# No rod labeling, no online info.



## Matt Bizarro (Jan 26, 2016)

Found a 12' moderate-fast action fiberglass surf rod at a local pawn shop for a few bucks. Grabbed it and cleaned it up and really just needs some better guides. It's an "Invincible Big Water". Judging by the hardware, it's 1980s vintage. Figured it could be a piece of junk, it could be an accidentally good rod with cheap hardware, or it could be a clone of something like an Abu 484 or Big Surf Stick from the factory in China that made them. What intrigued me was the extraordinarily thin tip, given that time period.

Now I have to determine the lure rating. After an initial field test I found that 2 oz. didn't go too far, and 8 oz. took all the body out of it. It's sweet spot seems to be 4 or 5 oz. Here's my idea for finding the lure rating: cast a bunch of different weights and whichever one goes furthest is the ideal weight and I'll bracket it up and down by 2 oz. each way to get a range. Sound good?


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## Garboman (Jul 22, 2010)

Matt Bizarro said:


> Found a 12' moderate-fast action fiberglass surf rod at a local pawn shop for a few bucks. Grabbed it and cleaned it up and really just needs some better guides. It's an "Invincible Big Water". Judging by the hardware, it's 1980s vintage. Figured it could be a piece of junk, it could be an accidentally good rod with cheap hardware, or it could be a clone of something like an Abu 484 or Big Surf Stick from the factory in China that made them. What intrigued me was the extraordinarily thin tip, given that time period.
> 
> Now I have to determine the lure rating. After an initial field test I found that 2 oz. didn't go too far, and 8 oz. took all the body out of it. It's sweet spot seems to be 4 or 5 oz. Here's my idea for finding the lure rating: cast a bunch of different weights and whichever one goes furthest is the ideal weight and I'll bracket it up and down by 2 oz. each way to get a range. Sound good?


Put a tip on it and hang sinker from the tip. Ideal weight is what you plan on using it to fish with. I gave away my old Lamiglas one piece heavers 25 years ago. We cut them down to 10'6 or 10' and there were a lot of them cut to 9'. Young people these days would be surprised how far a 9' Fenwick or Lami can cast with a forty year old ABU.

The Fenwick Big Surf Stick was made in America by Lamiglas for Fenwick. When the designer of the SurfStick went to All Star they made a few clones in graphite of the Surf Stick called the 1386. When All Star went under for surf rods, designer went to Baston. Seeker made a few clones of the Surf Stick in the early 1990's but then after the 1509 All Star came along they all began to gather dust. I still have 4 Surf Sticks and if the opportunity presented itself I would buy back 2 others that I had to sell when I needed $$ more than extra Sticks. Surf Stick blank new from Merrick Tackle in 1985 was $90. 

Two years ago I bought a 12 foot Lami one piece but realized it was too soft for the type of fishing I do and too heavy for small fish and too long to transport. I used to transport my one piece heavers in the 1980's in a pickup truck that had a fiberglass cap on it and a portal window to the cab of the truck which also had a portal. Rain dripped in but in those days I did not mind much I was so excited to have real heavers and real Abu's and more importantly time to fish. If I had known then what I know now I would have fished even harder Come to think of it if I had known then what I do now about old age I would have chased the women even harder than I chased them back them and I chased them harder than the fish.

Dodge Power Wagon with a 440 CI gas guzzler motor and then a 1 ton GMC with a 350 Corvette Motor in it. Both trucks made a lot of noise and both trucks would get smoked in a drag race with today's trucks and SUV's. Both Trucks allow me to get my ******* on and Both Trucks let me sleep like a baby out on the beach or in a pier parking lot, Cops and Rangers did not bother you in those days like they do now.


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## Matt Bizarro (Jan 26, 2016)

I wasn't casting back then, but this 12' fiberglass "Invincible Big Water" rod I'm asking about had guides put on about 130 degrees off the correct axis of the spine, and they were cheap at that. The blank seems excellent, though. 

Once re-ringed (static deflection test, adding 2 more guides) in correct orientation to the spine, I paired it with an early 1980's Penn 10 Mag Tuned (to complete the vintage feel) with the level wind taken off and it casts a 5oz. sinker 130 yards with a simple ground cast. 

I also filmed some casts in slow-motion to get a look at the action (moderate-fast, medium power) and was impressed: the butt does not over-flex; the mid-section clearly takes most of the curve in the compression and power phases; the thin tip bends, straightens, then bends at the end, then releases to iron out the cast giving the rod a fast recovery. Appears to be a legit zoned-action rod. Still have no clue who's behind this brand, but somehow they made something pretty damn good as far as I can tell. Still, though, I have very little experience with older fiberglass surf rods.

Does this sound like every other rod on the market 30-40 years ago, or maybe a hidden gem?


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