Hello to all , just purchased the ssu 108 1m blank. It is rated at 15 to 30 lb test with a 1 to 3 ounce lure weight. It is a medium action. I intend to use it to throw LYs and cigars off of the Florida piers for Kings. I will also use 2 to 3 oz plugs for blues and whatever else shows up. What do you guys think? Will it have enough back end to turn a king? I will be using a mitchell 402 with mono. Those guys do not like braid in the mix. I want to use a new concept setup. Again -what do you guys think?Thanks in advance for any replies - Regards , Stevereno

yea,that'll turn a king,as long as he aint 50+,most kings it's not about the rod but the reels line capacity,i use and mostly build king rods in the same 15-30 class with a light tip and good backbone and they work fine.don't know the line cap. on the mitchell,but my expierence has proven that at least 300yds of 30# mono should be a starting point with any reel for kings,good luck,Spike

Great blank!! My suggestion with mono is use a Fuji SVAG 40 and go from there!

Are you limited to just one rod from that pier? Why not use an anchor/fighting rod set up? A longer surf type in roughly three to four meter length for casting and planting the bait, and then a shorter two meter rod for fighting the fish. This is a proven set up in many spots around the world.

Barry,

It is just the way they do it on the Gulf coast in many areas; here in North Carolina we pin rig. When in Rome, do like the Romans do... My guess is that they are not hanging 1 + pound live baits to entice the kings to the hook. Hear on the NC coast, it is not uncommon to have almost a 2 lb blue fish for bait. The fall run typically sees' larger taylor blues than the spring. I perfer a blue fish for bait when available; other spcices commonly used (often mid summer) mullet, manhaden, grass shad and ribbon fish. Of course, if there are no baits in the live well folks will use whatever they can get there hands on till some baits get caught.

Chuck

John Martines Wrote:
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> Great blank!! My suggestion with mono is use a
> Fuji SVAG 40 and go from there!

Consider also using the above as a stripper guide and going to single foot guides (LVAG or BYAG, etc.) for the remaining guides. Use the one double foot guide and 6 single foot guides, plus tip top. Mike Peacher recently handled a sailfish with such a guide setup on a 9' king rod on an Emerald Coast pier and spoke highly of the guide setup. I uploaded a pic of this rod in action with the sailfish. Here's the link to the pic:

[www.rodbuilding.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/21/2012 08:18PM by Jim Kinkennon.