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615 Posts
Thanks to Tommy, I got one over the winter and got a few opportunities to use it in the spring. It's matched to a Akios 656 CTM with 17lbs Suffix tritanium and 40lbs shock leader.
It's the lightest of my 13 ft rods. Even my buddy Paul was impressed at how light it was. I've looked at some of the pricier rods over the winter and it's every bit as light as the others.
Since it was my first outing, I had the reel setup pretty conservatively (full mag and slight side to side wiggle on the spool tension). Wind was a NNE about 10-18mph the first outing and the second was NNE again and about 8-12mph. Current was not too bad on all the days on both outings but as long as I used sputniks and use smaller chunks I could hold bottom.
I didn't push it too hard but really didn't need to since most of the fish was near the beach lip or inside the outer bar. I was able to easily get 75 yards with 6 and bait with very little effort. I know 75 yards isn't much for a lot of you guys out there but I didn't want to push it too much with 6 and bait being my first time out with the rod. It loaded easily and rebounded nicely. I thought it would rebound more like a car spring without shocks but it didn't. I have 2 bad shoulders and a bad rebound sometimes kills me. Rods like the 13 ft Ugly Stick and similar rods have a terrible rebound and it's just too hard on my shoulders. With a bit more practice and getting to know the rod a little better, I feel like I'll be able to lean into it a bit more with 6 and bait and easily get 100 yards plus in fishing conditions (if need be). I'm sure with a really skilled caster it can do a lot more.
The rod handled Chopper Blues (36 and 39 inches) and a Striper (42 inches) pretty nicely. At first I was a bit worried the way rod bent over on the sand spike. I thought maybe I made the wrong choice for this outing and should have used my other heaver instead. Not totally surprised but I was able to control the fish and bring it in without issues. I would love to see how it would handle a Drum that size
I'll push it a little harder next time out on a field to see what it can do with my limited casting abilities. I try to simulate how I fish meaning I'll use my regular fish finder rigs but my sinker will be covered with a tennis ball and a small rock duct taped to my hook. I'm not a competitive caster so it makes sense to me to practice this way. Maybe I'm wrong.?.?..... I found when I practice with just weights and a tennis ball, I can't translate that when I'm out on the beach.
I'm glad I pulled the trigger on this rod. Great rod for the money. I look forward to using for many future outings.
It's the lightest of my 13 ft rods. Even my buddy Paul was impressed at how light it was. I've looked at some of the pricier rods over the winter and it's every bit as light as the others.
Since it was my first outing, I had the reel setup pretty conservatively (full mag and slight side to side wiggle on the spool tension). Wind was a NNE about 10-18mph the first outing and the second was NNE again and about 8-12mph. Current was not too bad on all the days on both outings but as long as I used sputniks and use smaller chunks I could hold bottom.
I didn't push it too hard but really didn't need to since most of the fish was near the beach lip or inside the outer bar. I was able to easily get 75 yards with 6 and bait with very little effort. I know 75 yards isn't much for a lot of you guys out there but I didn't want to push it too much with 6 and bait being my first time out with the rod. It loaded easily and rebounded nicely. I thought it would rebound more like a car spring without shocks but it didn't. I have 2 bad shoulders and a bad rebound sometimes kills me. Rods like the 13 ft Ugly Stick and similar rods have a terrible rebound and it's just too hard on my shoulders. With a bit more practice and getting to know the rod a little better, I feel like I'll be able to lean into it a bit more with 6 and bait and easily get 100 yards plus in fishing conditions (if need be). I'm sure with a really skilled caster it can do a lot more.
The rod handled Chopper Blues (36 and 39 inches) and a Striper (42 inches) pretty nicely. At first I was a bit worried the way rod bent over on the sand spike. I thought maybe I made the wrong choice for this outing and should have used my other heaver instead. Not totally surprised but I was able to control the fish and bring it in without issues. I would love to see how it would handle a Drum that size
I'll push it a little harder next time out on a field to see what it can do with my limited casting abilities. I try to simulate how I fish meaning I'll use my regular fish finder rigs but my sinker will be covered with a tennis ball and a small rock duct taped to my hook. I'm not a competitive caster so it makes sense to me to practice this way. Maybe I'm wrong.?.?..... I found when I practice with just weights and a tennis ball, I can't translate that when I'm out on the beach.
I'm glad I pulled the trigger on this rod. Great rod for the money. I look forward to using for many future outings.
