# The ideal custom pompano rod??



## jonnyutah

hi guys. I'm new to the forums. cool site.

OK, Basicly I'm looking for the litest surf blank I can find. a sensitive surf rod that is fun to fish. and fight pompano,whiting,reds and spanish. a rod that can be used for bottom fishing with sandfleas or jigging or throwing spoons.
I was thinking about a 9 or 10' fast action steelhead blank with large surf guides but it's only rated for upto 1 oz. lure.

pplease help me. what would the expert popano guru look for in a pomp rod?

Richard


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## FishinAddiction

sensitivity in the tip, enough backbone to set the hook.........really you dont need anything too specialized, a good medium action spinning setup should do


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## kingfish

I like 11 to 13 foot rods. It's gotta cast a mile and be light and throw up to four oz. That part is easy, but when you add, be fun to catch a fish on, the chioces narrow down to just a few. 

Here around Myrtle Beach, the reds aren't to big so it works for about everything, except large sharks, which we have plenty of.

I'm trying a new rod I think is going to the stuff and I'll let you know how it turns out pretty soon. Right now my favorite is a star nickelite, unfortunately it is out of production..Kingfish


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## jonnyutah

yeah star rods are pretty cool. I own a 7' star steller light I use for trout and reds. 

can I get by with 1oz. pyramid sinkers in the gulf? will they hold?


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## Newsjeff

Hmmm. I really think pomp fishin' depends a lot on the area you fish. 

In Virginia Beach, for instance, we catch mostly small ones right in the wash. I mean really close to shore, so you don't need much weight or distance.

From what I understand, Kingfish needs to get waaaay out there to catch the bigger SC pompano. For him a longer rod rated to a higher lure weight is needed.

Sorry, I have no idea how to catch pomps in the Sunshine state. I really couldn't recommed a rod for ya. Just thinkin' ya might need to talk with someone from your area to get the best idea.


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## jonnyutah

they come right up on the beach at times too. but they do cruise the second sandbar too. this is where long rod comes in handy. if your not fishing from a pier. whiting are caught right in the wash and in the trough. redfish like to get right in the wash sometimes too. they cruise between sand bars and in the trouhgs.

I'll be fishing around st george island/mexico beach area.

anyway if any light and sensitive factory surf rods come to mind, please let me know. I need a rod asap.


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## kingfish

Jeff you might try farther out where you are, might be some citations in the second gut.


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## kingfish

*Gov. cut*

John u, 

I have fished ST. George and Gov cut for Pompano, also over at perdido pass, both close to ya and great for pompano. While the 7.5 footer will be great with jigs from the rocks at the gov cut and Perdidio, you will need more to reach the fish when they are far from the beach, and that happens a lot with pompano, they are skiddesh and sight feeders and therefore can see a lot of what is going on. Fishing is always better when the fish is not over powered by the tackle..........Kingfish

And a little pass south of perdido, I forget the name but it is a great place for pompano and reds. Not hard to find..


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## jonnyutah

cool! thanks for the tips. I'll check out the area. 

What do you think about the "Cabelas Predator" freshwater surf rods? I think they are carp rods.

I'm looking for a light/ sensitive surf rod with a soft tip for pomp adn whitign fishing. if you have any info about this rod please share:beer:


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## Paully

jonnyutah said:


> cool! thanks for the tips. I'll check out the area.
> 
> What do you think about the "Cabelas Predator" freshwater surf rods? I think they are carp rods.
> 
> I'm looking for a light/ sensitive surf rod with a soft tip for pomp adn whitign fishing. if you have any info about this rod please share:beer:


Yes they are geared more for carp fishing.

The fast action stealhead blanks are great for what you are talking about. I have a couple and love them. They are sensitive but they will still throw a 2oz. spoon a mile. These blanks are designed to detect lite bites but yet fight bigger fish. I have one (an 8' 6" spinning) that I fish the most, I have caught more pomps and whiting on it than any other rod I've had. It really let you know the fish is "nibbling" your bait. I have also landed a 25 lb. gar, a 32" red, a couple of 20 to 25 lb. stripers, and (6) 20 to 34 lb. salmon with it. 
You will not be sorry if you so go with one of these blanks as a lite duty surf rod. 

tight lines


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## barty b

Jonnyutah..Send nomadfl a pm..he lives in the panhandle during the winter..he can steer you right..I live and Pomp fish in NE FL..but it is a different ball game between here and there.


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## barty b

jonnyutah said:


> cool! thanks for the tips. I'll check out the area.
> 
> What do you think about the "Cabelas Predator" freshwater surf rods? I think they are carp rods.
> 
> I'm looking for a light/ sensitive surf rod with a soft tip for pomp adn whitign fishing. if you have any info about this rod please share:beer:


For where your fishing I would highly reccomend that rod..I use a "carp" rod in Jax for light applications..I love it. 13' 3lb test curve.AWESOME!!


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## jonnyutah

barty b, 

what about lead? do you have any problems keeping your bait out with a lure rating of only 2 or 3 oz. ?


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## barty b

No..I use "sputnik" or "spider" sinkers..If the current is too hard running to the north or south for 3 to hold then I put that rod away.


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## Fisheadgib

jonnyutah said:


> cool! thanks for the tips. I'll check out the area.
> 
> What do you think about the "Cabelas Predator" freshwater surf rods? I think they are carp rods.
> 
> I'm looking for a light/ sensitive surf rod with a soft tip for pomp adn whitign fishing. if you have any info about this rod please share:beer:


I live in Fort Walton Beach and my wife and I do a lot of pompano fishing and those happen to be the rods we use. We have four of them. Between the two of us, we probably have about 20 different surf rods, including several customs, and the predators make a very good whiting and pompano rod for this area. They're a little light for big reds, but we have caught many with them. A small spinning reel with about 200yds of 10# mono, a double dropper rig, a three ounce pyramid, and you're good to go.


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## jonnyutah

awsome, fishhead. how many guides do they have? I notice many 12' carp rods only have 5 or 6 guides... that kind of sucks. dose it have woven grapite.

oh, and how fast is the action of predator rods? 

I just may end up puicking up a predator with spring here and pompano hittign the beaches:fishing:


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## Fisheadgib

They're 11', and have nine guides. The speed is more moderate, well suited for throwing delicate baits like sand fleas.


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## pastormarty

Vacationing each year in the Myrtle Beach area of SC, I have also had a quest for a great Pompano rod - strong enought to get out there but light enough to have fun. The problem here is that the weight needed to hold bottom often necessitates a rod that overpowers the little fish we often catch.
I have pretty much switched over entirely to building on steelhead blanks for my surf rods. If you pick the right blank and set it up with the New Concept guide system, you can keep it pretty light.


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## sinker man

Pastor Marty, If you will tell me how much wt. you need just to get out I think I might can solve the holding part. If you want a hook in the top for a clip down or pulley type rig let me know and I'll make you some.


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## pastormarty

That's generous SM. What exactly are you talking about making? I've never fished with a clip down rig before. As for weight, most of the time I fish 2oz (85% of the time) but sometimes need to go up to 3.


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## sinker man

As soon as I get some camera batteries charged I'll post up a picture. Clip down rigs are a British invention to place the bait behind the sinker for better aerodynamics when using a long single hook leader. Not really worth messing with in my opinion if you are fishing for pompano, whiting and black drum etc. unless it is just absolutely necessary to get that last few feet. Two hook rigs fly straight and true unlike the traditional fishfinder rigs. Time to see about some batteries.


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## sinker man

*baby sputnick sinkers*

Here we are combining Russian and British technology just to catch a few fish. The wire:T-304 Stainless lockwire. The mold: a black iron pipe plug with the bottom drilled to a point.
weight: Approx. 1oz. The pictures ...still stuck in my computer.


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## sinker man

*1 Oz Sputnik*

SINCE I HAD ROOM FOR ONLY ONE PHOTO HERE GOES. 

http://www.pierandsurf.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=3442


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