Ok if you could only have 1 surf rod for South County beaches to be used tossing plugs (needles, darters, poppers, and swimmers) what would the rod / reel combination be. Lets say price cap is $325.00

In my opinion , I would go with a custom rod made on an Allstar blank and an Abu Garcia Big game 6500Cl reel. the rod could be made on the 1145/2 blank or if you can handle the extra foot , the 1265/2. Price will be about $350 plus taxes for the combo and nobody will have eqwuipment more suited to the job regardless of price.

BTW , i say custom cause the factory allstars have too many guides

Custom Batson 1088 at around $225 is another possibility.

a Lami 120 1L and a VS 250 would be perfect too.

Im building that 1088 right now... I also have a brand new custom 1087 for sale in classifieds if anyone is interested!!

BC

Originally posted by big country
a Lami 120 1L and a VS 250 would be perfect too.

Im building that 1088 right now... I also have a brand new custom 1087 for sale in classifieds if anyone is interested!!

BC I think the Lami / VS is a wee bit out of the combo price...

179 - you could definitely do a 1088 Batson / Penn 6500 combo for less than that and go a little higher end on the rod and stay in your money. For someone that's not going to spend as much time in the suds like you no need to go super high end. And the 1088 will trow all the stuff you need down there... They 1087 is good with lighter stuff, bombers, Yoz, et all but I wouldn't sling bigger eels or heavier plugs with it... I also would definitely go spinner to cover all that stuff...

179- Might I suggest you go visit Ron at Breachway Bait. He has a wide variety of custom made stuff. If your lucky, he might throw in a couple of those famous eels ;)

how about lami 120 1L and penn 704???

good stuff!!!

1088 and a 6500 Nautil(seeing a few pop up brand new on ebay lately)
or if going conventional an abu 6500

179, I would go spinning for plugs. I have the combo Saltheart spoke of and its a PERFECT set up for eeling, but I can't get used to throwing plugs with it. I go back to my spinner for plugging everytime. Maybe its just me but it feels more natural with plugs and spinning gear.

Use the Spinner because you are trying to accomplish many things with one setup. A lot of us with conventionals have different setups for all the different stuff. Where I can't throw a bomber well with the same stick that's used for 4 ounce plugs it's a little more possible to do it all with a spinning reel...

1201L and Shimano Stradic 6000FH

Saltheart has built me two Allstar 1265/2 rods and they are the all round perfect surf rod for me. It's known as the Spanish Buster on the Hatteras site, and as advertised, throws a long way. Sweet spot is 2-3 0z. I have it rigged with Okuma and Penn 6500SS spinners. Gotta hand it to SH on this, he pointed me in the right direction. Great rod, great build.

I went with an Allstar Breakaway from M&D's (9'6" Spin) and put my older Penn 650SS on it. It's a real nice setup and does everything you listed plus eels. I really like it a lot!:uhuh:

said:happy: :happy: :happy:

Mike p.........225.oo for a 1088??? that's outta sight..should b around 160.00 at the most..

I was including a Penn 704 in the price but forgot to mention it.

At Mike's prices, that is. Your mileage may vary.

lami xra1321 with a penn 704z and 50lb power pro. good for eels- medium to big plugs-metal-herring-hickory shad-etc. I took six inches off the tip for a little xtra backbone-a do it all combo. I can chuck one of my homemade polaris knockoffs a country mile into the wind, or a 2oz kastmaster even further to hit them blitzes that are just outta reach.

Thanks for all the ideas guys.......:)

Saltheart did a Ron Arra stick 11' for me this past spring. I knew it was an awesome blank but I didn't know the wrap job would be a work of art. Really great job and I've been beating it up since then. Use it with a VS200; casts a mile....

179- Its the famous eels guy! Go for it;)

Saltheart wraps a mean custom stick. :tm:

Stradic, Stradic, Stradic

Thanks for all the compliments. I'm glad people like the rods I built.

I just want to add one more comment here for 179. Batsons are nice blanks. I use them for short casting rods for boats and for trolling rods like for regular or wire line with roller tips. For longer casting rods , I prefer the Allstars. You are looking at spending $50 0r $60 more to get a rod built on an Allstar than on a Batson. If you don't have the extra money , the choice is easy , you get the Batson and you will have a nice rod. If you do have the extra $50 to $60 bucks , there is no question in my mind that the Allstar blanks are worth the money.

i can't contribute to the question but have seen salthearts work.as john would say SCHWEEET! love salts website and keeps me dreaming of the day i can order one!!!! PENN 6500ss for all your fishing needs. as far as rods go listen to salty or mikecc..

Charger,
Are you finished with hibernating over the summer, it's time to fish,,,

Spinning:

Pac-Bay PRSC 1087 or 1088 blank with Fugi BSVLG guides and a PST top, cork wrap grip. With a Penn Slammer 560 reel.

Casting:

Pac-Bay PRSC 1287 blank with Fugi BNLG guides and a PST top, cork wrap grip. With a Abu Garcia 6600C5 Mag-X or a 7000C.

Thanks for the help but the leadtime on the Batson rod was a little bit longer than I wanted to wait, maybe next time. The fish are here now, and I can drive on the beach in a few days

I ended up just grabbing a 10' St Croix 10-20lb stick with a Penn 6500, I hope it's what I was looking for. Now to braid or not to braid?????

Penn 6500, if you do go with braid you need fireline or one of the other coated braids. Most people just use mono on Penns.

Get a spare spool and load one of each.

I've used a 7500SS on a similar St. Croix rod for the past year for plugging, tins, eeling and the occasional chunk or clam. One spool has 20# Big Game and another has 50# Power Pro. I prefer the braid.

It seems people either love or hate Power Pro. There is some stuff worth reading on this post.

http://www.striped-bass.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8228

It took a couple days to soften up the line and I learned the hard way not to overfill the spool.

I don't know if the 6500 shares the same bail trip issue with the 7500 but I powercasted a couple plugs to the horizon until I converted the bail to a manual pickup.

I haven't had any problems since but I am now also more attentive to how the line is laying down on the spool.

You should still be under your initial budget so go spend the rest of that money.