Recommend beach casting rod

Member Joined: Jul 15, 2005 Posts: 18 Location: Somerset

HI Could you beachcaters out there recommend a good beach casting rod for a fairly small guy? (I'll be bigger after Chrsitmas!). It would be interesting to get a range of opinions. I'd like something that can distance cast - mainly off the floor but hopefully pendulum eventually, so then I'll know it's me that's at fault and not the rod. Look forard to heraing your thoughts.
cheers
DW

Posted: Wed Nov 16, 2005 6:16 pm

Hi mate,

try and have a look at a zziplex dreamcast 50/50. Ihave a few zziplex and this one is by far the best. You wont be dissapointed.
Or try a century tip tornado.

tight lines

Member Joined: Oct 22, 2005 Posts: 65 Location: South East

Hellow there "dwdw1"

Would have to admitt with raymondo on the fact that buying zipplez you wouldnt be dissapointed, but price wise if you havnt looked, these rods arnt cheap.

When i say that, you are looking at rods of £300 each.
Ok, zipplex probly being some of the best in the world for shore fishing
but you should take into account how much fishing you actually do.

Have a look at the daiwa range of surf rods, being british made and of good qaulity . As for the price of one zipplex you could get two very nice beach casters built for british waters, i use the 12ft TDSS daiwa myself and have also never been disapointed with them.

Its true to the point,, you pays your money you takes your choice but for quality and value for money you cant go wrong with DAIWA :wink:

Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:21 pm

Hi dwdw1,

Greys rods are worth a serious look too - British made and not too expensive either. I have a 13' Orion with a 525 mag - does the job for me.

Member Joined: Jul 15, 2005 Posts: 18 Location: Somerset

Thanks for all the suggestions so far - It's all helpful when there are just so many rods out there. I'm trying a conoflex Nemesis at present = an old one - but Ive had so little experience I don't know wheter it's good or bad.
thanks again,
cheers
DWDW1

Member Joined: Sep 29, 2005 Posts: 84

Hello dwdw1, i find that zziplex are the best rods , the centurys have a nice factory finish, but the zziplex are the fishermans fishing rod. I have two 12 foot ng3, which are about twenty years old and they are a so easy to cast with and the blanks are in perfect condition.

Zziplex are basically a rod for life so £300 is quite cheap, if you use it 52 times a year for 30 years, it means it cost you 19p every time you go fishing!

You definately wont be dissapointed if you buy zziplex.

P.s there is a bloke on ebay who rebuilds zziplex, last time i saw his add he was selling a zziplex dream machine (this particular model is exactly that, a dream machine)

Laters jim.

Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 10:34 pm

i personally would opt for a zzippy. you should look at the 3500 a very nice rod indeed.

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 8:42 pm

id still have a look at the greys, not a tall bloke mesel i use the impulse, ideal for all the situations you mentioned and its user friendly.

Posted: Mon Nov 21, 2005 10:48 pm

Where abouts will you be using this rod DWDW1 is it a sandy, shingle beach or is it a rock mark? Just a thought cos if you are fishing say over rough ground with a fierce tide you will need summit a bit lumpyer or the other way for like eausturies. :wink:

Member Joined: Jul 15, 2005 Posts: 18 Location: Somerset

HI I fish in two main areas. The Bristool channel where I'm usually on clean ground, and over in West Wales in an area where it's quite rocky. So i need a bit of everything really.

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2005 4:29 pm

TAke a look at the Penn Copperhead. Nice Rod in general and i can cast one well in excess of 140 yards at just the age of 15. Its 14 foot and handles upto 8oz's, good rod for cod fishing because its on the heavier side of a mixed ground rod but not as stiff as something like an axcellerator by ron thompson. The only problem is when ya get a big sea it can be a bit bouncy due to its length.

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2005 11:23 pm

DWDW1,have a look at the greys nitra,excellent rod,just as good as zippys

Member Joined: Oct 22, 2005 Posts: 65 Location: South East

Lets be fair on this one gentlemen,,,
thers not alot of rods that are as good as the zipplex infact ide say there arnt any as good.
There build quality, strength, weight and finess of that british finish are unchallangeable.
The fact being not too many people know this, the other fact is there so bloody exspensive not too many people can afford them.....
Me being one of them "lol" big grin

Posted: Fri Nov 25, 2005 11:20 pm

EUGE
Got a zippy myself mate,and on the rocks and cliffs i`d rather use my nitra,supasport or kompressor than my zippy.Zippys are ok for mixed ground and even clean beaches but up here in the northeast you need a rod with backbone and the zippy just aint got what it takes.so to be fair YES there are better rods than the Zipplex range mate

Member Joined: Oct 22, 2005 Posts: 65 Location: South East

Hello there "medlar"
I happen to own a video that is based on rod building.
As to my knowledge it is the only surf rod building video I know of.
It shows Phil Hyde, who is a professional custom rod builder,building the hyporactive Zziplex rod.
This is the only rod he builds on the video, as an adjunct to the video Phil, Liam Dale and Terry Carol of Zziplex, the producer of some of the finest surf rod blanks in the world, have designed a surf rod which you can see being built on the tape.
Unquestionably, there are some very powerful rods out there. When it comes to the rocks I own a 12ft Paul Kerry Supercast 4oz-8oz, which is made by Daiwa and is one powerful stick. Still back to the video and the Zziplex, he states that glass fibre wasn't invented until 1948, which at the time was the 'state of the art'.
The present and the future came along, which gave us the latest material of a mixture of carbon fibre and glass fibre. This is used to produce todays modern surf casting rods.
Lots of people buy Zziplex, paying an awful lot of money, and can't realy use them, due to not realizing the sheere quality of what they're holding.
Most people make the mistake of judging the rod on feel, and being so light they feel its going to snap. But being a mixture of carbon fibre and glass fibre, it's the toughest material you are likely to come across on any beach, and can put up with a lot more stick and poke than most anglers realize.
So in all honesty "Medlar", without being judgemental, for me Zziplex are the best rods ever made and I would question any angler as old and experienced as Lesley Moncrieff that states otherwise.

Zziplex have that thoroughbred sparkle, and are the Ferrari of fishing rods big grin