Sea Level
05-13-2007, 09:12 AM
Yesterday I received my first AFAW rod from our Florida Anyfish Anywhere distributor -- Steve Austin, here in Jacksonville. Steve, a fellow Florida Surfcasters club member, was also the builder of the 13' 3-5 ounce rod dubbed appropriately enough the "Surf" rod.
Time permitting, Steve builds a great fishing rod, using the best components. Mine has the top of the line Fuji reel seat, the cross-hatched shrink wrap for the butt and foregrip and Fuji alconite lowriders -- wrapped in my favorite USN blue and gold colors.
Steve and I took the rod on its maiden fishing trip yesterday to test it out against what we hoped was still on -- the north bound Pompano run. As a new dealer, Steve wanted to get additional data points with my impressions of the rod, as it is one of the first he has delivered in the area. (I know there are other AFAW surf rods being build by other area surf fishermen.)
We fished the AFAW Surf stick alongside some good company -- a couple of Steve's Zziplex 3500s, and a couple of my favorites - a Conoflex Gambit XTXL (12'9" & 3-5 ounces) and an Ian Golds "Match" (13' 3" & 4-6 ounces). Both of my comparison rods have been favorites for a couple of years because of their ability to cast long and for their bite detection.
The fishing was lousy, Bonnetheads and Sailcats, were the order of the day in the still muddy water from the recent blow. However, I caught a fish on my first cast with the AFAW, and the bite detection is superb!
Prior to fishing the rod, I put on a stock, well- tuned 525 mag that held 14# Sufix Tri and with 4 ounces, threw several OTG casts down the beach to get a feel for the rod. Really liking what I felt, I put a baited rig on and waded out thigh deep to send her fishing. My casting style while in the water can be rather undisciplined, but with either a Hatteras or overhead thump style cast, I was getting respectable fishing distance. The rod does load further down in the blank as has been reported by other testers. That suits me fine. A man in his sixties might not get the same sore shoulders that a day of slinging lead with a stiffer rod sometimes leads to. I'm happy to let the rod load on its own.
Anyhow, here are my initial thoughts: the blank loads easily and with sufficient power to comfortably throw 5 ounces, at 13' I like the length for a spiked rod in order to keep line out of the wash, with a slim butt and light weight it is a pleasure to cast (and I'm sure to fish hand held for a prolonged period of time) and the bite detection is superior. As I fish it more over the next couple of weeks, I'll certainly get a better feel for the rod. My guess is I'll be putting in an order with Steve for another AFAW Surf rod.
Kingfish, hope you notice this post. I predict you're going to really like this rod. It has the bite detection of the Star rods we like, but with the power and length to easily get bait into the second gut; especially in the hands of a better caster. The Pomps should be in your neighborhood.
Time permitting, Steve builds a great fishing rod, using the best components. Mine has the top of the line Fuji reel seat, the cross-hatched shrink wrap for the butt and foregrip and Fuji alconite lowriders -- wrapped in my favorite USN blue and gold colors.
Steve and I took the rod on its maiden fishing trip yesterday to test it out against what we hoped was still on -- the north bound Pompano run. As a new dealer, Steve wanted to get additional data points with my impressions of the rod, as it is one of the first he has delivered in the area. (I know there are other AFAW surf rods being build by other area surf fishermen.)
We fished the AFAW Surf stick alongside some good company -- a couple of Steve's Zziplex 3500s, and a couple of my favorites - a Conoflex Gambit XTXL (12'9" & 3-5 ounces) and an Ian Golds "Match" (13' 3" & 4-6 ounces). Both of my comparison rods have been favorites for a couple of years because of their ability to cast long and for their bite detection.
The fishing was lousy, Bonnetheads and Sailcats, were the order of the day in the still muddy water from the recent blow. However, I caught a fish on my first cast with the AFAW, and the bite detection is superb!
Prior to fishing the rod, I put on a stock, well- tuned 525 mag that held 14# Sufix Tri and with 4 ounces, threw several OTG casts down the beach to get a feel for the rod. Really liking what I felt, I put a baited rig on and waded out thigh deep to send her fishing. My casting style while in the water can be rather undisciplined, but with either a Hatteras or overhead thump style cast, I was getting respectable fishing distance. The rod does load further down in the blank as has been reported by other testers. That suits me fine. A man in his sixties might not get the same sore shoulders that a day of slinging lead with a stiffer rod sometimes leads to. I'm happy to let the rod load on its own.
Anyhow, here are my initial thoughts: the blank loads easily and with sufficient power to comfortably throw 5 ounces, at 13' I like the length for a spiked rod in order to keep line out of the wash, with a slim butt and light weight it is a pleasure to cast (and I'm sure to fish hand held for a prolonged period of time) and the bite detection is superior. As I fish it more over the next couple of weeks, I'll certainly get a better feel for the rod. My guess is I'll be putting in an order with Steve for another AFAW Surf rod.
Kingfish, hope you notice this post. I predict you're going to really like this rod. It has the bite detection of the Star rods we like, but with the power and length to easily get bait into the second gut; especially in the hands of a better caster. The Pomps should be in your neighborhood.