8' med hvy Rod for general fishing?

[brent245]

I'm eyeballing a Daiwa DX 8' medium heavy/ fast rod. I do mostly bank fishing. Would this rod help me launch some baits wayyy out there? I'm throwing mostly topwater, chatterbaits, shallow cranks, swimbaits, and lipless cranks. I find it hard to reach some areas of ponds and small lakes due to heavy brush around the lake/pond. Some areas are just to hard to get to. If I could get some further casts, it would be helpful. The rod says it's made for swimbaits 1-6oz, but the MH action could be suitable for other baits as well right?. Would there be any advantage over my 7'1" Mojo bass rod? I know it will handle heavier lures, but would it cast other lures out further?

[fishballer06]

A swimbait rod rated "MH" is a totally different blank from a standard "MH" rated blank. 

 

If you are fishing around heavy brush, you're probably not going to want a super long 8' rod anyway. It will make casting around tree branches, brush, etc. a nightmare. If you want to reach out further, I suggest either buying a kayak/boat or investing in some waders so that you can at least get out off the bank a few feet. 

[RoLo]

 

Bank fishing around heavy brush with an 8-foot rod sounds like a Horror Show to me!

If you want more casting distance then switch to lighter line, a heavier lure or maybe practice casting.

 

Roger

[d-camarena]

Try a 7 ft medium heavy mod fast with braid. 

Hookset power will be limited but the braid counters that

[SFL BassHunter]

I personally would not use a rod that long for bank fishing.

 

The longest rod I use for bank is 7'3

7 I think is the perfect size for bank fishing.

 

I agree with Rolo. Heavier lures or lighter line. Braid will also get you some better distance.

[J Francho]

I've used a 7-11 swimbait rod for all kinds of shore fishing, but I was throwing swimbaits, not a general purpose rod.  What he's trying to do is get the baits to brush covered shoreline from areas that are clear of those obstacles.  Pretty smart move, actually.  What he really wants is a longer rod with a lure rating of 1/2 to 1 oz., more likely.

[brent245]

I have braid, but i'm only getting at most a 23-25yd cast with a 5/8oz lure. Is that normal? I can cast harder, but My reel bird nests. If I turn the mag brake up, it wont birdsnest, but it limits the distance. It seems no matter what the mag brake is set at 23-25 yd seems to be my max. Is that normal? If I could get 7-10 yards more it would open up so much more water to me. I've got clear areas to cast from, but there are alot of places that I can't reach that I come maybe 7-10 yeards shy of. I do mostly pond and river fishing.

[d-camarena]

What reel is it?

[brent245]

27 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I've used a 7-11 swimbait rod for all kinds of shore fishing, but I was throwing swimbaits, not a general purpose rod.  What he's trying to do is get the baits to brush covered shoreline from areas that are clear of those obstacles.  Pretty smart move, actually.  What he really wants is a longer rod with a lure rating of 1/2 to 1 oz., more likely.

this exactly. I just cant reach these good spots. I guess I could with my spinning reel, but the lure would end up in a tree. There's no control with a spinning reel.

Just now, d-camarena said:

What reel is it?

Daiwa Tatula

[d-camarena]

Also what is your rod rated for?  And what lures?

[brent245]

1 minute ago, d-camarena said:

Also what is your rod rated for?  And what lures?

It's a st. croix Mojo bass 7'1" MH fast 3/8-1oz lures

[d-camarena]

Thats a tough one. Seems like you have the right reel/rod. I think your problem could be-

1. The lure is too light

2. The braid is to thick for your setup

3. Reel need a cleaning

Or 4. Your combo might just be maxed out

 

[Angry John]

If you want a rod that long and you may, the flipping stick is more the rod your looking for.  It would rate on the high end 1.5-2.5 oz max.  I find that longer rods work well on open banks but if there is cover and you said that there is, it may be a lot of hassle.  Using a low wind resistance bait like a jig may help you reach those other spots and should not really change the presentation a lot.  If your working with a very soft bottom this may not work well but then i would look at a 5" paddle tail swimbait with a jig head  with brush guard to keep you safe.

[brent245]

Yeah, The braid is only 20lb, reel is only a couple months old. I can cast a 1/2 oz jig a bit further, however I'm throwing topwater lures around 5/8oz like the pompadour jr and whopper plopper right now. There are alot of open banks, but lots of areas with laydowns and brush that I cannot reach on foot, or are across the ponds. 

[kstephes033]

you should be able to rocket those lures out there. i would honestly be using heavier braid for what you are using, actually personally id be using mono since moving baits and topwater is involved, something like a sunline supernatural in 16lb. Mono will be more forgiving on casting as well, may allow you to lighten up the breaks and chuck it a bit easier, braid, especially smaller braid seems like it does get ahead of itself and backlash when you really try to throw it as hard as you can. Being you are using moving baits, i would suggest something more mod-fast for the action of the rod, mh should be fine. That will allow you to load up the rod on the cast more as well allowing for more distance, then pick something in your desired length, although i wouldnt go under 7'3" if you really want better distance.

[WRB]

Your reel isn't adjusted properly and your casting technique needs improvement. I would pull out about 50 yards of line and then put tape over the remainder of spooled line. Now wind the 50 yards back on the reel, don't cut it off! 

Open the side plate and check out the spool centrifical brakes, set every other brake on and every other brake off, read your instructions. Next set the mag adjustment at 15.

Tie on a 1/2 oz to 5/8oz practice casting plug. Hold the rod tip up and release the spool engagement, adjust the spool end knob so the practice weight falls on it's free enough so when it hits the floor the spool stops turning. 

Now practice your casting until you can cast almost all the line above the tape off the spool, about 40 to 45 yards. Your rod-reel combination should be able to do this easily. You on the other hand need to practice. Watch Glenn's instructional vedio's.

The 8' Swimbait rod weighs 2X your SC rod and you couldn't cast a 1/2 oz lure with it effectively because it's too light to bend the rod tip.

Tom

PS, you could remove and save the braid and use 12 lb Big Game mono until you learn how to cast.

[brent245]

My reel doesn't have centrifugal brakes, only mag Brakes. I have it adjusted properly I believe. Its a Tatula and I generally have the brakes set between 6 and 8 for the most part which is a fairly low setting (it goes up to 20). I typically I do a side cast  and I'm pretty darn accurate. I can usually just look right where I want the lure to go and I can hit the spot. I'm starting to think it could be the line giving me trouble. Its not very "good" line It's spiderwire stealthbraid and it is small diameter (20lb) and is already fuzzy from use. I notice it sticks to itself when it come off the spool, maybe this is what is preventing me from doing some really strong casts. If I cast too hard it birds nests. Possibly the line could be the culprit? I started with braid because it's easy to fix the birds nests and it was my first casting reel. I've been thinking about switching to flurocarbon.

[david in va]

19 minutes ago, Brent Heermans said:

My reel doesn't have centrifugal brakes, only mag Brakes. I have it adjusted properly I believe. Its a Tatula and I generally have the brakes set between 6 and 8 for the most part which is a fairly low setting (it goes up to 20). I typically I do a side cast  and I'm pretty darn accurate. I can usually just look right where I want the lure to go and I can hit the spot. I'm starting to think it could be the line giving me trouble. Its not very "good" line It's spiderwire stealthbraid and it is small diameter (20lb) and is already fuzzy from use. I notice it sticks to itself when it come off the spool, maybe this is what is preventing me from doing some really strong casts. If I cast too hard it birds nests. Possibly the line could be the culprit? I started with braid because it's easy to fix the birds nests and it was my first casting reel. I've been thinking about switching to flurocarbon.

Take that line off, I had it on the first BC reel I used nothing good to say about it. put on 40 lb Fortis It will solve a lot of your problem

[frogflogger]

or 40#sufix

[J Francho]

16 hours ago, Brent Heermans said:

Yeah, The braid is only 20lb

 

This is the issue.  You need to fairly proficient with a casting reel to use line this thin.  40-50# braid or a 12-15# single filament line would suit you better.

[Yudo1]

You have the right rod and reel, but wrong line.  Get 30 or 40lb power pro or other quality braid.

[brent245]

Thanks, I've got 40lb suffix coming.

[webertime]

I started an experiment this season with an 8' MH Phenix Recon2, a Daiwa Zillion HSLA with a 100m spool and 30lb braid for Chatterbaits, Swimjigs, Spinnerbaits. 

I wanted to see if:

The 8' really make a difference in casting distance over a 7'-7'6" rod.  

That using a longer rod, that I would pull the baits away from the fish less often (softer tip).

If using a longer rod would allow me to catch up to the hits from behind the bait that push slack into the line.

 

So far distance wise it's MAYBE 10' longer (not enough to run out and buy a $200 rod). 

Accuracy is the same for me whether it's 7' or 8'. 

Missed fish due to the "pushing" of the bait...  That I can see that there is a difference in that I can catch up to them better.

Pulling the bait away...  seems to help a little.

 

I really like the set up and will keep tweaking it, for now I'd say it's a success.

[SFL BassHunter]

I misread your initial post and after reading Franco's I understand what you are trying to do.

 

A longer rod makes sense in your situation as long as you don't have trees to contend with. I agree that you should up the size of the line. 40 should suit you just fine.

 

I have several tatulas I have found the best adjustment for me all depends on the lure of course. But what I do is loosen the spool tension knob while I have the brake set to 0. I loosen till the spook wobbles a little. Then I tighten the knob slowly until the spool just stops the side to side play. Then I set my brakes. I usually keep my brakes between 2-8 depending on wind. I have had to go up to 10 a couple times but it is rare. 6 is the magic setting for me and my casting style.

This is what works for me.

 

[brent245]

I agree, I've found the brake setting 6 on my tatula to be the magic one as well. I've got the reel set up right. I did order  40lb suffix. Should make it better. I'm still thinking of that longer rod too.