# Looking for a new surf pole



## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

What does everybody say about surf rods... I would like one strong enough to occasional shark but also economical. Budgets tend to stop a lot of dreams... I would like something lite but strong and cheap. What do you pros know about that? Am I asking too much?? I don't care about brands just want a good price / quality ratio. Might as well threw in your opinion on reels as well.


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## Otter (Jun 18, 2004)

*love my 12' tica*

look on ebay and digitaldagger.com

There's plenty of them out there. Obviously not top of the line, but they're really popular and reasonably priced.


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## Big Bill (Dec 31, 2004)

*IMHO - Surf Rods*

Here is my experience with surf rods.
1. Under 50.00 is generally fiberglass - heavy and whippy, not great for throwing distance, but will catch fish.
2. 50.00-100.00 - There are several in this range that do a good job. One thing you want to remember is that with the better quality, but lower priced surf rods (ie tica, tsunami) What you gain in rod strength, you give up in bite detection. I have 3 ticas, and unless you set your spike to preload the rod, you can never tell when you are getting a bite, unless its slammed. If you preload the rod though, you can tell and they work well. 
3. 100.00 - 150.00 - This is the area I would focus on if you are looking for 1 rod to do it all. There are several in this price range that are great, with the old standby being the Daiwa Sealine-X. You can get them in 11'3 and they have good bite detection plus plenty of backbone. The sealine's are usually at the bottom end of this pricerange, and if you look around you can find them sometimes under 100.00. Pinnacle also has several rods in this range, but be very careful, as most pinnacles in this range are VERY stiff. 

Definately check www.digitaldagger.com as they have good prices, and great service. Also poke around your local tackle shop and ask questions. I always try to buy locally first, even if it is a few more bucks. the internet companies cant give you tips on the bite, or bait like locals, and the more you spend, the more they talk!!!!

Reels-
If you can get your hands on an ABU 6500 series they are some of the best all around reels there are. 
Penn has the 525 and 535 that are good for the surf
Again, look around and see whats on sale, then post back and get opinions about them!


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## Otter (Jun 18, 2004)

Big Bill said:


> and unless you set your spike to preload the rod, you can never tell when you are getting a bite


would you mind explaining that a bit for me? I'm assuming you're talking about pulling up your slack tight. Never heard 'preload' before. Thanks


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## Big Bill (Dec 31, 2004)

*Using a sandspike to "preload" a rod*

normally, most people will insert their sandspike at a 90 degree angle to the sand or straight up. If you cast your weight out, and put the rod in the spike, it should stand near to vertical, with just a bit of bend in the tip, however if you have a very stiff rod, there will be virtually no detectable bend. When a fish hits the rod, you may or may not be able to detect it, and can lose fish this way.

Preloading means inserting your sandspike with a backwards tilt (about 110-115 degrees). Then when you put your rod in the holder, it will force your rod to load and lean against the front (or surf) edge of the spike. When a fish hits the line, it will dislodge the sinker from the sand, and the rod will immediately fall back in the holder (or against the land edge). It is very odvious when you get a decent hit, and if you are fishing multiple rods, you can look straight down the line and know exactly which has been hit. 
I will do some photos the next time at the beach and post them up. 

This tecnique is also VERY helpful when fishing in windy conditions, and at night, as it takes alot of guess work out of bite detection.


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## Otter (Jun 18, 2004)

*good to know*

big L like to set the spikes like that. Makes sense.

I just get the line as taught as possible and set the ol' baitrunner just right until it doesn't click on it's own, and wait for that beautiful sound....


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

*10ft Tica*

Looks like 10ft Tica is the one. Thanks for all who responed. I will be looking for a reel later and was told the Tica Dolphin was a good one. Anyone hear of that?


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

If you are going to spend $90 on a spinning reel, you should skip the Tica Dolphin and instead pickup an Okuma Epixor EB reel with the live bait running option. They are awesome reels, and the voted the best live bait runner reel out there too. I picked mine up for $90 locally because I didn't know about Digital Dagger at the time =)Do some research on it.


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## tarponman62 (Feb 5, 2005)

If you want an all around work horse at the 10ft range. I would recommend an Ocean Master 10 ft with 4-8 oz weight. You can beat the tensil strength along with the price approx. $109 @ BPS. You can muscle a small shark, cobia, drum with that bad boy. If you are going spinner I would recommend Shimano Bait runner 4500 or 6500 depending on what fish you want. If you are going with a conventional I recommend Daiwa sealine X 30 or 20 shv or a Daiwa Slosh 30 or 20. Good luck with the tackle and Tight lines.

Tarp


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

I am a Shimano guy for my other spinning reels, but the Okuma Epixor is a better bait runner for few dollars less. When TEAM DIGITALDAGGER rated the top 5 Bait Runners recently, here were the results:

*Top 5 Bait Running Spinning Reels:*
1. Okuma Epixor EB Reel 
2. Daiwa SeaLine Bite N Run Reel 
3. Tica Sportera SR Reel 
4. Shimano BaitRunner Reel 
5. Okuma Coronado Live Liner Reel


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## hsstie (Sep 8, 2005)

I have to say that my vote is for the okuma coronado. Its a baitfeeder reel, and yes it doesnt have quite as many ball bearings as the epixor eb, nor does it have a jazzy comfy handle or a spare spool. But what it does have is that it comes in a size 90 not just up to a 80 like the epixor. More line capacity means you can handle a bigger fish if you get lucky with a big shark or whatever else. According to okuma the coronado is overbuilt everywhere they could overbuild it and it still weighs less than the epixor. It has machine cut stainless gears ( the only baitfeeder out there that does ), the main shaft is oversized and stainless, the drag is even stainless. Also the epixor has brass gears instead of stainless. Even the bearings are stainless in the coronado and have a special corrosin proof coating. The epixor does not have any of those features Also the size 90 reel ( a bigger reel obviously ) in the coronado is 2 and a half ounces LESS than the small 80 size in the epixor ( 28.7 vs 26.3 )

why go epixor when you can go coronado for less money and less weight ?

p.s. If your thinking of getting the cd65 coronado instead of the cd90 cornoado DONT. It only weighs 1/3 of an ounce less than the 90 but has far less line capacity, so its not a wise choice.

BTW, this isnt just some jazz im preaching. I bought my first coronado cd 90 about a month ago and went back yesterday to buy another. when my local supplier gets another one in im buying a third and then all my old big worn out surfcaster reels are replaced.They are a sweet smooth reel. And its just Soooooo nice to not have to tighten and loosen the drag all the time. Just flick a switch and no fear of my rod going into the water anymore.

On the subject of surf rods, i myself have been torn about what new surf rod to get also. I wouldnt be just so quick to be sold on a tica. It is widely known here on p and s that the ticas have guide problems. The rods themselves are good rods ( except many people have complained the last few inches of a tica is way too flexable compared to the rest of the rod....many suggest cutting the rod down 1 guide to fix that problem) but the guides and reel seats are cheap and many people have had to replace the guides.If your gonna spend money on a good rod why have to pay to fix it again in the future.Yes they have a 1 yr warranty, BUT that doesnt help you after a year if its cheaply built and many people have problems with them. If your going to get a 10 ft why not just go all out and get a 12 ft.
I was sold on a 12ft tica and had it in my hand and was walking up to the counter to buy it and said to myself " maybe i should ask a few questions here before i do".Im glad i did.
There are other options in the below 100 dollar range that you might want to consider.Tsunami, lamiglass surf king series, okuma solaris, okuma longitude, penn proguide series,pinnacle shoreline and the diawa sealine x. All those rods are under 100 bucks at digitaldagger.
I have not used any of those that i just mentioned but i can give you some input about a few of them from what i have read. Some people swear by the tsunami's,and they have carbide guides and fuji reel seats but they are a graphite composite. Graphite composites can be as little as 1% graphite and still be called a graphite composite.Yet if a rod is called graphite it has to be mostly graphite.A high modulas graphite rod ( like a im6 graphite ) will give you a stiffer rod with less weight. The higher the modulas the less weight with same stiffness. Usually the real high modulas rods (36 million or above ) are high end in price ( above 100 dollars )
here is a link explaining the modulas of the rods
http://www.flwoutdoors.com/article.cfm?id=141123 

Here is what i would pick in this order from all what i have read

1 okuma solaris ( heard many good things about this rod and it has im6 graphite its lighter and more flexable than the tica too.plus it has fuji guides and reel seats not like some cheap problematic ones that tica uses, and the guides are bigger than the tica too. ) ( i read an older post from Hat80 and he had quite a few of them and liked them alot.)
2 diawa sealine x, penn proguide, pinnacle shoreline, tsunami
3 okuma longitude, lamiglass surf king series

another consideration is how much weight you plan to throw between sinker and bait.here is the weights for those rods

okuma solaris - 3 to 8
diawa sealine - 4 to 7
penn proguide - 3 to 10
pinnacle shoreline - up to 9 oz
tsunami - 4 to 7 OR 6 to 10
okuma longitude - 3 to 8
lamiglass surf king series - 3 to 8

For me its hard to make a commitment to one of those rods without feeling it in my hands. I really have narrowed it down to the 5 rods in listing 1 and 2 for myself.I like the grips on the pinnacle shoreline, as all the others are cork grips. Im going down to OBX next week and maybe somone there will have a few of these rods and i can check em out. Here in my town only green tops has a tica and noone has any of the others ( that i know of , i really called around ). Heck even Oceans east 2 that has HUNDREDS of rods at the beach had tica and maybe 1 of the other rods.


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

Great post from you all. I will check out Whites here in Fort Pierce. That is what all the locals are telling me to get a good rod to fix my needs. I will keep you posted. I am also impressed with all the help. This is a great site. hsstie thanks for the info and tell me what you find out over the next visit at you store...


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## hsstie (Sep 8, 2005)

When i put up my last post i didnt compare the coronado to the others that kodiaczack listed as the 5 baitrunners that digitaldagger had put together. But i just did now and still think the coronado is by far the best choice.

1 okuma epixor ( we already covered that one dont get it )
2 diawa sealine baitrunner - 4 ball bearings, 240 yds of 20lb test, weighs 25 oz and costs 89.00
3 tica sportera sr - 7 ball bearings, 220 yds of 20lb test, weighs 23.2 oz and costs 67.00
4 shimano baitrunner -3 ball bearings, 270 yds of 20lb test, weighs 26.2 oz and costs 105.00
5 okuma coronado -4 ball bearings, 500 yds of 20lb test, weighs 26.3 oz and costs 67.00

if you look at all that its just a no brainer.......espically when you consider all the stainless guts of the coronado and how its overbuilt.none of the other reels mention anything special about the guts except the tica has a stainless main shaft and the shinano has specially coated stainless ball bearings ( just like the coronado )

all prices were from digitaldagger to be fair, your instore price will be higher.

i am assuming of course that you want a spinning reel like myself. If baitcaster is your speed then i am of no help but i am sure plenty of people here can help you on that.

btw was fishing CBBT pier 3 or 4 times ago and caught a rod and reel, that ended up having on it a HUGE ray. I fought it for a while and finally had to cut the line it was too big to get in a pier net. But i did get the rod  Just now looked at it and its a slosh 30 lol digitaldagger price of over 100 bucks heh i fiquired it was a el cheapo cause the rod is and just never really looked


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

great info. I have the Shimano bait and Enjoy the reel. I am leaning to okuma on the reel. Still interested in learning about all other opinions. I like the "over built" quality of anything. To a Point In hunting and fishing I think you kind of get what you pay for...


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## Big Bill (Dec 31, 2004)

*Tica Rods*

I agree with the posts above about the tica rods. I have 3 of them (got them on clearance). a 10' an 11' and a 12'. The 12' is too stiff. unless you are using it for sharks/bull reds, I hardly ever take it out. It has had 3 guides replaced due to ring pops. 1 ring popped while fighting a shark, and the guide shredded my line. I was NOT happy. The 11' is ok, but again it is pretty stiff. It has had 2 ring pops. The 10' is my goto rod if I am casting big baits for sharks or bull reds. It is pretty stiff, but has some bite detection in the tip so it is serviceable. No ring pops on that one, but it is getting new alconite guides this winter. The reel seats on these rods are fine, I havent had any problems with them. Other rods I have or have fished with

1. Okuma Solaris - Lets face it guys and gals, Okuma is for real. They are fairly new, but they have put out a quality product, both in rods and in reels. Mark Edwards, US Distance Casting champion with spinning equipment only uses Okuma reels. Their rods are well built (although I have heard some of the butt caps come off, easily replaced) they look good, and they cast great. They have good bite detection, and can handle larger fish. 
2. Daiwa Sealine-X - You would have a hard time arguing with the old standby. Good bite detection and decent backbone for casting.
3. Ugly Stick 15' surf rod - ok....yeah right...
4. Breakaway rods - Good quality from texas - a bit pricier, but good quality. rugged, easy to use.
5. Cono-flex - Great rods, watch e-bay or classified boards to see a gambit or phantom go for sale. Gambit is the lighter of the 2, and is a sweet 2-4 rod. Phantom is the same tip, but a beefier butt section meant for 3-5.
6. Zziplex - (angels sing, head swirls, feet get light) Terry Carroll in England has created the ULTIMATE rods. From the powertex bass up to the 3500 and 5000 these are dreams if you can ever get a hold of one. My 3500 is the first in and last out on most occasions. Can cast 4oz over 150 yds, and has the best bite detection of any rod I have ever used. VERY limited U.S. market, but can find on ebay occasionally
7. PREDATOR ROD BY CABELAS - 59.00 of pure sweetness. They have 2 models. 1 is a 1 3/4 lb test curve, and the other is the 2 1/2 lb test curve. These rods were built to fish!!!! Especially in and around NE florida. The 2 1/2 lb test curve will chuck a 3 oz pyramid with a double drop nearly out of site, and has the power to pull in a 10+ lb black drum (thats the largest Ive caught so far, but I know it will take more. This fall I WILL catch a bull red on it). The 1 3/4 is a GREAT lure rod, and will throw a 2 oz hopkins a mile. These are good looking rods, and I am going to add several more to my arsenal before spring. 
8. Tsunami rods - Good rods for the money, bit stiff but decent bite detection.


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## Zombie (Jul 26, 2005)

Love my 12' solaris spinner it will smoke 6oz. Great bite detection also have the 8' model. 
The 12' does not seem to like 8 and bait really but it will do it and have many a time. No pr
problems except that darn buttcap.  
OM12 6-12oz 525mag for heavy payloads


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

*amost there,,*

I have to choose the "Okuma Coronado Live Liner Reel" with the EB as a second choice for the reel. I want some feed back if any of you guys use TSUNAMI rods?? I have gotten it down to Okuma and TSUNAMI. What about length? I am thinking of 10 to 12 foot. What should I be thinking about in length? I have a Pick up truck so travel is not very important an when I lose this gas hog I will get some rod holders for the car. I do want to say that this is great info and appreciated all of it. They guys as Digitaldagger have said that the Coronado reel holds up better in salt water than the EB. It is do to its no frill finish. 
Thanks for all the info.


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## Big Bill (Dec 31, 2004)

*Okuma vs Tsunami rods*

These rods are VERY similar in make and action. 
The 12' xhvy is too heavy. This should be the tsunami you chose if you buy it.
TSTSS 1102H

The Okuma has a 12' with a mh action (3-6) which is pretty bite sensitive. that model number is 
SSS1202MHI

They are both made with very comparable reel seats/guides. The Okuma has a flex coat finish which I am a big fan of. The Tsunami has a weave over graphite which looks really cool.
I think you win either way you go!


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## Orest (Jul 28, 2003)

*Wrong -*



> Mark Edwards, US Distance Casting champion with spinning equipment only uses Okuma reels.


I believe Mark use the Shimano Thunnus reel for distance casting and fishing, plus he cuts the bail off, just leaves about a 1/4".


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## Bennie (Apr 10, 2004)

*Surf rods*

Best for my money is the Diawa Emblem. Around $100. I fish close to 100 times a year and they ain't broke yet. As for reels, try one of the Abu 66oo mag x. Great reel for $80 at BPS


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

*bps???*

What is B P S ???


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## sprtsracer (Apr 27, 2005)

BPS = Bass Pro Shops


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## hsstie (Sep 8, 2005)

Went down to the beach in nc, and checked out the tackle shops there they did have a better selction than here in my home town. Here is what i found 

pinnacle shoreline - I had higher hopes for this rod, being it was a 54 million modulas graphite rod, and i like the shrink wrap rubber grips. What a dissapointment. i could only find one 11' 6" rod in any of the shops. Its rated as heavy action, and its heavy in weight for a "premium" rod. The action and weight felt like a cheap fiberglass rod. Also, the first guide was really small ( maybe it was a baitcast version, couldnt tell ) 

Penn proguide - As much as i wanted to hate it because it was a penn cause i fiquired it would be overpriced and junk cause of its price range it did have a very good feel to it. It was much lighter in weight than the shoreline, had good action, and was very sensitive.

tica - we already covered this one, almost every tackle shop had many ticas in stock ( of the shops that only had 1 decent graphite 11 or 12 footer in the 100 dollar range this was the only one they had in stock .....this may be cause they sell alot of them OR cause that they dont and thats all that left on thier shelves )

diawa sealine x - nice rod, light in weight, sensitive and has a great feel to it.

okuma longitude - wow, i thought this rod would feel muddy in my hand like the pinnacle shoreline, but it didnt. It was sensitive, and had a good feel to it....but it was heavier than the okuma solaris, it wasnt hard to feel the weight differance. For a cheap rod this is not bad at all i must say.

okuma solaris - tried out the 12' rated 3-8 oz and it was light in weight, had a great feel and was real sensitive. A nice rod, but a little stiffer than the tsunami.

tsunami - very nice rod. This one surprised me when i picked it up ( 12' rated 4 to 7 oz ). It was light in weight, very sensitive, and not quite as stiff as the solaris..with it being rated 4 to 7 instead of 3 to 8 like the solaris. The pattern of the graphite weave on it was quite nice looking and the hologram decal just added to the looks. Almost as snazzy lookin as a custom.

I think you cant go wrong with the penn proguide, the okuma solaris, diawa sealine x or the tsunami. All are good rods, the penn and tsunami have fuji guides ( while the tsunami has carbide inserts and a titanium top guide with a carbide insert. I work with carbide on a daily basis and can tell you that carbide is some mean hard stuff. Very hard, just keep it away from rocks or concrete it will chip if slammed against rocks ). The solaris has fuji guides while the longitude and sealine x doesnt .

I have to agree overall the tsunami is a better looking rod, and a better value since it has carbide inserts in the guides ( and a titanium top guide ). I think the tsunami will be my choice as well, not only for looks, quality and action ( its a little whippersnapper ....you'll see what i mean if you feel it ) but mainly cause i will be using 5 or 6 and bait not 8 and bait which i think the stiffer solaris is more suited for in the 12 foot versions.If i was going for the 8 and bait i would say solaris.)

oh BTW, the tsunami and solaris that i compared and are writing about ARE the models that big bill is talking about in a earlier post. ( tsunami TSTSS 1102H and okuma SSS1202MHI )


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

*Okuma and Tsunami*

I believe for the money you can not go wrong with either of these. I felt both and they are above the others. With all that said the number one way to get a "great Rod" happened to me... I my buddy gave me his to use. It is a diawa sealine x with a shimano baitrunner. This is diffently the best rod for me. When anything is free it just feels better...


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

*OKUMA LONGITUDE Spinning SURF ROD*

OKUMA LONGITUDE Spinning SURF ROD 11 foot is what I did purchase for a thrid well actully Fourth Rod. My wife is starting to think I am a tackle ho... I will let you all know what is like after a few tries.... only $50.00.


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## KodiakZach (Mar 16, 2005)

VICIII said:


> When anything is free it just feels better...


Pappy used to always say:

"Son, there is no beer like FREE beer"


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## VICIII (Apr 8, 2005)

*Alcohol*

As Mr. Simpson once said... "ALCOHOL .. The cure and cause of all of lifes problems..." Gotta love that man. Nice Fish on your other posts.


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