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mid priced surf rod shoot-out!!!

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hanlon-surf

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we already have the battle of the el-cheapos raging so i figured we should bump it up a spot. like many of us i lust over the latest CTS and Lami rods, and would like to try out one of the 550+ G-Loomis sticks to see what all the fuss is about there; but with the kids, house, wife, (read life) actually dropping $400+ on another rod just aint gonna happen.  that said, the hobbyist in me still likes to fill the off season with shopping for new gear.


i have taken the step above the el-cheapos (still have me a few) and currently fish an 8' Starr Stellar 3/4 - 2, a 9' Ocean Master 1-3 (possibly the stiffest 1-3 ever) and use a 10' Daiwa Emblem 3-6 when i want to sit and soak some bait. im looking for something to really sling 1oz - 1.75ish oz lures (think stingsilvers and ESs) on the open beaches of the OBX.


so keeping the price under say $180 (under mojo money) what would you look at?


10' St. Croix Triumph? (i dont hear much about these rods, but held a 9 footer the other day and it seemed nice)



10' or 10'6' Daiwa Coastal SP? will these throw the bottom end of there rating the way i would need/want them too?



9' Lami Insane 5/8-2 (this rod is on the TD site but not the Lami site. not sure what to make of that...)



Tsunami Airwave Elite (dont know much about these...)


i know it will be tempting to say "get the 10'6" mojo and be happy" but at $230 (almost $100 more than the 10' Triumph) that prolly wont happen...


 



thanks all and lets have fun with this one :-)


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I have the tsunami airwave elite 10'6" and really like it. It is rated 1oz to 3 1/2oz, but does much better at the top end of that rating.

 

I would not hesitate to recommend the smaller version/lower oz rating you are looking for. I'm thinking about picking this up myself.

 

I do not own the triumph in the size you are looking for but do have a smaller version. This was my first foray into the big name rod manufacturers. Truthfully I'm not sure I would recommend it. From a performance perspective (completely annecdotal mind you), I do not believe it set it's self apart enough from the el cheapos to command the higher price point.

 

The other rods I have no experience with. The mojo was in the running when I was in the market for a 10 footer. It came down to warranty. The mojo I had to send in. The tsunami I just had to trade in at the store should I ever need to. And the tsunami felt a little better in hand for me

 

Good luck!

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thank you for the response.  i was thinking the 9'6" 3/4-3 if i went the 'Elite' route.  a few questions about it if you dont mind. is it a graphite blank or a graphite / glass composite? also, is it a 50/50 or a 70/30 split? i like the 70/30 split of my Ocean Master, but i dont know that im in love with the blank. not to knock the graphite / glass composite nature at its core as perhaps the rod i have is just 'stiff'

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I have the 10' Triumph 3/4 - 4 and it is a good rod. A bit of a noodle but good for throwing smaller plastic plugs like bombers and SPs. For larger bucktails or Super Strike sized plugs I like a faster rod with more balls (10' mojo 1-4)


I will add another entry, The Okuma Cedros CSX Surf. I don't own one of these rods but have heard a lot of good things. They can be had for around $150 I believe. Tica also makes a great value priced surf rod. 


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I'd also have you consider the 9' 1-6 oz. and the 10'6" 2-8 oz. Temple Fork Outfitters Surf Rods as well. Just a hair above your price range, but less expensive (about 10% less cost retail) than the Mojo line. ( I got my TFO 10'6" on a Cyber Monday sale for ~$150 last year from a trading post in Maine...;))

 

Very similar to the Mojo- guide layout on the TFO is identical to the Mojo series. The factory ratings are definitely off a bit and would consider them to be in the same 3/4-4 oz. and 2-6 oz. ranges of their St. Croix counterparts...

 

I would treat the 10'6" TFO as more of a 1-5 practical weight range as it was been sufficient in throwing unweighted 9" rubber, floating SP Minnows & redfins on the low end up to 4 oz. lead & 9" rubber tails comfortably on the high end.

 

There is a new entry in the TFO line as well in the 11' 3-8 oz. range as well.

F Tombo

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With a KTP sale, $150 for a TFO w/ a lifetime warranty seems like a no brainer. Airwave Elite's 9'6" is also a great bang for the buck bargain albeit in a slightly longer and lighter action pkg than the TFO 9'.

 

Cons: TFO has cheap corrosion prone guides and the Elite is not very well balanced. Even the $500+ Loomis is not without it's shortcomings though.

 

 

Low price, great warranty, and an impressive blank, make TFO the clear front runner in my eyes.

 

1826916

"Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after."  

~Henry David Thoreau
(member formerly known as MV Bluefish)

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Quote:

Originally Posted by hanlon-surf View Post

 

9' Lami Insane 5/8-2 (this rod is on the TD site but not the Lami site. not sure what to make of that...)



 





This same model LIS 9MS is listed on the Lami site as 1-3 ounce, 15-25 lb line range and Fast action. Why is TD indicating 5/8 - 2 ounce, 10-17 lb line and mod/fast action??


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If mid price range means $125-$200, then do some research on Lami blanks and Batson Rainshadow and Pacbay/Sabre and USA AllStar and other well respected blanks of the past... and then watch the BST. Customs often come up at around $150-175. Most of these will hands down win when compared to any production offering in that price range. I still have an Airwave that I gave to my daughter... but the rest of my surf and jetty rods are all custom wrapped and none cost me as much as $200. Just another approach I guess, but, because I love asking questions and getting information, I have been able to buy several rods that are really excellent and were well over $300-$350 when built new..

"We eat cold eels and think distant thoughts" Jack Johnson.

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I was in the market for a 9' rod recently in this price range and ended up choosing the Daiwa Coastal SP 1-4. I've only had a chance to throw it on two occasions but I'm happy with the rod. Used it a few weeks back on an extremely windy Sunday. I had to turn to 3oz metals and the rod, imo, handled them beautifully.


I threw an SP minnow in the back bay where the wind was slightly less of an issue and it again did well. The rod was made for casting SP minnows so no surprise there. I haven't had a chance to really work it hard, that'll come next season, but it appears a good stick, sensitive, I can feel lures and even metals pulsing on retrieve. Haven't hooked up with a fish yet so can't comment on that.


I own a 10' Mojo 1-4 conventional and while it's a very good rod, I like the feel of the Daiwa a bit better. It seems more moderate. I like to throw 2-3oz metal lips and that flex makes tossing those lures a pleasure. One downside to the sensitivity is it's a little more tiring with all the rod pulsing. I can live with that though.


I almost bought the TFO but thought it might be a little stiff on the lower end. I also was considering the Mojo 3/4-4 and believe I would have been happy with that rod too. For fit and finish, Mojos are superior but their cost reflects this. Hope this helps.


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Quote:

Originally Posted by hanlon-surf View Post

To beachdoggin, I like my 10' Daiwa for moderate chunkin, say 4-5 & bait.

To jessetrips, how will your 9' throw 1oz to 1.5? I really like the idea of a nine footer, but think I may give up some distance. Also 50/50 or 70/30 split on the SP?





The lure I threw in 1oz range was the SP minnow and, considering the day - it was very windy, I felt it did a nice job. I remember being somewhat relieved, thinking 'ok, great, it can really handle those'. Now the SP has that ball bearing system so it gets help. I didn't cast metals in that range, next time out I will though.


You may give up a little distance. I have three surf rods; 10' Mojo, 9' Okuma Longitude (both conventional) and the Daiwa. To this day I believe the best distance I've gotten with a 2oz metal was with the $50 Okuma. Go figure. The three are close distance wise but the Mojo and SP are better all round rods by far.


The reason I bought the 9' was b/c I can fit it in my small suv as one piece. It's a 70/30 split, btw. If I need to move from beach to beach, no breakdown.


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