I'm looking for a good heavy surf rod blank that will be wrapped for a conventional reel. I guess I have it narrowed down to the Rainshadow SU 1209, Lamiglas SB 121 3M, or Lamiglas SB 121 5M based on comments from others and stuff I've read on the web. So do guys have any suggestions. Right now my heavy conventional rod is the heavy 10' Tica, and I'm not really interested in replacing it unless one of the above are noticeably different.

Is there any benefit to the glass over graphite since the graphite is probably lighter? Would the SU 1209 really be more likely to break than the stuff from Lami?

I'd be using it for heavy plugs, heavy bucktails, and big rigged eels - weighing up to 7oz.

Thanks,
Ty

The SU 1209 is a fast action blank(Very stiff), good for throwing heavy jigs.
The 1213M is a slow action blank(Parabolic), I like mine for throwing eels and big wood.

I have an Allstar 1209 and the 121 3m but not the other two. The allstar is lighter with a faster action than the 121 3m. If you want a faster action go with the graphite. As far as durability goes, the glass rod should be better but I can't really see the 1209 getting damaged easily. The glass rod would probably be a better a pencil popper rod due to it parabolic action. Not having the Tica I have no way to tell if you should or should not buy one of the others.

Hope this helps

The 5M is a real club. It might bend parabolically when it bends. The problem is that it takes about 10 oz for it to bend. It is way, way WAY too stiff for pencils. The blank weight is in the 18 oz range. It's comparable to an old Harnell 552. I would not want to plug with it, or even hold it when fishing bait. :hs: It's a dead-sticking rod, pure and simple.

The 3M will handle 7 oz even tho Lami rates it 3-6. Put it this way--it'll handle more weight than a GSB 132 1M which is rated (wrongly) for 4-12 oz. Of the blanks you mentioned, this one is the most versatile. The 1209 is lighter, but is a faster actioned rod. You might find yourself tearing live eels off the hook if you were to use it for that. As far as breakage goes, the All Star 1209 was a very tough blank. I have no experience at all with Batson's version. If they're similar in action and durability, you may find that you won't be able to load the rod for casting plugs in the 3-4 oz range when it's fished conventional. It really comes alive right around 5 oz.

Another option is a Lami SB or SSB 136 3M with the tip trimmed back to accept a 16/64" tip. If it's still too long for your liking at around 10'8" or so, you can take the balance from the butt end.

I'm a glass guy, so I can't comment on the graphite blanks. But I have both a 1213M and a 1215M. The 3M is really nice for everything I have tried, 1 1/2 ounce bucktails and tin thru big plugs, 5 ounce jigs with pork and even 6 and bait. The action is slow enough to not tear the hook out of an eel even on a hard cast. The 5M has higher capabilities, but surprisingly, does not give you more distance with a 5 ounce bank sinker. If you aren't going to throw 8 and bait, I would recommend the 3M, as it is 4 ounces lighter. If you plan on throwing more than 8, go with the 5M. The 3M has a maximum distance, If you push it harder it will just shake more and laugh at you. This makes it easy to get used to as it has a slow easy cast. I can get halfway across the Cape Cod Canal with a 4 ounce jig almost effortlessly. Go for the honey colored blank!

By the way, I'm an old skinny guy and I can jig the 5M for a long time without dieing:wall: because I rest the butt on my hip and it does all the hard work.

I use the honey Lami 3m for big plugs and jigging the ditch. Mine is cut down to ten feet.

The Lami 1213m (while not light) is about as versatile as you could get...It's a very nice casting rod in that 2-6 ounce range and has plenty of power. You can do just about anything with it...well.

-spence

Thanks for the suggestions. The 3M sounds like the one.