Best Surf Fishing Rod

[Fish Ninja]

Thanks mate, looks awesome. I'm looking for something that I can use in any conditions though, that won't have me getting back online, shopping around again. I'm hoping to get one good setup that will do it all. I'm planning on getting out several days per week, even if the conditions aren't ideal, so I want something that can clear the surf if need be. Does that mean I need 12 foot plus?

Seems like the Messiah is what would normally be ideal but is that going to be too difficult to cast with one hand? The Nitro Surf Assassin is 375 grams I think but I'm not sure what the Messiah weighs. Surely a bit more. They're supposedly all pretty light.

These 100 gram rods sound perfect in terms of weight but if they're not right for the conditions, I feel like persevering with a slightly heavier rod that's still on the light end of things might be better.

[Sebb]

12ft rod will be quite heavy, and bigger swing means harder to cast, especially one hand.
Maybe best is just to visit few diff stores and try. See which ones fit you.

[4liters]

Thanks a lot for the advice mate, I really appreciate it! Checking it out now. Looks great and super light! Is something like that ok for snapper? I'm looking to fish around Jan Juc (which is a surf beach that can be rough with waves well over a meter at times) and it sounds like it's quite possible to get gummies on the line there. I want to be able to handle anything on the line. I do want to eat what I catch though and salmon and snapper is what I'd be hoping for.

Are lures a good way to go? Bait sounds more successful but cutting things up might be a bit difficult for me and I do like the idea of lures. I would prefer to be as active as possible with fishing rather than casting and waiting for bites so I think targeting shallower gutters with lures might be better than just flinging bait to the horizon.

That rod would handle snapper and salmon fine. I would definitely not be using it to bait fish with though as you should only be casting up to around 20g with it and when fishing with bait you're liable to hook a ray or a gummy that it wouldn't be able to handle.

Snapper aren't super common off beaches. People get them occasionally but if I wanted to target snapper landbased a pier with some reef nearby would be a better bet. One metal lures you'll catch plenty of salmon though.

One of the reasons for using a longer rod when bait fishing from the beach is to help keep the line out of the shore break. If you're using a shorter rod then you'll want to fish low swell days only or it's not going to be easy.

[dazz999]

Thanks mate, looks awesome. I'm looking for something that I can use in any conditions though, that won't have me getting back online, shopping around again. I'm hoping to get one good setup that will do it all. I'm planning on getting out several days per week, even if the conditions aren't ideal, so I want something that can clear the surf if need be. Does that mean I need 12 foot plus?

Seems like the Messiah is what would normally be ideal but is that going to be too difficult to cast with one hand? The Nitro Surf Assassin is 375 grams I think but I'm not sure what the Messiah weighs. Surely a bit more. They're supposedly all pretty light.

These 100 gram rods sound perfect in terms of weight but if they're not right for the conditions, I feel like persevering with a slightly heavier rod that's still on the light end of things might be better.

Hey buddy my pick would be the Messiah .Have you looked at the Breakaway casting cannon to help you

[Fish Ninja]

Yes, looks like the same product as the Bionic Finger which I'd like to get. Thanks for the suggestion!

I emailed a company that stocks these rods and was told that the Surf Assassin was the best option but another salesman that I spoke to in-store said they didn't carry the Nitro rods but owned the Messiah and Surf Assassin and said to go with the Messiah, so now I'm a bit torn.

I think the suggestions here to go with the shorter, lighter rods are solid advice but if I can make a longer, stronger rod work, I'd prefer to try that first.

Looking at a video on YouTube of someone actually casting the Messiah, I think a one handed cast is out of the question. A one handed cast was the salesman's suggestion but I think I can probably get my other arm involved, just not as effectively as most people could.

That being the case, I think I'm between the Messiah and the Surf Assassin as I may well get gummies on the line and I don't want to be limited by the rod. I also don't want to be restricted to only calm days so I think I'll try the longer rods and if they are beyond what I can handle, I'll just have to bite the bullet and sell up and accept that a shorter, lighter rod is what I can manage. I'm not keen on limiting myself without having a proper crack at the longer rods because even if the shorter rods are my limit, I'll always wonder until I inevitably get a longer rod to test it out.

So all of that said, if I'm taking a chance on either the Surf Assassin or Messiah, any input on this that helps with the decision is much appreciated.

[DougieK]

I've had a Messiah for 6 years and it never missed a beat. I freaking love this rod. Here it is on a metre of kingfish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X3pGRWLbEA&t=2s&ab_channel=Annaren

BUT

A longer rod will give you more trouble casting and fighting fish if you're not athletic or biomechanically compromised.

AND

You -can- spin with a 13 footer but it's extremely physically taxing. You absolutely cannot cast one effectively one handed and anyone suggesting you could do so is lying to you. Dead set, I might be able to cast my Messiah 20ish metres one handed and I'm a 110kg professional martial artist. If there is any doubt, I'll set it up and take it down to the foreshore and record a video, it would be a hilarious thing to even consider.

As much as I love the Messiah, given you're casting will be compromised, if you're fishing off a beach, I would highly recommend something a bit shorter. Nitro make a rod called the Rockstar which is a 10 footer which is another 350-400 dollar rod, with a budget version being a Penn Allegience II for about $109.

[Sebb]

Check this Shimano Exsence travel. Its a travel rod, so easy to carry, and it's light. Gotta get from Japan though. They use DHL express, so it'll arrive quick. Expensive though.

https://www.plat.co.jp/shop/catalog/pro ... pping.html

[Fish Ninja]

I've had a Messiah for 6 years and it never missed a beat. I freaking love this rod. Here it is on a metre of kingfish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X3pGRWLbEA&t=2s&ab_channel=Annaren

BUT

A longer rod will give you more trouble casting and fighting fish if you're not athletic or biomechanically compromised.

AND

You -can- spin with a 13 footer but it's extremely physically taxing. You absolutely cannot cast one effectively one handed and anyone suggesting you could do so is lying to you. Dead set, I might be able to cast my Messiah 20ish metres one handed and I'm a 110kg professional martial artist. If there is any doubt, I'll set it up and take it down to the foreshore and record a video, it would be a hilarious thing to even consider.

As much as I love the Messiah, given you're casting will be compromised, if you're fishing off a beach, I would highly recommend something a bit shorter. Nitro make a rod called the Rockstar which is a 10 footer which is another 350-400 dollar rod, with a budget version being a Penn Allegience II for about $109.

Thanks mate. It was your old casting video that I was referencing earlier. I was looking at the Rockstar too but the research I've done has steered me toward a 12 foot rod. It's starting to sound like perhaps I should just rent something to start with to see how I manage and go from there. I appreciate the input!

[Fish Ninja]

Check this Shimano Exsence travel. Its a travel rod, so easy to carry, and it's light. Gotta get from Japan though. They use DHL express, so it'll arrive quick. Expensive though.

https://www.plat.co.jp/shop/catalog/pro ... pping.html

Thanks mate, that looks awesome! I have it bookmarked. Might well be the one.

[Fish Ninja]

I've had a Messiah for 6 years and it never missed a beat. I freaking love this rod. Here it is on a metre of kingfish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2X3pGRWLbEA&t=2s&ab_channel=Annaren

BUT

A longer rod will give you more trouble casting and fighting fish if you're not athletic or biomechanically compromised.

AND

You -can- spin with a 13 footer but it's extremely physically taxing. You absolutely cannot cast one effectively one handed and anyone suggesting you could do so is lying to you. Dead set, I might be able to cast my Messiah 20ish metres one handed and I'm a 110kg professional martial artist. If there is any doubt, I'll set it up and take it down to the foreshore and record a video, it would be a hilarious thing to even consider.

As much as I love the Messiah, given you're casting will be compromised, if you're fishing off a beach, I would highly recommend something a bit shorter. Nitro make a rod called the Rockstar which is a 10 footer which is another 350-400 dollar rod, with a budget version being a Penn Allegience II for about $109.

Looking at Nitro's site, the Rockstar is shorter than the Surf Assassin but it's actually heavier.

These are the specs:

Rockstar:

10 foot
445 grams
Line weight: 10-20kg
Lure weight: 57-114g

Surf Assassin:

12 foot
375 grams
Line weight: 4-10kg
Lure weight: 21-84g

Is the shorter but heavier rod going to be more manageable than the longer but lighter rod? Sounds like the inertia generated by a longer rod is the issue.

I tried to replicate the casting action that you were doing in your YouTube video where you were practising on an oval with the Messiah with a short broom that would have to be as heavy as these rods and was able to whip it around to a 45 degree angle with no issue but it sounds like a longer rod with bait etc attached could be a different thing.

At least from trying that I'm less concerned about casting and more concerned about reeling but that did seem okay in the shop. I guess it's hard for me to know how the actual gear will feel on the beach though and hard for other people to know exactly how I'll be able to manage it without actually seeing me try it.