Top dollar beachcasters: diminshing returns or worth every penny?

[gonefishing]

I've been hankering for a new beach caster for a bit, sort of aiming towards something with a light tip for good bite detection, good balance for feathering, and a bit of guts for when something decent gets on the line, but light enough that i can still get a bit of action off smaller fish. I dont want a masterblaster for distance.

 

So i've started looking in the shops, but there seems to be a gap between rods of about £30-40 which feel a bit unbalanced and dead, and rods which are £150+...which i would be prepared to pay if i knew the rod satisfied me and it was something i would be using many years later.

 

Is there something in between thats light (3-6oz), fun, easy handling?

 

Do shops allow you to test a rod out, or are you stuck with your impressions in the shops...and are these expensive rods a real bonus over say a £70-100 rod which may feel only slightly different?

[H.A.]

Flattie Fanatic

 

Conoflex Mirage (very light)

 

Spod rods (various) ...... some of these are a real 'snip' ...

 

I'm really pleased with my pair of Jules Shambrook 'Rubber Sharks' but they do cost around 200 squids ....

 

My favourite light rod of the last few years was a Shaky Basshunter (green one, but I did put Fujis on it as soon as I bought it) ..... finally I wound the top link of my 'feathers' in through the tip ring and proceeded to cast the top 18 inches around the 100 metre mark .....

 

keep asking around .....

[Jim Roper]

http://www.greysrods.co.uk/searods_syntra.htm

 

I'm still using a 35 year-old Surflite on top of an equally old Edgar Sealey Sea Serpent.

 

[ 23. February 2004, 12:43 AM: Message edited by: Jim Roper ]

[gonefishing]

ok...whats "spodding" then?

[H.A.]

Use of a heavier-built, carp-style rod to deposit particle baits up to 100metres or so out ....

 

they are fairly light but can hack up to 10oz or so.

[malevans]

My spod rod is my beachcaster. Does trick very well and it keeps it occupied as I don't get to the coast very often.

[poledark]

Jim, is that the Super Surflite with the moveable reel fitting?

 

Den

[Jim Roper]

poledark:

Jim, is that the Super Surflite with the moveable reel fitting?

It's a green one-piece blank, about 11 ft, that I got from a firm called Pex Marine in Poole in 1969. It's stuck onto the base of an Edgar Sealey Sea Serpent 10-12oz with Araldite. I've put 12 rings on it at about the spacings that Conoflex specify on their website.

I thought it was a 6-10oz Surflite blank but from what I have read, it might be a 4-8oz.

Was that you doing the demos on chesil beach with Terry Carrol all those years ago with the Mitchell 602s and ABUs on Surflites?

[Blackvelvet]

Grey's rods of Alnwick nice easy to handle rods user friendly:- You might like the greys shadow it's light flexi-tip. I use the grey's Jupiter hubby uses a Grey's apollo. All these rods can be used on the rocks as well..Our local tackle shop let's you try the rod out we just go to the quayside and have a few casts, but I reckon you would have to know the owner...bst of luck BV