Best snakehead or big bass heavy rod (for me)

[gnappi]

I have one of these ugly stick USSP601H (18-20 lb line up to a 1 oz. lure) rods and I bought it because it is one piece, has a heavy action and is very short (6') compared to other brand heavy rods which go 7' and longer. Multi piece rods are OK for compact transportation but I have no problems transporting it in the back of my truck and the one piece has one less likely part that can fail.

 

The problem I have with 7'+ rods is they're forward heavy which necessitates the reel seat being moved forward which makes the handle LONGER to try and balance them better. This may be OK in the surf using a 2 hand cast, setting the hook and fighting 30 pound+ fish but not so good for freshwater in a bass boat or the shoreline casting all day with one hand.  

 

The ugly stick 6' heavy has very good balance balance using my RD reels with its short handle, plenty of power for the biggest snakehead or bass and it's nimble enough to cast all day. The 6 (+1) guides are rather spartan and I'm not sure how long they'd hold up long term but at ~$50 it's a rod which has held up perfectly (reel seat, handle and guides) so far in the two very hard fished seasons I have used it. I need to buy some more before some bean counter at Shakespeare decides to discontinue them.

 

[gnappi]

After writing the comments above, I took a look at my rod rack and noted that there was only one other rod I rarely use which is a 7' med/hvy and I broke down this morning and ordered two more of the 6' heavy Ugly Stik rods.

 

I also realized another benefit of the shorter rod, it actually does fit in the rear cab of my truck without bending it worrying if it will spring open and get caught in a closing door which has happened in the past ?

 

 

 

[OnthePotomac]

Don't know if this will help, but I fish mostly 6'6" and 7' MH Carbonlites on the Potomac and have never had a problem landing Snakeheads, up to 10lb cats, or my best 6lb 8oz bass on those rods and one of my regular Shimano reels with either 15lb Invizx, or BPS 14 or 17 lb mono.  It all seemed perfectly normal and no special equipment required.  

[Junger]

I can see some advantages of a 6' rod, and other advantages for 7' rods. If you're catching, that's all that matters. Tight lines!

[LionHeart]

How long of a handle is too long? Most of my rod handles are 10-11 inches measured from the back of the reel seat.

 

They seem about right to me and I'm a pretty average size dude.

[gnappi]

You didn't say how long your rod is but I guess it's 7'-7.5' and an ~10-11" handle is about right.

 

My 6' heavy action Ugly stik handle is 7 1/2" from the back of the reel seat. My 7 foot med/heavy is 12" long from the reel seat and it's more unwieldy fore and aft for me. The 6' heavy rods just balance much better and my casting arm isn't nearly as tired after a whole day fishing with the shorter rods, and the short handle never crashes into my fishing vest pocket. A major plus for sure.

 

Anyway, the two 6' ugly stiks came in and they're going into the rack as spares in case the one I'm using bombs out. Before I "discovered" them I was looking at St. Croix, and KastKing rods or even going custom but disregarded it all for the ugly sticks. Even though the ugly sticks weigh a bit more than the 7' Med/hvy rod by a couple of ounces, I like them far better.

 

[Mhan7]

You want a frogging rod for a good all-around snakehead rod.

I have had 2.  My first was a 7'3" Carbonlite 2.0, heavy with a fast tip.  My second, and preferred, is a Duckett Triad, 7'6" heavy with fast tip.

 

That's purposely selected equipment.  If you want to go budget, because you're not a dedicated snakehead'er, or because you don't put emphasis on premium gear, then anything that you could pig' n' jig with, is a bare minimum. But a frogging rod is really where it's at...

[soflabasser]

My 2 favorite snakehead rods are both under $60 each. Both have caught lots of big snakeheads, including one over 10 pounds. Like other types of fishing it is more important that you are fishing in a good location and using the most effective techniques possible for the day you are fishing. With that said this subject reminded me of a guy I meet on a jetty recently. He was bragging to me about his +$1000 size 4000 spinning reel. I asked him what was the biggest fish he caught on it and he said 40 pounds. After that I told him my old beat up size 4000 spinning reel caught a 7.5 foot shark (fish big enough to eat his best catch on his +$1000 reel) and my reel cost 1/5th of what he spent on his reel. Guess you can say I got the best bang for my buck and catch bigger fish than he does without needing to spend extra money.

[Mhan7]

I've got lots of budget stuff, but I spend a little bit more on the stuff that I use the most.  The point wasn't for me to draw an accusation of being a tackle ho - only to illustrate what kind of setup might be used.  One can go up or down in price from there.  But if somebody is thinking about the gear I listed - and it's fairly known, at the moment - there's a tested opinion behind it.

 

I fished a 6'6" Penn something-or-rather with an Abu Garcia 5500 reel before this setup.  Did I catch fish?  Yep.  But was it as good of a setup, and was it as enjoyable to throw for 10 hours at a time?  No chance.  After a few trips of good hook-ups, it was pretty much shite, and I decided to get some performance gear.

 

I fish saltwater, first and foremost.  I've caught numerous sharks of the size you mentioned, from the beach outside my front door.  But I don't own any VanStaal's.  My most expensive reel, of any that I own, is a pair of Avet Raptor reels that I picked up slightly used, for $175 each.  I use them to drop baits from a drone.  I have a $350 custom pompano rod, because it's my favorite saltwater fish, and I wanted an enjoyable piece of gear, for the many hours that I invest in the pursuit. Custom built to my ergonomics, and my preferences - right down to the line size, and geared around exactly ONE weight.

 

Point being - I don't talk down to people for having the tackle they want.  Maybe the fisherman isn't worth his gear.  But if he enjoys it, and it's what he likes, who are we to say?  Some people can drop $1000 on a reel like you or I would, for a pint of lager.  If that's their position, so be it.

 

[Mhan7]

On 10/13/2018 at 9:46 PM, gnappi said:

The problem I have with 7'+ rods is they're forward heavy which necessitates the reel seat being moved forward which makes the handle LONGER to try and balance them better. This may be OK in the surf using a 2 hand cast, setting the hook and fighting 30 pound+ fish but not so good for freshwater in a bass boat or the shoreline casting all day with one hand.  

This is a bit that I missed previously, but a point worth making - this is where a pricier rod shines.  You're going to notice a world of difference between your Ugly Stik pricepoint rods, and a more expensive rod.  Of course, I understand that you may not want to drop $, but if you plan to fish it a lot, it may be worth the upgrade.

A few considerations that I made... (I did extensive research before buying)

 

7'+ was definitely at the top of my list.  I wanted to be able to cast this thing a mile, and with precision.  Snakeheads spook really easy on some days. There have been times when we could walk up and spit on them, and others where you can't get within 30 yards, before you see torpedo wake on the shoreline.  

 

1-piece.  I hate multi-piece rods. 

 

Lightweight.  You can actually create some pretty interesting problems with your back, slicing a rod through air all day long. (also a very good reason to become a switch-handed caster) So I'm with you on that one.  The rod(s) that I ended up with are feather light.  Not forward heavy.  Or heavy in any way at all, really.

 

Micro-guides.  Braid is a great thing, but it comes at a price. Between a larger braid size (because it costs the same to spool 10lb as it does 65lb at my local shop) and micro-guides, I've gotten the wind knot issue completely negated.  It's literally a zero issue for me.  I feared that it would affect casting performance, but I have zero complaints.

 

Light weight.  As I mentioned, we fish over 8 hours at a pop.  Gotta be comfortable.  This is also the reason that I chose baitcaster over spinning. (the balance, and CG of the setup) And a cheaper rod with a lighter weight, is a poor choice.  They skimped somewhere to bring you a compromise.  If you don't fish much, or don't mind disposable gear, it's OK.  As with everything, buyer beware.

 

For the reel...

 

I chose one with a lot of drag.  25lb, to be exact.  Now, I've got ocean-going reels that have this amount of drag or less.  So you don't need it.  But any reel that can handle the drag, has components that can stand up to it.  Or something d**n close.  You will probably never catch a snakehead that can pull that much drag.  But overkill often gives a comfort factor in all the right places.

 

Gear ratio.  I chose a high gear ratio - 8.1:1.  Simply because when a good bite is on, there's no such thing as too fast for hand-cranked speeds.  Snakehead are the barracuda of the freshwater fish, for me.  I'd rather have the extra speed and not need it, than have to spin faster on a slower reel, when I do.

 

When I finally made my purchase, I tried to find the most economical gear that met all of my requirements.  I spend a good chunk, but it would have been easier to spend 2-3 more, without even blinking.  I figured I'd chime back in, because you definitely listed some specifics with regard to your fishing style and/or physical preferences.

[gnappi]

This is my third season targeting snakeheads and my fishing buddy is on the opposite side of the coin. Like many he chooses 7'+ rods, our hook up ratio and fish in the cooler is about the same.

When he sets the hook, he literally changes the direction of my 10' tinny ? Typically we spend six+ hours on the water so I don't think I'm missing anything that tackle can fix. 

 

I've tried 7'+ rods, and the 6' suits me fine. If I ever wanted more from a blank, I'd have one made, but not an inch over six feet.

 

PS, if anyone has or knows of an over the counter (or net purchase) 6' heavy rod I'd look at it. But unless it's like my ugly sticks short handle, a L-O-N-G handle is a deal breaker. Money has absolutely nothing to do with it unless the rod maker is behind in a couple of Mercedes payments and needs to make up for a bad season last year.

 

 

[gnappi]

On 3/26/2019 at 11:12 AM, Mhan7 said:

A few considerations that I made... (I did extensive research before buying)

 

7'+ was definitely at the top of my list.  I wanted to be able to cast this thing a mile, and with precision.  Snakeheads spook really easy on some days. There have been times when we could walk up and spit on them, and others where you can't get within 30 yards, before you see torpedo wake on the shoreline.  

 

1-piece.  I hate multi-piece rods. 

 

 

Where are you fishing? I'm in southeast Florida.

 

I guess my experiences in some ways are the opposite of yours. We fish very narrow canals with lots of shoreline cover dipping into the water with lots of weed cover. They're narrow enough to make turning the boat 180 degrees a less than a subtle maneuver. Long casts don't happen unless we're in a clear lake, which is more the exception than the rule.

 

On shore for me a cast more than 60 feet or so is unlikely. Even with zero line stretch I find long casts to be more problematical to get a good hook set, add to that weeds at the shoreline to snag the hooked fish in, and long casts are for me a non starter. I also fish with 20 or 30 pound braid (no leader) not ideal for horsing a fish through heavy veg.

 

Like you I find snakehead to be weird when it comes to being spooked. While on my boat, they aren't very spooky (if at all), but can be while I walk the shore of a grassy lake, pond / lake other times they'll let me bounce a frog on their head and swim away like it was avoiding a pesky mosquito.

 

So far I've not had a problem using my rear drag reels (11 pound drag) with 9-10 pound snakeheads, but I'm open to a heavier reel if I find I lose bigger fish, but then I'll only use spinners... I've never spent enough time with baitcast reels to want to use one, though I'm in the minority for sure among snakehead hunters. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Mhan7]

I fish all over Broward County.

 

I don't have a boat, but I like a long casting rod, because it allows me to overcast my target area, and "walk" the line back into the sweet spot.  Call it forgiveness.  And honestly, I like being prepared for all scenarios.  I'm able to cover both short and long casts, with ease.  I frequently make casts of over 100' with 1/2 oz lures. (plus teasers)

You get over setting hooks on a long cast, by having a heavy action rod.  Believe me, it's no problem.  The only time I've ever missed a hook set with a snakehead, is when I let my eyes do the work, instead of my hands.  I saw the fish, and I set on sight, rather than by feel. Not what my brain is wired for.

 

Also, the high drag doesn't come on a heavy reel, for me.  I have about 100 yds of 50 lb braid, but that's not for pure strength.  It's because it completely eliminates wind knots, while remaining uber castable.  And snakeheads don't care.  You could tie a lure on rope, and they'd still hit it.  So why not?  The additional benefit, is that if I snag a branch in the water or on the bank, I can just wrap the line around a stick, and yank it free.  Snakehead fishing isn't finesse.  It's like the monster truck show of the freshwater fishing world.

 

My kid fishes a Penn Conflict II, 2000 size reel, with 20lb braid.  It's a good setup, but constantly wind knotted, and he always has a sore wrist at the end of the day. (even though the reel is super light)  As an engineer, I say that's all down to the placement (center of mass) of the reel.  I have no such problems with the baitcaster.  You're not going to catch more or less fish with either type of reel, except by what your skill level with either of them dictates.  But I think that ergonomically, the baitcaster is superior, and I just prefer using them.

 

If you're at all interested - maybe you want to go to your local BassPro, and put hands on - this is my exact gear for snakehead.  I really couldn't be more pleased.

 

https://www.duckettfishing.com/products/rods/triad/triad-casting/m.products/183/view/130

http://www.quantumfishing.com/smoke-series.html

[gnappi]

Well, I'm in Broward also, maybe we'll see you at the next snakehead roundup! I'll be the only guy with a 10' tinny in the bed of a pickup truck!

 

Oh I NEVER get a sore wrist, I play guitar "right handed" which means my casting arm (the left hand on the neck) is ultra strong. Playing a git for 3+ hours a day makes a reel and rod child's play.