Looking at getting a new surf rod.

[tythataussieguy 0]

G'day guys. I'm reasonably new to the whole fishing thing, well not new but I am just getting into it seriously any way and getting myself set up etc etc. Anyway I am looking for a new surf rod, nothing to fancy and definitely nothing to pricey. Big W has a nice range of Shimano snapper combo's one in particular is the Escape with ET 7'6" snapper combo rod teamed up with an alivio 6000FA reel. I already have a 7 ft spin combo that is the same brand and thats a nice little combo which makes me think I'd like to stick with this brand for the time being and upgrade a bit down the track. I'd be thinking of taking this out to west beach for whiting and things like that. (basically it just needs to be an all round rod which I can take to places from salt creek to west beach and jetties if I choose to go for bigger fish or shark.I'd like to get some feed back and your thoughts on this guys it would be much appreciated.

[Del 245]

well that aint exactly a surf rod mate... for surf fishing you want a mininum 10' rod. i have 3 x 12' w/ spin combos and an alvey on a 13'.what you are looking at is just a heavier action general purpose set up..

[Del 245]

double posted..

[tythataussieguy 0]

Cheers Del, Might needa look at BCF

[tythataussieguy 0]

Ok this one seems better. Like I said no bells and whistles just something cheap and simple that will do the job.Penn isn't quite my brand but I have heard a couple of nice things.

[Del 245]

i run a penn 8' rod for that middle of the range stuff..been prety good so far no dramas. as i said.. i have 3 combos 2 jarvis walkers 2 dif line classes and actions and a 1 shimano set up. your moe than welcome to head down the beach one day and have a few casts and see what you like.

[tythataussieguy 0]

Cheers Del. Might need to take you up on that. Just need my own...sick of calling dad up to borrow his gear lol then driving all the way to salisbury for it.

[finatic 1]

Ty, next time your'e out our way drop in, would love the opportunity at your business, never know it may even afford us all the luxury of Strike Hook for another month. Finatic

[Jimmy. 173]

hey TYGet yourself a cheap surf rod from like some store to begin with, at like $40 a rod and reel combo they go alright! then just upgrade the reel later down the track.i think I have like 4-5 surf rods here haha. if you head out give del or myself a buzz, we both have spares for you to try out

[tythataussieguy 0]

Finatic: I was actually just down there NYE and bought a shit load of sinkers and a couple rod holders etc. Lol. Did look at a couple of rods :DBut yeah jimmy im looking for a 12 foot escape with et surf rod. I like his combos.

[tythataussieguy 0]

Ok guys while I am here. I did mention a fishing store that was not sponsoring this site. Not thinking about it I regretfully mentioned this store and a couple of other links without quite thinking of the sponsor rules. It is to my understanding that this has been taken down and that is fine.Lesson learned.Thanks guys I shall remember to screen my posts from now on

[Dubs The Tackle Man 0]

Hey ty, my personal advice would not to buy something cheap and nasty because you'll only be dissapointed when something go's wrong, like I say to our shoppers is it really worth saving a few bucks to miss or lose the fish of a life time?

[Ranger 48]

tythataussieguy wrote:

Ok guys while I am here. I did mention a fishing store that was not sponsoring this site.

Ty, mentioning a store which is not a site sponsor, or a product which is not stocked by sponsors is not a problem if it's done to assist or to help out another member with a good deal.As long as you are not affiliated with a store/product and promoting it here in a commercial manner, if you know of a deal, an item or a product somewhere which is beneficial in answering a question posed by a member, then we do not wish to gag you. For instance, if someone is looking for a spinning reel and you happen to know a store is having a sale on that spinning reel, you are welcome to inform the member searching for the reel. Alternatively, if you think you know a reel which would suit, but is not stocked by our sponsors, by all means inform the member of the reel and where they can purchase it.Likewise, if you wish to discuss the ET combo from Big W, you are more than welcome to do that.What we do not want though is people openly pushing and promoting stores which are non sponsors for no worthwhile purpose, when sponsor stores have the same products at competative prices, ie: "I always shop at K-Mart, Have a look at K-Mart, You can get that rod at K-Mart, Go to K-Mart to see if they'll beat that price, K-Mart always looks after me, etc, etc" This is a slap in the face to the sponsors who support the site and pay to keep this place running.The boss also made the decision a long time ago not to allow the posting of prices here, as it can lead to unfair practices, and unfortunately both of your links (BCF and Big W) displayed prices. I could not remove the prices from the links, therefore I had no choice other than to remove them, and this is the reason why they were removed.Even sponsors here must adhere to this practice, and the only consolation made for them is that they may still post prices in their own threads on the sponsor boards ONLY. Not on the general forums and not in the shoutbox.We are not going to tell you where to shop, but if there is a sponsor store near you, you will find our sponsors to be welcoming and helpful with good advice, a large range, offering discounts to site members, and possibly even matching prices if they can.Wherever possible they support us, and in turn we support them.I hope that has helped to clarify things a little for you, and I'm sorry if this has inconvenienced you.In my own view, it will be difficult to get an all round surf rod (especially on a budget), as the rod you will need for Mulloway and shark will be vastly different from the rod you will use for Yellowfin Whiting or Salmon.I'm personally a fan of the Wilson Livefibre range for the surf rods, and they come quite reasonably priced.One of the most versatile reels I know of to match would be the Shimano Baitrunners. Possibly 4500 sized would be suitable to change from rod to rod and would cover everything from whiting through salmon, flathead, snapper, rays even to little sharks, with ample line holding capacity and the benefit of the set and forget baitrunner function for the beach where you dont want to be holding your rod the entire time. They are reasonably priced and have a great reputation.My suggestion would be to avoid places like K-Mart and Big W where it's impossible to get and good advice from spotty shelf fillers who know nothing about fishing tackle, but to instead go into a tacklestore (prefereably a site sponsor) where you can see a good range of suitable rods, where you can compare rods, and where you can also get advice from the people who use them. Tacklestores also stock budget priced and entry level gear if that's what you require, you just need to tell them what sorta budget you are working to to get the correct advice.

[tythataussieguy 0]

Awesome ranger. Cheers for the advice. same for yourself dubs thanks heaps. I shall take this advice on board and look around.

[rocknev 2]

Dubs The Tackle Man wrote:

Hey ty, my personal advice would not to buy something cheap and nasty because you'll only be dissapointed when something go's wrong, like I say to our shoppers is it really worth saving a few bucks to miss or lose the fish of a life time?

have to agree... jimmys mate natah when he came here the other month, had a brand new reel... and it certainlly looked like it was up to the job... a bait runner, nice big reel, nice and shiny, AND IT EXPLODED IN HIS HANDS...buy half way decent and please stick to a name brand... far less grief in the long run.

[rocknev 2]

as ranger said... BUT FROM FISHING SHOPS... they KNOW what will suit you, and offer alternatives... they are a pretty good bunch of lads when you get to know them.and ADVICE is always welcomed...they fish as well as sell fishing gear.. not just sell the stuff.good luck trying to get warrenty or advice from the supermarket style shops...sometimes cheaper isnt better if you get the drift.case in point... go to supercheap auto and try and get advice from spotty git kid behind the counter...more often than not, a blank stare is all you will get at the best of times.

[Softy 2,991]

Hahahaha Forgot all about the exploding reel.

[Jimmy. 173]

my rods have held up fairly well on the rocks nev

[rocknev 2]

Jimmy wrote:

my rods have held up fairly well on the rocks nev

yours are not too bad jimmy... i cant say they will last 20 + years though... not much of anything new these days will alst that long.. its a throw away society.they just dont make em like they used to.i like my old school tuff as nails gear.alvey, snyderglas (x3) and a very old len butterwroth power rod.

[anestimav 0]

look for rods in cash converters seen good one in pt adelaide also pawn broker on pt rd near woodville rd

[Dubs The Tackle Man 0]

i like my old school tuff as nails gear.alvey, snyderglas (x3) and a very old len butterwroth power rod.

Hey nev, working in a tackle store i see most reels and rods from the best of things to the worst and the good old alvey still stands up as being 1 of the toughest reels going, easy to maintain either on the beach or at home and snyderglass rods are gr8t use them myself for the surf and have never heard a bad word said about them, nothing wrong with the old school.

[rocknev 2]

Dubs The Tackle Man wrote:

i like my old school tuff as nails gear.alvey, snyderglas (x3) and a very old len butterwroth power rod.

Hey nev, working in a tackle store i see most reels and rods from the best of things to the worst and the good old alvey still stands up as being 1 of the toughest reels going, easy to maintain either on the beach or at home and snyderglass rods are gr8t use them myself for the surf and have never heard a bad word said about them, nothing wrong with the old school.

i find it hard to reckomend any other rod and reel, simply because im VERY old school.... and i know from how much bend i can lay on the snyder, that its a beut rod...especially my one piece snyderglas... I WILL BREAK BEFORE THIS DOES.the rod of choice if ever i chance some serious xxxxxs fish.same deal with the alvey.havnt oiled it for about 6 mths, nor rinsed it off..no need to.

[Dubs The Tackle Man 0]

havnt oiled it for about 6 mths, nor rinsed it off..no need to.

lol not nuch inside to worry about.

[rocknev 2]

Dubs The Tackle Man wrote:

havnt oiled it for about 6 mths, nor rinsed it off..no need to.

lol not nuch inside to worry about.

bro has NEVER oiled his and it has a squeek... ANNOYS HELL OUT OF ME WHEN HES WINDING IT BACK IN.. squeek squeek squeek....AGGGGGGGGGGGH

[Dubs The Tackle Man 0]

definatly needs an oil and greese. cant stand noisy fishing gear it's a pet hate for sure

[theswine 0]

You could buy a outfit from Big W. But i personally would be pretty upset if i lost the fish of a life time because of my cheap crappy gear. Id rather pay 500bucks or so and get somthing good that i can trust will give me the best possable chance at getting in a Awsome fish.

[rocknev 2]

theswine wrote:

You could buy a outfit from Big W. But i personally would be pretty upset if i lost the fish of a life time because of my cheap crappy gear. Id rather pay 500bucks or so and get somthing good that i can trust will give me the best possable chance at getting in a Awsome fish.

for sure.... i used to own a big rear drag NAME brand reel for the rocks....it let me down, by snapping the handle mid fight... this was many years ago, when fish over 25lb were a daily occurnace.thats why the lavey was bought... and its not let me down ever.

[Softy 2,991]

Please stop with the Alvey talk... you are giving me ideas....

[rocknev 2]

Softy wrote:

Please stop with the Alvey talk... you are giving me ideas....

cant be helped softy sorry...go for it... you wont look back.... if it gets sand on it, you could even pour BEER on it to wash the sand off, and it will still work

[Softy 2,991]

I am not wasting good beer :lol:Also... i can't recall ever seeing alveys for sale in stores? Or do you need to dig around and buy something second hand?

[Dubs The Tackle Man 0]

you havent looked have u?

[rocknev 2]

a lot of shops dont stock them, as a lot of people see them as old fashioned..they see all the shiny bits on some reels, and think they are the bees knees...alveys can still be found in a lot of shops though.go for a 650C.... as for snyderglas rods, they are getting hard to find as the maker retired i believe.still a few laying around in tackle shops though...but when they gone, they are gone.

[vb4me 1]

Dont think that I have ventured into a tackle store where you cant get an alvey, granted they might be right at the back of the display cabinet . Yeah they are definately old fashioned and are not a smooth as silk finesse reel. But try to break it . And a rumor I just got wind of yesterday by a bloke that has the last 8144 snyder glas blank left is that wilson have bought the mandrels from snyder glas and will be producing them, so yay, old school rods arent dead yet.

[tythataussieguy 0]

OK guys to end this topic I ended up just heading down to the old mans place and getting the one him and myself co-own.It is a Silstar SP1202SFM 12 ft 8-12 kg rod teamed up with an abu garcia 558GLX. It has mono on the spool that came with it when I bought it from believe it or not....Salisbury Dive and Tackle World. Not sure if that was before or after the change in location. All I remember was it was nearest Holdens.But yeah guys thats my brief rundown on my surfie.

[vb4me 1]

Good rod. Sandy whiting has one with a daiwa emcast sport on it. Can cast a mile with it