Good swimbait rod?

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AndZ
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Good swimbait rod?

Post by AndZ » Thu Feb 04, 2016 6:29 pm

Does anyone know such a swimbait rod that:

- is between 7'6'' to 7'11'' in length
- can cast between 1 to maximum 7 oz. hard swimbaits
- is as light as possible for his intrinsic pwr
- has a good balance or balances well with a 8 to max. 9 oz reel.

Can be a rod or a blank... but I need it to be true to that specs. Price is no object. Any idea would be appreciated.

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Gone Phishin
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by Gone Phishin » Fri Feb 05, 2016 12:48 am

I adore the Super Red Demon. I found the sensitivity with this stick to be pretty jaw dropping.

I have two...smaller swimbaits (up to four ounces or so) and A rigs get the Lin Black Jungle and the Z. Anything heavier, or when chasing skis and giant pike, will get the Shrapnel.

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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by slideaction » Fri Feb 05, 2016 1:04 pm

Reel can be a factor as well. I know you said 711 tops but whats 1 more inch. Current setup is dobyns 807 with calcutta te can cast a 5in bullshad to og deps 250. You can also do it on a 908. Rods may feel too stiff for some for the smaller baits but works fine for me

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Jdmbiggie
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by Jdmbiggie » Fri Feb 05, 2016 1:51 pm

dobyns champ sb rods
low down custom rods
moab custom rods

AndZ
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by AndZ » Sat Feb 06, 2016 2:01 am

Thanks all for the replies. The reel might be a revo beast... as for the rod, I think I'm gonna go custom... with a Phenix Ultra swimbait blank?

But I will also check out on the Super Red Demon and Dobyns.

darrin
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by darrin » Sat Feb 06, 2016 4:12 am

For my swimbait fishing, I use a 7'11" phenix ultra swimbait and an older daiwa zillion. Now I have the older models, so my information may not apply to the newer versions. This being said, I use my zillion more often than not than the phenix. For me, the zillion has the "it" factor. I like the smaller handle and the way I can palm my reel. I'm using a ryoga and a z2020. The zillion can handle a wide variety of weights and is a pretty light rod. I've never thrown anything near 7oz, but I use my swimbaits in the ocean for ling cod and rockfish and have never felt overmatched. I'll throw anywhere from 1.5 oz to 4 oz plus plastic. I'd love to try the new 8' zillions. This was one of my best purchases.

AndZ
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by AndZ » Mon Feb 08, 2016 1:20 am

I think I will choose the Phenix Ultra Classic Swimbait blank in 7'9'', Mod-Fast action and 2-8 oz. baits. There was a lighter version with Fast Action but for all around the ModFast should be better, esp. for hard swimbaits. My max will be Deps Slide Swimmer 250... but will also do some heavy soft baits.

Zillion rods are pretty wicked for the money, I've got one for BFS, made only for Europe. Still, I need a beefier rod to toss some weights and them some.

Low Down customs also seem really nice. But I will go custom locally and have the rod built after my exact specs. I just wish the blank was telescopic or at least with an offset handle for transportation... but you can't have them all.

AndZ
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by AndZ » Mon Feb 08, 2016 11:11 pm

How true to its rating is the MB Super Red Demon? Has anyone tossed some 7 oz. baits on it?

I read (on TT forums if I recall correctly) that the NFC swimbait blanks rated 2 - 8 oz. tend to be overrated and that their true limits may be around 5 oz. The weight for an 8 footer is really good, much lighter than a Phenix Ultra Swimbait... only downfalls: the price is higher and I cannot order it locally just like the Phenix blanks (we've got a local dealer for Romania who also builds some really nice rods, A.Sava).

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Gone Phishin
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by Gone Phishin » Mon Feb 08, 2016 11:33 pm

AndZ wrote:How true to its rating is the MB Super Red Demon? Has anyone tossed some 7 oz. baits on it?

I read (on TT forums if I recall correctly) that the NFC swimbait blanks rated 2 - 8 oz. tend to be overrated and that their true limits may be around 5 oz. The weight for an 8 footer is really good, much lighter than a Phenix Ultra Swimbait... only downfalls: the price is higher and I cannot order it locally just like the Phenix blanks (we've got a local dealer for Romania who also builds some really nice rods, A.Sava).

It's pretty true to the ratings, though 7-8oz baits is pushing it for being comfortable. It can handle them, though I wouldn't want to chuck them all day with the SRD.

It really is an amazing stick...the wide range of weights it can handle is something else.

AndZ
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by AndZ » Mon Feb 08, 2016 11:50 pm

Thanks for the details... I was thinking of maximum 6.5 oz baits... the rod is pretty light in weight for the ratings. Looks like a really versatile stick.

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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by IAY » Tue Feb 09, 2016 12:47 am

AndZ wrote:Thanks for the details... I was thinking of maximum 6.5 oz baits... the rod is pretty light in weight for the ratings. Looks like a really versatile stick.
None of the swimbait rods will balance well with 8 oz reels. The heaviest reel I have had on my SRD is a Ryoga Shrapnel, and it was still tip heavy. It is just a thick stick. I personally regret buying the SRD. It performs very well in the listed weight class, and it is very sensitive, but the weight doesn't make sense for me to use it for anything other than Swimbaits. The handle section is also too short to get comfortable cast every time, I feel like I am straining my forearm when I use it. I would have been just as happy, sticking with Orochi XX Leviathan instead of the SRD.

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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by toddmc » Tue Feb 09, 2016 1:42 am

There is no such thing as a setup that will allow you to throw 1-7 oz. baits effectively throughout this weight range and balance with a standard weight (8-9oz) baitcast reel. You will need at least two, probably three, setups to cover this range. You shouldn't limit yourself to one setup if you are serious about swimbaits. Throwing swimbaits with the wrong setup is too much work! A standard size baitcast reel is not a good choice for anything over 2 oz in my opinion. Anyone that says price is no object shouldn't have trouble buying multiple setups. :)
I use a lot of my standard heavy action rods with 20lb. fluoro or mono and baits up to 2 oz., but that is about as far as I would go.

AndZ
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by AndZ » Tue Feb 09, 2016 4:50 pm

Thanks for the thoughts, you can make sure I don't just use one rod for big baits... I have rods that comfortably throw 2-4 oz. baits and used them for a while - the Kaleido Wild Stallion, the TR-FR, the Super Stallion in both versions and so on... now I just need a rod with a sweet spot around 6.5 oz. For heavier baits I will buy/build another one with at least 10 oz. in lure wt.

As for the reel, I think I will try the rod with a Revo Beast, since I prefer low profile reels for anything... if not, I will seek for a round profile one.

Since this rod will be a custom after many years of Evergreen factory-only, I will try to keep it as light as possible and as balanced as possible.

toddmc
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by toddmc » Wed Feb 10, 2016 1:19 am

Dobyn's swimbait rods are designed by some of the highest respected swimbait gurus. I've had a chance to get my hands on most of the swimbait rods out there from the highest end custom to low end Okuma. The Dobyn's swimbait blanks are among the best designed for their applications. They don't have the wow factor of a Megabass or whatever JDM, but they are a great value. Matt Allen explains swimbait rod actions in a you tube video that is easily googled using "Matt Allen swimbait rods." My filter at work won't let me paste the URL. This video is very useful for anyone that wants to fill all of the niches for swimbait rods.

AndZ
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Re: Good swimbait rod?

Post by AndZ » Wed Feb 10, 2016 5:12 pm

Thanks man, I'll give them a look and watch the video you mention.

... watched it now. Great video on swimbait rods 101.

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