Tackle Tactics Surfcasting Message Board

Tackle Tactics Surfcasting Message Board
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Kingfish beach rod

Posted by Steg on 18/2/2017, 7:31 pm

Hi, I'm after a rod for fishing for kingfish from the beach. I'll be using 30lb mono and a Penn Slammer 3 7500. I'll be live baiting - slide baiting and maybe casting, gently, yellow-eyed mullet with a running sinker rig. The rod won't be used for distance casting and I think it could be a shorter rod, about 12 ft. I know people recommend a long rod for slide baiting, but I'm mostly going to be doing short range river mouth fishing, where I don't think a long rod is very necessary. I think it could be good if the rod had a softish tip for casting small live bait + maybe for cushioning when the kingfish is in the surge.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of choice. Most of the gutsy rods are geared towards distance casting and are longer. Shorter rods tend to be cheaper models. I think I like the sound of the American-style surf rod - a bit shorter and slower. I hadn't heard of CTS till fairly recently - they make blanks that'd do the trick. But they're expensive and it seems a bit hard making contact with the company. I'd rather buy something I can handle in the shop than get something through the internet from overseas.

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by racepics on 19/2/2017, 8:16 am, in reply to "Kingfish beach rod"

What you probably want is a longish LBG rod. Its no secret that a big Kingy on a 14ft rod is hard work, the leverage against you is pretty high if you're fishing 15kg line.
I've just purchased a Shimano Backbone Elite LBG Overhead Rod 8ft 15-24kg 2pc.
Its a damn nice rod and can cast a 6oz lead a reasonable way for slidebaiting with a SLH30.
You'd need to use it in calm water though as it doesn't have the height to get enough angle on the line for your livey to swim out if there's big surf.

http://www.paniasurfcasting.org
http://www.surfcaster.co.nz

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by Steg on 21/2/2017, 10:01 pm, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

Yeah, Racepics, that's sort of what I'm thinking: I'm after a land-based live baiting rod - for the beach. It probably doesn't have to be as heavy as an LBG rock rod - 15 kg should be enough for sand based kingfish. I think 12 ft should be long enough for river mouth situations where the waves aren't usually very big. The bait doesn't have to go out a long way there - just a little way off the beach will do.
Australians fish for mulloway from the beach. I don't know what rods they use, but they might be similar to what I want.
The rod I've got at the moment is a bit unusual. It's an old 12ft Silstar Crystal Powertip, 8-12 kg. I've cut 22 cm off the glass tip - it was soft, wobbled around like jelly. It's still got a fairly soft tip, but I think it's a fairly strong rod. Not great for casting, but that's not its main purpose. It's a bit heavy to hold and has got a short butt, so I should fish it with a light rod bucket.
There must be a better rod for the job, but there's not a lot of choice I can see.

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by PhilipDannevirke on 21/2/2017, 10:13 pm, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

I use Okuma amazing rock rods. 9ft 3 piece. Made in China. Comes with bag and tube from a shop in Gisborne. It is rated for 5 oz sinker and 15 to 24 kg line. I find it great for all land based applications. Using an sl30 overhead too. My other favourite is my old jelly tip.1 piece

Tight Lines, Philip Takapau

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by WharfRat on 22/2/2017, 7:40 pm, in reply to "Kingfish beach rod"

Have you had a look at the Penn Prevail 12ft?
It's rated to 12-20kg which is quite heavy as far as surf rods go so should have the power to handle a kingie without giving the extra leverage to the fish that a 14foot rod would.

Here Fishy Fishy

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by Steg on 22/2/2017, 8:42 pm, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

WharfRat, that's one (Prevail 12ft) I was thinking about. I've seen it a couple times at tackle shops and asked about it - "Is it a good rod?". No one's given me a very positive reply. One salesman said something about it not being very good for casting - but casting a long way isn't my main concern. Maybe it wasn't clear what I wanted the rod for.
Penn makes some fancier surf rods which I don't think we get in this country. There's a Penn Carnage rod that sounds good (not available here). I'll have another look at the Prevail, if there's one still around. I can't remember if it's got Fuji guides.

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by Steg on 24/2/2017, 7:00 pm, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

I had a look at the overhead version of that Prevail rod - it's very stiff, like a cue stick. The salesman said he could order the spin version for me. But he then said he'd bought the spin version himself and didn't like it, ended up selling it.
I might have to consider 13 ft rods, there'd be more choice. The 13 ft Daiwa Sensor Surf is an idea, but I don't know how much muscle it's got. I've heard Daiwa surf rods are sometimes not as powerful as they are specified to be..

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by Carl on 24/2/2017, 8:17 pm, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

Ok, so I'm still yet to catch Kingi but I think a CD XD Surf might be worth a look at if you can find one. I have a couple of 13foot rods. I use them mostly for catching snapper out of rocky s%@t. I've pulled good sized eagle rays out of the rocks with them too.
They have a nice cushioning tip.

From memory I think the Sensor Surf is quite soft.

Fishing in windy Welly.

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by racepics on 26/2/2017, 6:21 am, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

The overall length shouldn't matter too much as long as it folds over nicely.
You want the top third to be pretty flexy and bend away when you have a fish on.
Look at standup game rods, the tops fold away and give the user a much shorter lever when a fish is on. You want your beach rod to do the same but on an overall longer scale.
The length really is only there to cast out and hold your livey. Once a fish is hooked you don't need or want that length. So you want a strong butt with a really supple top section.

http://www.paniasurfcasting.org
http://www.surfcaster.co.nz

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by Carl on 26/2/2017, 12:40 pm, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

Hi racepics, wondering how far can you cast a 6oz with the Backbone Elite LBG?

I got one before Xmas too but still haven't taken it out, I have a TLD25 with it to spool up.

Just thinking the rod with a long rod holder and a TT holder extender should give the rod enough height for sliding.

Fishing in windy Welly.

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by Steg on 26/2/2017, 5:33 pm, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

Yeah, that'd be an advantage of a softer tip section (as well as the cushioning & that it'd be better for casting small live bait without tearing out the hook).
I've got a CD XD Surf 14'. It's a good rod, a good general purpose surf rod. It seems there isn't much choice beyond general purpose surf rods (though there are distance casting rods - not what I'm after).
I don't know if anyone knows if the Daiwa Sensor Surf 13' is more powerful than the CD XD? I've tried to find out what they use in Australia for surf fishing for mulloway. It sounds like they like the Daiwa Sensor Surf and consider it a fairly heavy rod. It's rated for 90-180 g and 10 to 20 kilo line, but I'd guess that's exaggerated.

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by racepics on 28/2/2017, 5:33 am, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

Carl its more of a 'lob' than a cast really lol.
I'm guessing 20-30m at best, which is plenty for slide baiting around here. Most of the time the Kings are right in the wash at your feet anyway chasing the baitfish. Have seen them cruising through the waves.

http://www.paniasurfcasting.org
http://www.surfcaster.co.nz

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by pete88 on 1/3/2017, 11:00 am, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

I have two identical rods that are my "go to" general surf rods. They are older model CD Graphsurf 3.65m Heavy action two piece.
Very powerful rods and great for skull dragging eagle rays if you need to

NZ made and out of production, I picked up the second one on Trade Me in mint condition. Great rods and not bad for my limited casting ability.

Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths.

Re: Kingfish beach rod

Posted by Steg on 4/3/2017, 1:19 pm, in reply to "Re: Kingfish beach rod"

That sounds like a great rod, Pete88, sounds like what I'm after. Maybe what I've got to do is look for an older powerful surf rod, because the older ones tended to be a bit shorter.
I just tried buying a 2002 Kilwell QTX on Trade Me. It was 13 ft and would have had the power I want. It was a bit scratched up and the top eye had been replaced - it went for $260. I thought it was probably worth $250.

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