Custom Allstar (Breakaway) 1145
Spinning/Conventional Rod - A work in progress!
From Tres at Hatteras Outfitters

**This rod is a work in progress, Tres is working on "the perfect jetty rod" and we're gonna help him. This one is wrapped to be "ambi-fisherous" - that's my term for a rod that will fish equally well as a spinning or conventional rod. The guides are smaller than a normal spinning rod on this one so that it can be used also as a conventional rod. With slick braids like Whiplash, a large collector guide like we're used to seeing on spinning rods is unnecessary...the braid shoots through the smaller guides unrestricted. Most of my experience with this particular rod is as a spinning rod...I have used it as a conventional a number of times and found it to be wonderful for the task...but since most of my use was as a spinner, the review will cover this aspect of this prototype "ambi-fisherous" rod**

Breakaway 1145/2 Spinning Rod
as custom wrapped by Hatteras Outfitters

     The first thing I noticed about this rod was the excellent quality and detail of the custom wrapping work. It's beautiful and functionally put together. I looked over each guide, each wrap, the reel seat, the tip, the ferrule, and the butt of the rod and found not one visible flaw. The colors were just as I would have ordered myself, very "Loomis" like, black blank, black wraps, black reel seat...and a tiny silver wrap towards the ends of each wrap on each guide...the only hint of color...perfect!

     Looks aside, I figured to work this rod over but good...it had been discussed as to what it needed to do to be a good jetty rod for this area. First note, it's nice and light, but yet still feels substantial enough to control good sized fish. With a Mitchell Neptune (big yellow) hanging underneath the 1145, it really felt "right". The big yellow reel weighs about the same as the popular Penn 650SS, about 23 ounces. The rod handled this substantial reel very well, not heavy in the tip and very balanced in the hand. So far, so good...let's string it up and catch something...that's the real test! 

     The rod, Neptune hanging underneath, was strung up with 50# Whiplash, about 12# mono in diameter...it's my favorite line and what I always use on an outfit such as this. I had this rod along for a few trips before I actually needed to throw a spinning rod...conventional outfits were more suitable for the fishing that I was doing. This made me realize just how convenient the 2 piece blank was, it fit nicely in the back seat of the Explorer. When the time came for me to throw a spinning rod, I was anxious to try this new rig out! I found the rod quite capable in throwing the standard fare, 7/8oz 6" bombers...although that's about the minimum weight to get the rod loading. It will throw smaller lures, I've thrown 5/8oz lures on it a number of times, but that's not what this rod was intended for. I snapped on a 7" MegaBait plug, 1 1/3oz...right at the low end of the rods rated lure size...and I got to experience for the first time whatever it is that Breakaway does to their blanks to really fire a lure! It threw the MegaBait further than anything to date, I was indeed impressed. What a difference when that rod loads when compared to just casting a lure. I've since then throw jigs up to 3 1/2oz on it and it handled those upper end weights as politely and respectfully as it did the lures in the lower end of it's rating. The rod is well rated, at least on the lower end, I don't recommend stressing a rod on the upper end of it's lure rating, that's a catastrophe waiting to happen! I did fish this rod a couple times with a 5oz sinker and calico crab...it did extremely well even at that weight...but I wasn't going to really lean into it, again, it's not what this rod was meant to do. 

     It's pretty, it's well built, and it's extremely pleasant to cast and fish with...but how's it handle fish around jetties? That was what this rod was intended to do, land stripers from a jetty. One thing that I discussed with Tres prior to his choosing this rod for the task was that the rod had to be capable of swinging a 4# fish up to me...going down the rocks for each fish when they are small gets tiresome. Not wanting to press the rod right off the bat, I used it mainly to lift the real small fish up first...not one complaint, creak or groan from the rod. As I got more comfortable with the rod, I began to use it more to lift fish and will honestly say, it lifts a 4# fish! When I explained to Tres that I was impressed by this fact, he then told me he tested the rod by hanging a 4# weight from it...so that explains it! Not that anyone should do either the weight hanging or the lifting of fish from the water, those things are never really recommended by any rod builder. Try to swing a fish up when the wave or fish are heading the wrong way and you will blow up almost any rod...be careful if you try this! Another thing this rod was asked to do was to be limber enough to cushion a decent fish while fishing braid but be stiff enough to bury the multiple hooks of a plug. I must say, even though I doubted I could have all three of these requirements, the 1145 does an admirable job in all three...a feat that I doubt would be easily duplicated by any other fast action graphite rod. Most rods that can cushion a good fish stuck on a plug with braid would never be able to lift a 4# fish. Most rods that will bury the hooks well on a plug are too stiff to cushion the fight with braid. The times I needed the rod to turn or get control of a decent fish, I'd grab the spool of the spinning reel and lean the way I need the fish to go...again, the rod never left me feeling like it was nearing it's limit, it always felt like there was more power should I need it. All in all, this is a very formidable fishing tool, an impressive casting rod, and most importantly, it's very comfortable to fish with all night long. This reviewer has no complaints, not a one and can easily recommend this rod as one of the finest jetty fishing rods I've ever had the pleasure of owning. For guys that need/prefer a 2 piece rod, this could very well be the perfect jetty rod! 

Tim Surgent