I have my brother coming down in a week and I need to add something quick. The ideal rod would be a spinning rod capable of fishing up to 15-20#. It should be able to throw a live bait to a sighted dolphin. Needless to say it has to be able to handle said fish.

Now my brother lives in Pensacola (I'm in Hollywood, FL) and I'd like to make him a gift of the rod. He would use it for wading from the shore for trout and redfish.

I understand that it is never smart to ask a rod to do too many things. That said I was wondering if a popping rod might be a reasonable choice. It would seem to be the right choice for his home waters. I would think it would throw a small/moderate sized live bait fish fine. And it should have a enough power in the lower section to handle 20-30 pound fish. Mudhole has the IMP904 on closeout at a price I can afford.

Think it is worth a try? We could use it for offshore for the next couple of weeks and afterwards reds and trout for him and bones and tarpon for me:)

What size dolphin are we talking? 20 to 30lb dolphin are powerful fish. Not sure a popping rod is up to that task.

I have built many dolphin rods on Hot Shot blanks. The tips are light enough to throw a light plug or small bait, but they retain more than enough power to fight good sized fish.

..................

You know how it is Tom, when it comes to dolphin you never know what you are going to get. I'm okay with letting the line be the limiting factor. If that blank can fish an honest 15# I'll settle for that being enough. If it was intended to handle permit it should be fine. If it was made for trout it won't be! Just never felt it so I don't know. Figured someone here had. Looked like a good deal as well.

You are probably be better off with some thing in a 25/30 lb line range

Bill - willierods.com

One of the more powerful Hot Shot rods should work well for what you want. The tip will still be light enough to cast but you'll have good power down in the mid and butt areas.

.........

Russel,
if you are referring to the Lami's Mudhole have on closeout, i have one built up and would say its not up to Mahi of any good size: Chickens sure, not a bull.
Its an excellent blank and i love it, but for big gator specs, slot reds,black drum,and general scratching around.
I use 20# suffix braid on it . It does cast a smaller livebait pretty well and the tip is soft enough for livebaiting. Its just not what i would target bigger stronger fish like bull dolphin with.
They have the GSA1023H lami on closeout too. Its a steelhead blank and i am happier with that for bigger fish even though its a foot longer. I have stopped a few bull reds on it and a lot of rays and am busy with another build of one for my buddy who also travels a lot. I like the 8 1/2 foot when wading surf as i am not always in flat water like the gulf. Its great of gulf piers too.
But I think even that blank could have a problem with a 30# dorado.

Thanks guys. You have saved me from an impluse buy:)

Seems y'all think those dolphin tougher than I do. A 30 pounder on 20# spinning gear is my idea of fun. Make that a 30 pound amberjack and I'm thinking of waving the white flag.

I wish they would get some choices in the MHX line for me. I could use a good 20# spinning setup for around $100 turnkey.


Russ

Look at the MHX CB847, CB907 or CB967 ... they are multi-modulus 12-25# blanks in a mod-fast action. The durability is there and the price is where you want it to be.

Tom Mentioned the Hot Shot style blanks> take a look at the Rainshadow HS962. I personally prefer the RCLB line of rods and would recommend the RCLB80XL.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact Batsons directly>>

877-875-2381
www.batsonenterprises.com

I personally am building RCLB70L for a similar task. It will be use for live lining off my dads offshore boat. I personally dont see the need for teh XL that Bill mentioned. He landed a 35lber earlier this year on a rod that didnt have close to the reserve power of the RCLB70L. The light tip is kind of decieving as the rod has plenty of back bone to put the brakes on most of the fish we encounter of the NC coast Live lining. I would seriously look at that blank, and the price is excellent

I've personally caught a 35# cobia on 4# test last year. I was targeting them with that specific outfit. I enjoy ultra light tackle fishing, so this is sort of right up my alley. The only main difference I find between cobia and dolphin is the aerial display as their overall power is similar. I will be looking for a nice 20+# cobia and/or dolphin this year on a 6wt fly rod.

I would look for something in the slot redfish range (10-20#), which will be overkill for just about any trout, but up to the task of a nice dolphin (25# and under). Fish 20# braid on a 4000 sized reel with the drag set at 3# (it will increase as the spool decreases) and no dolphin will spool you before it tires. A 10-20# rod is usually a pretty perfect matchup with 12# mono. I chose the 20# braid for line capacity more than anything. Yet you will still need something both light (casting reds/trout) and with the durability for offshore fishing.You also nearly always have the option of backing off a little and chasing a large fish offshore. For that reason alone, you can go lighter, but keep a decent backbone in the rod. Mag bass rod may be a very good fit. MHX MB844 (12-20#).