Finest Surf Fishing Rods of 2025

Are you able to get away with utilizing a hand-me-down fiberglass surf fishing rod that’s yellowed with aga and abuse. Sure. However simply because you may, doesn’t imply you’ll catch fish. Nevertheless, with the fitting, high-quality rod, not solely will fishing be extra enjoyable, you’ll be extra prone to land fish.  

Surf anglers ask probably the most of their fishing rods. The very best surf rods deal with distance, accuracy, energy, and finesse. To fulfill the necessity, rod producers mix cutting-edge supplies and designs with robust elements to create action-specific rods centered on surf fishing.

Whether or not you’re trying to catch your first fish within the surf otherwise you’re an previous salt, the most effective surf fishing rods put all of it collectively to make surf fishing simpler and extra pleasing. 

How We Examined the Finest Surf Fishing Rods

We hit the seashore with a stack of rods and a cooler filled with contemporary bait and chilly refreshment, and put every surf stick via its paces in certainly one of America’s premier surf fishing spots — North Carolina’s Outer Banks. We examined rods throughout a variety of fishing types and ability ranges to see how every would carry out in real-world surf situations. Our purpose wasn’t to crown a single “finest” rod as king of all surf fishing. That’s unattainable. Surf fishing rods are tailor-made to particular fishing ways, places, situations, and private preferences. Evaluating a bait rod to a lure rod is like evaluating apples and oranges.

To assemble quite a lot of views, our take a look at crew included world champion lengthy caster Ryan White, a few surf fishing weekend warriors, and one full newb nonetheless getting the dangle of timing casts with crashing waves. Our crew was a stable mixture of ability ranges, which helped us consider how every rod carried out for various kinds of customers. 

We examined for 2 afternoons, casting heavy sinkers and reduce bait previous the breakers, tossing lures for bluefish and Spanish mackerel, and fished mild backside rigs nearer to shore. The fish weren’t uncooperative. Whereas we positively wouldn’t log them because the “finest fishing days ever,” we did land a couple of scrappy fighters (largely Atlantic stingrays) and loads of flounder and croaker, which gave us the possibility to check spine, sensitivity, and the general fish-fighting really feel of every rod. 

Surf fishing places your gear to the take a look at each time you step onto the sand, even when the wind and waves are comparatively “mild.” Whether or not you’re soaking bait for redfish or slinging bucktails into the wind, an excellent surf rod will work with you, not in opposition to you. 

We evaluated every rod for:

• Sensitivity – Might we really feel delicate bites via the clean, or have been small fish making off with our bait undetected?
• Energy – Did the rod have sufficient spine to deal with sturdy fish and heavy surf?
• Consolation – How did the grip and steadiness really feel after hours of use?
• Castability – Did it load effectively and ship lengthy, correct casts with numerous weights?

One factor we found is that you simply don’t need to drop a ton of money to get a succesful surf rod. Whereas some top-tier rods within the lineup have been well worth the hefty value tags, a number of extra budget-friendly choices held their very own.

Finest Surf Fishing Rods: Opinions & Suggestions

Finest Medium Weight Typical: PENN Carnage III

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Execs

• High quality clean and guides
• Low value

Cons

• Heavy
• Reel seat troublesome to tighten

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Key Options

• 
  Size:

  
  11 ft

• 
  Energy:

  
  Medium heavy

• 
  Motion:

  
  Medium quick

• 
  Line Weight:

  
  20 to 40-pound take a look at

• 
  Lure Weight:

  
  2- to 6-ounce

• 
  Fuji Okay SIC guides

• 
  Fuji DPS Reel Seat

• 
  S3SL Carbon and Fiberglass Clean

Each surf angler wants an all-around medium-weight bait rod for lengthy, correct casts. PENN’s Carnage III is the third era of their top-of-the-line mannequin with nice elements at an affordable value. “You get a number of bang for the buck,” says White. 

Excessive-quality elements like Fuji Okay guides with SIC inserts cut back tangles with clean silicone rings for a protracted forged. PENN is pleased with its S3SL development, sandwiching layers of graphite and fiberglass for sensitivity and sturdiness. The rod is rated for a 2- to 6-ounce lure, however I felt comfy throwing a 5-ounce sinker and bait. The Carnage III is somewhat on the cumbersome aspect, however the additional weight translated into additional power, making the rod robust sufficient to function a dependable medium-action rod for striped bass, redfish, and black drum.

Learn Subsequent: Finest Surf Fishing Reels

Finest Medium Motion Lure Rod: Shimano Tiralejo XX TRJXS96M

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Execs

• 70/30 cut up 
• Spiral-wrapped carbon fiber
• Rubberized grip
• Reel seat with locking nut

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Key Options

• 
  Size:

  
  9 ft, 6 inches

• 
  Energy:

  
  Average quick

• 
  Motion:

  
  Medium

• 
  Line Weight:

  
  ¾- to 3-ounce

I’ve slowly been changing the fishing rods in my arsenal with Shimano XX rods. I began with my boat and kayak rods, and now I’m stoked so as to add Tiralejo XX rods to the surf fishing quiver. 

The XX stands for Shimano’s Spiral X and Excessive-Energy X clean development. The clean begins with vertical carbon fibers wrapped inside and outside with spirals of carbon fiber tape. This enables Shimano to exactly steadiness energy and sensitivity in actual sections of the clean to attain efficiency necessities. Carbon fiber rods are inherently extra fragile than fiberglass rods, however the spiral development retains the clean from twisting or compressing beneath stress with out including weight. 

My first Tiralejo XX addition was the 9-foot, 6-inch spinning rod. This mannequin is ideal for an angler casting heavy lures from a rock jetty or pier, the place accuracy and crowd management are an important qualities. A medium energy rod has flex to permit a lure to swim freely, however the Tiralejo’s Spiral X wrap’s quick restoration retains the forged snappy. 

With a giant fish on the road, I can really feel the facility translated into the combat permitting the rod to beat the fish. And, after I’m touchdown a heavy fish, the Excessive Energy X development permits me to carry the rod tip excessive with out snapping the rod. 

The rod is rated for a lure as much as 3 ounces, however I discovered the 3-ounce mark a cushty start line with the aptitude to forged a 2-ounce bucktail and rubber jig tail or 3-ounce swimming plug. 

Finest Striped Bass Rod: St. Croix Seage SES106MHMF2

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Execs

• 70/30 cut up grip
• Winn consolation grips
• 15 yr guarantee
• Sea Information Hero Excessive-Grade Guides
• Sea Information NPS reel seat

Cons

• Heavy for a medium-heavy energy

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Key Options

• 
  Size:

  
  10 ft, 6 inches

• 
  Energy:

  
  Medium heavy

• 
  Motion:

  
  Medium quick

• 
  Line Weight:

  
  15- to 40-pound take a look at

• 
  Lure Weight:

  
  2- to 6-ounce

Narrowing down the most effective surf fishing rod for striped bass isn’t straightforward, so I hit up my pal Nick Honachefsky, host of Saltwater Underground and a New Jersey primarily based surf angler. With out hesitation, Honachefsky advisable the St. Croix Seage Surf spinning rod. “The great thing about the 10-foot, 6-inch mannequin is its versatility,” Honachefsky says. Based on him, the rod is able to working a 3-ounce wood plug, a 1-ounce StingSilver, or throwing a bit of clam with a 3- to 6-ounce sinker. 

Honachefsky provides that the 10-foot, 6-inch medium-heavy mannequin can beat a 20-pound bluefish or 40-pound striped bass. In my testing, the medium-fast mannequin snaps out a forged and nonetheless has sufficient play to permit a lure to work. St. Croix’s Superior Reinforcing Expertise carbon fiber and Fortifying Resin System work collectively to create a hearty rod with a hanging blue end and premium wraps. Honachefsky appreciates the low-profile butt part and lightweight clean. “I can throw the rod for hours with out bumping into my aspect each forged,” he says.

Learn Subsequent: Finest Baits for Striped Bass

Finest Surf Perch Rod: Okuma Rockaway SP

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Execs

• SeaGuide XQ chrome steel guides
• 24/30 ton carbon fiber
• EVA cut up grip
• Worth

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Key Options

• 
  Size:

  
  8 ft, 6 inches

• 
  Energy:

  
  Medium

• 
  Motion:

  
  Medium quick

• 
  Line Weight:

  
  8- to 17-pound take a look at

• 
  Lure Weight:

  
  ¼- to ⅝-ounce

If you consider surf fishing, you think about a warrior angler wearing GoreTex armor charging the crashing breakers with a protracted, heavy surf rod clutched in his hand like a lance. Or, you image a white sand seashore, blazing solar, and fishing rod resting in a sand spike whilst you relaxation in a folding chair, drink in hand. However there’s one other aspect of surf fishing. I’m speaking about mild sort out fishing within the shore break for small recreation. 

Okuma designed the Rockaway SP for West Coast anglers concentrating on surf perch with small baits and lures. When Ryan White and I examined the rod, we acquired enthusiastic about utilizing it for pompano, speckled trout, and redfish. The Rockaway SP is an ultralight, tremendous delicate 24/30 ton carbon fiber clean with a cut up grip and low-profile guides to transmit each nibble to the angler’s hand. The cut up 24/30 ton carbon is the important thing to its versatility. Twenty-four-ton graphite is forgiving, which makes it sturdy and highly effective. Whereas 30-ton graphite is delicate, mild, and fragile. 

The reel seat leaves a bit of the clean uncovered so you may really feel the slightest faucet. That is essential for feeling a lightweight chunk and helps me really feel the lure bouncing alongside the underside. The Rockaway SP is rated for ¼ to ⅝ ounces, however I feel it may deal with a rig as much as one ounce with out dropping distance or accuracy. Okuma squeezed each ounce of know-how into a light-weight, super-sensitive rod able to fishing mild lures for smaller fish. 

Finest Price range: H2OX Angler Surf Rod

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Execs

• Reasonably priced
• EVA handles provide good grip

Cons

• Low-cost guides
• Lacks sensitivity

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Key Options

• 
  Stainless-steel line guides

• 
  Composite clean and reel seat

• 
  Size:

  
  10 ft

• 
  Energy:

  
  Medium Heavy

• 
  Motion:

  
  Average

• 
  Line weight:

  
  as much as 40 kilos

The H2OX Angler is proof that you simply don’t need to drop a large wad of money to get out on the sand. Are you able to inform this can be a budget-priced rod? In fact. Similar to you may inform the distinction between a Corvette and a Camry. Nevertheless, the Camry will nonetheless get you to the grocery retailer, and also you gained’t spend as a lot on fuel. Just like the Camry, this surf rod will get the job accomplished, even when it doesn’t have the identical sort of high-end efficiency as a high-end rod.

It’s a composite rod, which suggests it sacrifices some sensitivity in comparison with carbon fiber. Greater than as soon as, I reeled this one in to test the bait, solely to find I had a croaker or a mullet hooked. It doesn’t have sufficient sensitivity to really feel extra delicate bites, which suggests smaller fish are prone to make off along with your bait totally on the sly. It additionally has chrome steel guides, which assist preserve the acquisition value down, however may shorten the lifespan of your line, significantly in the event you’re a fan of monofilament.

This one is on no account akin to a luxurious sports activities automobile, but it surely does a better-than-decent job for a fraction of the price of dearer fashions. This can be a good starter mannequin for anybody on a shoestring funds who simply needs to get out on the seashore and catch fish.

Finest Heavy Bait Rod: Century Drum Gun

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Execs

• Titanium elements
• Autoclaved rod clean
• Graphene infused resin
• No taper butt part

Cons

• Costly
• Has a studying curve 

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Key Options

• 
  Size:

  
  13 ft

• 
  Energy:

  
  Heavy

• 
  Motion:

  
  Quick

• 
  Line Weight:

  
  17 to twenty kilos

• 
  Lure Weight 8- to 12-ounce

I’ve been driving a automobile for 30 years, and I’ve by no means had an accident, however that doesn’t imply I’d final ten minutes behind the wheel of an F-1 race automobile. That’s how I felt casting the Century Drum Gun for the primary time. I’ve been throwing a Hatteras heaver for nearly so long as I’ve had my driver’s license, however this was my first time casting an excellent rod. In reality, my first lob forged resulted in a backlash. Fortunately, competition-long caster Ryan White was there to stroll me via my first day behind the wheel of the Century Drum Gun. 

Based mostly on Century’s long-casting blanks, the heavy-action fishing rod has scored distances as much as 700 ft in White’s succesful fingers. As soon as I noticed I may management the facility and provides all of it I acquired with out the rod complaining, I exceeded my finest casting distance. 

White grew up on the Outer Banks in the midst of probably the most aggressive seashore fishing on the planet. A premium drum rod is predicted to attain most distance and accuracy with the spine to combat a 50-pound redfish via the pounding surf and construct high quality to outlive for years. 

The very best surf rod begins with a high-tech clean. Century makes use of the identical autoclave course of because the aerospace business to bond the carbon fibers along with graphene-impregnated resin. Making use of warmth and stress on the identical time squeezes out any extra resin for the strongest and lightest base materials. 

The tip part incorporates fiberglass to enhance restoration time, sturdiness, and chunk detection. “This can be a heavy-action rod, however the tip stays delicate to really feel a fish biting over 100 yards away,” says White. The Drum Gun makes use of a non-tapered butt part that meets efficiency necessities by various the quantity and sort of fabric, which is the place White says the rod’s energy comes from. 

Once I forged the rod, my right-hand acts as a fulcrum; the left hand produces the pressure to launch an 8-ounce sinker and a bit of the bait so far as I can muster. I really feel the facility translating all the way in which to my left hand on the rod butt. With all of the know-how and design within the Drum Gun, the rod stays mild sufficient to carry for hours whereas fishing the crowded seashore at Cape Level. 

The way to Select the Finest Surf Fishing Rod

There’s a cause why an old-salt’s seashore buggy bristles with a dozen surf rods: Selecting the most effective surf rod isn’t straightforward. As an alternative of anticipating to search out one rod to do all of it, skilled anglers have a rod for every tactic and goal species. 

To seek out the most effective rod for bait fishing or casting lures, take into account how you’ll fish, how a lot it’s important to spend, and the way you’ll transport and retailer the fishing rod.

Native Surf Fishing Data 

Massive numbers of surf anglers usually collect at a well-liked seashore, jetty or pier. Whereas fishing, aggressive anglers try one another’s rods, reels, sort out, and ways. One of the best ways to decide on the most effective surf fishing rod for a particular tactic or species is to observe different anglers in motion. If the anglers are pleasant, strike up a dialog. Higher but, rent an area information to indicate you the ropes.

The subsequent finest supply of data is an area sort out store. The in-house specialists know the most effective sort out and have quite a lot of choices to suit your wants. As you seek for the most effective surf rod, you’ll shortly understand probably the most profitable anglers have rigorously chosen high-quality fishing rods matched to the native fishing.

Techniques

Step one in selecting the most effective surf rod is matching the rod to the tactic. A bait rod wants a robust spine to launch a heavy rig and maintain a sinker within the backside. Lure fishing requires extra sensitivity to work the lure.

An extended rod gives additional casting distance, whereas a shorter rod affords higher management. Quick motion produces an additional kick on the forged, and a slower motion hundreds for a heavy lure. Bait rods emphasize energy to usher in the heavy sinker and a giant fish. Lure rods are fine-tuned to swim a plug or streak a spoon with fish-attracting motion. Regardless of the tactic, there are a number of rods completely fitted to the situation. Matching the rod to the tactic is step one for fulfillment.

Storage and Transport

Surf rods are lengthy and delicate. Most rods are available in two items to make storage and transport simpler. Nevertheless, you continue to want to decide on between a 50/50 or 60/40 break.

A 50/50 rod breaks down into two equal components. That is nice for transport and storage. Not solely is it simpler to slot in a closet or a hatchback, however the 50/50 rod is simpler to hold to the seashore.

For the most effective casting motion, select a 60/40 or comparable break. This sort of rod has a shorter butt part and longer tip. For instance, a 10-foot rod would have a 4-foot butt part and a 6-foot tip. The longer tip produces a extra even bend via the rod size for a extra highly effective forged. 

Worth

No approach round it; good fishing rods are costly, and actually good fishing rods are actually costly. Surf anglers face many challenges, and the most effective surf rod improves the chances of pulling a fish from shore. Severe anglers pays any value to get a bonus over their adversary.

That stated, the most effective surf rod is the one you may afford. In recent times, options beforehand discovered on costly fishing rods are actually obtainable on mid-range fashions. 

In the long run, ask your self what you count on of the fishing rod. Are you going to forged out a pair baits, chill within the seashore chair and crack open a chilly beverage? Then a stable mid-range rod gives hours of seashore fishing enjoyable. 

However in the event you plan to go toe-to-toe with the most effective surf jockeys, charging the shore break in any climate to focus on the most important, meanest fish within the sea, then investing in the most effective surf rod will feed the eagerness.

FAQs

Remaining Ideas on the Finest Surf Fishing Rods

Boat and kayak anglers won’t ever perceive the thrill of combating a fish from shore. Standing stationary, coronary heart racing, whereas a giant fish empties the reel. The breaking waves pound the road. The fish makes use of the shallow water to its benefit, working via sand, rocks, and reefs like a linebacker. You employ the lengthy, highly effective rod as a lever, feeling the rod slowly work in opposition to the fish. With every run, you watch the tip surge and bow. The surf rod is thrashing the fish. After which, you run backward out of the surf utilizing the rod to tug the catch up the seashore. 

The very best surf fishing rods put collectively distance, energy, and sturdiness finally places extra fish on the seashore and a smile in your face.