Rod recommendations to pair with a 6000series

[STMU]

Hey everyone! I recently purchased a Fin-Nor 6000 series from a friend of mine and am shopping around for a rod to pair with it. I almost exclusively fish inshore with 2500 and 4000's, so this is a little out of wheelhouse. I got the reel for a great deal, and I wanted something with a little more backbone that I can target some bigger fish with. I'm thinking mostly tarpon and a cobia if I'm lucky.

I have redbone rods for inshore and love them. Good action, but great warranty. As heavy-handed as I am, I like a no question warranty where I only have slip a small piece of the rod into an envelope rather than ship the whole rod only find out they won't cover it (I'm looking at you Shimano ). I'm looking at a budget-friendly model, $100-$150 and something with a good warranty! Is that unrealistic? Anyone have any experience with redbone's larger rods, or suggest another company?

Also weighing the option of casting rod vs jigging rod. I am thinking a 6000 may be little to small for jigging, or pulling a grouper off a rock, so using it as casting rod for tarpon, or pitching bait to a cobia may be the better option. Plus I don't get offshore much!

Thank you for any recommendations y'all have. Always value the local input on this forum. Online user reviews from a box store always leave me with a lot of questions, like how much does this person even fish !

[silverking]

I could recommend a couple, but since I'm a Google BOT with no hands for casting, you're outa luck.

Seriously, take it you're talking about a F-N spinner. Ugly Sticks are inexpensive and can handle a lot of abuse. Sounds like you may have had a bad experience with Shimano, but don't discount the Teramar series. They are a blend of graphite and glass and are really resistant to breakage. And if you do break one, they can be replaced at a local dealer like Kevin's or South Georgia Outdoors. They're priced well within your budget. St. Croix's Mojo Inshore Heavy models are rated for 15 to 30-pound test in 7' or 7'6" lengths, which are plenty of muscle for most cobia, tarpon, sharks.

If it were me, I'd take the reel into a store, mount it to various rods and check the balance before you buy. Have fun shopping.

[STMU]

Thanks Silverking, and yes, it's a Fin-Nor spinner. I have one Terramar now. It's held up great, but I am not a huge fan of the action. That's probably my fault, as I picked the wrong style/action, but a couple of experiences with Shimano's warranty department were bad enough that they won't be getting another nickel out of me! I think they've got a little too big for their britches!!!

Great idea about trying it with different rods in the store. I'll definitely do that!

[Steve Stinson]

I am going to second SK's recommendation of an Ugly Stick Tiger Rod for this. The reason is that many years ago, this same subject came up and Capt. Gene Strickland out of Carabelle mentioned these rods to me. He often fished with inexperienced clients and said these were the toughest rods he had come across. Clients would hook a big grouper and let these rods lay across the gunnel railing while they fought the fish without breaking them. Gene also mentioned that when you are trolling for grouper, the tips on these rods are flexible enough to bounce when the lure is swimming correctly so you know immediately when your lure is fouled with weeds.

Based on the above testimony, I went out and bought two of these rods back around 2000 or 2001 and paired one with a 6500 series Shimano Baitrunner. I still have both rods and the Baitrunner combo is my favorite for cobia or grouper trolling. I know Ugly Stick isn't a high - end rod and frankly these rods are ugly puke-yellow colored, but they work well and last forever.

Good luck in whatever you choose and good fishin'
Steve Stinson

[FishWithChris]

I've got a 5 year old Ugly Stick Tiger-Lite that is about 5'6"? I call it the SNAPPAAAA SLAAPPPPPPAAAAAAAAAA.

It is an absolute beast. Otherwise, if you want to shell out a bit more, look into Bull Bay Rods new Brute Force / Tarpon Rods... Heavy Power, Fast Action, 30-50#, perfect for 6-10000 series reel sizes

[STMU]

Thanks everyone, I've got a couple of old ugly stiks I pair with some old black and gold penns. I've given those to people who don't fish much, they can't destroy them!

Those Tiger sound good, but I noticed online that the guides are metal, not ceramic. I'm guessing they are zinc. Have y'all had issues with them rusting?

http://www.uglystik.com/uglystik-rods-s ... l#start=10

[dombern34]

Thanks everyone, I've got a couple of old ugly stiks I pair with some old black and gold penns. I've given those to people who don't fish much, they can't destroy them!

Those Tiger sound good, but I noticed online that the guides are metal, not ceramic. I'm guessing they are zinc. Have y'all had issues with them rusting?

http://www.uglystik.com/uglystik-rods-s ... l#start=10

I MIGHT be able to build you a custom rod for somewhere in that ball park if you're interested in getting into something custom. along with a lifetime warranty.... and it's a no BS warranty.