# Good for the surf??



## jmachou (Aug 31, 2011)

I just got these FTU rod and reel combos and thought they might be good for some surf fishing although the wouldn't technically be surf rods( or at least I don't think so). Just wanted to see what other peoples thoughts were on them ?

And they are both 7' Rods 
Has anyone else seen these before ? I never seen them till I bought them from a guy I met.


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## jagarcia10 (Mar 10, 2011)

Nope, never seen them. Those look similuar to an Abu Garcia 6500. Bases on the line capacity i dont see them being very good for surf reels. Excellent for using as bait rods in the 1st and possibly the 2nd gut. Thats what i use my Abu 6500 for. It has no problem reeling in a 30lb plus bull red, again the only thing that limits this reel in the surf is line capacity. I use mono. BUT if you were to go with braid you might be ok...


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## jmachou (Aug 31, 2011)

Yea that's what I was thinking just the first or second gut , I was wondering more about the capability of bringing in a fish with any size to it. I think I might try putting braid on one of them.


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## histprof (Oct 30, 2011)

Looks like ABU has allowed some of their Chinese producers to begin marketing their reels under other brands. Assuming that they did not make any critical shortcuts in materials, it should function like an ABU 6000/6500. That is plenty of reel for the specks, slots, smacks and others that you find along the beachfront bars/guts. Fill them with 17 lb Trilene XL and have a blast.

Definitely keep them clean. Something tells me that in initial quality Chinese knock offs look pretty good. The difference shows up in materials. For a reel, that means corrosion. Keep it clean.


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## ChasingReds (Jul 31, 2009)

I'd call 'em a pier rod as opposed to a surf rod, as others have said, they should be fine as a bait rod


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## jmachou (Aug 31, 2011)

I didn't even think about them being good Pier rods, I've never actually fished from a pier . But might have to try that out, a friend saw them and commented that they would be good jetty rods too.


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## fishingcacher (Mar 29, 2008)

I saw them at FTU and spoke to a salesman there and he was did not recommend them. A lot depends on whether you are going to fish a lot and want them to last. If FTU gives you a good warranty then you are good to go. Also check to see how flexible the rod tip is as this will help you detect a bit (unless you plan on holding the rod at all times).


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## histprof (Oct 30, 2011)

That may be better described as a general purpose rig. The size, capacity, action is suitable, as mentioned above, for pier, jetty, beach, boat..... I keep a 7' UglyStik with a big spinner full of 17# for that purpose.

What that looks like to me, is that Abu has figured out a way to make some $$$ off discontinued reels. That looks exactly like a 6000c from about 1980-ish. That's a long way back in the product line up from today's reels. But, as anyone who fished them back then is sure to attest, they worked just fine. I suspect that Abu licensed permission to manufacture these reels to some "vanity" producer who then markets them as lower cost house brands to major retailers. Are they exactly the same? Who knows? They may have cheaped out on the drags or something else. The only way to know is to fish them, clean them and repeat over and over.

We appreciate you taking on this responsibility. Give us a report and let us know how they hold up.


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## ChasingReds (Jul 31, 2009)

jmachou said:


> I didn't even think about them being good Pier rods, I've never actually fished from a pier . But might have to try that out, a friend saw them and commented that they would be good jetty rods too.


I keep a 7' heavy ugly stick in the truck just for that purpose. For the surf I prefer something longer to hold the line over the 1st breakers. Reel looks like one I got on a Bass Pro combo rod a couple of years ago. Rod lasted longer than the reel. Either way, you don't know till you get a line in the water how it will hold up. Try it out & let us know how you did

Have Fun


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## jmachou (Aug 31, 2011)

I will do that as soon as I get a day off that I can fish, but either way I paid almost nothing for them so to me it's a win if it last just a few trips and catch something on them . I have better setups either way though. I thought the same thin about the reel looking like the Abu 6000, we will see and I will let you know how they hold up.


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## fultonswimmer (Jul 3, 2008)

*Surf rods*

Too much emphasis on size and line capacity. Here are some fish from Quintana caught on a medium action Ugly Stik loaded with 15lb. P-line using a 25lb. mono shock leader with 03 circle hook!


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