St croix or airwave elite 10'6 reel pair

[Nik J]

Im looking to upgrade from my tica dolphin 9' with Penn spinfisher v to something 10'6. I'm thinking tsunami airwave elite or st croix mojo. Leaning a little towards tsunami because I want to put a new reel on and it'll save a few. Any objections. And any suggestions to a good reel pairing for either rod. In a perfect world of go vs but I don't think it'll happen just yet so something a little more economical. Was considering sheild but not completely sold on it and my price range is by no means restricted to that low either 

[Batman67]

Shimano Spheros 6000, $200.00

[PlumFishing]

For economic reasons the Elite is great, but perhaps warranty is a factor for the rod (1 year). In that case I’d look at the Mojo or TFO 10’6”. Go to a shop put them side by side and they are very similar, almost same layout. Mojo 5 year warranty vs TFO lifetime made it a no brainer for me. 

I paired with a Daiwa BG 5000 and it is a nice  setup. 

I’d say if you want a very good rod reel combo for a very good price (less than 300 after spooling with braid) then an Airwave Elite and a BG is the way to go. 

Read Alan Hawk review on the BG reel. 

Edited October 24, 2017 by PlumFishing
Added Daiwa

[Nik J]

8 hours ago, PlumFishing said:

For economic reasons the Elite is great, but perhaps warranty is a factor for the rod (1 year). In that case I’d look at the Mojo or TFO 10’6”. Go to a shop put them side by side and they are very similar, almost same layout. Mojo 5 year warranty vs TFO lifetime made it a no brainer for me. 

I paired with a Daiwa BG 5000 and it is a nice  setup. 

I’d say if you want a very good rod reel combo for a very good price (less than 300 after spooling with braid) then an Airwave Elite and a BG is the way to go. 

Read Alan Hawk review on the BG reel. 

I should also mention that I plan to primarily use this set up for plugging off the beach and do not need a reel that is dunkable but it will most likely be getting splashed if that is of any consequence. 

[Birdsnester]

I have both albeit for conventional reels.  The airwaves is super strong and casts great the mojo has a short butt which I didn’t care for.  I upgraded to the 12’ mojo surf and the butt is way longer which I really like.  I don’t see how you could be dissatisfied with the Tsunami.  It’s a great rod for the money.  I do like my mojo better though.  I also like how the mojo breaks at 1/3 the length it seems to make it stronger through the middle if that makes sense.

[Jettyhound]

Stradics seem to perform pretty well on the beach.  I'm not a fan of the low rider guides on the Mojo.

[Birdsnester]

26 mins ago, Jettyhound said:

Stradics seem to perform pretty well on the beach.  I'm not a fan of the low rider guides on the Mojo.

Those guides are great with conventional reels not sure how they work with spinners.

[Nik J]

thanks guys i appreciate the insight i will get some of those things in my hands at the b&t and check them out myself

[SurfNY]

10'6 elite is a great plugging rod. My go to for anything over a thigh high surf up front especially during the fall and spring runs. I got one paired with ultegra 5500 spooled with 20lb fireline. Pulled multiple quality fish over the 3 years i had it for. Definitely a good pick. 

 

[TopwaterPete]

I have a Mojo and Airwave Elite. My mojo is the 9', so I can't speak for the 10'6 but know its a great rod. On my 10'6 Airwave Elite, I have a Shimano Ultegra 5500 and absolutely love the pairing. I'm primarily fishing open beaches, but fish Long Island/Montauk mutiple times a year with it. Like you, I'm not dunking it. It's taken many splashes in MTK and is still working fine. 30# PP Super Slick blue for my line choice.

 

A Spheros 6k would be my other choice. If you already have a Spinfisher V 5500, that'll pair nicely w either rod.

 

As for the warranties, Tsunami has a very good one year warranty, but it's only a year. St Croix's is 5 years and their QC is better than Tsunami's, a big thing to consider.

 

 

[xjclint]

This all depends on your budget.

 

Between the Tsunami and the St Croix, I liked the tsunami blank a little better for plugging. Softer action and I have just come to prefer K guides over lowriders because I don't like the line rubbing on the collection guide (especially with shorter rods). Both will get the job done and be perfect for plugging, and both can be had for $100-125 used. Just make sure you stay away from the 1-4 mojo. That thing is a pool cue.

 

That being said, I now have two ODM Genesis rods I picked up on SOL for $220 each, and they blow both of those other rods out of the water by a factor of 5 or more. The ODM has more backbone, a better range, and is a joy to cast. You could probably find a similar deal on a Black Hole (new suzuki looks good), FSC, CTS, Lamiglass, etc. if you look through BST.

 

Regarding reels, the Spheros and Saragosa have been excellent reels, without issues, and they can take a beating. The SSV will probably suit you fine though. I had more cash towards my combo, so I use the Twinpower 4000 on a 9ft and a VR150 on my 10ft. I will soon replace the Twinpower with the VR50 (whenever it finally comes out) simply because I like how easy it is to take them apart and service them myself versus Shimano.

[Nik J]

Here is another opinion I'd like to get, I like the weight I'm throwing on the tica 9' and want to stay around there (plus I get to keep using the same plugs). I want to go bigger as I said with 10'6. In your opinion, do you notice a substantial difference between 10' and 10'6. For example the airwave elite 10'6 vs st croix triumph 10'. They both throw what I'm looking for. Will I see a significant difference with one or the other?

[Jettyhound]

On 10/25/2017 at 0:36 PM, Nik J said:

Here is another opinion I'd like to get, I like the weight I'm throwing on the tica 9' and want to stay around there (plus I get to keep using the same plugs). I want to go bigger as I said with 10'6. In your opinion, do you notice a substantial difference between 10' and 10'6. For example the airwave elite 10'6 vs st croix triumph 10'. They both throw what I'm looking for. Will I see a significant difference with one or the other?

I see enough difference in the effort required -for me-  to flip a 10'6" that I won't take a 10'6' at night anymore.  And believe me, I'm usually not throwing hard at night.  A 10 footer is as big as I'll go on a snotty night; or pretty much any night for that matter.  But it's really a matter of personal preference, one's physical condition, what you're throwing and where the fish are in the area that you're plugging.  Good luck.  They're coming.