Need Ocean Fluke rod recommendation

[captmike28]

Thanks Mike, I am giving it serious consideration. I went to Fishermans world in Connecticut today to pull on one and I liked it but the one I‘m considering is a used acid wrapped Model. I prefer the regular conventional model.
btw…I could not believe all the new rods that have hit the market, I saw a factory rod that was close to $500. ?

You are correct, Anthony, There are a number of really nice rods on the market today as "off the shelf" offerings that are nearly as expensive as many custom builds. "Tackle addiction" is a very tough illness to beat!!

BTW, I plan to put that BH/Catalina combo to the test tomorrow at Montauk. Hope to have some impressive pix to post!

 

[Occh639]

You are correct, Anthony, There are a number of really nice rods on the market today as "off the shelf" offerings that are nearly as expensive as many custom builds. "Tackle addiction" is a very tough illness to beat!!

BTW, I plan to put that BH/Catalina combo to the test tomorrow at Montauk. Hope to have some impressive pix to post!

Good luck today , catch em up!

 

[Leprechaun]

If he doesn't today, he probably will tomorrow.

When he will be fishing on MY boat!

 

[CaptFP]

Anthony- I was in Fisherman's World last week too. Don't over look the Tsunami slow pitch or the Daiwa Proteus SS either. Good value for the money. Not sure what your budget is but not everybody can afford a $500 custom.

 

[Leprechaun]

"If he doesn't today, he probably will tomorrow.

When he will be fishing on MY boat! "

Called it! 8lbs5oz:

 

[CaptFP]

NICE!

 

[Occh639]

Anthony- I was in Fisherman's World last week too. Don't over look the Tsunami slow pitch or the Daiwa Proteus SS either. Good value for the money. Not sure what your budget is but not everybody can afford a $500 custom.

Thanks , and I agree

 

[Occh639]

"If he doesn't today, he probably will tomorrow.

When he will be fishing on MY boat! "

Called it! 8lbs5oz:

View attachment 36147

Nice job

 

[Essex]

If I can piggyback on this thread, I was wondering if you had a good fluke rod for a chicken rig when the conditions are not right for buck tailing and would rather drop a heavy sinker. I fish MTK waters and sometimes the buck tailing up there is hard. Also, anyone know a company that makes good hi/lo rigs with sinker holding.
Thanks

 

[Leprechaun]

“. . . and would rather drop a heavy sinker.”

How heavy a sinker?

 

[Occh639]

W

If I can piggyback on this thread, I was wondering if you had a good fluke rod for a chicken rig when the conditions are not right for buck tailing and would rather drop a heavy sinker. I fish MTK waters and sometimes the buck tailing up there is hard. Also, anyone know a company that makes good hi/lo rigs with sinker holding.
Thanks

I can’t recommend a rod offhand for that application but why not just tie two or three dropper loops above your sinker surgeons loop , I think that’s basically what a chicken rig Is. On those dropper loops you can put a few baitholder hooks or even a few small 1/8 or 1/4 poison tail jigs from Backwater Custom Baits(or any jig head you like) Throw some Gulp or cut strip bait on and your good to go I think.

 

[Essex]

“. . . and would rather drop a heavy sinker.”

How heavy a sinker?

If I can’t bucktail, I am thinking heavy like 8-10 ozs

 

[Leprechaun]

O.K., Anthony/Occ639 is correct, a "Chicken RIg" is nothing more than a B/S Rig, with a second, higher dropper loop. You can tie it yourself, using the directions in this thread:

The "B/S" Fluke Jiggin' Rig

Those of you who have read my stuff over the years, going back to the "old" site, know that I've frequently mentioned doing all my fluking with my B/S Rig, but there are still a goodly group of readers that do not know what that is. First, let's get this out of the way - I named it "B/S," not...

nyangler.com

My suggestion is to tie it with clear 40lb. test Berkley Big Game mono, for toughness, ease of handling, and cost-effectiveness.

Now as to the rod, there are many that would fill the bill. First, are you talking custom-built or factory off the rack rod? How about length? I personally like a 6'6" rod or preferably even a bit shorter, because I do my fishing from a relatively small boat, and because I'm of average height. If you are a big dude, and/or are fishing from a party boat or large charter boat, then a 7' length might be a better choice. Also, many of the newer factory rods are built in the "Asian jigging" style, meaning a very short foregrip and a very long rear grip - because that type of handle setup is preferred for the style of jigging that is popular in the Far East, right now.

Answer the above as best you can and I and others can make some suggestions.

Lep

 

[Essex]

O.K., Anthony/Occ639 is correct, a "Chicken RIg" is nothing more than a B/S Rig, with a second, higher dropper loop. You can tie it yourself, using the directions in this thread:

The "B/S" Fluke Jiggin' Rig

Those of you who have read my stuff over the years, going back to the "old" site, know that I've frequently mentioned doing all my fluking with my B/S Rig, but there are still a goodly group of readers that do not know what that is. First, let's get this out of the way - I named it "B/S," not...

nyangler.com

My suggestion is to tie it with clear 40lb. test Berkley Big Game mono, for toughness, ease of handling, and cost-effectiveness.

Now as to the rod, there are many that would fill the bill. First, are you talking custom-built or factory off the rack rod? How about length? I personally like a 6'6" rod or preferably even shorter, because I do my fishing from a relatively small boat. But if you are fishing from a party boat or large charter boat, then a 7' length would most likely be a better choice. Also, many of the newer factory rods are built in the "Asian jigging" style, meaning a very short foregrip and a very long rear grip - because that type of handle setup is preferred for the style of jigging that is popular in the Far East, right now.

Answer the above as best you can and I and others can make some suggestions.

Lep

I would probably prefer a factory off the rack rod and I fish mainly party boats are small open boat charters, so 7 feet sounds good.

 

[Leprechaun]

I would look into a Jigging World (now Tackle World) stick. I recall speaking with a few guys that have a specific model from JW that they use for this type of fishing. The problem is that JW offers so many different lines of rods, I cannot remember which specific rod it was. Night Ranger H? Black Demon? New Nano Carbon? Nexus? All are good rods for the money asked. If you can find the time to make a trip to their shop in New Jersey, you can individually evaluate each, maybe hang a 10oz sinker from the various candidate's tips - so to quickly weed thru the various lines and find exactly what you want.

Alternatively, Kilsong told me that his Black Hole Challenger Bank 731M is a very popular option for those that fish for big fluke up in New England up in those Nantucket Rips trips. Big sinker weights are common there - sometimes to 20oz plus. These are excellent factory rods, but a little on the pricey side - approaching a decent custom rod's price range.

I use one of Kil's 6'8" MH Black Hole Charter Specials for moderately heavy work, with sinker weights up to the 6-8oz range, and like it VERY much. Its the C-68/H3R. You however want something a bit heavier - so the C73MH would be the one for you. At 7'3", it fits your preferred length and will handle the weights you mentioned, without issues. The price of the Charter Specials is much more reasonable than the Challenger Bank rods as well. I like my 6'8" version A LOT!

In my own case, for days that require "really laying on the lead," I take along a Daiwa Proteus SS64HB and am very happy with its performance. The guide train on this rod is very delicate however, and therefore I wouldn't call it suitable for charter boat, or head boat use. Not to mention it is a good bit shorter than your stated preference.

There's a ton of other rods out there that are off-the-rack. The above are what I know well enough to recommend. I'm sure you'll get more opinions on this thread soon enough.

 

[Essex]

I would look into a Jigging World (now Tackle World) stick. I recall speaking with a few guys that have a specific model from JW that they use for this type of fishing. The problem is that JW offers so many different lines of rods, I cannot remember which specific rod it was. Night Ranger H? Black Demon? New Nano Carbon? Nexus? All are good rods for the money asked. If you can find the time to make a trip to their shop in New Jersey, you can individually evaluate each, maybe hang a 10oz sinker from the various candidate's tips - so to quickly weed thru the various lines and find exactly what you want.

Alternatively, Kilsong told me that his Black Hole Challenger Bank 731M is a very popular option for those that fish for big fluke up in New England up in those Nantucket Rips trips. Big sinker weights are common there - sometimes to 20oz plus. These are excellent factory rods, but a little on the pricey side - approaching a decent custom rod's price range.

I use one of Kil's 6'8" MH Black Hole Charter Specials for moderately heavy work, with sinker weights up to the 6-8oz range, and like it VERY much. Its the C-68/H3R. You however want something a bit heavier - so the C73MH would be the one for you. At 7'3", it fits your preferred length and will handle the weights you mentioned, without issues. The price of the Charter Specials is much more reasonable than the Challenger Bank rods as well. I like my 6'8" version A LOT!

In my own case, for days that require "really laying on the lead," I take along a Daiwa Proteus SS64HB and am very happy with its performance. The guide train on this rod is very delicate however, and therefore I wouldn't call it suitable for charter boat, or head boat use. Not to mention it is a good bit shorter than your stated preference.

There's a ton of other rods out there that are off-the-rack. The above are what I know well enough to recommend. I'm sure you'll get more opinions on this thread soon enough.

Thanks so much for this. The night Ranger looks awesome, but the 7’6 H that has a life weight of 6-12 is out of stock. The 701c-H is 2-6, would that be to light if I needed 8-10?

 

[Leprechaun]

Yes, I would think so. In that range I'd go with the BH Charter Special 6'8" all day long, twice on Sundays.

Is the Night Ranger the only stick JW offers that can handle a heavier sinker? I would have to think not. Why not give them a call and ask? They are super-nice people. Even given that they ARE in Joisey.

 

[CaptFP]

The Daiwa Harrier HRJ70HB is a 7' rated the same as your Proteous Lep

 

[Leprechaun]

The Harriers are a level or two down market from the Proteus SS rods, but are still very nice in their own right. You’d have to really compare them side by side to evaluate which would be “best” for your purposes. BTW, I think I saw that Daiwa has redone the Harrier line - and they were darn nice to begin with!

 

[CaptFP]

Your right, side by side would be best. The problem right now is finding one place with all the brands and models in stock. The supply issues are getting better and will be over soon.