Rod recommendation

[wiljack78]

I have a Diawa SL30 conventional reel that I use on the surf. I'd like to get a rod for the SLOSH and use in on the yak for stripers on the bay. I have some questions and would like some recommendations on any of these topics.

1- I like graphite rods but I'm concerned about high sticking and breakage, or should I just go the Ugly Stick route?
2- I've read about balancing the reel and rod. Does it matter on a yak and how to do that, when I'm just going in to buy a rod and mounting the reel at home?
3- Sensitivity is something I need since I believe I miss a lot of strikes. What makes a rod sensitive?
4- Rating. How heavy of a rod should I get for live lining? 20, 25, or 30# line and 1, 2 or 3 oz lures.
Thanks for helping me get throught the learning curve.

[surfdog]

an ugly stick 7' med hvy is a good inexpensive choice, the soft tip is sensitive and the rod is almost indestructible, combo that with 15-20# braid and its very sensitive

[DOGFISH]

It is like anything else. I depends how much you want to spend. I agree with Surfdog, an Ugly Stick is a very good inexpensive rod. They are tuff. Go to a store or shop where they have a good selection and have someone hold the tip of the rod while you pull up on the rod, as you would hold it while fishing. Fishing rods have many lenghts and tapers, even Ugly Stick.

I have been using and building custom graphite rods since graphite rod blanks came out and have only broken one blank, on a ray. If you are going to spend alittle more money, lamiglas makes a very good kayak blank and rod. It is more of a moderate blank with composite graphite construction. That would attend to you fear of high sticking. However, the high sticking thing is mostly with faster action high content blanks, where most of the taper is at the tip of the rod. It is also not that common. Alot of time it also happens when fisherman put higher test line on a rod built for a lower test. Also, the drag must be set properly. If you go with a moderate taper, the bend will occur through a longer portion of the blank. For instance, the rod I broke was a thin wall, fast action rod, built to be very light. As I got the ray near the boat, I put on alot a pressure to lift the ray, overloading the blank. That is when the rod broke. That was alot of pressure.

A blanced set up is always best. It is more comfortable. Much of that is accomplished with the size reel you are going to use with the rod selection.
Today, balancing a setup is much easier with the use of braided line. There are more sized reels available. You should be able to find a balanced combination with a reasonably good rod.

As far as live lining goes, lamiglas also make a good live bait blank and rod. I don't do that much live lining.

Hope this helps.

Good Luck.

[Redfish12]

I agree with what has been said, good recommendations. I'm a big ugly stick fan and I have mh m and ml for different applications, the mh is the most versatile. They have a soft tip which is nice for livelining or trolling but you can still cast/plug with them if you want.

If you want a faster action rod check out the graphite series rods at bass pro. They are cheap, durable, and can handle a serious load. The Muskie series is more suited to trolling or bottom fishing but still pretty sensitive. The mh might be what you're looking for. If you're looking for more of a light tackle experience then the m is probably better. You're SLOSH might be too big for all of the rods I've mentioned so far though.

Those are my cheap recommendations (~$30/$40). If you want to go higher the lamiglass kayak blanks dogfish mentioned all always reviewed favorably as are the the usual suspects... St croix, gloomis, seeker, etc. I have a Penn Boat rod that has a super flexible tip that might work for you too, I just can't imagine casting with it. It's going to be my eel rod for kipto this year and probably would have taken it for king mac if I could have ever got that trip together.

I try to keep it cheap on the yak because I know I'm going to bang it up. If you live in the Arlington area maybe we can set up a way for you to try your reel on some of my rods. Good luck, bps and cabelas can be overwhelming!

[mmanolis2001]

I have a Diawa SL30 conventional reel that I use on the surf. I'd like to get a rod for the SLOSH and use in on the yak for stripers on the bay. I have some questions and would like some recommendations on any of these topics.

1- I like graphite rods but I'm concerned about high sticking and breakage, or should I just go the Ugly Stick route?
2- I've read about balancing the reel and rod. Does it matter on a yak and how to do that, when I'm just going in to buy a rod and mounting the reel at home?
3- Sensitivity is something I need since I believe I miss a lot of strikes. What makes a rod sensitive?
4- Rating. How heavy of a rod should I get for live lining? 20, 25, or 30# line and 1, 2 or 3 oz lures.
Thanks for helping me get throught the learning curve.

I had a rod break this year due to high sticking. It was 100% my fault and completely avoidable. High rod angle close to the boat combined with a locked drag on a green fish leads to disaster. This is easy to avoid and should not be a major deterrent in choosing the best blank for your needs.

I like DOGFISH build my own rods to meet specific needs and would not think twice about choosing a graphite over composite blank if it fills the roll i am aiming at. Ugly sticks are fine rods and are definitely tough. Maybe a little heavier than a graphite blank of the same rating but it will take more abuse.

Sensitivity comes from several aspects of the rod. Blank Material with graphite leading the way. Handle and reel seat material and construction. Exposed blank casting reel seats is an example used in lighter action rods as well as hollow graphite tube handles with graphite shims. Use of very light titanium guides to decrease the weight placed on the upper section of the rod can also have a effect on action and sensitivity. And last but not least adding braid to equation greatly increases sensitivity due to its near 0 stretch.

As far as balancing the rod i don't put to much though into that for Kayak rods. Generally rods with shorter butts are more comfortable while sitting in a Kayak. It is hard to balance a rod with a larger reel and short rear grip. I have several very nice balanced spinning rods i made that i never take out in the yak due to the longer rear grip.

The rods spend more time wedged under my leg and tip hanging over the bow while live lining in the kayak. That frees up both hands to paddle and hold position. Thus a heaver rod or unbalanced rod is not much of an issue. If I'm casting lures the lighter stuff comes out anyway. Now with trolling season coming up fast they will be in the rod holders the majority of the time.

A 20lb to 30lb class rod is more than enough for anything in the bay. If its a horse of a fish enjoy the ride. If it gets in the pylons and raps you up and a little paddling in and out of the pylons don't free it then the fish wins

I am in the process of building a Seeker Hercules inshore lite to replace the high sticked rod. This blank is incredible and should be a perfect multi-use med/hvy bay rod.

[wiljack78]

Thanks

This is just too much fun. I do appreciate the comments and the thoughts that they promote. I'll take your comments to the shop and see how it feels. My favorite rod is a lighter weight IM6 Graphite that just feels good in my hand. Can a novice build a rod or does it take special equipment?

[DOGFISH]

A novice can build a rod. We were all novices at first. However, it is a craft that you will spend the rest of your life perfecting. You always get better. If you need a rod soon, your best bet is to buy one already made. You may want to start building rods when you have the time to do some reading and get a modist amount of equipment. It does take some equipment to start. Myself, my garage is like a custom rod shop. Power wrapers, dryers and all sorts of equipment. Remember, its like fishing, you don't get everything at once. It accumilates over time. If building rods is something you might be interested in take a look at Mud Hole Tackle, http://www.mudhole.com/.


I agree about the higher end blanks. I have always used Lamiglas. I really liked Loomis blanks until they stopped selling blanks for custom rod builders. Presently, I have really been taken with St. Croix. I have two flipping/pitching blanks that I am building for long trolling rods for crankbaits. This gives you an idea of how you can custom build rods to a purpose.

I also like Shimano rods. On the way to Bass Pro, stop by West Marine and look at the 7' Shimano rod there, at least the one in Eastport has them. It is rated for line from 15-65lb test. It does not look like it would not be rated that high. I have never seen such a range in a rod. However, it is a nice rod, light and could be balanced out quite easily. It would be a good rod. The Shimano jig rod might be better suited for live lining, but it is only 6'6".

[ictalurus]

I don't live-line, but I like a properly balanced rod for jigging. I have a couple Bass Pro Extreme Rods (1 spinning and 1 casting). Both are medium heavy and fast action. They have a balancing port, so I balanced them so the rod would be slightly butt-heavy with a 1oz jig on. It makes jigging heavy lures much easier; however, it made the rod a good bit heavier. I also have Cabela's Prodigy casting rod, medium power, extra-fast action, which weighs 4.5oz (I think). With my Revo SX, the whole thing weighs 13.5oz, and it's pretty balanced but slightly tip heavy. I feel the effects of jigging heavy lures faster with the unbalanced rod compared to the balanced rod, but maybe I need to do more reps. I like how light the combo is though, and I also like the minimalist reel seat of the Prodigy. I'm not sure if the added weight on my Extremes decreases sensitivity, but weight in general inhibits sensitivity. With my corpse-like reflexes, I have to go with a fast or extra-fast action rod. I have a medium power Ugly Stick that I use for trolling and bottom fishing. I find its action too floppy for jigging effectively, but lots of people use them for that.

For what it's worth, I picked up all the Extreme and Prodigy rods on sale for ~$60 each. I've had the Extremes for 4 or 5 years now and haven't killed them yet.

I can't address the high-sticking problem since I haven't caught anything big enough where that would be a problem. I don't high stick for the fish I usually catch, but my hands often have cuts from the braid. I also keep a pretty loose drag.

[surfdog]

i picked up an offshore extreme 7' mh fast rated to 40# test. nice rod for yak or surf when throwing heaver plugs and lures, coupled with a penn ccll 5000 its pretty well balanced, a little butt heavy but with a 2-3 oz lure on its in the lines

[surfdog]

oops that was an inshore extreme, too much work not enough fishing

[Choptankfishfinder]

rod for sale

I just put an Okuma Baidarka rod up for sale on the forum today. I already have 3, no room for a 4th (it was a gift). Still brand new in the original packaging. Had a chance to get out and use the other rods today to the tune of two keeper rockfish, 13 throw-backs, and a nice blue. I love these rods, and I would recommend them even if I wasn't trying to sell one.