Switched-on saltwater anglers understand just how effective multi-hook Sabiki rigs are for catching all manner of baitfish species, but they also know what a total pain it can be to keep these tangle-prone terminal rigs in top working order! Droppers wrap around rods, hooks catch in boat carpets, swivels jam in tips and all too soon the whole thing is a useless, snarled mess of flies and mono — worse still, this usually happens at the exact moment the boat pulls up over a dense bait school! 
 
The best way to keep Sabiki rigs organised and ready for immediate action at any moment is to use a specially-designed rod with no guides and an over-sized, trumpet-shaped tip that allows the entire rig to be cranked safely inside the large diameter blank, with only the sinker or sinker clip exposed.

Shimano Australia have now added exactly such a specialist Sabiki rig bait-catching rod to their 2025 range with the release of the Shimano Slakka. Taking its name from a portmanteau of two of the country’s most popular and widely available bait species (slimy mackerel and yakkas, or yellowtail), the Slakka has a two-piece construction and measures a handy 7’ 5” when assembled. Best of all, the Slakka’s carefully engineered trumpet tip allows heavier rigs with multiple hooks up to 2/0 in size to be smoothly cranked inside the hollow blank and stored  just as cleanly and easily as much smaller and lighter rigs. As a major bonus, the rod’s two-piece design allows the rigs to be flushed and rinsed with a freshwater hose while stored inside the Slakka!

Thanks to the new Shimano Slakka, catching bait will never again be a frustrating, time-wasting chore. Instead, your ready-to-fish Sabiki rig will always be primed and ready to be dropped or cast into that bait school at a moment’s notice, ensuring a ready supply of fresh and live baits to target all manner of offshore predators.