With the hype that has surrounded the new 13 Fishing Concept Z baitcaster reel I was excited to finally spool it up and give it hell. The majority of early reviews have come out of the US and seen anglers spool the Z to the brim with light fluro or mono line and cast light lures stupid distances across their favourite bass pond.
I was instantly curious to see how the mid-$300 reel would handle the rigours of cod fishing in the snag-infested Australian outback. I went to work pairing the Z with 40lb braid, 50lb leader, a 6’7” OMEN BLACK G2 and some 90-130mm hard body wooden lures. I was excited at the idea of casting an entire spool of braid, but, more importantly, how would it handle the fundamentals of cod fishing.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
This thing is light. At just under 185 grams, it is lighter than most swimbaits we throw, so it took some time adjusting to how it felt on the rod. Initially, I thought a bone-jarring strike from a decent cod might just rip the spool clean out of its seat.
While not too applicable to me, I like that it is saltwater resistant and the EVA handle knobs are super comfortable and both the drag and cast control knobs click when adjusted, which is a feature I rate highly on all reels.
DRAG (COD STRONG)
Like the majority of the 13 Fishing Concept range, the Z comes with Japanese Hamai cut gearings and 10kgs (22lb) of Bulldog drag, which has more than enough stopping power when you want to drop anchor on a fish. From pulling the boat around when snagged on submerged timber to stopping decent cod as they burst for home, the drag was smooth, silent and didn’t miss a beat.
While I’m yet to fight a true trophy fish, it has already been marked for the annual Barra trip up north to test its mettle on some hard-fighting impoundment barra.
ZERO BEARING ON QUALITY
The main hype that surrounded this reel was its lack of ball bearings. The traditional ball bearing system was replaced by the American made CZB (Concept Zero Bearing) polymer technology that offers a different kind of reel resistance.
To test out the polymer disk’s smoothness under varying degrees of tension, I cast and retrieved a selection of both heavy and light baits. Fishing Australia’s inland rivers doesn’t really require record-breaking distance when it comes to casting, although, it was nice to open it up and put a surface lure on the other side of the river.
While it matched or was slightly under the distance I achieve with my Concept E on the lighter baits, I found it much better suited, compared to other small low profile reels, for piffing heavier 100gm+ tackle. While I expect the distance of the lighter lures to improve, as the polymer disk wears in, I was really chuffed with its heavy bait work.
Also, the way we treat our reels in dirty water, in and out of the Hobie onto sandy beaches and climbing clay banks in the dark, is better suited to a reel with, well, zero ball bearings.
COD-CEPT Z
While I’ll admit the Concept Z wouldn’t look out of place in a fruit bowl, with its burnt orange aesthetic, it would find a much better home on the reel seat of any Aussie angler looking to not only reach but stop, a trophy Murray cod.
