’d be chasing a big mulloway or cod
4 if you send me a rod I’ll send you a Gillette Mach 10 razor
5 that footage of you casting and snapping a rod on the kayak brought tears to my eyes.
6 you are spot on with the sensitivity, perhaps this is the main issue, feeling the best of a skim swim tail, the feel of a stick or rock or bite helps decide what kind of strike or response I give, certainly makes me a better angler
Love your work bth
Every part of me enjoys this rob. I'm a checklist type of guy and look at you go. hahaha, $500 worth of Gillette Mach 10 Razors??
@@ByronTeaHill I reckon $2 worth of razors mate you ain't no teen wolf!
My current favourite combo is a Shimano vanford 3000 paired with a shimano zodias 268 with 10lb Sunline siglon pe8 advance. My dream combo I would love to own one day would be a Shimano Stella 3000 spooled with Shimano Pitbull 12 PE 0.8 paired with a zenaq PA75, I believe that combo would really tick off most of the fishes that I can get down here in Victoria and would be an absolute beast of a combo to even own haha.
Another top video explaining it simply. I love my infeet and luvius combo, but I fish of breakwalls and I'd really like something a couple of feet longer. this video has given me some ideas, cheers.
no worries Craig thanks for entering
My favourite/dream combo would be a 2500 Daiwa black mq with a Daiwa black 2-4kg rod for flat ties and bream.
Favourite combo would be a td hyper 1-2kg with a Freams lt 2500, Dream combo would have to be a Certate, with a infeet/miller rod. Would use the twitch freak for brim and yellow belly, mainly using jerk baits and vibes.
Nice dude!!! Entered and thank you
Fav combo currently is a Loomis TSR with Old School Exist 2500, Dream combo would be Grub Freak with the New Airity targeting Bream
My favourite combo is a Kmart jervis Walker glass rod with a 10000 egg beater spoiled with 50 lb mono. I won’t need the miller rod cause I already have my dream rod as mentioned above
I bought a brawler a few months ago and paired it with a 2000 td black. It’s the best rod I own! Has been amazing pitching crabs into the ship docks.
If I could pick another setup it would be another Miller rods with a certate!
Very nice! certate on that would be awesome
Ripper video mate. My favourite setup is my shimano sedona combo that I got from anacona, it was my first ever combo and is what got me all started. A dream combo would be a Daiwa Exist paired with a Grubfreak, throwing SP's into snags!
Great vid mate, I have been building my own rods for years and have used Wilson live fibre blanks for beach fishing, Graphite USA blanks for baitcaster reels for barra and swimbait rods for cod. A variety of spin rods from Graphite USA, Hastings and lots of Samurai blanks from Froggleys Offshore. Always used titanium sic guides and tips for light weight and corrosion resistance. Sensitivity, strength in the blank, built properly on or under the spine to reduce blank twist under load. Butt length depending on the anglers arm length if you are casting with both hands, doing more casting or fighting fish will determine the reel seat position, the amount of guides and guide recipe for each rod blank will also vary. There is so much involved in building a well balanced, lightweight and functional rod that most anglers don't understand.
Ian Miller has established himself well in Australia and the US because he fishes for multiple species and understands the different needs for different lure types targeting the same species. Rod blank materials and rod design is a science in itself.
What guys go through to make a good rod is complex and not easy imo. custom rods do offer a good amount of personalization imo. really appreciate you sharing your thoughts bud, I enjoyed the read! tight lines Evan.
I didn’t think high end rods were necessary, until I used one. I didn’t think I could enjoy fishing any more until I picked up a Miller Rod. By far my favourite combo is my Miller Rod Grub Freak paired with the Daiwa Luvias 2500S. My Dream combo, a custom made Miller Rod Brawler paired with either an Exist or Stella to drag big Bream from structure. Thanks again Byron.
My pleasure, it’s totally true, your first sentence is on point mate. Thanks for the share on socials also!
Another great review mate. I wish I was a good enough fisherperson to justify a high end rod, I can appreciate all the benefits a high end can offer but I don't fish enough atm to justify a $500-$600 rod sitting in the garage. I've been plugging away with the rods I purchased back in '99 and finding with using the new soft plastics and getting a double clutch that the rods are just not responsive enough. Just brought a Daiwa BG 2500 and looking at getting a Daiwa 20 INFEET 732LFS to help with using all new soft plastics and surface lures. I've been looking at the Miller Rods and dreaming of one day maybe one day I will pull the trigger.
Keep up the great content mate.
I have that 732 model mate, it’s a nice one. Remember you don’t need expensive gear to catch fish!
@@ByronTeaHill as you've said and it's a saying I have lived by for years "Do your research". I never make a vital purchase these days without researching sometimes for months, weather it's $100 or $1000 the internet is there so use it,
My favourite combo is a Millerods Crankfreak ul with a stella 1000 an 2lb fluorocarbon for cranking the flats and edges
Crankfreak. interesting :)
Nice video. I’m impressed with your non biased opinions. I have a mid range Miller rod and love the fact it is so versatile, I can use it for a number of species like Flathead, Bass even bream in the racks. It is paired with a 3000 Sustain.
Cheers. Keep up the good work.
My pleasure Brian. Thanks mate!
Very well spoken and explained bud. I agree with everything you have touched base on hear . I have used every hi end rod over the years but as soon as I stumbled across Millerods then it became easy for me to change my hole quiver to only Millerods.
My go to is my Millerod blade freak uls matched with a Daiwa certate 19 with a vex blade. Great in the hand great to cast and great when loaded up. Twitch freak I am yet to perches but it’s my next in line..
Thanks Jesse. Hope your well dude! hopefully I get to see you at bemm next year! you're part of that cult following i was talking about! ahahaha
thanks legend.
@@ByronTeaHill haha
Hopefully we are back on 🙏
hi Byron. as usual all ur points r on point(sorry bout that lol). the last 15 years i have bought Daiwa products n wen i upgrade i pasted the combos to my sons until they started buying their own n now my grand sons get the combos. right now i have 3 Saltiga combos from 4/6pe to 10pe n 4 Daiwa Steez combos for river bass(have never fished a dam for bass). 3 r baitcasters for spinnerbait/chatterbait, jerk n crank the spin is for unweighted to 3/8. i have 7 swimbait rods, 5 r Millerods baitcast swimbait rods with Daiwa Zillions n 2 Daiwa Saltiga 10" spin rods with Saltiga 5000s. the 2 spins r for jew off the headlands using soft swimbaits n the other 5 r for barra/cod n flathead on the flats, different lengths n weights. also i have 2 Daiwa Commander rods in baitcast n spin for jacks which has a Steez A TW n a 18 Exist reel. i believe in buying the best u can n if so go that little extra. happy fishing everyone.
My dream rod has always been any of the miller range and had the luck to feel a few and fell in love my favourite combo at the moment is my custom plastics rod with a daiwa luvias but a miller twitch freak would slide into my regular rods very easily matched with a luvais or certate!
Love your videos man and a top bloke was lucky enough to meet you at one of the qld team series rounds earlier this year. Keep up the awesome work man love ya stuff!!
Right on
@@ByronTeaHill when do you announce the winner bro
@@jmfishn3155 mate, it was announced on this channel. It will come up on your feed, but if you didn't see it, you'll find it on the community tab of this channel.
Hey mate, have both complimented and criticised you on your vids. This type of vid is your cup of tea. Informative, well rounded, critical- yet not hacking on. I’ll show this vid to the Froggleys/ samurai rep that I talk too. Good constructive criticism that I agree with.
Favourite combo (two) Gloomis DSR 4-8pd with my old school Steez 2500 (10yr plus and still baller).
Or bigger: samurai 530 15-30pd with a shimano twinpower c5000 for the ‘less fish, bigger is best’ type thing
Hey Elivs, growth is important, sometimes we get it wrong, we live we learn. Thanks mate, super glad you enjoyed the video dude, entered and cheers again. Tight lines
My favourite rod and reel combo is Bream arrowz estuary 1-3 Kg with ci4+ 2500.
My Dream combo will be the miller rod grubfreak with shimano stella 1000
My favorite current set up is my trusty trout rod with Shimano Stradic ci4+ 1000 with a 5"6' Storm discovery. Has been a great setup for the small creek fishing I do for trout. My Dream setup would be a Millerods GrubFreak or a Megabass Shoreluck sll-68uls paired with a Daiwa Luvias Airity.
Very nice! Thanks Lachlan
I'm rocking a cajun rod with a shimano spheros 3k. Liking it a ton, although I think I'll throw a Stradic on there later this year. Dream combo would have to be that Miller with a Daiwa Certate
I now own seven Miller Rods including the recently released crank freak AU and absolutely love all of them, definitely will be getting more.
Awesome Mate!
My favorite combo is
Abu garcia veritas 4 and 20mgx
Dream setup dont know never thought it may be a miller rod
Im not fussed about fancy gear.
As long as my line is in the water.
Picked up my first high end rod and reel today. Grabbed myself a Millerods Grubfreak and the Daiwa Luvias Airity 2500. Now to take a day off work to get the combo its first fish haha
My favourite rod and reel combo I have is the shimano raider travel 2-4 kg paired with the shimano 2500 nasci. I’ve caught so many different species around SA on it and absolutely love it.
I don’t have a dream combo, i fish for multiple different species needing different set ups. I love my light weight trout fishing flicking hard body’s in tight narrow streams, to fishing the salt water systems hopefully chasing mullys and sharks this summer
Thanks for sharing! In :)
My favourite combo is a shimano sedona 1-4kg. I think it’s pretty good and prefer it to the more expensive raider in the same category.
I fully agree that the websites miss the technique and recommended application of the rod.
I don’t know what to look for in a grub vs a hardbody crank vs twitch rod and why those differences are important.
Would really love this rod to match the new vanford reel I got.
Dream combo would be a millerrod grub freak and the vanford.
Cheers!
Thanks for sharing Sean, awesome to hear
My Fave rod and reel combo is my Shimano Zodias 270ML with my Stradic 1000 in 6lb. I would love something higher end such as Miller rod and a stella reel but I just can push the budget that far. I tend to do mainly land based in Parrramatta river so all the usual species, bream, flatty, tailor, trevally, flounder, jew, ect. Love flicking plastics and hard bodies. That rod would be a dream come true
My favourite combo I own is a NS Blackhole Amped II with a 2500 Daiwa Aird LT, and gotta say the twitchfreak with a Daiwa Exist LT chasing bream up the creek would be a dream combo.
Nice! Entered thanks Rex
Great vid Byron.
Last year I bought an Okuma Helios sx 1-3kg rod and paired it with an Okuma inspira 20 reel. Awesome for the price, caught some great fish on it.
Gloomis nrx+ 6-12lb extra fast action. I'd use it flicking plastics for pinkies/snapper in ppb. Turtleback worms and jerkshads on 1/8 - 1/6 jig heads. 2500 certate with my fav saltiga 12 pe1 braid. Elite set up right there.
gloomis! Ive used one of these on a trip to china! Was really nice. Thanks for the entry!
Awesome video byron was perfect for me i struggled a fair bit with matching rods n reels for the correct situation and this is simplified for me which is perfect.
Glad I could help dude!!! Tight lines
100% agreed mate, the decision’s are very easy when you know exactly what they where designed for. As for favorite combo it has to be my Millerod Grubfreak with a 2000 Daiwa Luvis targeting bream around the pontoons.
Hey beautiful, thanks for the message. Xoxox see you at Christmas time xoxox hahahahaha
I’ve tried a friend’s Miller Rod Twitch Freak and it is a beautiful rod. My favourite combo so far is the 2018 Daiwa Infeet 610 paired with the 2500S Luvias. I wished there was more shallow spool reel available in Australia for exactly the reason you said “fits in my hand” perfectly, feels like a light hot knife on butter when you cast and sensitivity to boot.
Hey Eric! thanks for stopping by again legend. I appreciate the loyalty. totally agree. I'm a big fan of both the 2000 and 2500 sized reels. big fan
Iv loved my mullet switch freak UL with a 100 tatula I would love to set up a twitch freak with a certate and chase bass on jerk baits and some bream as well
My fav combo got to be my td sol3 2500 with my Wilson blade and tails 7 foot 6-12 lb my dream combo would be a steez sky bolt with a exceller 2000
Ok, here's a unique setup thats worth having a quick googling about. I've currently got a Daiwa triple b (BBB) 666TLFS, paired with vanford 21 2000 size. It's a trout rod that is JP only and TELESCOPIC. Ultra light rod and fast action makes it awesome for plastics and twitch baits attacking breambos. It's a bit difficult to import in but man, this rod has been my favorite setup since I've paired it with a vanfond just recently.
Google is working overtime on this one! Haha, nice!!! Vanford is a great reel, gave one of those a go recently and the wife loves it. It’s hers now :)
My fav combo is by far Certate LT 2500XH w the Millerod Twitchfreak. Dream combo is a Carpenter BlueChaser 83/40 w a Stella 18k for the bigger fishies!
nice!
Dream combo for myself would be a Calcutta conquest 300 with a dream freak. Would be used for Cod or Barra. Ive already got a few Millerods and they are great but I do agree with buying a few cheaper rods when your first starting.
Yup, great advice Benno81 - especially when you're learning about car doors. hahaaha
Great vid with good information and tips. I’ve got some nice rods, but maybe not in your price bracket, but my favourite two rods would be the original Ian Miller Shimano Barra Raider & a three peace travel raider. Both are great value for money and matched with an old school Shimano Chronarch e7. the Barra Raider has been beat up and traveled and it still performs great and the travel raider enables me to explore new water when travelling. Living in SA, my perfect rod would be light and have a fast action so I could flick for mulloway here in SA or Barra when I get to Darwin. It would also need to suit my chronarch which runs 20lb braid. But let’s be real, the Ian Miller rod would be amazing and if I win, I’d find a nice reel match and new fish to chase
Thanks for the video, Byron.
My favourite combo so far (I'm very new to fishing) has to be the Shimano Zodias matched with a 2500 Vanford reel - which I was lucky enough to receive for my birthday recently. I'm blown away by the feel and didn't know fishing rods could feel so good since I was only using budget Shimano combos prior to this.
Dream combo wise? I wouldn't have a clue tbh but I'm keen to learn how quality fishing gear can improve my fishing experience so I look forward to more of your reviews in the future.
Thanks!
Thanks for the vid, Byron. I walked into my local TackleWorld a few days ago, thinking I would buy a Zodias to match my Vanford 3000, and after trying the reel on about 10 different rods, walked out with a Shimano Poison Adrena 2611MH (there's that alphabet soups again!), which cost twice as much as the Zodias! I'm a bit of a tackle rat and been building up my collection for years but the Poison Adrena has quickly become one of my favourite rods, it feels fantastic in the hand, it's perfectly balanced and just makes me want to go out and fish!
I'm using it to cast vibes up to 20g, like the Samaki Vibelicious and Jackal Transams, chasing fatties and mulloway in my local river system. My dream combo would be customer Millerds Bladefreak, with a Stella F 2500!
Hey Alf! Thanks for the entry dude!!! Haha yup I have no idea what 2611MH means. I think when you find that rod that feels well balance and suits you, you gotta buy it!
Bladefreak and Stella, can personally attest - good combo right there!
Great explanation on high end rods Byron! My favourite combo that I own is my 2021 Luvias paired with my TD Zero. Dream combo would be an Exist on the MillerRod GrubFreak chasing on Bream on plastics.
My favorite combo is my Vanford 1000 that I've put on a Crucis 7ft rod. Wicked light combo and so sensitive. A dream combo for me at the moment would be the new Saltiga slidebaiting rod and Saltiga reel for big pelagics from the rocks.
In! thanks
You're welcome, this is great content
I never had a Miller rod..but sounds and looks amazing..I use alot of light tackle..I love the grip and feel of light tackle..and the cast is also awesome. Thanks for the great tips.Thanks again and stay safe,my brother.
Hi mate I have owned a few over the years, I think my first was 1998 bream buster. My favourite still to this day that I own and use regularly is the bassfreak lt. I don’t have any salt water style models anymore but the twitchfreak would certainly be nice to get me back in the game.
Keep up the good work mate
Couple of favourite combos ha - 13Fishing Concept Z's on Dobyns Champion Series (have a couple different size rods all with concept Z's for different applications)
Also have a small stash of Miller rods that have stella's on them (1-3k sizes)
Spinning/popping larger stick baits/poppers - Zenaq rods with Saltiga reels are my go-to.
Started off buying "low end gear" never thinking id sink this much money into rods/reels, but after you use quality gear for extended periods of time on the water, you understand their worth.
My go to combo is a custom Nordic Stage Artist paired up with a 2004 Exist 2012. Awesome. Dream rod would be a custom hard body Miller Rod to pair up with my other 2004 reel for targeting bream.
very nice!! entered thanks fishingfox!
my favourite combo i have is my daiwa phantom hyper and kix lt 2500 not the most expensive but a great combo for bream
i rekon my dream combo is a stella fj and the reaction for my breaming
top teir with that stella mate. entered! tight lines
Had my eye on this exact rod for awhile now.
Dream combo:
Twitch freak on my Td sol 2500
Current fave:
Td sol 2500 on a 1-4kg 732 infeet in red 🤌🏼
Awww yeah!
My fave combo is my Savage Gear 2-4kg Black Savage (great value!) paired to a 1000 Vanford (loving the long spool castability). Dream combo- any rod or reel that's gonna get me that 40cm bream on the flick, so that twitch freak looks perfect, maybe chuck a sustain 1000 or 2500 on it for good measure
Love the vanfords especially the 1000, great little reel..
but the 1000 is the only one without the long stroke spool unfortunately
I don’t own a bunch of combos so my favourite would just be the one I use most and my only light one which is a daiwa 20 infeet 702LRS pairs with a shimano sienna 2500fe. Don’t know what my dream combo is probably cause I don’t want to think about spending a heap of money on a fishing rod and reel. But my dream light tackle fish to catch in it would be a bream or estuary perch 50cm or above and it would be sick if it was on a surface lure
Current combos are all Shimano Raider and daiwa excelers. Cheap enough to trust with the kids, though I must admit it was me and not the kids who broke two rods in three recent trips. Breaking cheaper rods still hurts. Wanted to get a millerod for ages but never could justify cost compared to multiple cheaper outfits.
You are right! Breaking any rod hurts! Entered, thanks for getting involved!
My current favourite out fit is my 7'2" Phlueger Patriot with a 30 Patriot reel very much under rated. My dream out fit....any Miller rod with either Diawa Exist or a Shimano Stella👍
My favourite combo is a Daiwa Kungfu Prancer and Daiwa 18 2500 Exist LT.. its a sweet combo..Great video Byron.
Good choice!
Great tips as always, I should read the manufacturers website before purchasing more often. My favourite combo at the moment is my Razoredge Masksman Long Cast paired with a 2500 Vanford, the Marksman 7’3’’ length is a winner, it’s stiff through the middle but soft and flicky towards the end, shame their no longer available. My dream combo would be 5000 Daiwa Saltist Ltd (I just love how they look) paired with a 20 Saltiga Airportable so I could jump on a plane out of WA to target some big kings in NZ.
Favourite combo has to be my Certate with the Twitch Freak. The smoothness of the certate and the loading action of the twitchfreak are unstoppable.
My dream set up that I would love to get is an Exist with a Grubfreak.
High end! Nice
Favourite combo at the moment would have to be vanford 2500 with a zodias 268ml rod light but powerful. Dream rod and reel would have to be millerods switchfreak with a Shimano metanium bait cast reel. Would use for bass in Maggie and rivers and possibly for flathead in Tyers.
Nice!!!!! Thanks Jerry entered mate!
My favourite till now has been daiwa td black scratchy & vanford 2500 for soft plastic combo for bream .. because it’s amazing super light.. very sensitive & strong enough to drag bream from snags ..
Next level up I am definitely looking samurai or miller rod .. to match my luvias
Very nice!!!! entered and dude, thanks for coming by again! appreciate it
Thanks for the tips Byron. I’ve had a lot of success with my stradic 2500fl and jewel 1-4 recently, it just has that right amount of sensitivity for the soft plastic and hardbody fishing that I do. If I had to dream of a setup I’d probably try out a daiwa steez matched with a 21 Luvias 2500 for flicking lures at bream, flathead, trevally, rat kings and soapies.
Glad to help Josh, you're in mate
I’ve been an Atomic Arrowz fan for years (budget wise, they are awesome for the money) but have just started looking up higher.
The most recent rod I’ve purchased is a Samaki Gen 2 extreme and paired it with my saltist 2500 reel. Once you start going up from the budget range there really is no going back. I’ve been using it for snapper in the shallows on plastics - I was using finesse gear but was sick of getting smoked by the monsters.
Keep up the good content Byron!
Good choice! Thanks Brendon, Tight lines mate
Great vid mate description of what the rod is designed for is essential imo. My favourite way to choose a rod is by using my mates ha ha. Luckily they have some high end daiwa and miller rods., which I'm still yet to own. My favourite combo atm is my 7" 7' Murasame bream x with 2500 abu alx .
100% Geoff. Thanks mate, nice combo!!!
Great video, good to hear about the differences in better quality rods. My fave combo I have is a Atomic arrowz estuary rod with a Pflueger supreme reel. But I'd love to have a Millerrod blade freak with a Daiwa TD Sol 3 2500 to blade for bream and flathead in my local estuary in the deeper sections. I could imagine fishing with this combo all day long would be great with very little fatigue. Cheers.
yeah mate, it makes a big difference hey!
Great explanations throughout the video mate, the combo I run now is the shimano zodius 2-4lb with the 2500 vanford great light rod for the estuary, dream combo would be the certate 6000 combo with saltist to target bigger fish like jew, kings around my area. Great vid mate
Nice that zodius and vanford combo are made for each other. nice. entered buddy. thank you
@@ByronTeaHill sure are, thanks mate 🤞🏽
My favourite combo at the moment is my Shimano finesse bream raider 1-4 kg paired with my Daiwa Exceller 2500, with 6lb braid, for whiting and Bream. It is pretty budget, and I’m saving for a new rod. If I were to win the twitchfreak I would target bream, bass and whiting on small hardbodies. Cheers Byron. You are smashing it with the content👍🤙🔥💪🎣👌
Gday Mate, my favourite rod and reel combo is the Miller rod finesse freak lc which I purchased a couple days ago but would have much of rather to get a twitch freak and I have a Daiwa tiara 2500 matched with it. I chase trout and am really dreaming to get that 8+ pounder. The Miller rod twitch freak would help me out tremendously and help me get the smaller hard body’s where I want them. My dream combo would be the Miller rod twitch freak and the Daiwa airity 2500. Loved the video again like always
Thanks again for a great review. 100% agree with the info provided by sellers/manufacturers of rods, must be full disclosure and descriptive. It's a mine field trying to decipher rod jargon. I don't go for the popular choice and like to try new rods. My favorite combo at the moment is TT black mamba paired with a Daiwa Freams LT3000. Mostly using soft plastics and surface lures for bream and flatties. Like most I own a bunch of rods but nothing super high end as I'd be nervous taking it out on the kayak 🤣.
My favorite combo right now is the phenix feather paired with the shimano stradic!hopefully my next would be something in the high end range and stronger so I can target these hybrids without fear!!!great review btw!!!
Fish on!!
nice Dude
Although I've moved on recently my most favourite combo of all time is the G.Loomis GLX DSR820S 2-4kg paired with '11 JDM Twin Power C2000S absolute weapon still to day. Soft plastics, hard bodies, popping for bass in little creeks.
Entered! also, love the photo on your profile dude! awesome
Great vid! My favourite combo is my atomic arrows surface with a stradic 2500. Dream combo (or concept) would be a Lucia's paired with a 8'6 razor edge lures marksman longcast. Rod isn't released yet... But I'd love the length for casting flats and shorebashing rockwalls for bream, and maybe a beach trip chasing salmon!
Sounds great!
I'm currently running a mixed bag of rods and reels all low to mid price from an old Gary Howard samurai 1to 3kg thru to 2to 4kg strudwick sicstick.
I'd love to use a twitchfreak on my stretch of the Brisbane river or maroon for bass, chucking a jerk bait.
Cheers
Thanks for getting involved Clinton, entered and good luck buddy
My current/favourite combo is Steez rod STZ631 (about 14years old) and Steez ct sv tw 700xh spooled with some Daiwa morethan 12 22lb braid. Very light combo, haven’t found a rod that performs this well at this length. Hence why I still have this rod.
14 years ago! dude, impressive. nice!!!!
I think for moving baits high end rods aren’t worth it but for bottom contact/jig fishing where sensitivity is key I would say they are
I love the twitch freak although the grip is much smaller than I am used to. I have a Daiwa caldia 2500 reel on it as I tend to use 10lb braid and can use the combo for bream or trout. I think the ideal combo if you want to get exactly what your after is to go custom. Then you can choose exactly what components you want and talk to the builder to get exactly what you want. I generally use 1 to 3kg rods so a high end daiwa reel either 2000 or 2500 size on it for me would be perfect.
hey legend. If you see my boat on your flat next year, I'm sorry in advance :) hehehehe
@@ByronTeaHill I have plenty of water mate lol. Didn't fish there in the local round last year and we came 2nd. 🤣 Who shares wins right 🤣🤣
My favourite combo is a Miller rods one freak with a Shimano Curado dc and my dream rod would probably be a Miller Rods grub freak for Yellas in the trees or a twitch freak for top water Redfin 👍🏻👍🏻
My current favourite combo is my daiwa legalis 2000 paired with the daiwa infeet 20 702lrs which is a solid affordable combo and looks great with the blue and white accents! My dream combo as got to be one of the millerods (grub or twitch freak) to go with one of the new 21 caldias in 2000. It would be great combo to catch bream on the yak! Cheers BTH, keep up the awesome videos!
Good choice!
Byron that's got to be one of your best tip videos yet, everything you said i 100% agree with. As for my combo, i have a 2015 2004 luvias matched with a miller rod grub freak. my dream combo would be the twitch freak with either the luvias airity or steez type 2 (Japanese model), running straight through fluro for bream on the flats.
Ahhh legend. Thanks man, means a lot. the airity is really nice with straight through FC on it.. maybe i should do a little review :)
@@ByronTeaHill yeah for sure 👍
This is a great tip, especially around the components. I’ve found through trial and error of different products in the past. It is great that some brands like MilleRods are doing a great explanation on what the rod would be used for. As you mentioned, most of the products are just bound by the magic technical numbers, where each brands tend to have a different interpretation. The most important part was around the blank quality, that certainly makes a major different from the mid to high end.
I’m currently settled with the TD Black Scratchy + Vanford combo for a bit of all rounder lure setup, as I don’t have a high-end rod yet. But to dream off, I completely love with grub freak + luvias airity 2500s combo that my mate have. As I use soft plastics (especially grub) a lot.
I think it took me about 5 years to even begin to understand the numbers and what it may mean for the rod I was buying. Glad you enjoyed the episode bud
Very thorough video Byron! My main focus at the moment is fishing for impoundment barra and the points you raised are equally if not more important. Fishing 30 or even 50lb braid with heavy 80-100lb leaders make rod selection critical particularly for the more finesse techniques. It can be tricky for find rods that have the right action for the technique being used and the right components that allow long casts with heavy leaders yet light enough to fish for very long sessions plus deal with 1m+ barra. Personally the majority of my outfits now are Millerods with my favourites being the OneFreak/Tranx 200 or the Beast Buster LM/ Stradic 4000. The next addition will likely be one of the new barra spin models that I've heard are in the pipeline!
Ryan! I'm glad you enjoyed it mate. stoked you share some of the same ideas mate. I'll throw your entry in, thanks for getting involved
I would have a Shimano Vanford 2500 hg paired up with a Daiwa Aird X 2-4kg rod and I would use that for flicking along sand flats
Entered
I would say my fav combo is a venom spin paired with my stradic. I fish that in so many applications from reef work to barra vibes its so versatile. Ide really like to pair it with a stella and it would be so light. That said I love the look and feel of the Millers. Ide love to have one and catch gold coast flatties on the twitch freak if im lucky to win. We'll done on the review I found your perspective very interesting. Thanks for putting this video together. Cheers Mark
My pleasure Mark. Tight lines, thanks for sharing your thoughts!