Rod comparison

[Ryan9908]

Hi guys,

I've addicted to bream fishing for half a year, so I am still pretty new compared to most people in here. I haven't seen much review on fishing rod here so I thought maybe I can start one myself and share my rod selection experience.

Most people like me probably struggle when they choose their first rod, as they don't know where to start with. When I searched for my first rod, I looked up bream master forum and searched for the most highly praised rod within my price range, and I decided to pick a daiwa two drunknmonkey. The problem with forum is that people praise the rod in that thread and you rarely see comparison from rod to rod. Without comparison makes us difficult to choose a rod as every rod 'seems' to be a good rod.

Daiwa generation black two drunknmonkey is a 6'10 rod, 1-2kg, two pieces, ultra light action. Its weight is about 100gm and I don't feel tired casting it all day long paired with my shimano stradic 1000fc running on 4lb braided 6 lb fluoro leader. It is a very good looking rod for $149 and I never regret of buying it. This rod can cast unweighted lure and it's perfect for soft plastic. Due to its light tip I can pretty much feel every single bite. I have no problem landing a 60cm flathead with it.

Here the down side comes, I go bridges and jetties for bream most of the time. It is true that this rod can cast unweighted lure, but I found myself 90% of times using no less than 1/16 jighead. If I use 1/22 or 1/32 and cast for long distance, I can't feel the bite because of the wind; if I use 1/22 or 1/32 and drop it under my feet, no big bream will take it because they can see me, and don't expect you can pull a big bream out of snag from this rod. When you are trying to land a 35cm+ bream with this rod, this rod will bend from the tip to the butt, it has not much pulling power and the bream will simply drag itself under the bridge and you line will eventually get snapped by structures in seconds.
Also, with this rod you will have a great chance of getting you braid tangled with the guide. It can easily happen to me a few times in a 3 hours session.

Few days ago I went fishing and a monster striked, my rod bended like a rainbow and my reel got smoked. After 5mins of 'fighting' the line tangled with a pole and snapped.

Because of all these above and it's Christmas time, I decided to buy myself a megabass racing condition two pieces 2-6lb 6'10 ultra light action. The mb is very similar to the drunknmonkey; same length, same line class, both rods are highly praised on breammaster. However, the mb has a lot more pulling power, this rod is on soft at the tip then it becomes stiff on the way down to the butt, while the twomonkey is basically soft from the top to the bottom. I don't have the actual figure but I can feel the mb is lighter than the two monkey. The guide on mb is better built, your line won't make knot like the two monkey does.

I know it's unfair to compare them as the mb is selling for $389 retail while drunknmonkey is $160 retail, but people may want to know the difference in quality in different rods.
And don't get my wrong I still think two drunknmonkey is a nice rod, for only$140 you can't go wrong with it. If you are fishing at flats and no structures around, you would definitely enjoy seeing you rod bend like it's gonna snap.

I just had a chance to flick my new rod once since I bought it, I will keep on updating if I have any thoughts with it.

[vxcalais]

Great first up post and welcome ! Seems you been doing fine all on your own hehe. I do fishing similar do what you describe, and its amazing how important the rod action in combination with different lines is. I have a 2-4kg Rod with a soft tip and when used with straight through fluoro, cannot hookup properly to sink trebles or jigheads into the Bream. I have some 1-3kg Rods such as Gladiator Psyborg and DohDohDohDoh Outdoor 6ft 1-3kg outdoor expedition and they operate excellently, with no trouble landing fish using Braid line, and dragging them up from your feet etc. I also have a Tairyo 1-2kg rod Black Arrow, and with Braid it has performed immacuately. Will start to use straight through fluoro more often and see how it goes. 1-2kg rods are great at feeling those soft bites. Also look at the Samurai range in 1-2kg and Nitro range. The Nitro is apparently quite strong for its class..... The best all round rod i have foundt the Berkley drop shot Gen 4 in 2-4kg for using any type of line, sensitive only in the tip and very very strong. Will handle snapper anyday. The catch is, it doesnt have the micro guides like the Tairyo and Psyborg so wont cast as far. But i use it mainly for dropping lures at my feet etc.

The Daiwa rod you mentioned dont forget is an excellent lure rod, as in crankbaiting flats, rivers, open areas etc and will come into its own, when you dont dont find yourself pulling the trebles out of their mouths from soft action. The 2-4kg rod i mentioned that is too soft for the Docks etc. is great when casting plastics into rivers from the shore. The Bream usually grab the plastic from the edge and rush back in again hooking themselves. Under pontoons, bridges etc, they are arsy and will take it and sit there. and if you do hook them, they will dive into snags and bust you off asap.

This is just my personal experiances, and best of luck !

p.s add your location so people will understand which part of Australia you trying to fish as it differs.

[Fez fish]

If you were going to fish piers and bridges,jettys the Gen black pinster would have been
My choice 2/5kilo lot more pulling power the drunken monkey is only for the light work
The tackle store were you bought the rod should have advised you on what rod to buy
For the places you fish the Gen black range is well priced and nice and light.Well done
Mate on your first post hope you catch plenty of big bream.



Cheers Shane .

[tuan]

Well done mate. Your collection of rods should grow nicely now to fill in all the gaps

Btw a 1-2 kg rod does not quite compare to 2-6 lb rod - similar but not same. Obviously the MB rod will be able to fish ever so slightly heavier as you have noticed with the stronger butt section.

I pulled a 60+ cm flatty out of a snag yesterday and it didn't even work my druknmonky. Also never had a tangle on the cheap guides and it was a nice windy day in Sydney yesterday.

[5am1eys]

I am in the same dilemma, deciding whether to get the pinster or DrunkenMonkey and I fish similar terrain to what you have suggested, whilst also kayak fishing!!! Not sure which one!!

[spawn_again]

Sounds like youre getting stuck into some nice fish mate well done. The drunknmunky is hardly a strcture rod and is not designed for that purpose so its no suprise you have lost a few around the bridge. I use mine as a cranking rod and light sps. You're new 2-6lb rod should do better but as said above you will now probably start to grow your rod collection, so you have a rod or 2 for each application. I have about 12 and pick rods to suit the type of fishing im doing that day. Good luck mate and hope you keep catching those monsters lurking under the bridge

[Nix88]

I have two 2-5kg Shimano t curves and two 1-3kg tiaryo nano and that covers me well.anything extra is just the for my personal pleasure.

[Yakmaninov]

Now that the pflueger trion has k guides I find it hard to think there would be a better 1-3 or 2-4 kg rod out there for the price.

I used to have one of the old 2-4 7' trions but snapped a tip and ripped the but off it.... Both my fault. I then started using a shimano tcurve flight 1-4 7'
My preference is the new trion.
As is soon as I get some photos taken my two tcurve flights will be for sale so I can buy trions as replacements.

[creek bandit]

Itchy twitchy mate. Or new air edge. I'm a daiwa man but the pflueger patriarch 1-3kg is a mean stick too

[JIM1]

Spotted wriggler, I run 8lb and if I start getting smoked I just crank the drag and reduce the rod angle. I have recently got a samurai 101 and boy the power down low is awesome for a 1-2kg rod, highly recommend.

[Gofishing]

+ 1 for samurai 101, it's a amazing rod. Landed big 36 with no problem. I like to use it for unweighted and small lures. <5 grams. Also have 201 for soft spastic. Another rod you should check out is the Daiwa Gekka AGS. Very light at 70 grams. But don't think this bad boy is weak. I landed 2kg salmon on this. Very strong rod. I recently acquired a Tairyo Nano King, nice rod with similar action to the Gekka. Haven't land a decent fish on it to tell you. But that are my to go rods at the moment.

[Klinkerfish]

theres nothing wrong with a 1-2kg rod for breamming
I have the drunkn monkey
And it is more then capable

[GTgeoff]

Originally Posted by Klinkerfish

theres nothing wrong with a 1-2kg rod for breamming
I have the drunkn monkey
And it is more then capable

+1 and I always fish pontoons and bridges with mine.
I have some more expensive rods then the dm, but dm seems to always be my go to rod these days, love it!