macca02 Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Hi all, I've done a little bit of drummer fishing which I love and am trying to do more of and refine/get better at. I also want to chase snapper from the rocks in my area (Central coast) this coming winter, which is something I've never done before. I currently fish with an Alvey with 20lb Schneider mono. The rod Ive been using is an old "Shakespeare Blackstik", it's a 10ft 2 piece rod and I have no idea if it's suitable for drummer fishing, it nicked it from my old man's she'd and been using it ever since. Is there a rod or rod blank (2 piece) that would be the most appropriate for targeting drummer off the rocks (and might be suitable for snapper also) to match with an Alvey? Im open to get a custom build with a suitable blank if that's the best option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazatherfisherman Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 6 hours ago, macca02 said: Hi all, I've done a little bit of drummer fishing which I love and am trying to do more of and refine/get better at. I also want to chase snapper from the rocks in my area (Central coast) this coming winter, which is something I've never done before. I currently fish with an Alvey with 20lb Schneider mono. The rod Ive been using is an old "Shakespeare Blackstik", it's a 10ft 2 piece rod and I have no idea if it's suitable for drummer fishing, it nicked it from my old man's she'd and been using it ever since. Is there a rod or rod blank (2 piece) that would be the most appropriate for targeting drummer off the rocks (and might be suitable for snapper also) to match with an Alvey? Im open to get a custom build with a suitable blank if that's the best option. Hi Macca 02 have a look at Gary Howard range of rods- he has several that would be suitable and purpose built for Alveys. They also build specialised rods by order. You want something like a MT 8144 (8 wraps of glass 144 inches-12 foot) to do both. When I was still an active cliff-base fisher we used to get really big pigs but on 9 wrap super powerful rods or FSU 5120's both originally made by Butterworth then Snyder, they are still sold on facebook groups 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Hornet Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 (edited) I agree with Waza that a Gary Howard rod is the way to go, especially if you're chasing a low mount reel seat to suit your Alvey. Although he's based in Queensland, he's happy to build and send rods by courier to your chosen address. There's not a lot of info of his rods on the net, so I'll PM you a link plus his contact details. Edited April 17, 2020 by Green Hornet 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca02 Posted April 18, 2020 Author Share Posted April 18, 2020 Thanks guys and massive thanks to green hornet for the PM! I think I may actually have an MT8144 under the house (it's a 2 piece 12" Wilson supergraph heavy surf rod), from what I found these are a Graphite MT8144 blank? It's not a low mount rod though and I've never actually used it. Sounds like a Gary Howard one is the way to go or see if I can find an FSU5120 on eBay/Facebook. I do like using a 10 footer for pig fishing at the moment so I'm leaning towards that, though I guess it wouldn't be as ideal for the snapper side of things and needing the distance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazatherfisherman Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 9 minutes ago, macca02 said: Thanks guys and massive thanks to green hornet for the PM! I think I may actually have an MT8144 under the house (it's a 2 piece 12" Wilson supergraph heavy surf rod), from what I found these are a Graphite MT8144 blank? It's not a low mount rod though and I've never actually used it. Sounds like a Gary Howard one is the way to go or see if I can find an FSU5120 on eBay/Facebook. I do like using a 10 footer for pig fishing at the moment so I'm leaning towards that, though I guess it wouldn't be as ideal for the snapper side of things and needing the distance. If you are just Pig/Groper fishing the FSU 5120 is the go- but you wont get the same distance you want opposed to the MT- really need a separate rod for each style 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Hornet Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 4 minutes ago, wazatherfisherman said: If you are just Pig/Groper fishing the FSU 5120 is the go- but you wont get the same distance you want opposed to the MT- really need a separate rod for each style Agree with you Waza. My pig/jew rod of choice is a FSU 4120. Just as powerful and a heap lighter than the 8 wraps. Only in nasty terrain will I consider going up to 12 foot or longer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazatherfisherman Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 4 minutes ago, Green Hornet said: Agree with you Waza. My pig/jew rod of choice is a FSU 4120. Just as powerful and a heap lighter than the 8 wraps. Only in nasty terrain will I consider going up to 12 foot or longer. Hi Pete yes I had a 9108 which was awesome Pig rod but heavy, got stolen from that garage (had 2 of them stolen) FSU's perfect for the job, the 12 footer's are too long in my opinion and offer the fish more leverage against you. I also have a Silaflex FT 70 with the Aluminium extension (factory fitted) that was really good at stopping them but overhead mount -it was my live bait o/head rod, be getting close to 50 years old I reckon. Bought it 2nd hand for $20- bargain! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca02 Posted April 21, 2020 Author Share Posted April 21, 2020 I'm now leaning towards two separate rods (can never have enough, right?), a 10 foot (FSU5120) for pigs and either a 7144 or 8144 for distance casting for snapper. I've found a low mount Wilson Snyder glass Mt7144 online, though also considering a Gary Howard custom. Would a 7144 perform just as well as the 8144 for punching out a snapper lead and squid bait for snapper from the rocks? Or is an 8144 more ideal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazatherfisherman Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 21 minutes ago, macca02 said: I'm now leaning towards two separate rods (can never have enough, right?), a 10 foot (FSU5120) for pigs and either a 7144 or 8144 for distance casting for snapper. I've found a low mount Wilson Snyder glass Mt7144 online, though also considering a Gary Howard custom. Would a 7144 perform just as well as the 8144 for punching out a snapper lead and squid bait for snapper from the rocks? Or is an 8144 more ideal Hi Macca02 the 8144 would be far better, the 7144 wasn't built for snapper leads, but there are other rods in the Gary Howard range that would be suitable, drop them a line via Green Hornet's info. It's only my opinion but the Wilson Snyder's don't have the same reputation as either original Snyder's or previous Butterworth's - what strength line and cast weights are you mainly using? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimT Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 3 hours ago, macca02 said: I'm now leaning towards two separate rods (can never have enough, right?), a 10 foot (FSU5120) for pigs and either a 7144 or 8144 for distance casting for snapper. I've found a low mount Wilson Snyder glass Mt7144 online, though also considering a Gary Howard custom. Would a 7144 perform just as well as the 8144 for punching out a snapper lead and squid bait for snapper from the rocks? Or is an 8144 more ideal 8144 MT would be better especially if lifting good size fish is required. otherwise 7144MT is a bit lighter for long sessions but if 4 oz snapper leads and a good size bait is the norm then taking about 9 inches or about 200mm off the tip will help with casting heavier payloads Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Hornet Posted April 21, 2020 Share Posted April 21, 2020 (edited) Agree with what's been said above. If you're looking at "punching out a snapper lead", the 7144 is only rated to 85g cast weight, so its just not going to cut it. For that reason, plus the 7144 being a bit light on lifting weight, the 8144 would be a better choice. Before going either way, I'd try to see one in the flesh before buying. They are quite a heavy rod to hold for long periods and there are some newer design blanks out there far lighter. Edited April 21, 2020 by Green Hornet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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