# contemplating conventional purchase



## shughes (Oct 28, 2011)

I was at Hatteras last week and found myself wanting to get some extra distance on my casts to get to where the drums were hanging out. All the drums that were being brought in were on the 11-12 foot rods. The hardcore guys seemed to be using conventional reels. My longest poles are 9 footers (all penn power stick surf) and just could not get it out there enough. My two thoughts are to either buy a 11-12 foot rod for my existing Sargus spinners or possibly go the conventional route with a Saltist BG30, slosh 30 or Squall 15 on a 11-12 foot rod that can slight 6-8nbait. My gut feel is I can probably get enough distance from a spinning reel with a longer pole using weights of 3-5 ounces but if 6-8 ounces is needed then a conventional setup might be the better approach. I only go to Hatteras once per year and hit Topsail, Carolina, Kure beach the rest of the year so 4 ounces plus bait is the norm for myself.

Has anyone done distance comparisons between spinning/conventional reels using 11-12 foot rods? I know there are a lot of variables so lets assume proper cast technique, 15-17lb mono with a 50lb shock leader and 4 ounce pyramid plus bait. Lets also assume reels/rods in the $150 range each. Trying to weight the extra cost against any possible advantages a conventional setup might have. 

Thanks


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## 9 rock (Nov 30, 2008)

shughes said:


> I was at Hatteras last week and found myself wanting to get some extra distance on my casts to get to where the drums were hanging out. All the drums that were being brought in were on the 11-12 foot rods. The hardcore guys seemed to be using conventional reels. My longest poles are 9 footers (all penn power stick surf) and just could not get it out there enough. My two thoughts are to either buy a 11-12 foot rod for my existing Sargus spinners or possibly go the conventional route with a Saltist BG30, slosh 30 or Squall 15 on a 11-12 foot rod that can slight 6-8nbait. My gut feel is I can probably get enough distance from a spinning reel with a longer pole using weights of 3-5 ounces but if 6-8 ounces is needed then a conventional setup might be the better approach. I only go to Hatteras once per year and hit Topsail, Carolina, Kure beach the rest of the year so 4 ounces plus bait is the norm for myself.
> 
> Has anyone done distance comparisons between spinning/conventional reels using 11-12 foot rods? I know there are a lot of variables so lets assume proper cast technique, 15-17lb mono with a 50lb shock leader and 4 ounce pyramid plus bait. Lets also assume reels/rods in the $150 range each. Trying to weight the extra cost against any possible advantages a conventional setup might have.
> 
> Thanks


Well u dont have to use conventional but they are alot eaiser to fish one u learn how,, the saltist 30h is where i would start ..u can get close to the same distance with braid on a spinner but they are alot heavier and more work to fish,



9


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## shughes (Oct 28, 2011)

thanks. i was thinking of dropping my mono down to 15 from 20 which would also help. my buddy caught a 48 inch drum right next to me using 15lb mono on a 12 footer. he was using braid for a shock leader. braid in general seemed frowned upon near the 'conga' line when we were at the point due to different drift.


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## big brother (May 15, 2002)

why not contact Tommy (this boards sponser) since you fish the wilmington area often. you can try several top of the line rod & reel combos and get a lesson that will put you way ahead of the curve on using conventional gear. Tommy is fishing hatteras this week, but he has one of those smart phones and checks his messages often.
charlie


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## shughes (Oct 28, 2011)

Thanks. I am a new member of the board and will look him up. The kids and I went to a football field tonight to see how far we could cast our rods. I was consistently getting 90-95 yards with my 9 foot Sargus spinning combo using 3-4 ounces and 17lb mono. I would like to get that up to 125+ yard range but thinking a longer pole is going to be necessary.


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## hifu (Aug 3, 2006)

to fish with the boys catching the drum u are gonna have to learn to throw what everyone else is throwing, or your going to be tangling lines with everyone else....if they are throwing 8, u need to thro 8 also....a rod for doing this can be had for your budget (it will get you hooked and then you will want a custom).....when you get yur new rod take it back to the field and wrap a tennis ball around your practice weight and learn to fling that a 100 yds.....good luck


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## shughes (Oct 28, 2011)

I have my eyes on a Penn squall 15 with a penn torque rod in 11-12ft size. But that new Fathom looks nice too. RDT mentioned the Fathom and Saltist were hot at their shop. Also saw some Daiwa slosh 30's out there.


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## RuddeDogg (Mar 20, 2004)

I started with the Penn 525 and have done well with it.


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## scavengerj (Sep 10, 2007)

Just went to conventional this year and enjoy the Squall 15 I matched to a Penn Torque series rod.
This was just my choice and has worked well for me this season.

DMS #525
AMSA #1102
OBPA
RFA # 1053456E


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## RocknReds (Jun 13, 2010)

Forget RDT. They're going to sell you what makes them the most profit. Get with Tommy and get one of his rods and a new Akios reel; you'll be glad you did.


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## castingsfun (May 28, 2010)

*Why argue theory.* 

CCP 6-10
Akios
18# Sakuma
Hatteras smash/cast
Game on !!!! :beer:


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## BrentH (Jul 25, 2011)

shughes said:


> Thanks. I am a new member of the board and will look him up. The kids and I went to a football field tonight to see how far we could cast our rods. I was consistently getting 90-95 yards with my 9 foot Sargus spinning combo using 3-4 ounces and 17lb mono. I would like to get that up to 125+ yard range but thinking a longer pole is going to be necessary.


I've been doing some casting with a buddy of mine and increased my distance by 30 yards in one day just by changing my technique. I'm waiting on my new rod to get finished being built, but I was using a 9' Shakespeare Walmart cheapie with a Battle 6000, 3oz tournament weight, 20lb line w/ 60lb shocker. My best cast was 120 yards. I anticipate I should pick up another 20 yards or more (maybe, I could be wrong) once my new rod gets finished. The one I was using was like a noddle. I did learn that proper technique goes a long way. My first cast was 90 yards.

Probably the most valuable thing he taught me was to not "tuck" my arm when throwing. Keep both arms extended throughout the cast, release at a 45 degree angle and push/pull at the same time.


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## shughes (Oct 28, 2011)

i was watching tommy's youtube videos last night. was going to try the groundcast and focus on that push/pull that BrentH is mentioning above. I am not after any tournament distances...just need to get to 125+ yards to hit that outer sandbar from time to time. If that's possible with shorter then 11-12 foot poles, then fantastic. its all about the fish for myself


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## BrentH (Jul 25, 2011)

shughes said:


> i was watching tommy's youtube videos last night. was going to try the groundcast and focus on that push/pull that BrentH is mentioning above. I am not after any tournament distances...just need to get to 125+ yards to hit that outer sandbar from time to time. If that's possible with shorter then 11-12 foot poles, then fantastic. its all about the fish for myself


I'm not after tournament distances either...at least not yet. I gained the yards once I changed my technique. Now, I was using a rod that had no backbone at all, flexed all the way down the the grip. I did get to cast my new rod, (it's set up for conventional right now, he's changing the seat over for a spinning) and I'm confident I will be able to hit 140-150 yards when it's finished. It's a 10 1/2' blank. Being that I've used Walmart style rods all my life, I instantly fell in love with the new rod.

also, don't discredit any of the other guys' advice on here based on mine. I'm still a rookie caster, but like I said, changing to a proper technique made a hell of a difference, both on distance and the amount of work I have to do.....


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## shughes (Oct 28, 2011)

BrentH, yep, looks like lots of good information on this forum from its members. I enjoyed reading through the posts this past weekend and gave the search functionality a work out. my next football field trip is going to be trying out the groundcast technique.


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## BrentH (Jul 25, 2011)

shughes said:


> trying out the groundcast technique.


That's mainly what I use, well sort of. I do a ground cast, but keep my lead directly behind me. I don't do any swinging or any of that because I'm mainly throwing a 6-8oz anchor out from a pier, so I feel most comfortable doing it that way.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Thanks for the feedback on the Cast Pro Series rods. The 6-10 is my flagship rod and it is designed to throw 8nbait a long way and to fight a fish well. feel free to contact me directly if you want.

My roots are in 8nbait. Long before stepping onto a casting field I was banging away on the beach in search of drum... . A couple of key things to work on (some touched on here already), don't tuck the left arm in safely close to your body. Stick it out and when you are turned into and facing the target PULL as you PUNCH with the right. It is like adding a turbo to the cast. Also, work body rotation in a little at a time. There is much more power in the body than the arms.

Off in search of drum... 

Tommy


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## OldBay (May 15, 2003)

I spent the last 2 weeks drum fishing in Hatteras. I bought a new Saltist BG 30 at the beginning of my trip and put it on a 12' Tica 4-10oz. Man, the saltist is sweeeeeeet! It is so smooth casting and retreiving. Zero blowups in 2 weeks. My other conventional setup is a sealine 30 on a 12' Okuma Solaris 3-8oz. I like the setup and it throws a mile, but I blew it up more than I would like to admit publically. I also bought a saltist 40 but its on ebay right now. Once it sells I am getting another 30. Get the saltist, spool it with 17# Hi Viz, and knock your shock leader down to 40#. If you don't like it, sell it to me.


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## Tommy (Jan 24, 2001)

Fished the 666w Shuttle Akios this afternoon. This is one sweet reel. It is squarely between the 656 and the 757 in capacity, 330 yrds 15 lb test-275 yrds of 20 lb test. Casts like a dream. I landed a 29" puppy and it performed flawlessly. Hope to land a bigun this week.

The 666w CTM coming soon, Shuttle available now.

Tommy


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## Manlystanley (Sep 22, 2010)

BrentH said:


> I've been doing some casting with a buddy of mine and increased my distance by 30 yards in one day just by changing my technique. I'm waiting on my new rod to get finished being built, but I was using a 9' Shakespeare Walmart cheapie with a Battle 6000, 3oz tournament weight, 20lb line w/ 60lb shocker. My best cast was 120 yards. I anticipate I should pick up another 20 yards or more (maybe, I could be wrong) once my new rod gets finished. The one I was using was like a noddle. I did learn that proper technique goes a long way. My first cast was 90 yards.
> 
> Probably the most valuable thing he taught me was to not "tuck" my arm when throwing. Keep both arms extended throughout the cast, release at a 45 degree angle and push/pull at the same time.


I'll try that tonight. Thanks for sharing!

Best Regards,
Stan


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## Ryan Y (Dec 1, 2005)

SHuges

Welcome to pier and surf b the way. I live down in wilmington too. I have several of Tommy's rods that are customs if you'd like to try them as well. Just get in touch with me via pm and Ill call you.

Fishing the point with all those people; wel lets just say it's far easier to fish in those crowds when everone is fishing the same way. ie big rods, 8 ounces 15 to 20lb mono, etc.
Ones of the things that can throw a bearing in the gear is when someone is fishing a lot light gear. A four ounce weight drifts far faster then eight. So you would find yourself chasing that rig down the beach a lot faster then everyone else in current. That means youll have to go under a lot of people (Or over them if your casting a lot further). Anyhow, tangles are more likely. Also, braind is frowned upon because it cuts mono. When everyone is hooking up, fighting big fish and moving under or over people braid can and will cut lines when under tension. These are just examples.

If you'd like, I can teach you to throw conventional reels...Then you can give Tommy a call and he'll show you how to cast the hell out of it.


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## shughes (Oct 28, 2011)

thanks all for the generous offers. I am hopefully heading to topsail next week for a last visit to the coast for the year. i ended up getting a squall 15 on a 10ft star stellar surf, 15-40lb rated 2-8 ounces. Should work out to be a good 6nbait combo to learn on and did not break the budget. I won't be back at Hatteras till next October and that will give me some time to practice and work on my technique with a shorter rod.


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## 9 rock (Nov 30, 2008)

RocknReds said:


> Forget RDT. They're going to sell you what makes them the most profit. Get with Tommy and get one of his rods and a new Akios reel; you'll be glad you did.


Well I don't know about that. Its a hard argument to come up with better than a saltist 30h straight out of the box. 


9


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

9 rock said:


> Well I don't know about that. Its a hard argument to come up with better than a saltist 30h straight out of the box.
> 
> 
> 9


Sorry but many will beg to differ. There are many reels better than a Saltist out there...


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## RocknReds (Jun 13, 2010)

Question for ABU Mike - have you tried the Akios reels yet? Also: no way I'd trade my Akios for a Saltist, had them and moved on.


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## AbuMike (Sep 3, 2007)

RocknReds said:


> Question for ABU Mike - have you tried the Akios reels yet? Also: no way I'd trade my Akios for a Saltist, had them and moved on.


I have....


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## Cdog (Mar 18, 2002)

Daiwa's dont break after a few days of fishing....


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## 9 rock (Nov 30, 2008)

Realy I am all ears here for a beginer


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