# Surf Rod Specs for Pompano Rigs?



## UTGrad

I'm looking at a 10ft rod for tossing pompano rigs with 3 oz pyramid sinker. What action surf rod should I get? I've got a 10 ft Cabelas Salt Striker rated at 2-8 oz and it's pretty hefty. It's great for hauling in small sharks but I want something a little more flexible for the pomp rod.

Suggestions on optimum specs regarding lure weight rating and the rod's action?


----------



## Tcheeks38

i've got a 10ft medium heavy penn torque rated for 15-30lb mono 1-5oz lure. its lightweight for its length and has a sweet cork hybrid grip. i bought it feb. of 2013 and fished it 1 time other than practice casting in a field.

link below:

http://www.basspro.com/PENN-Torque-Surf-Spinning-Rods/product/10210077/

cost me 120$ if you are interested i'll sell it to ya for 75


----------



## jcallaham

since you mentioned cabellas look into their tourney trail sereis 9 or 10'er 1/2 to 2 oz $35 bucks. great rod for surf fishing around here.


----------



## weedline

if u want a 10 ft factory rod that will catch the hell out of pompano get an ugly stick. it has the perfect bend and will throw up to 5 oz no problem it was my first over 9 ft rod i got and i still fish it from time to time as a short rod. now all mine are customs from 11 to 14 ft. i would say stay away from graphite its light and casts great but some reason a limber tiped glass rod will out fish a stiff rod for pomps 10 to 1. i know this from experience i have had many 30 to 60 fish days fishing next to a guy fishing graphite who catches 3. just so i dont get get bs from the guys who cant catch a fish. i had a comercial rs liscence at the time so i never broke the law


----------



## Pompano Joe

I've got a few quality used rods that would be perfect for up to 3 oz...

8 ft. American Rodsmiths Surf & Penn Power Stick, and a 9 ft. Star Stellar Lite. All three are small diameter and light weight.


----------



## jcallaham

weedline said:


> if u want a 10 ft factory rod that will catch the hell out of pompano get an ugly stick. it has the perfect bend and will throw up to 5 oz no problem it was my first over 9 ft rod i got and i still fish it from time to time as a short rod. now all mine are customs from 11 to 14 ft. i would say stay away from graphite its light and casts great but some reason a limber tiped glass rod will out fish a stiff rod for pomps 10 to 1. i know this from experience i have had many 30 to 60 fish days fishing next to a guy fishing graphite who catches 3. just so i dont get get bs from the guys who cant catch a fish. i had a comercial rs liscence at the time so i never broke the law



this is just great now I have to go buy a fiberglass rod.
I think this is really good advice. the rod that seems to catch all the fish for me is very limber compared to the others I use.

Pompano Joe has a killer old school glass rod,maybe try to pry it out of his hands.


----------



## Pompano Joe

jcallaham said:


> this is just great now I have to go buy a fiberglass rod.
> I think this is really good advice. the rod that seems to catch all the fish for me is very limber compared to the others I use.
> 
> Pompano Joe has a killer old school glass rod,maybe try to pry it out of his hands.


Magnaflux "Hatteras Surf". Jim's the only one who's thrown it since it came my way. May have to put my 707 on for those days when I feeling "old school".


----------



## Pompano Joe

Check TarponDan's post...he's got a Tica 9' Surf Rod that fits what you're looking for, too.


----------



## weedline

most old glass rods are great for pompano. some of the best calm day rods i have seen a friend of mine found in the trash and rebuilt. backbone is fine but u want bend in the tip. my best fish catching rod is a rod i got when i was 10 i have no idea what it is but its 11ft 3 in.it has a thick heavy blank like a gator in the but maybe 2 or 3 ft fused into a a noodle tip blank9 ft like they used to do with aluminum pipes and its heavy feels like it may break when u cast but it will out fish any rod if they are not way out.


----------



## jcallaham

I been cruisin' the net looking for fiber glass rods. Even picked up an ugly stik in wal mart to check the action,it's decent but I hate all the thread and epoxy they build onto em. looked at CUI blanks in the Rod Room,great price but then I would have to deal with a rod builder, not something I ever look forward to.
So the best thing I have seen is a 13' Kencor . Not a lot of people know about Kencor but I do. I can get it but It's not cheap. Kencor is or was a so cal based company that has/had a great reputation for fine quality , high end glass rods.
I'm just thinkin' is 13' to long? Weedline how often do you need a rod that long?
I can cast a looong way with my graphite rods but that doesn't seem to get too many pomps, those long casts could make me the winner of a cat fish tourney.
So the question is how far out do we need to cast to catch a limit of pomps,and how do we know when to stay close and when to get the bait way out there? sorry to ramble here but I feel like every time I catch a pomp it was just luck. Any little bits of knowledge I can gain are valued.


----------



## steelhead

weedline said:


> most old glass rods are great for pompano. some of the best calm day rods i have seen a friend of mine found in the trash and rebuilt. backbone is fine but u want bend in the tip. my best fish catching rod is a rod i got when i was 10 i have no idea what it is but its 11ft 3 in.it has a thick heavy blank like a gator in the but maybe 2 or 3 ft fused into a a noodle tip blank9 ft like they used to do with aluminum pipes and its heavy feels like it may break when u cast but it will out fish any rod if they are not way out.


 I don't mean to derail the thread, but I'd like to pick weedline's brain.

What's your spinning reel preference for those glass-rods weedline? I'm thinking of going old school w/some PUM 302s/402s. Any insight that you can provide would be appreciated. 

I've met some interesting commercial pomp dudes while walking the beach and gained mucho information.


----------



## weedline

if the catfish are bad best bet is way in shallow. 13 ft is fine just because its 13 ft doesnt mean u always cast it as far as u can as far as reels i use 706s, 302s will cast further but the sand is hard on them the south fla guys like the 498s but they are hard to find


----------



## steelhead

weedline said:


> if the catfish are bad best bet is way in shallow. 13 ft is fine just because its 13 ft doesnt mean u always cast it as far as u can as far as reels i use 706s, 302s will cast further but the sand is hard on them the south fla guys like the 498s but they are hard to find


thanx for feedback weedline


----------



## weedline

if u have any more questions feel free to ask i will be honest i wont tell anyone when, where or how to catch 50 a day but i can help u catch 5 or 6 easy most days from april til mid may this year


----------



## steelhead

weedline said:


> if u have any more questions feel free to ask i will be honest i wont tell anyone when, where or how to catch 50 a day but i can help u catch 5 or 6 easy most days from april til mid may this year


 My preference is sight fishing using light spinning tackle w/jigs I pour or a fly rod for pomps, but I think I'm gonna get back into using the old school surf set-ups too. I've learned quite a bit from observing pomps while sight fishing, but I can always learn more.

I'll start thinking of some questions. Any chance to get more knowledge to increase my chances of getting pomps, I'll take it.


----------



## jcallaham

weedline said:


> if u have any more questions feel free to ask i will be honest i wont tell anyone when, where or how to catch 50 a day but i can help u catch 5 or 6 easy most days from april til mid may this year


man I'd be happy with 2 a day. I use braid with flouro leaders. would I be better off with straight mono, say 15lb?

and not to derail the original question, in my poking around looking for a great pomp rod I bumped onto some carp rods. anywhere from 60 to 400 dollars,might work real well around here. time to quit typing and go fishin'.


----------



## weedline

jig fishing is the fun way to catch them but the best days are rough and those days u cant see them those days set rigs are great to jcallaham stick with braid and flouro what kind of rigs are u fishing can u pick your days or do u have to go when u can small things make a big difference with these little fish


----------



## bigtallluke

I feel like that this derail could be "healthy", and there might be some really good info that's going to surface. Subscribed  I love catching me some pomp!


----------



## weedline

im not going to say factory rods are all bad but with glass buy an uglystick sea striker or any other rod u like 10 to 13 ft for 100 or less or buy a blank and have it built how u want it. bad thing about factory rods is most are mass produced so no person finds the spine lines up the reel seat and the guides or tweaks them all before flexcoating . no way in hell i would pay over 100 for a factory rod. yes some are better but for 100 or less u can get a good blank. components will cost u 60 to 80. then find a rod builder u trust and say wrap black on black no but wrap and give them a month most will do that for under 60 and u have a great rod for less than 250 and it will outcast and fish any 300 factory rod


----------



## bigtallluke

weedline said:


> if u want a 10 ft factory rod that will catch the hell out of pompano get an ugly stick. it has the perfect bend and will throw up to 5 oz no problem it was my first over 9 ft rod i got and i still fish it from time to time as a short rod. now all mine are customs from 11 to 14 ft. i would say stay away from graphite its light and casts great but some reason a limber tiped glass rod will out fish a stiff rod for pomps 10 to 1. i know this from experience i have had many 30 to 60 fish days fishing next to a guy fishing graphite who catches 3. just so i dont get get bs from the guys who cant catch a fish. i had a comercial rs liscence at the time so i never broke the law


What is it that makes a limber tipped glass rod such a good choice for pompano? It's not that I doubt it one bit.... I'm probably gonna replace one of my graphite beach rods with an ugly stick just to see. I'm just curious as to why.... I'm very intrigued by fishing in general and especially in fishing for pompano. I like to be knowledgeable and educated in as many areas as possible. Im assuming that it has something to do with the hookset and keeping the fish on the hook once it has a lip ring... but more info would be greatly valued!  Thanks for all the great info already weedline


----------



## jcallaham

weedline said:


> im not going to say factory rods are all bad but with glass buy an uglystick sea striker or any other rod u like 10 to 13 ft for 100 or less or buy a blank and have it built how u want it. bad thing about factory rods is most are mass produced so no person finds the spine lines up the reel seat and the guides or tweaks them all before flexcoating . no way in hell i would pay over 100 for a factory rod. yes some are better but for 100 or less u can get a good blank. components will cost u 60 to 80. then find a rod builder u trust and say wrap black on black no but wrap and give them a month most will do that for under 60 and u have a great rod for less than 250 and it will outcast and fish any 300 factory rod


this is some really good advice.Myself I will have a custom 10' CUI ,hopefully by the time fishing picks up.


----------



## Ehllis

. May have to put my 707 on for those days when I feeling "old school".


----------



## IrishBlessing

I use a 15ft rod and two 7ft rods. The 15ft dor is good for when you want to chunk it really far.


----------



## weedline

bigtallluke said:


> What is it that makes a limber tipped glass rod such a good choice for pompano? It's not that I doubt it one bit.... I'm probably gonna replace one of my graphite beach rods with an ugly stick just to see. I'm just curious as to why.... I'm very intrigued by fishing in general and especially in fishing for pompano. I like to be knowledgeable and educated in as many areas as possible. Im assuming that it has something to do with the hookset and keeping the fish on the hook once it has a lip ring... but more info would be greatly valued!  Thanks for all the great info already weedline



its more on calmer days when the fish are light biting. if u have pompano u know they may bite a bait 2 or 3 times before they get hooked the limber tip is way more forgiving it also allows more action to the baits on a set rig than a stiff rod. the wave action moves your baits and thats why u rarely catch many on slick calm days and the stiff rods have their days to if its blowing 20 out of the se and surf is 3 to 5 they hold better than a limber rod and will cast more weight.


----------



## Pomponius Maximus

A great calm surf rig is the Cabelas Fish Eagle 50- Salmon/Steelhead rod ,..the 10 ft. in 3/8-1 0unce will cast a mile with 1oz.

You can watch the tip dance on the nibbles,....and watch it buggy whip on the strike,....backbone is there for the fight.....

........I can`t believe I just let this out of the bag,.....lol......rod currently shows as `backorderable'..........wonder why,....


----------



## Pompano Joe

Ehllis said:


> . May have to put my 707 on for those days when I feeling "old school".


Not to derail the original post, but I'd love to see that 707!


----------



## cajun creationz

Pompano Joe said:


> Not to derail the original post, but I'd love to see that 707!


i think he was rolling his eyes at you joe...ive seen him do this on other posts:thumbdown:


----------



## fairpoint

I've got two 12ft. harnell's with Mitchell 498's or luxor 300's or green 706's that I will let go if someones interested...Catch most anything that swims from the beach including pompano,lol....
I fish the pier mainly ,but when I do beach fish on a 2-3 ft surf day a longer rod works better for me in a sandspike because the line will be above the break and beach walkers.....


----------



## steelhead

fairpoint said:


> I've got two 12ft. harnell's with Mitchell 498's or luxor 300's or green 706's that I will let go if someones interested...Catch most anything that swims from the beach including pompano,lol....
> I fish the pier mainly ,but when I do beach fish on a 2-3 ft surf day a longer rod works better for me in a sandspike because the line will be above the break and beach walkers.....


 
PM sent fairpoint


----------



## bigtallluke

Pomponius Maximus said:


> A great calm surf rig is the Cabelas Fish Eagle 50- Salmon/Steelhead rod ,..the 10 ft. in 3/8-1 0unce will cast a mile with 1oz.
> 
> You can watch the tip dance on the nibbles,....and watch it buggy whip on the strike,....backbone is there for the fight.....
> 
> ........I can`t believe I just let this out of the bag,.....lol......rod currently shows as `backorderable'..........wonder why,....


I'll keep an eye on this rod for sure.... The 10' version of this rod which you mentioned sounds perfect for pompano on a calm day. My only question is regarding the handle. The 10' rod only comes with "Handle A" which appears to be really short above the reel seat and doesn't seem like it gives you much to hold on to during a fight. What are your thoughts on this? I wish they sold it with the "Handle B" option. But then again it might not be a big deal at all


----------



## jcallaham

a diawa mad dragon carp rod does the same thing,$60 at bass pro shops.
since this thread started I have aquired the mad dragon , acustom CUI, and drug out my old cabellas rod, the majior problem is that I can't find any pomps that are willing to cooperate with me.


----------



## steelhead

jcallaham said:


> a diawa mad dragon carp rod does the same thing,$60 at bass pro shops.
> since this thread started I have aquired the mad dragon , acustom CUI, and drug out my old cabellas rod, the majior problem is that I can't find any pomps that are willing to cooperate with me.


 Been seeing some pomps from the pier recently. You should be getting into them soon.


----------



## sethmac

Is this the Ugly Stik model y'all are referring to?
http://www.basspro.com/Shakespeare-Ugly-Stik-Big-Water-Spinning-Rods/product/19912/#


----------



## Redchaser09

If your on a budget go with the ugly stick.. But as all things you get what you pay for. I have an ugly stick with a penn 440 on it I use from time to time for pompano works alright for me


----------

