A continuation of an earlier post

I am building a rod for a friend. He wants a 10' casting rod that can toss 3+ oz . The area he likes to fish for Stripers is in a channel with heavy rips (~7 knots?). Has to get it out a minimum of a 100yds and drop it in some places 30-40 ft. On his current rod he can sink 3oz -- but sometimes has difficultly sticking it to the bottom.

I have recommended the Rainshadow SU1208. 10' 2-5oz Action med/fst -- Power med/hvy. Last night he changed his mind and is now contemplating the 1209 10' 5 - 12 oz, med-fst action and pwr hvy. I am trying to talk him out of it. I'll do whatever he wants but thought this would be overkill for what he is trying to do. I also think that if he is tossing 3 oz most of the time -- this rod blank wouldn't be an appropriate fit and I couldn't envision him tossing more than 5 oz with any frequency without his arms falling off.

I am looking to get some feedback and make sure my line of thinking is correct or not for this build. I really want the person I am building this rod for to be awestruck when he fishes it for the first time. Thoughts?

Thanks!
Mark

Mark; I throw 4-6 OZ plus bait all the time on the beach using a Allstar 1508 listed at 4-10 set up for Spinning, and can put it out there 135 yds Measured by casting on the beach.
With the 10 ft casting rod he should be able to hit the mark at aroud 4 OZ tell him to try Sputnick sinkers. That 5-12 might be a little heavy might need to step down to a 4-6 OZBlank

Thanks. I had read Allstar was sold? Are the blanks still available - couldn't find 'em? Also should clarify the way my friend fishes in the channel.

He cast out - lets the bait/lure sink. When it hits the bottom he retrieves a few yards then lets it drift and bounce 3-4 times then lets it stick for a few minutes. Then he retrieves and does it all over again. Thats a lot of casting. If he were just tossing bait and letting it sit -- it would be one thing but he is casting all the time. I think no more than a 6oz rod would be appropriate. He is bent on a 10' 1 pc rod - having trouble finding one up to 6oz in a 10' length. I could use American tackle or move to the SW1209 instead of the SU. Any other suggestions? Any other comments/suggestions on the blank and lure wt? With a 7 knot rip -- its hard to get the line down and keep it down. I will look at the Sputnik Sinkers.

Thanks
Mark

Your description of where your friend is fishing sounds very much like the "Ditch" in Mass. The three most popular blanks seem to be the Lami XRA 126 1MH, the Allstar 1209, or the Batson SU 1209. The Batson SU 1208 is perfect for 2-5oz. with a sweet spot around 4oz., where the 1209 is 4oz. +++++. Allstar doesn't shine casting, but seems to be the go to rod when the big fish are lurking. The Lami Ara gets the nod if money isn't an issue.

The SU1208 is a sweet blank for tossing 3 and 4oz. But keep in mind, if he is fishing in current that fast, he not only has to toss the 3 or 4oz jig, but he also has to fight the fish in that current. The SU1209 is a great rod for that job. It's a beast of a blank, and will not load great with weight under 4oz. (if at all) But as your friend says, he has trouble keeping 3oz on the bottom, and the bottom is where you have to be to get those big girls. We fish in a very similar local up here in Mass. Sounds like your friend is fishing the same ditch we are. Most of us toss 4and 5oz jigs, and the 1209 is a HUGE favorite. And we toss those 5oz jigs all night long...

Good Luck
Bob

Darren - re-post with your last name or the post will be deleted as per the rules.

I don't surf fish, never fished the CCC, but I do read the surf boards a bit - I don' t think t's possible to go overkill for where you wanna fish. From what others have posted here and elsewhere, teh 1209 (All Star, AmTak, Rainshadow) is the preferred choice.

All -- Thanks again! Unfortunately Darrin didn't post his last name (first time he has posted on this board) and his post was deleted. But you all hit the mark -- he is fishing the "ditch". My only concern was that he'd told me he tossed mostly 3 ounce jigs and plugs -- not enough to load the 1209. Since he has other rods that can toss the lighter plugs, baits and jigs -- the 1209 is the way he wants to go. Again thanks.

Tom -- if I can make a suggestion -- as my very first post was also deleted. I don't know if this can be done on this board but is done on many other sites that require guest login or other info but add seperate fields for first last name and email address. If any one of the fields are blank -- the poster cannot proceed to add a message or post. This might alleviate some of problems.