What size power and action rod for striper fishing from rocks and jetties

[ianroddie]

What size rod and power and action would you recommend for fishing a little farther out than the surf but will reatively close like on rocks or jetties where I wouldn’t need to cast to far but some good distance could help. Also what would be a good reel and reel size to pair with the rod? Thanks. I also wanted to take into consideration what weight lures it could throw.

[jjdbike]

1 min ago, ianroddie said:

What size rod and power and action would you recommend for fishing a little farther out than the surf but will reatively close like on rocks or jetties where I wouldn’t need to cast to far but some good distance could help. Also what would be a good reel and reel size to pair with the rod? Thanks. I also wanted to take into consideration what weight lures it could throw.

I know this isn't specific, but a couple thoughts from the hip. Since you're not casting far, a shorter rod is more managable and a fast action, stiff enough to lift a fish up onto the rocks is what you want. You don't want any fragile brittle material, you want it to be sturdy enough to withstand a fall, because those are kind of inevitable.  The lure weight depends on conditions, depth, current and what types of lyres you'll be using.

JD

[Crabba]

If your fishing mostly rocks and jetty I would look at the avid surf 8ft. I may sound like a broken record with this rod but I have fished this primarily for 3 years and I love it from the rocks. Bit stiff so be aware. It's a medium power fast action rated 3/4-3. I mostly throw jigs up to 1-1.5 oz. Comfortable up to 2ish  I'm looking to bump up to the 9ft for more versatility and will seriously look at getting another avid. Good price and a good company. I use a VR 50 on the 8ft. Can see a stradic, saragossa or even a thunnus being a good fit for it too. 5000 size would be a max I think. 

[stalkinthebeaches]

A dozen people will probably give you a dozen different answers. I love my tsunami airwaves and use both the 8’ and 9’. I feel they work well for the price and have a 50/50 split so I can bring them anywhere. I pair them with a VR150 and love it. But they aren’t good at throwing larger baits or pencils. You should try to borrow and take a few casts with others set ups to see what you like. Otherwise you have a collection of stuff that collects dust and wasted $$. (Don’t ask me how I know) 

[hydraman]

Gsb surf and jetty.

[LockedDrag]

Lamiglas GSB is probably the best jetty rod. Not sexy but it’s indestructible. No worries about it breaking. 

[pakalolo]

lami gsb 11' MH  6" cut off of the tip  VS 275  50 lb PP and 60 lb floro leader  can throw 1 oz to 4 oz . Most importantly you can lift a 10 lb fish easily and not f up everyone fishing around you by being undergunned and taking forever to deal with a small fish.

[Bugbear]

1 hour ago, Crabba said:

If your fishing mostly rocks and jetty I would look at the avid surf 8ft. I may sound like a broken record with this rod but I have fished this primarily for 3 years and I love it from the rocks. Bit stiff so be aware. It's a medium power fast action rated 3/4-3. I mostly throw jigs up to 1-1.5 oz. Comfortable up to 2ish  I'm looking to bump up to the 9ft for more versatility and will seriously look at getting another avid. Good price and a good company. I use a VR 50 on the 8ft. Can see a stradic, saragossa or even a thunnus being a good fit for it too. 5000 size would be a max I think. 

Some good suggestions thus far. I use the 9ft Avid surf so I’m going to +1 @Crabba suggestion here. The 9 ft is rated 1-4 oz and is also a bit stiff. It’s long enough to clear the rocks, stiff enough to land fish on the jetty, and has a solid range (rating is accurate) while still be light to carry and cast.

 

the lami gsb surf is a solid suggestion too but a tad bit more expensive and st croix has the better warranty - 15 years 

 

ive paired it with a 5500 with 30 lb braid and a 30-40 Lb fluro leader - as long as you can while u can still cast (I’ve broken off 20 lb class fish on rocks plenty of times once that braid is under pressure - nothing is more heartbreaking)

 

A 5500 should be able to hold a fair amount of 40 lb if you prefer 

 

I’ve run the Ultergra 5500 XTD, Spinfisher VI 5500, and Van Stall VR150 on that rod and they all pair perfectly 

 

hope this helps - just my experience 

 

don’t get me wrong GSB is a beautiful rod but it’s going to cost you $100 more and the few times I’ve had to call St Croix their warranty team are A+ (I own 9 avid’s, a legend, and 2 lamiglass) of course now I want to buy another GSB too lol 

 

ive landed fish to 30 lb range off the East End canal jetty here on cape.

Edited October 25, 2020 by Bugbear

[ianroddie]

5 hours ago, Crabba said:

If your fishing mostly rocks and jetty I would look at the avid surf 8ft. I may sound like a broken record with this rod but I have fished this primarily for 3 years and I love it from the rocks. Bit stiff so be aware. It's a medium power fast action rated 3/4-3. I mostly throw jigs up to 1-1.5 oz. Comfortable up to 2ish  I'm looking to bump up to the 9ft for more versatility and will seriously look at getting another avid. Good price and a good company. I use a VR 50 on the 8ft. Can see a stradic, saragossa or even a thunnus being a good fit for it too. 5000 size would be a max I think. 

With the 8ft could you still throw things like jerkbaits and still be able to jerk the rod and get good action?

[Terphunter]

Ok I fish almost exclusively from jetties.  I prefer a 7’6” MH, fast action rod with a 3000-4000 size reel.  20lb Power Pro and leader of 20-40lb Seagar. Cast it ALL day and plenty of power for what I need it for.
 

I am in the mid Atlantic and my jetties rarely give up a rockfish(stripers) over 25-29”.

 

I fish a lot of different set ups.  This are my current go to set ups.  The middle one is my all around favorite.

 

For reference these are all Carbon Shield ll rods.  7’ MH, 7’6” MH and 8’H.  Clash 2000, SaltX 4000 black, SaltX4000 silver.

 

good luck!

 

 

[Crabba]

4 hours ago, ianroddie said:

With the 8ft could you still throw things like jerkbaits and still be able to jerk the rod and get good action?

Sure thing. I rip sp style baits along the rocks and it works great. Stiffness allows for immediate response to the bait

[ianroddie]

On 10/25/2020 at 5:18 PM, Crabba said:

Sure thing. I rip sp style baits along the rocks and it works great. Stiffness allows for immediate response to the bait

Thank you I appreciate the help and did u say the 8’ can throw lures up to 2 oz easily? Sorry for all the questions but one more thing I was wondering is would the stradic fl 5000 be a good fit for the 8’ avid and I would still get good casting distance? Thanks.

Edited October 27, 2020 by ianroddie

[redfin]

On 10/25/2020 at 5:08 AM, ianroddie said:

What size rod and power and action would you recommend for fishing a little farther out than the surf but will reatively close like on rocks or jetties where I wouldn’t need to cast to far but some good distance could help. Also what would be a good reel and reel size to pair with the rod? Thanks. I also wanted to take into consideration what weight lures it could throw.

I find very few off the shelf rods ideal for jetty work and i am not a guy who typically would recommend a custom rod to anyone. However I still feel a custom glass rod somewhere around 8 1/2 to 9 ft for jetty work is ideal. The forgiveness of the glass allows you to cast a wide spectrum of lures with the rod being on the mid to heavy action which is where it should be. Hooking hauling and lifting fish is better with glass hands down. Pair it with a reel that is tough not pretty. Forget sealed. A penn 704z is ideal as is a first gen Daiwa BG size 60. Line? Heavy. If there was ever a line made for the jetties it was fireline original in 30lb. Jetty fishing more often than not can be a place where you fight the conditions much more than the fish. Even fish in the teens and 10lb bluefish can be formidable in current. This is no place for light gear. You are doing yourself and everyone around you a disservice.