# "Heads Up" I found a nice "El Cheapo" distance casting rod 4 to 8 oz! its called



## Awesome John* (Dec 23, 2003)

*"Heads Up" I found a nice "El Cheapo" distance casting rod 4 to 8 oz! its called*

I'm stuck here in Cyprus miles away from my tackle... I didnt bring it with me on purpose so I could concentrate on work instead of fishing but when I saw that beautiful Cyprus med ocean full of structure and waves I decideed to buy a rod and reel off the net.. lucked out and found a nice ABU 7500 C3CT but needed a good 8oz rod... but shipping a rod to Cyprus "was brutal" 3 times what the rod costs so I was stuck... hopeless...) I was hoping to "luck out" and find a good rod locally in Cyprus but all these guys here use is the cheap long "telescopic rods for bobber fishing from shore with no reels" .. I was really frustrated and then one day when trying to explain to the local tackle shop owner what distance casting was the owner said "hey wait a minute I just bought out a bankrupt tackle dealer in the UK and all that stock will arrive in 10 days".. dare I hope a decent rod be in that batch?

Well folks there was... and it was dirt cheap too... its called the Daiwa Vulcan X... it is made for the english market and it is made to distance cast 4 to 8 oz's! Its a 12 foot 2pc rod (in equal lengths)

Heres the scoop... these and other UK series Daiwa rods are not to be confused with the stuff sold in America.. these are different.. they are disgined for big water big baits and big casts!

The Vulcan X is not one of the higher models on the Daiwa beach fishing line up.. as a matter of fact its only one above their cheapest stick... 

The ros itself looks the business with the pro flat black graphite finish, nic foam grips and graphite reel seat nice grafics etc.. but the guides look like something out of a old 70!s "silstar telescopic" lineup (mint green plastic inserts holding the ceramic rings "yuk" ) but I couldnt be choosy at this point so I bought it slapped on my ABU 7500 CTC3 and took her out for a test run..

VERY VERY PLEASANTLY SURPRISED BY THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS ROD! I never expected this rod to be that good... 

* First it can handle a full blown pendulum cast.
* Its action is "very forgiving" towards mistakes made in your casting style.
* Nice bite detection (tip is sweet but it has a guady glow red paint job at its top 6 inches.
*. This not a heavy rod for all its power.. I wouldnt call it a light rod but its deffinately not heavy... I have cast with it all day and had no complaints about it weight..

Okey now heres the interesting part.. never had a blowup with my reel as the rods top third loads up nicely and reacts slowly yet powerfully..

Then one day while casting amongst some wooded beach umbrellas "I goofed" and slammed the rod "HARD" casting up into a heavy wooded beach umbrella.. I thought for sure she was cracked... but to my surprise a few scratches but she was good to go again! Well thats when I started developing an affection for this new rod... 

yeah the guides still look geeky and the glow red tip but in its own retro way its kinda cute phillis Diller looking... after a few drinks hey why not 

So the news scoop is that there are some of these rods floating around the various e-retailers who are "blowing them out at good prices" (I think diawa UK may has discontinued this rod)

So you now have the "heads up" on this rod .. yeah maybe its not that bad looking after all it kinda grows on you.. if you changed the guides it would look very nice and actaully very pro! The rod finish is sweet.

Mow heres the cool news these rods are going out dirt cheap over the net... like 80 to 90 bucks!!!!!

I am happy with mine and have grown very found of it.. It has joined the ranks of my "darling rods" ...

If you come across one on the net buy it without hesitation for that nice low price you will be getting a great "work horse fishing rod" ... oh its not a custom breakaway thats for sure but for that low price "hey buddy you know it aint half bad" and if you slam it on a rock it seems to not be too offended... and if you ever shatter the thing completely your not out 3 bills.. 

Heads Up.. Daiwa Vulcan X... excellent "El Cheapo" bait stick 4 to 8oz ( Sweet spot seems to be around 6oz but she will throw 8)

Under normal conditions I would never have bought this rod cause I usually go for the most expesive stuff to chill my tackle additrion... hey but ý got nothing against great value and performance at a cheap price so I am happy to have discdovered this rod. I lucked out into one of these rods and wanted to share my discovery with my fellow casters.


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