15 hours ago, Bigbox99 said:

Those long limber rods don't benefit from the wrist snappy type casts we employ with our short stiff bass rods.  I learned this when I got my 7'6" L powered Kuying Leadership.  Normal casting made a wave form undulate down the blank and yielded worse and worse casting the harder I cast.   I learned to more softly cast and to get tip speed with vortex casting instead of wrist snap and actually began to prefer my linearag brake reels when paired to this technique.  @bulldog1935 knows all about this and is how he fishes his saltwater finesse.  

 

There is a related topic up right now on the snappy casting mechanic we use with bass rods.   Basically, don't cast this way with these long limber saltwater rods but do cast this way with you average 7' MH bass rod.

 

https://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/267975-casting-mechanics/

When did I ever say anything about "wrist snapping?    Whether it's a Suzuki or NE style surf rod, you're not snap casting like you would a 1/20 head and tiny swimbait with a 6'8 ML. 

The ML Dialuna has enough power to push lighter baits, but you're not getting that power from the just the wrist.  You push and pull, instead of just whipping it quickly.

I have a 7' UL fenwick, that blank has no power at all.  You just lob it.    

The most efficient cast for distance is a pendulum cast.  If I were to pendulum that rod with a half ounce it would likely damage the blank or break it.  I can use heavier baits, but the blank feels grossly overloaded. 

Most traditional surf rods are mod action, and they can cast very far. You have a ton of power in the lower end and the extra-long handle for additional leverage.

If I didn't learn how to cast a surf rod in nearly 30 years of fishing the wash, I would have to quit.

 

 

On 9/24/2025 at 7:43 AM, Bigbox99 said:

For a high end option there is the Daiwa Heartland Spinning HL 802MHFS-SV13 Shinzan Biwako Spec.  It's an 8' MH bass rod designed for shore casting.  Daiwa Hearland is one of their top teir rod lines and beautifully detailed.  

Does this one look any good?  It's cheap but I maybe too cheap with heavy guides especially in the spinning model.

 

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256807158872005.html?

On 9/24/2025 at 7:57 AM, bulldog1935 said:

@Bigbox99 - might be worth a try for a spinning rod.  

Spinning rods can get by with fewer tip guides, because they're always loaded in pure bending.  

Casting needs higher-quality blank and more tip guides, because fish loads put torsion on the top third.  

When I was buying multipiece shore rods to fit a bike half--frame bag to pedal to a tide barrier only accessible this way, I bought an inexpensive 8-1/2' 7-pc that I knew didn't have enough tip guides.  

But the guides were spaced right that I also knew I could assemble the rod for spiral wrap with rings down to take the torsion off the tip-third.  

 

I put paint dots on the joints for quick spiral-wrap alignment.