cheap stick bait rod ??
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Popper and Topwater Fishing
Forum Description: If you're into a bit of action on top, this is the forum for you
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=74515
Printed Date: 08 Jun 2026 at 3:57pm
Topic: cheap stick bait rod ??
Posted By: the angler
Subject: cheap stick bait rod ??
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2012 at 11:49am
is there such a thing ? are there cheaper options out there that do a decent job for 3 - 400$ or should i set my sights i bit higher have looked at the vanstals on trade me and the bb elites both similar price .will get a show pony modal one day when i get the stella but in the mean time my 7ft strayline rod aint cutting the mustard ,any thoughts recommendations or mockery welcomed 
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Replies:
Posted By: seawolf
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2012 at 2:20pm
| okuma andros 8ft stickbaiting rod pe4 to 6 $300 retail, offshore rodworks make stickbait rods like their illusion softbait rods round $400. the old okuma x factor 8ft6 xf862 retails for $120! and was someone on this site put up some photos of some mean kings taken on one! |
Posted By: Cbro
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2012 at 2:42pm
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I have a cast once BB elite that I am willing to part with, purchased to take to the 3 kings but I never used it as the fish where on the bottom. PM me an offer if you want. |
Posted By: laidbackdood
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2012 at 8:00pm
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For the budget starter, a rocky 2(spin version) would do the job...especially off the rocks(which i will be doing tomorrow)....I have caught a 22.5 kg king on it off the bricks,so can vouch for it there....not so sure on a boat as its no so bendy...The shimano caranx Pencil instrument would be the next stage up and often on here or trade me for 400.00 used.If you have the dosh...there are the likes of smiths,ripplefisher and Carpenter(if you can get hold of em).You need a softer tip than a popping rod to help cast the stickbaits and then move them somoothly without lifting them out of the water.The rod needs to bend midway as kings tend to fight more straight up and down(boat). I will let you know how it goes(rocky) 2 moro...if i get stuck into em.I am sure some with more knowledge than me will pipe in and its just a big learning curve......And then there are the sickbaits
 but thats another story......------------- Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens. |
Posted By: the angler
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2012 at 10:30pm
| may keep my eyes open for a second hand caranax or price up a custom offshore then if they are around 400 mark i went to there website but it has no detail on prices etc. |
Posted By: the angler
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 9:00am
| been looking at the shimano terez popper rods online they sound good if you believe the hype ,a forward powerhandle grip, good price and nice colour range as well but i cant find anyone selling the 7"8 popper rod in nz ? seems theres about 24 modals in the range but we only get a few brought in . has anyone tried them out the yanks are hypeing em up but thats wot they do . |
Posted By: Structfab
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 9:22am
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Ocean Tackle International 24kg Tuna Sniper popping rod does the trick for me. These use to be $800 at smart marine a few years back but they cleared them on trademe for $399. Casting 75-100grams these things are awesome, I manage to swim most stickbaits Ok. Also picked up a CD Rods Gamecaster 10-15kg 2nd hand ($200) for the intention of stickbaits too, just ain't really tried it yet, but it appears to be the goods. I originally tried a BB Elite Popping Rod which I found terribly stiff and impossible to swim alot of stickbaits. One day a Carpenter/Stella combo shall magically appear in my arsenal and I won't bother messing with such common fodder anymore |
.Posted By: laidbackdood
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 9:22am
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Youll find its hard to find a rod that is good for sticks and pops and might well need two different ones or one popper rod that can do a reasonable job of stick baiting...The rocky is good for pops and sticks as long as you dont use big cup type pops or bloopers(hard to get the action on em with softer tip).....pencil poppers work well and williamson jet poppers work well as they have little resistance in the water. Those popper rods will have a stiffer action...The jm monster(8 foot 3) will do a 70/30 job of poppers/sticks....Its really a popper rod but you could get away with it....Look at your priorities i guess...Hope this helps,Just my 2 cents worth but im no expert.
 ------------- Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens. |
Posted By: laidbackdood
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 9:26am
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Structfab=How long is this rod mate?=CD Rods Gamecaster 10-15kg 2nd hand ($200).....Wondering if its the same as mine. Another option for the thread writer...as above. ------------- Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens. |
Posted By: Structfab
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 9:52am
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laidbackdood wrote:Posted By: petethemeat
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 10:54am
| Excuse my ignorance, what's a "Rocky"? |
Posted By: fishntips
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 1:40pm
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It is a stiff pole of a rod from yesteryear. You would find it extremely hard to get thing to even bend. It has a short limp and bendy bit on the end. Do you remember those stiff graphite rods with the little soft bit on the end, from that era. The sort of rod that loads up ridiculously unenevenly i.e. super soft to super stiff. rod like that would kill you on a kingfish from a boat. Can't understand why it is being recommended here. Things have come along along way since these sorts of rods The shimano t-curve and offshore illusion will get you there for around the 4 to 5 hundy mark, won't break your wallet or your back and would swim sticks and small poppers no problems. Can remember before christmas there were about 4 shimano caranx Kaibutsu rods on here in the buy/sell, seemed like alot of people upgrading as the bug grabs hold. |
Posted By: the angler
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 4:51pm
| yep i know wot you mean i once witnessed pirate wrestling with a kingy on a jelly tip the fish was putting so much leverage on him we thought he was going to go over the side and a tendon in his wrist bulged up so much we had to duct tape his wrist up so he could keep fighting it then the handle of his 950ss broke off he got the fish but it almost broke him , i still chuckle thinking about it .took the kids fishing at the local river mouth today and had a play with few stick baits in the river definatly need a gentle touch with them to make them swim properly they look wicked when they are tho can see why they would turn a kingy on . do guys use swivels on em is braid twisting a problem ?? |
Posted By: Aaron32987
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 6:36pm
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Yep, you''ve got to work them gently at first and even ongoing in windy / swelly conditions. The slack line is the key, using that to load up the tip of the rod which causes the bait to dive and fizz through the water. I'm pretty inexperienced, but already i can see it taking over as the #1 technique for catching kings from the rocks for me, over live and dead baiting. Don't be too worried about the weight - I'm using an 18000 reel and it was a bit tiring at first but I've quickly got used to it an have had quite a few sessions of continuous casting both from the rocks and boats. Probably just hardened myself up...  To be honest, if you get a good stickbait rod and a good lure (I'm completely sold on the carpenter gammas - they will raise and hook fish in the most unlikely places as I've found) you'll likely find it so effective you'll not want to even bother with a popper if Kings are your target. The Caranx is a good rod, I sold mine not long ago as I was lucky enough to have a Carpenter come up second hand. |
Posted By: the angler
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 6:48pm
| have been offered a custom offshore for a price i cant refuse so will probably grab it to get me going are those carpenter lures that good ?? have seen them selling for more than i am paying for the rod!!! , surely some crafty bugger in indo has got copying them down to a fine art and is flogging them off for peanuts on alibaba . com |
Posted By: fish i
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 7:56pm
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I'm using a Offshore Illusion 8ft, lighter version, rated to 37kg but a nice light action good for working stickbaits and forgiving on the angler as they fold away nice and 'evenly. Bang for buck, the CTS blanks are awesome and Leon does a good build on them to put them out for an insanely good value mid priced rod. His stated casting weights are a bit off thou. You'll be more than happy with it mate, especially if you're getting a good deal. Haven't noticed too much of an issue with line twist for working stick baits, but I have been shore jigging with mine recently and have noticed a bit of line twist. Swivels are all good for using with poppers, but make working stickbaits a bit more difficult. If you do use swivels those jigstar ones with the grommets would be a good option I'd imagine, especially if using a lighter weight casting leader and you want to put some hurt on them. There is a good 'indo' crew making more affordable topwater lures ~ Adhek. Check out the Adhek Penipen. I just make my own topwater lures, save a whole lot, and pretty happy with results and action thus far. ------------- 6th place in the inaugural Te Kauwhata Regionals paddle crab division |
Posted By: the angler
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 9:20pm
| thanks for the heads up fishi does any one sell em in nz . my new rod is 60 bucks cheaper than a gamma lure at retail !! must be a bit of a status symbal thing in japan to spend hundreds of dollars on a lure then not use it because it cost so much . |
Posted By: fish i
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 9:28pm
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Bro, I'm sure people that use them will tell you they are worth every penny. It's not a status thing at all, more well tuned well proven fish catching enticers. ------------- 6th place in the inaugural Te Kauwhata Regionals paddle crab division |
Posted By: the angler
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 9:40pm
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he he yeah im sure that the 300$ + lure is going to catch way more kings than the -50 $ jobby when you are chucking them into packs of hungary hoodlums i have had popper sessions at the ranfurly banks where you could chuck out the roman sandal that jesus wore and it would have been eatin .
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Posted By: the angler
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2012 at 9:46pm
| sorry for sarcasm but im not gun spend the equivelent of a day on a charter boat on 1 lure unless i win lotto . |
Posted By: laidbackdood
Date Posted: 19 Jan 2012 at 7:21pm
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I used my pink panther(the original rocky) today...was casting most of my lures 100 metres with ease(off the bricks)...I have caught kings up to 22.5 kg on this rod(with a poxy 6500 that has only 7.5 kg of max drag)...It has never given me back pain at all...have caught 16 and 18 pound snappers on it too....has a great action which tires fish pretty quickly and only weighs 400 grams.(rods were not light at that time)It also has grunt down low....so i can recommend it for a newbie(especially off the rocks)....i wouldnt use it for the boat as its a bit stiff in the mid section for that but it worked my stick baits and poppers very well.If you plan to fish off the bricks...would be a good starter but if you want to boat fish...go for a caranx but you have to ask yourself why so many people are selling them?
------------- Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens. |
Posted By: laidbackdood
Date Posted: 19 Jan 2012 at 7:24pm
Did yours come with sic guides? ------------- Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens. |
Posted By: laidbackdood
Date Posted: 19 Jan 2012 at 7:27pm
 Rocky=Kiwi quality mate.Great off the bricks dood but not on a boat as you say.Ive heard people say the caranx is too stiff and gives em backache. ------------- Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens. |
Posted By: ChrisW
Date Posted: 19 Jan 2012 at 10:13pm
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JM have the GT Monster 80 and Surface Assassin 75 or 83. all great rods under $900. ------------- give it death! |