Surf Rods
By Paul Melnyk
I am often asked what would be my preference as the best fishing rod to use for surfcasting. This is a rather difficult question to answer because for the most part, the choice depends on your style, existing equipment and the location where most of your fishing is done. I will answer a few relative questions in this essay, and come up with my conclusions which I hope will assist you with a selection.
The most often asked question is how long of a rod do I need for surfcasting. Generally speaking, I feel that a ten foot rod is capable of handling most any condition that may be found in the surf. This is also my personal preference. The most important aspect of rod geometry is the length. It is fair to say that the longer the rod, the longer the cast, however, along with the extra length afforded in an eleven or twelve foot rod, comes the added weight and inertia that is a by product of size. It is one thing to be able to cast one hundred yards once, but quite another to be able to make those long casts consistently for a six hour session. Another drawback to a longer rod is that your accuracy will suffer. For the most part, my eleven foot rod is reserved for a storm tide, when I need that extra length and meat to punch through a twenty knot head wind.
Going the opposite way, a rod of under nine feet is just about useless for the surf. I have found that lighter tackle is okay for spring fish or schoolies and cocktail blues but you will have trouble landing bigger fish. This is not to say that you could not bag a trophy on a small rod. Lighter tackle puts an unnecessary strain on a large fish and will cause the animal to expend far too much energy to survive the release. Also your ability to make casts over seventy five yards is greatly curtailed. Applications for shorter rods are those where the fish are in close to the beach, or you are out far enough to reach them. Accuracy is improved with the shorter rods, though you will have to get smaller reels and lighter line to match the setup. I have no use for a rod under nine feet, though I see quite a few people using shorter stuff. I can only assume that they just don't get it.
Glass or Graphite? Well, this is an easy one. I first bought a graphite rod in the early '80's and I have been using them ever since. Fiberglass rods are just to heavy and bulky for any serious fishing. A glass rod can weigh as much as twice the amount of a similarly sized graphite rod. Fatigue is a major aspect of any long surf session. Along with the extra stiffness of graphite, comes it's sleekness. They are great for those long nights on the bar, when you will make well over a thousand casts. Graphite is also the key for controlling a large fish. It is much more responsive in feel. You will recognize the light pickup that is often found when the fish are picky or spooky. The major drawbacks to graphite are that they are twice the cost, and they are very brittle. A high modulus number is the key to a good graphite rod as far as weight goes. With this high rating will come weakness in the rods shear strength. A good whack on the shaft will shatter a graphite rod. It is most important to seek out the best quality graphite available. I have found that Lamiglas, Star and G. Loomis make the best rods and blanks. I do not like the composite rods from Bass Pro, Fennwick or Berkley. They seem to compromise cost with the amount of graphite material. Also these rods seem to be made with the freshwater crowd in mind.
Spinning or Casting? Well, this is very user specific. I would recommend spinning equipment for most conditions, especially those that will allow your equipment to get wet. It is a known fact that conventional (casting) gear will give you much greater distance in your casting, but this is at the cost of being able to enter the water. The drags on conventional gear just don't work when wet. Bait fishing is another stronghold for the casting outfit because it has the ability to disengage the drag to allow for a free spool pickup. I use spinning tackle alomst exclusively. I have found little difficulty in leading a fish with spinning gear, so to me this point is moot. I save my casting outfits for the boat or the sand.
The speed of the rod is important. These ratings are not standardized and so they become of point of confusion. Medium-fast or medium-heavy are terms usually reserved for a rod that has a lot of stiffness in the shaft and does most of it's bending towards the tip Lighter rated rods have a more flowing curve under tension and produce a softer feel when casting or fighting a fish. I like medium fast rods for castability in a wind. They make it easier to punch through. I cannot see the point of wanting a spongy rod, though the manufacturers must sell them. I would say that this aspect of rod construction is the most user specific. This is why it is important to try a rod before you buy one. I made a lot of bad choices before I found a setup that suited my style. Try a friends, or get a loaner from a good tackle shop before committing yourself to that $300.00 surf stick.
Construction. How many and what type of guides should a surf rod have? What type of reel seat? I have seen and used all sorts of guide-seat arrangements in my fishing career and I have come to some conclusions that work for me. I like a reel seat. I do not see the point (other than expense) of not having one. Why would you want to tape a reel onto your rod? What is the benefit? I can tell you the drawbacks. What happens when your reel quits on you in the middle of a blitz? What about that cow that twists the $500.00 Van Staal off your tape up system after a half hour fight. What about hanging your Shimano Stella from your rod rack as you stop at K-Mart for a dry pair of sweatpants? This is why you should pay extra and get a reel seat. Besides making the reel easily removable, a reel seat is a much sturdier set up. I like my reel seat to be intergral to my rod, slipped on and epoxied during manufacture. Those tape on holders defeat the purpose.
Now guide placement is another story. Johnny Kronich of Johnnys' Tackle in Montauk loves to build his custom spinning rods with five guides, including the tip. I prefer six. This is often a matter of expense and personal taste. It used to be the belief that the amount of guides was a function of drag or line slap. This may be the case when using Monofilament lines. I feel that the most important aspects to guide placement are the achievement of a gentile curve under the strain of a fish. There is a formula for this that I don't wish to get into. You can read about rod building on a later date. I think that the most important guides are the collector (close to the reel) and the tip. The collector should be far enough away from the reel as to not have the line touch its top edge when casting. Some fellows feel that the line should not touch this at all and use an old fashioned wire hoop as a collector because of their large size. These rings tend to break. The tip guide should be as large as possible. A swivel should be able to easily pass easily thought the tip. I like the carboloid (SIC) Fuji guides. These are formulated to withstand the strain of the ultra thin braided lines that I prefer to fish with. A new design is the guideless or tube type rod. Why? What is the point of running your line through the rod? Seems to me this would afford more drag rather than less. What will you do when your line gets a wind knot out on that rock during a blitz? You will bust that rod into a million pieces, that's what!
Grips. I have a preference to genuine cork grips. Thick grips. Long grips. I like my reel to be a good twenty four inches away from the butt of my rod. I have a tendency to hook up to BIG fish and I appreciate the feel of having my hand and legs wrapped around a nice fat cork grip after an hour long fight. It makes it easier to pick up that cup of coffee the next morning. I hate cork tape. It looks and feels chinsey. It comes off. I can handle some of the foam grips like those by G Loomis. These are comfortable. A must as far as I am concerned is a nice solid rubber end cap. These look like the end of Grandpa's cane. I use this, just like Gramps, to get out to the rocks on those slippery shoals around Montauk. I am sure that I will be using it a lot more in the future. The last I looked, I was not getting any younger.....
One Piece or Two Piece? I use one piece rods for the most part. I like the way they feel. I like that they do not come apart when casting. The advantage of a two piece rod is that it can come apart for shipping (which is why the manufacturers make them) and storage. Have you ever seen a rod tip on the beach, or floating in the water? need I say more...
Custom of off the rack? No contest. If you can afford one, get a custom made rod. Do not go for a custom rod until the point where you are absolutely sure what type of rod you would like to have built. If you have to ask about the guides, seats, weight or length or any other aspect of rod construction, you are not really ready for a custom rod and you stand the chance of spending $400.00+ on something you will not like. There are many excellent rod builders in our area. Ask around. You may be able to get a friend or club member to build you one for under $300.00. Off the rack is tough though I have several choices that I have found to be acceptable. I like the Lamiglas rods as they come off the shelf. They make one and two piece rods that you can find at any good tackle distributor. G. Loomis makes some super light tackle rods. I have a SUR 10845 9 ft. med. heavy rod that I love for the springtime and swim fishing. I would not use a St. Croix. They look super, but skimp on materials. I have seen them explode on the first cast of a 2 oz. tin. I have also had bad luck with Ron Aria rods. An Ugly Stick is a good choice for a good inexpensive first rod. Johnnys' Tackle in Montauk makes an "almost" custom graphite rod for less than $300.00 that the locals are crazy about. This would be a good choice for the Montauk surf.
There you have it. The most important aspect of a surf rod is that you enjoy using it. Cost is a major factor as far as performance goes. Look around, you are sure to find a rod that appeals to your style and wallet. I would not recomend that you spend $500.00 on a custom rod unless surfcasting is very important to you. Try not to let your wife find out how much your gear costs. You may regret it. I have a friend (a Texan) who says, "When she askes me how much my gear costs, I tell her- about a dollar!" He is now devorced.