Rod to match Sedona 5000 (30lb braid)

[Ham1sh]

Hey guys, 

I’m currently looking for a rod to match my shimano Sedona 5000 (30lb braid). 

Two rods that I have been looking at are the           - shimano raider 7102 6-10kg 

- atomic arrowz offshore 270H 14-30lb (will this be ok for land based?) 

I’ll be fishing mostly for kingfish, other Pelagics and Jewys, most of the time with lures. Any recommendations under $100 would also be appreciated.

 

[dirvin21]

Both decent rods, personally I'd go the arrowz, but my suggestion would be see if you can find them in store and have a feel of them

[DerekD]

Both good options based on length, line rating and in particular lure rating. I have the ArrowZ you mention but I use the Raider Snapper 762 instead of the one you mention.

It may sound silly but head to head I'd rather use the Raider over the ArrowZ because the ArrowZ has a square butt whereas the Raider (older series) has the rounded butt. The reason why is based on my way of working lures. Rather than do everything through the wrist (and then have to deal with the resulting strain on my wrist) I rest the butt of my rod against my body to create pivot point and then use my arm (rather than wrist) to create the sweeping movements I like. The square butt of the Arrow digs into my stomach or chest.

Square butt end

 

Round butt end

 

If you are not sure of what I am talking about with resting the butt against your body to retrieve watch the video of Rob (one of the people I mentored) casting and specifically retrieving the lure with a Shimano Raider Snapper. The butt of the rod rests against the left side of his chest for this particular retrieve.

 

 

Edited August 14, 2023 by DerekD

[Rebel]

Have a look at Penn & The Abu Garcia 4.0 veritas range.

Better than Shimno ( IMO )

Good luck.

[Ham1sh]

8 hours ago, DerekD said:

Both good options based on length, line rating and in particular lure rating. I have the ArrowZ you mention but I use the Raider Snapper 762 instead of the one you mention.

It may sound silly but head to head I'd rather use the Raider over the ArrowZ because the ArrowZ has a square butt whereas the Raider (older series) has the rounded butt. The reason why is based on my way of working lures. Rather than do everything through the wrist (and then have to deal with the resulting strain on my wrist) I rest the butt of my rod against my body to create pivot point and then use my arm (rather than wrist) to create the sweeping movements I like. The square butt of the Arrow digs into my stomach or chest.

Square butt end

 

Round butt end

 

If you are not sure of what I am talking about with resting the butt against your body to retrieve watch the video of Rob (one of the people I mentored) casting and specifically retrieving the lure with a Shimano Raider Snapper. The butt of the rod rests against the left side of his chest for this particular retrieve.

 

 

Hey Derek, thanks so much for replying reading that was very helpful. I do have another question though, if you weren’t taking the rounded but end into consideration would you still go for the raider? 

Im pretty sure the newer raiders aren’t rounded off in the butt ( I may be wrong).

 

[DerekD]

I own several Raiders (bream, snapper, travel (in bream and snapper) and Barra travel) and bang for buck I am still happy to recommend them. I have switched over to the ArrowZ for my outfits in the 2 to 10lb range. I own 3 of their light rods and also have the 7 foot outfit (which has been relegated to kayak duties) you are talking about and the 9 foot version which I really love for shore based fishing as I can just hit the 100m mark with a metal, skinny braid, a tail wind and an extra strong flick at the end of the casting stroke. I can switch the reels between the 7 and 9 foot rods depending on what I am doing.

Difficult call as I have no issue recommending either rod. In your case as the Raider rod is rated 20g - 60g lures versus 10g - 50g of the ArrowZ I'd be seriously advising you to look at the Raider for the larger lure choice. The 10 inches extra length doesn't hurt either as in theory it should increase your casting distance. The ArrowZ has stainless guides (but they do get some surface rust if not cared for) and I'm not sure what the Fuji guides of the Raider are made of. The arrowz will probably be lighter but in the rod class you are talking about it probably won't be a big enough difference to affect your selection.

Pick both up and sit the reel on them and see what you think of the balance and how it feels. In your place I be very strongly leaning towards the Raider for the above points and it turns out it is less expensive too.

I do a lot of fishing from the shore (structure more than rock fishing) and have done very well over the years in Sydney Harbour with the Snapper type outfits. I also take them on the kayak.

Edited August 15, 2023 by DerekD

[Hoods]

I just bought another Arrowz 70MH 10-25lb - the choice is easy for me and yes it does a great job off the rocks having caught longtail tuna and jew as well as a fantastic SP snapper offshore rod. Unfortunately the price has gone up - paid $162.

[DerekD]

Whatever you buy check it for damage while in the store. Rods are a mass produced, bulk shipped, item and transport damage is a possibility. Make sure the guides are all there (especially the top one), aligned and not bent. Make sure the blank does not have any cracks. Ensure the reel seat locks smoothly. I know of several people that have been caught out by this and have had to argue later that it was not them that damaged the rod. If you find something wrong then please advise the store so the next person does not get caught out.

Same goes for a reel. Get it out of the box. Visually inspect then wind it fast and slow with stops and starts to check for rough spots or sound that shouldn't be there.

Edited August 15, 2023 by DerekD