Rock Spin Rods

[CJay]

hey guys,

just been having a sticky beak at some new blanks to pair up with my Slammer III 6500 (running 40lb Tasline) and im chasing some recommendations..

I was looking to pair the slammer with the trusty demon blood but im going to be targeting more fish from the stones/rocks this season and wouldnt mind some extra length (especially if targeting groper/blackies from higher ledges)  

had a look at the Shimano Aerowave Graphite 13" which looks and feel nice and light and also the Sensor Surf but heard the action is a bit too soft , im mainly going to be throwing live baits and metals so any advice would be golden!

Tight Lines 

[Captain Spanner]

I have the heavy version of the Aerowave Graphite and think it is great. It's 3 piece which is handy for the car, light in the hand, has K series Guides, has enough grunt to cast large baits and live baits but also has a sharp enough action in the tip to cast squid strips with smaller leads. You could easily cast chromies and large divers on it off breakwalls etc. I have fished mine with 6500B baitrunners, 12000D baitrunner, 14000 Ultegra, 8000 Stradic and they are all fine on it. 

Other rods to consider in a similar range are the Penn Prevails, there are a few models to choose from. Also the Shimano Revolution Coastals.

I also have the extra heavy 15' sensor surf which is fantastic for casting house bricks but it's a bit heavy for anything under a BIG fish. I don't recommend it for your purposes. I have caught quite a few salmon, tailor and soapies on it off the beach and you have to stop winding to check the fish is still on. The first fish i caught on it was a baby eagle ray off a breakwall and i basically surfed it tot the wall. The butt is very long, i haven't cut mine down, it is awkward to fish with normally. I have made a belt with a PVC end cap that hangs down between my knees that i put the butt in to get the leverage down low and it helps alot and is good to rest the rod in.

Edited February 14, 2018 by Captain Spanner

[CJay]

Hey mate,  15ft is one beast of a rod id be targeting Bronzies with that thing! Ive seen some crazy japanese blanks that are around 15ft and super whippy but cant seem to find any that arent under 700$  ive heard a few  companies that make the big blanks make the butt piece long so you can cut them down to your preference or something? Seems like you got a good system going haha throw in a rod strap and your hands free, be good for those colder winternights 

The Aerowave felt real good in the shop almost ridiculously light,  I use an old ass fibreglass from the 90s for nostalgias sake, god knows why i still use it but it caught me my first Jew and first Thresher shark and I cant just let her sit in the garage . just recovered from a bad wrist injury so im leaning towards the lighter stuff this time. Have you ever tested the Aero on groper or pigs? It seems a pretty solid all rounder for the price  , hows the range firing out bigger metals?

Cheers! 

 

 

[xerotao]

Depends what ledges you fish. But i do think 13ft rods are too long for throwing metals imho.

[Captain Spanner]

13 hours ago, xerotao said:

Depends what ledges you fish. But i do think 13ft rods are too long for throwing metals imho.

I agree with this comment and i wouldn't buy a 13ft rod as a metal throwing rod but 13ft is handy if you are wrestling with misbehaving livebaits around rocks and breakwalls, which it sounds like is a priority.

CJay, I have the same scenario with the old nostalgic rod. I have my grandfather's original Butterworth that i have caught my first big landbased and biggest jewies on that is heavy with a timber butt that can get uncomfortable if you  don't take a belt or butt cap, it is beautiful under load on a fish. I got the heavy rod because i didn't want to risk snapping the old rod fishing inappropriate braids and drags through it off the breakwalls. I like to fish 60lb jinkai shock leader and 50lb or 60lb Fluro leader to the hooks for jewies of the beach and wall and as you would be well aware off the breakwalls you spend alot of time being spooled by big rays and sharks. So i fish 65lb braid so that when i get spooled off the beach or breakwall i know when i grab the spool there is a better chance that the shock leader or trace will probably break before the braid. Meaning that I haven't lost 300m of braid and left with an empty spool (expensive and can end your session if you dont have a spare spool loaded ready with you) and there isn't a fish towing 300m of braid behind it.

I haven't fished for groper or pigs with the Aerowave so i cant comment based on experience but i think it would be fast enough and would easily cast the bait with a pea sinker where you need it to with the right cast. The firing range for big metals on the Aerowave is good but it is obviously a little heavier spinning with a 13footer for a period of time than a 9 or 10 footer. Both casting and winding.

I am taking a guess here but is assume you want to throw the metals for a combination of Mackerel, Longtail in season and when they swim past but probably primarily to catch tailor to use as livies/bait for jewies.  I think if you want a rod to have a more even balance of spinning metals and livebaiting you may want to go down to somewhere in the 11-12ft range. The Penn Prevails have a few options around this range and the actions aren't too dissimilar in the blanks. From memory the 12ft + models I think they have a little slower, more old school bend than the Aerowave but you would need to test each model in the shop.

I'm not sure on your budget or timeframe of what you need immediately but If fishing breakwalls, beaches etc, I take a 9ft 8-15kg spin rod (Revolution Shore Spin) for throwing metals for tailor and i have my big rod with a livie rig tied on and standing next to me ready to roll so when i get my tailor i can take him off the metal, straight onto the big rod livie rig and straight back into the water so i'm not trying to madly re-rig with a big livebait flapping around on a rock or in a bucket. It also means if i am fishing with the big rod and a school of fish (working birds) come within range i can quickly fire some casts out. When i was fishing Bruns south wall at christmas i could hit the north wall with the 9ft rod with a metal. I can also easily dead lift the legal tailor with that 8-15kg rod which is important if you are trying to catch them for live bait and need to get them in quickly with no gaff or net. If i bought a dedicated breakwall/rock spinning rod today i would probably go 10ft or 10'6" for reach around my feet. 

I think there are a few old threads on this site that have touched on similar topics if you do a search for beach or rock spin rods or similar, or even Aerowave or prevail.

 

[JimT]

Butterworth 8144 and 7144 and 4144 in my collection all bought and built by myself( and still going strong) when I was a younger lad (40 years ago) and paid for by selling fish caught to the local pensioners near where I lived at Little Bay.

Jim...

[CJay]

10 hours ago, Captain Spanner said:

I agree with this comment and i wouldn't buy a 13ft rod as a metal throwing rod but 13ft is handy if you are wrestling with misbehaving livebaits around rocks and breakwalls, which it sounds like is a priority.

CJay, I have the same scenario with the old nostalgic rod. I have my grandfather's original Butterworth that i have caught my first big landbased and biggest jewies on that is heavy with a timber butt that can get uncomfortable if you  don't take a belt or butt cap, it is beautiful under load on a fish. I got the heavy rod because i didn't want to risk snapping the old rod fishing inappropriate braids and drags through it off the breakwalls. I like to fish 60lb jinkai shock leader and 50lb or 60lb Fluro leader to the hooks for jewies of the beach and wall and as you would be well aware off the breakwalls you spend alot of time being spooled by big rays and sharks. So i fish 65lb braid so that when i get spooled off the beach or breakwall i know when i grab the spool there is a better chance that the shock leader or trace will probably break before the braid. Meaning that I haven't lost 300m of braid and left with an empty spool (expensive and can end your session if you dont have a spare spool loaded ready with you) and there isn't a fish towing 300m of braid behind it.

I haven't fished for groper or pigs with the Aerowave so i cant comment based on experience but i think it would be fast enough and would easily cast the bait with a pea sinker where you need it to with the right cast. The firing range for big metals on the Aerowave is good but it is obviously a little heavier spinning with a 13footer for a period of time than a 9 or 10 footer. Both casting and winding.

I am taking a guess here but is assume you want to throw the metals for a combination of Mackerel, Longtail in season and when they swim past but probably primarily to catch tailor to use as livies/bait for jewies.  I think if you want a rod to have a more even balance of spinning metals and livebaiting you may want to go down to somewhere in the 11-12ft range. The Penn Prevails have a few options around this range and the actions aren't too dissimilar in the blanks. From memory the 12ft + models I think they have a little slower, more old school bend than the Aerowave but you would need to test each model in the shop.

I'm not sure on your budget or timeframe of what you need immediately but If fishing breakwalls, beaches etc, I take a 9ft 8-15kg spin rod (Revolution Shore Spin) for throwing metals for tailor and i have my big rod with a livie rig tied on and standing next to me ready to roll so when i get my tailor i can take him off the metal, straight onto the big rod livie rig and straight back into the water so i'm not trying to madly re-rig with a big livebait flapping around on a rock or in a bucket. It also means if i am fishing with the big rod and a school of fish (working birds) come within range i can quickly fire some casts out. When i was fishing Bruns south wall at christmas i could hit the north wall with the 9ft rod with a metal. I can also easily dead lift the legal tailor with that 8-15kg rod which is important if you are trying to catch them for live bait and need to get them in quickly with no gaff or net. If i bought a dedicated breakwall/rock spinning rod today i would probably go 10ft or 10'6" for reach around my feet. 

I think there are a few old threads on this site that have touched on similar topics if you do a search for beach or rock spin rods or similar, or even Aerowave or prevail.

 

Hey mate we are definately on the same track with  the old rods, If its broke dont fix it right?!  Iv got the slammer 3 running 40lb tasline for spinning but want to give her a crack on a heavy rod see how she goes ive not had chance to take it offshore yet.

13ft still is a bit daunting i think the weight of it just got my attention more than anything, your live bait theory is correct though ive had multiple problems at Ballina South with the 12" around the tombstones and all the old jew guns are rocking 15ft blanks  with overheads 

The Prevail looks like a nice piece of equipment il have to search through some older threads on here..Ive not got a time limit but it would be nice to actually get a feel of the rods in store, pretty struck for stocked up shops this way otherwise a drive upto the Goldy i guess

Thanks for your help bro!

[Captain Spanner]

I think Ballina is a pretty brutal wall structure and bar (big waves hitting the wall hard) so the longer rods help with controlling baits and fish at your feet there. I would imagine most of those guys would run 50lb or 60lb mono straight through (or with 60-100lb leaders) instead of braid for abrasion insurance too. Bruns wall is generally a lot friendlier to fish and you can get away with a shorter rod so i guess think about where you will be using these things the most. It's a pity this conversation/scenario didn't pop up over christmas when i was in Byron and you could have strapped the reel onto a couple of my rods and had a cast and a feel with line through them as the action can feel quite different loaded up with line running through the guides to just grabbing the tip and loading the rod that way. I think 12ft is a comfortable all round length for casting, lifting, holding and leverage. The Prevails, especially the 14'6" have large stripper guides from memory, possibly to use with alveys or big spin reels and the action would probably suit you for bait fishing but you wouldn't want to be spinning with it. I had a look at some Assassin rods from South Africa a few years ago, I think there was one with a medium tip and a heavy tip that you could change depending on what weight you were casting, but these rods are setup a bit differently for slide baiting. 

I would love a rod on an FSU5144 blank for jewies but i can only find them as one piece  rods which is too painful for me to transport. I have felt a few rods built on them and they are a great action for bait fishing for jewies i reckon.

[CJay]

Ballina South at the end is probably the hardest spot to land a solid fish on anything shorter than 12' hey and thats with a friend helping with the  telescopic gaff, ive landed a couple of Jew there by climbing down on the smaller swells and use the small flying gaff  but one wrong step and your going for a good 2m drop into the wall ,its like a maze in there i had to rescue a rogue tailor that spat the hooks and ended up finding half a tackle box of sinkers and lures someone must have dropped a while back  The local fellas all seem to run 50lb straight through to 80-100 leader with the livies and braid for the soft plastics and the like.

Brunswick is a  pretty tame breakwall even on the bigger swells its always an option,  ive taken heaps of fish over 10kg from Jews to Sharks there but always managed to work them round to beach side or down to Torakina . Hopefully i can find some Spanish this year when we get some offshore wind and the ballons come out to play, i hooked up last year  off the South wall but quickly got spooled 300m of 30lb like it was nothing!! They recently built the wall at south up so the meat grinder at the end of the wall has gone and been covered with some horribly shaped stones (all edges and not easy to run back up when you see the rogue set coming)

Yeah i can only really make a decision once ive had a few casts or run the line through, as you say they can behave differently with mono or braid. One piece 14ft sounds like a nightmare to be fair haha be brilliant if it was safe to keep up top of the ute though . I think im going to have to drive upto the Goldy and have a squizz at these Prevails ive seen a 10ft heavy model that could be fun! I watched a video from a South African fisho on those interchangable tips and he was smashing a small ball sinker about 120meters!

Im heading upto Sydney in the next week or so to chase some Kings/Groper if your around we should go for a fish!