PE8 Popping Rod Recommendations please

[Jay Burgess]

Well I've just sold my GT86 due to the fact that I found it a bit long and impractical for use primarily out of a boat. I am now in the search for a replacement PE8 popping rod a bit shorter in length. At the moment I'm looking at getting a Zenaq Fokeeto 76-7 Trevally which fits into my budget of around $650... but before I make the commitment I wouldn't mind hearing any other suggestions of similarly lengthed popping rods rated to PE8 and within my budget.

Jay

[Hon-Su Chin]

So you're after something closer to 7ft then.....

Shimano Caranx Kaitbutsu Deep Monster
Smith Kerama 73
Smith Tokara 60
Smith Keylohu
Hots Gipang 75XXH or 79XH

Havent seen or used the Zenaq rods bar the jig stick which I got but if its anything to go by it'll be a bloody light (weight) rod.

[Jon Li]

Carpenter SP78H SHP , SP78EX-H n SP78UHL n WV80XH , they are all shorter than that Saltiga rod .

Jon .

[Kasey Leong]

I think for a beginner (pardon me, I'm a beginner too, so here's my view) and unless you've found a spot with some serious 40-50kg GTs up where you are Jay...
Those carpenters might be making a tough job even tougher for you (the casting). The Wild Violence and those SPs are not easy to load.

I put my WV down pretty quick when fish were scarce. Anything under 25kg was a quick 1way ticket to the back of the boat anyway, mostly.
Hots gipang I think is within you budget and easy to load
the tokara is quite delicious but may also be overkill

lighter model carpenters would be fantastic too, but in terms of model and price, I will leave it to those who know the range better and have more experience to say
good luck

[Jay Burgess]

thanks guys forgot to mention it must be available to buy in Australia, the cost of getting a rod sent from overseas is riduculous.

[Brandon Khoo]

that may be the case, Jay but the price here is often at the point where you can factor the freight in and it is still cheaper!

[Hon-Su Chin]

All of what I mentioned (bar the Shimano) are/will be available here.
Otherwise there's only one rod to get, for PE8...Carpenter SP78H SHP. Ive only ever seen it and played with it once. Man the SP range of Carpenter rods are the best in the world imo. One day when I have the patience and time to pop more often I would get one....or two. 

[Jay Burgess]

where is the Hots available from Honsu?

[Hon-Su Chin]

ATM no where but by Feb should be available in Perth. Im hoping to get hold of them for the shop.

[Jay Burgess]

keep me posted Honsu.

[Hon-Su Chin]

in the meantime, this is their range...

http://hots.co.jp/

[Sachin Chaudhry]

Hi Jay. I used a GT 86 for a couple of years and while it does deliver good casting distance I found the length a bit impractical. Working bigger poppers was also a bit of a problem as the rod is not powerful enough and the angler has to do a bit more work than desirable. I use a Caranx Kaibutsu Deep Monster right now (8ft) and find it much better as far as length and grunt is concerned. Will be interesting to see how it compares with my Wild Violence which I should receive any day now. While on this topic what is the most powerful popper fishing rod made by Fisherman and for those that have used it how does it stack up next to a WV or SP rod from Carpentar or the WRC 60 and Komodo Dragon from Smith?

[Brandon Khoo]

Sachin, the most powerful GT rods made by Fisherman are their legendary GT Monster series. These are true broomsticks. They also have another model called Jack which is awesomely strong. That said, the Fisherman rods are a little more progessive in their actions than the Carpenter SP rods like the 78UHL and 78EXH.

For big chuggers, if there is a better rod made than a 78UHL, I haven't seen it. It rips big chuggers through the water better than any other GT rod I've used. That said, I don't recommend that you use stickbaits on it

[Luke Wyrsta]

Hi Jay. I used a GT 86 for a couple of years and while it does deliver good casting distance I found the length a bit impractical. Working bigger poppers was also a bit of a problem as the rod is not powerful enough and the angler has to do a bit more work than desirable. I use a Caranx Kaibutsu Deep Monster right now (8ft) and find it much better as far as length and grunt is concerned. Will be interesting to see how it compares with my Wild Violence which I should receive any day now. While on this topic what is the most powerful popper fishing rod made by Fisherman and for those that have used it how does it stack up next to a WV or SP rod from Carpentar or the WRC 60 and Komodo Dragon from Smith?

Sachin,

The most powerful would be a Monster CC 72 R10 or GT Monster 77 R10 - these in my opinion are the cream of the crop when it comes to GT rods. I would describe them as being comparable to a WV. The 78UHL is an excellent rod that I like because of it's fast action. I have some different views on rods to others but when you speak regarding both these brands the only thing it really comes down to is personal preference - pretty even playing field.

[Jay Burgess]

Thanks for the recommendation Sachin, and I agree with you about the length of the GT86 being impractical. I think the Deep Monster would be ideal but the only Kaibutsu's I can find available in OZ is a Surface Monster (PE8-12) and a Long Cast (PE6-8) advertised privately. I think the long cast might be a too long and the Surface Monster (the length I'm after) might be a bit too stiff being a pe8-12 rod...

could anyone comment on the surface monster? Is it pretty stiff or would it suit pe8 line nicely?