So I was doing some research on big surf sticks for my upcoming purchase. I figured i would share all my findings with you guys and maybe help some others out along the way. All my research is for mid-price range casting rods. If you can afford a Saltiga Ballistic, well i kinda wanna punch you in the nuts out of pure jealousy😝, so do your own research! This is a pretty much comprehensive list of the 11'-12' heavers under $200 easily available today. I would like to state that i dont have experience with any of these rods, and these reviews are purely based off all and reviews i could find via professionals and shclubs posting on the many fishing forums out there. Im sure i missed a couple obscure brands, but oh well. Would love to hear any feedback yall have on these rods, especially if you have first hand experience. There is not, that I can find, a list like this anywhere on the interweb, so hopefully this draws a few new folks to the forum and helps some people in the process. Enjoy:)
^^Daiwa Emcast^^
-12' xxh, 30-60lb, 6-12 lure, $150
-11'3" xh, 25-50lb 4-10 lure, $130
-11' h, 20-40lb, 4-7 lure, $100
* the only negative reports seem to be that it is a bit of a "broomstick" as well as a few reports of guide failure. Known to be a heaver that can handle some heavy weights and big fish. This is a well built quality rod.
^^Daiwa Emblem^^
-12' xh, 25-50lb, 5-8 lure, $130
-11' h, 20-40lb, 4-10 lure, $120
*fuji reel seat
*more sensitive than the emcast. A few reports that it is over rated and probably should be 3-6,4-8 rods. But still another quality offering from Daiwa.
^^Penn Battalion^^
-12' xh, 25-50lb, 6-12 lure, $140
-12' h, 20-40lb, 6-10 lure, $130
-11' mh, 15-30lb, 2-6 lure, $120
*fuji guides and seat
* There are not a ton of user reviews on this rod because it only hit the markets a little over a year ago. All the reports so far are very good. No reports of snapping or any other problems yet. Impossible to know how durable it is yet. Upgraded components and a slightly stiffer blank than the prevail. Seems like it is priced right and a quality rod.
^^Penn Prevail^^
-12' h, 20-40lb, 4-10 lure, $100
-11' mh, 15-30lb, 2-6 lure, $90
*there are a few reports of this rod snapping when casting as well as a few reports of losing inserts on the guides. Cheaper components, but for a budget, beginner or backup this is a hard rod to beat for under $100.
^^Okuma Solaris^^
-12' mh, 20-40lb, 3-8 lure, $110
-11' h, 20-40lb, 3-8 lure, $95
*fuji seat and guide "inserts"
* i think i was the most surprised by the reviews of this rod as any other. There seems to be a consensus out there on the forums, "stay away from the okuma", but nobody really knows why. I have found the opposite to be true. Most of the people who bought this rod really like it. There are reports of breaking and guide failure but not a lot
Of them. It may also be overrated on the lure weight. I think this rod may rival the prevail for the best budget/backup rod.
^^Tica UGSA (Dolphin)^^
-12' xh, 25-50lb, 6-12 lure, $180
-12' h, 15-40lb, 4-10 lure, $190
-11' xh, 25-50lb, 6-12 lure, $185
-11' mh, 15-40lb, 3-8 lure, $160
**fuji guides and seat
*a LOT of people love this rod. There are a couple reports of the rod breaking on the cast, but not many. Reviews are mostly good. At the higher end of the $200 or under range, i think you can get more bang for your buck. But this is a quality rod by most reports and you could do a lot worse.
^^Tica UEHA^^
-12' xh, 15-40lb, 4-10 lure, $160
-11' h, 15-40lb, 3-8 lure, $140
**MANY reports of guide failure
*many people love this rod and say its the "best bang for the buck", but there are a lot of reports of snapping them on the cast. Between the guide failures and reports of them breaking, this rod is far from a "sure thing".
^^Tsunami Airwave^^
-11'xh, 25-50lb, 4-10 lure, $130
**Pac Bay guides, Fuji seat
*while there are some reports of this rod snapping the top 10"-12" off, most people are pretty satisfied with this stick. For the price, i think your getting a good quality rod that can take a good amount of abuse.
^^Tsunami Trophy^^
-12 xh, 20-40lb, 6-10 lure, $130
-11' xh 20-40lb, 4-10 lure, $120
*A slightly beefier and stiffer version of the Airwave. Doesn't have the same quality components, but may be suited better to chunking big weight and bait.
^^Star Stellar Surf^^
-12' h, 20-40lb, 4-12 lure, $190
-11' h, 20-40lb, 3-8 lure, $150
*fuji seat and Pac Bay guides
*I literally cannot find a single negative report of any type on this rod. The only rod in the bunch (to my knowledge) thats boasts a limited lifetime warranty. Everyone who owns one seems to love it. If you can afford the extra cheddar, this might be the best surf heaver under $200.
^^Offshore Angler OM Surf^^
-12' xh, 20-50lb, 6-12 lure, $170
-12' h, 17-40lb, 3-6 lure, $180
*fuji guides and seat
*This rod gets great reviews. The only negative things i could find are that they are physically heavy rods and the xh is a bit of a "broomstick". Also a few reports on bad reel seat placement and needing to hack off a few inches. By nearly all reports, a very quality rod.
^^Lamiglas Insane Surf^^
-11', 17-40lb, 3-8 lure, $150
*honestly cant find much in the way of reviews of this rod. A few reports of it being a bit of a "noodle". Not much in the way of positive or negative feeling towards it that I can find.