Offshore Angler Ocean Master Surf Rods

[Shark Hunter]

The Newest Ocean Master Rods are really Nice. I have several, just in the spinning Variety.
The 12 footer can chunk a lot of weight. This is no spaghetti Ugly stick. It means Business.
I am using big Spinners with 100 lb braid. One trip to the beach and I am ready.
Carbon Coil Technology.

[oc1]

If you go 6500, get a CT model (no level wind).

CT's do not come cheap.  There are some upgrade parts for a CT conversion from other models too.
-steve

[the rockfish ninja]

I'm just repeating what others have mentioned, invest in a nice modern reel with casting control (Mag or centrifugal) and you won't regret it. I use an Avet SX for surf and I can get good distance with few blowups, and here in California we're *ALWAYS* casting into the wind.

[Jeri]

Read through the various elements of this thread and came out totally perplexed about what is trying to be achieved.

Having spent the last 15 years building surf rods for a very competitive market, that has evolved and changed with changes in technology. We started with 14' rods fitted with all different variants of modern multipliers loaded with nylon main line and nylon casting leaders - but the over riding theme of the reels were the centrifugal or magnetic braking mechanisms to cope with the fundamental problem of crows nests induced by poor casting styles - the results across the board were pretty much casts going beyond 100 metres to 180 metres with various baits attached.

Then braid became a feature, and while some tried it, it required significantly more braking to tame the spooling of line in the casts, with the resultant loss in distance. Though the benefits of bite detection and lack of stretch were observed. Despite a lot of technology to overcome the crows nest problems with braid, it always lost out on distances achieved.

The next step in the evolution was to change the reel to a fixed spool or spinner, and use the braids on that - and hey presto worry free casting, awesome distances and all the benefits of braid to be enjoyed while fishing. The biggest factor in the changeover was that the distances gained virtually by each and every angler was at least 20-30 metres more than their previous best with mono. We do now in our surf competitions see some of the younger guys actually dropping baits out as far as 200 metres!!!

So, for a surf fishing situation with the desire to use braid, it is a no brainer - go for a fixed spool/spinner type reel, and spend more time fishing, than undoing crows nest ....

[Gfish]

This is an interesting thread, but joining the party late. Nick, what's your main goal, trying hard to get bit, or becoming a proficent surf caster with a specific reel type, such as a conventional or levelwind baitcaster? For example getting good with a vinatge conventional would be fun, but trial & error. Kinda like practicing your golf swing. "Tossing lead from the rocks as far as you can" with a conventional for me would = both centrifical & magnetic controls, sans the levelwind. A 6500 CT as was suggested? Does it have centrifical?

[Ron Jones]

Jeri,
I'd love to see what you are doing different. I can cast braid on a boat or surf rod with a conventional about 50% further than I can any spinner I have tried. Of course, I don't use brakes on my conventionals. Is there a different technique with spinners?
Ron Jones

[Gfish]

I fish off the rocks with a Shimano Ultegra spinner on a 10.5 ft. Loomis IMX. The reel with it's "super slow oscillation" and "long spool design" is specialy made for surf-fishing. With 30lb. braid/10ft. Mono. leader, I can cast a ~ 1.5 oz. swimbait a looooong way. Some of those competition conventional surfcaster's could probably beat my best...maybe. I'd love to see it, though.
Sorry Nick, goin ona tangent here.

[ReelFishingProblems]

No worries on tangents, I love it.
It's a spiderweb of knowledge

[Jeri]

Jeri,
I'd love to see what you are doing different. I can cast braid on a boat or surf rod with a conventional about 50% further than I can any spinner I have tried. Of course, I don't use brakes on my conventionals. Is there a different technique with spinners?
Ron Jones

Have problems posting pictures, but our local surf angling association has a web site which has a number of action shots of folks fishing in our local surf conditions with mostly fixed spools in the later/recent images.

https://namshoreangling.com.na/


We used to fish almost exclusively with nylon monofilament, but then our rules changed to allow the use of braid as a main line, and once we got the techniques sorted, the rods' actions modified and the guide placement systems sorted; most people that changed over immediately got a 20-30 metre increase in their distance without fundamental change in casting techniques - basically a local variant of the Hatteras style.

One aspect of near all southern African surf angling is that we use quite long rods with the reel in a low position (about 10" up from the butt), this was the same with multipliers as we use a boat fishing rod holder belt to support the base of the rod while fishing. This layout generally allows anglers to make a lot more power in the cast, than reels in a high position, and hence get more distance. The changeover to fixed spool (spinners) from multipliers has allowed anglers to put a lot more aggression into the cast - to the point where it is very physical - this is because there is no longer a fear of getting a crows nest - impossible with a fixed spool reel.

Braid being lighter and offering less friction over mono also helps the situation.

The only drawback of fixed spool reels is that once you have 150 metres of line out - in flight, there tends to be more friction on the lip of the spool as the line level goes down, and this is a trait that is obviously not applicable to multipliers. In a European environment - this led to the development of 'long cast' spools, which are much taller than conventional boat spools, and significantly reduce this line out friction issue.

In situations where casting style and power and technique are the only consideration - where variables like line thickness are neutralise (ie tournament casting), a fixed spool reel will be about 5-10 metres less than a multiplier at the very top levels, but then those guys are approaching 300 metres in their casting distances. What hasn't officially been explored anywhere is what happens when you allow the fixed spool reel users to use braid instead of nylon. The general consensus is that braid and fixed spool in those circumstances will exceed the distances of multiplier and mono.

Another circumstance of the various surf casting variations, is that there is a tendency in the US to use shorter rods than are commonly used in Europe or even southern Africa, where it is pretty normal to see rods at least 14' long, and not unusual to see 15' or more; where the norm in the US seems to be more 10-12' long rods - which offer less leverage to get distance.

Hope that helps.