10 years ago I wrote a series of posts about the 4 rods you need to fish for stripers in the Northeast. I think that still holds true.
1) Schoolie rod ...Lami GSH 108-2MH..steelhead rod for very light jigs. For this I use a very small ABU Spinner.
2) All around rod for eels , plugs etc along the general shore line. Have used a Loomis 1266 for 15 years now with either a Calcutta 400 , 6500CS Mag Elite or BG6500CL (all these reels are spoolled with 35 LB Cortland Spectron but I have a spool of 50 LB PP I want to try) but will be replacing the 1266 with a Century Stealth1 (10 footer) now. It is better at the lower end for smimmers like redfins , mombo minnows , bombers , etc. It will not handle the very high end like the 1266 that will actually cast 4 OZ. For that I will use my now most versatile rod...rod 3 which I did not have for the first 7 or 8 years I had the Loomis 1266. I have not decided If I want the Stealth1 to be a spinner with a high end reel or a concentional using the same reels I use on the 1266.
3) Lami XRA 1205. A great rod for the canal , anything over 2 to as much as 5 OZ but used by me primarily for 3 and 4 or in current like the canal and breachways. I use an original black made in Sweden BG7000CL with 50 LB Cortland Spectron.
4) Rocket Launchers...I like my All Star 1418. It casts very easily and smoothly and far. I also have a Century Tip Tornado light that will cast a mile but is a lot more work to load but it will send them out of site. On the Allstar I generally would use a BG6500CL or the 6500CS Mag Elite with 35 Lb Cortland Spectron. On the Century TTL I use a BG7000CL with 50 LB Spectron. Either of these rods will crush up to 6 OZ easily and more in a pinch.
With these 4 rods I can cast 3/8th to 6+ OZ. I can fish for spring rats or moby #^&#^&#^&#^& , I can fish the most waveless beach or the most violent storm or the fastest current. I can flip stuff out there with the flick of a wrtist or I can put all my might into casts depending on my mood or need. You'll also notice that there is a little overlap between the rods capabilities and applications.
If I could have just 1 rod it would be the XRA 1205 but who knows , tomorrow a new model comes out and todays favorite becomes yesterdays has been.
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