hi seawolf to be more specific.i like to fish the rocks places like newport,narragansett,beaver tail.sometimes the breechway if its not to crowded.the sand is nicer to fish but i think big bas like structure sharp dropoffs big boulders. plus im haveing beter luck on the rocks.im new to stiriper fishing but i want to catch big bass thats why i fish eels.i like 9 foot rods 1 piece thats what i use now.i use medium eels but some times you get quite an asortment at the bait shop.i dont know what i want as far as glass grafite or composite.i think composite. thank you snake slinger

Good rods in the 9ft range for the type of fishing you describe are in my opinion the

Batson 1088
Allstar 1088 (beefier than the Batson), and the
Allstar 1145-2 (2 piece but still really nice)

120L (I want one!) or M :D cut from the butt to 9'6"

I'd say the 120 1M would be better from the rocks, altho a lot of Montauk eelers use a 120 1L cut down to 9'6" or even 9' even.

I think cut down 120s make a better 9' stick than any of Lami's stock 9' blanks.

My wife has the Batson 1088 and I have the All Star one. I like hers from the sand and mine from the stones :D

Of course, if you know anyone with some spare JK Fisher blanks hanging around, and you could get yer hands on a 9' 8708 or a 10' 8720 and a hacksaw.....

I currently use a loomis 1266/2 for eeling. I am building myself an Allstar 1265/2 for my next eeling rod. I use an 11'6" heavy steelhead rod for eeling for about 16 yeras so I like longer than 9 feet. I'm also big and tall so maybe that also stears me towards the longer rods.

I think you need a different rod for the breachways and rocks like narragansett than you do for the beaches. I think the Allstar 1088 is the best 9 footer for the breachways and narragansett rocks. I think the Allstar 1145/2 would be better on the beach. I believe there is an Allstar 1087 that would be a good beach rod for eels if you must have one piece.

For Lamis , the 120 1L is very nice and probably versatile enough for anywhere although I prefer faster action rods for their sensitivity.

listen to seawolf on his rod recommendations! i don't think i built any of my rods without running it by him first. i fish a lot of the same areas as you, snake slinger, and i think a 10' would suit you better. the 1201M is my GO TO rod these days. i take the conventional for eeling and the spinner for plugging. i would stay away from the batsons. not worth the price break, unless you like broken rods. the 1088 may be a nice stick, but you can do much better with the 1201M. fishing around lobster pots, rocks, etc... you want something that will put the breaks on a fish. the M will do it!

thanks, toby, but shouldn't you be busy w/ my eel skins??? get on it!

as toby said, the gsb1201m is a nice, versitile stick built as a caster or spinner. in the open surf, i personally like a rod between 10-11 with 10 the ideal size. that extra foot helps keep the line above obstructions, assists in making a better cast, and allows for longer leaders. i've built a couple of the lami composite csb1201m's and they felt pretty nice. an all star 1208 would be a another i would recommend.

if you fish an jetty, you need to build a different rod. you can build one to do both, but you sacrifice power a bit. 90% of the time i use a rod that is 9' long on a jetty. you do not need anything longer than that as you need to be nimble w/ the rod and it should be almost a pool cue. i would recommend glass over graphite here for durability, "aggresive casters", and the frequent possibility of a rod falling down. a lami sb1213m stock or cut is a great starting point. the 1363m cut could be a second. and, i would recommend a caster on a jetty over a spinner. if you wanted a graphite/composite rod, i would suggest an all star 1089.

so, more recommendations for you, 'slinger. one thing that we forgot to mention that is important is the reel and line you will be using. braid could mean different guide choice over mono.

hope this helps.

Toby is right, Seawolf knows his stuff about rods. At the moment I believe I have 5 rods done by him and they all fit the exact need that I wanted them for.

If your going to fish eels on Aquidneck Island and the surrounding area your going to need something with some muscle to move the fish and stop him from cutting you off on the rocks. I see guys that fish eels with an arra 1083 and plan to catch moby. It might happen but I'm not a gambling man.

The areas you mention are where I fish on a regular basis. I have taken Seawolf to the area I like to fish so he knows what I'm up against and what I'm trying to do. My eel slinging setup is a lami sb1213m - glass with an Abu 7000 and 65lb PowerPro. The rod loads great and has enough balls to stop almost anything you could hook into from the surf (breachways excluded). For plugging I have an Arra 1205 with a VS250 (Penn705 at times) that works great for tossing plugs in the 2.5 to 4.5oz range and I use it in a pinch when I run into a buddy that has snakes and I am plugging. It's proablly the best all around rod for throwing larger plugs and larger eels.

I have a 11' 1322 Arra on the way as well, why I'm not sure, but it's something I just gotta have. :)

If your new to the game, pick a rod you can use for multiple applications rather than one specific. It wont cost you a fortune and you can always buy another rod for a specific purpose later.

Originally posted by SeaWolf
thanks, toby, but shouldn't you be busy w/ my eel skins??? get on it! i had it all set up here at work ala "office space", but the attorneys were not too fond of my new desk arrangement. :smash:

I dunno, I have a 120 1L and I'm in the market for a 1M for a little later in the season, but the best eeling rod I've used in a long time is the 10'6" Lami honey glass rod I found in an antique store for $27 :eek5: - the consensus is that it's probably an old Murat, but I needed to replace the guides. I use that with a converted 704 and 20# Berkeley Big Game -

It's an excellent set-up and about 2 weeks ago I banged bass of 15, 25, 30 and lost another bigger still that broke me off (*#$@*$ SeaGuar Flouro instead of Varivas 50# flouro- that ain't gonna happen again) -

Anyway, I'm casting the snot outta live eels without tearing out the hooks and it's gotta plenty of backbone to put the boots to a better fish and the softer action is a big plus to keep from pulling hooks out. This is all in areas on the Island where the action is pretty tight to the rocks.

I'll have to depend on MikeP here for the Lami blank number - but I'm thinking I may have another done on the very same blank with a little different guide set-up - I like it that much -

Obviously, you don't have the same sensitivity as you would with graphite, but I'll live with it -

I have the XRA 1204, and find thats a nice eel rod for small - medium eels. Very parabolic, so it doesnt tear snakes off on heavy casts

If it's an old Murat job, it probably had the old Lamiglas blank nomenclature and was originally an 11'6" that was cut. What tip size does it take? That would help tell whether it was cut from the butt or the tip.

The only way to definitely identify the blank number would be to remove the cork tape or other grip material and check the label (assuming the adhesive hasn't made it unreadable).

From the way you described it tho, I'll hazard a guess that it was an 1164 blank, which translates into an SB 136 2F under today's nomeclature.

Here's how they translate:

1163=SB 136 2M
1164=SB 136 2F
1165=SB 136 3M
1166=SB 136 4M

Thanks, Mike - this time I'll copy, paste & print for future reference :btu:

I think cut down 120s make a better 9' stick than any of Lami's stock 9' blanks

Anyone ever chop a foot off of the butt of a 120 1L? Any recommendations? The tip seems big enough as it is.