Ben Doerr - Opinions

[tomflynn]

When the weather or seas do not permit me to fish Buzzards Bay by boat, I often take a five-minute ride over to the Canal and watch the action. This year I want to be part of that action and I'm looking for a rod to hook-up with a Penn 6500ss that I have. I intend to use it for poppers and jigs. I've checked-out having a custom rod built at a number of places including M&D's but don't want to spend the $250-320 that they want for a quality graphite outfit.

I've had my eyes on the 10 ft. Ben Doerr Elite Surf Rod (SS100M2), 6-20 lb. Unfortunately it's a two piece but at $160 seems like a reasonable compromise. I have a few St Croix rods and have been happy with them. Has anybody had any experience with this particular rod and what do you think of the Penn 6500ss 10 ft. Ben Doerr combo for the canal?

Tom

[josko]

I had one, really didn't like it and sold it. It had a big flat spot at the ferrule and rod action sort of hinged there. Also, I couldn't load it with an eel, and it didn't reach any further than my 8.5' BenDoerr with gibbs plugs. I was very diusappointed, but then aqain, I don't fish the canal. If you're looking at it, try flexing it to see if there's a flat spot in the middle. I understand it was either a bad batch, or they reinforced the ferrule to prevent frequent breaks there, and in the process, ruined the action.

Also, I think I was forever spoiled after trying a whole range of Loomis surf rods at Hatteras last spring. I know they are prohibitively expensive, but at least try one to see what you're missing.

[mikef]

Tom,
If you were to park at the Sagamore Bridge (mainland side) parking lot between 6 -8 AM when there are early morning East tides in June, you will get to see alot of the Canal regulars up close and personal. You might want to consider the type of tackle that they are using.
You probably won't see many spinning rods. I'd say that 20# line is minimal for Canal usage. What you will see are 9' - 11' rods with conventional reels. The reels will be mostly Abu 7000/7500 or Newells. The rods will be mostly graphite with some diehards still using glass.
You might consider a custom glass rod. S-glass is about as light as graphite, is much stronger but not as stiff. It will cast a wide weight variety of lures well. Graphite rods usually like a much narrower range of weights, so you wind up needing 4 different outfits, whereas with glass you can get by with one. The custom glass rod is much cheaper.
If cost is a big issue, build it yourself. It isn't rocket scientist stuff. Mike at M&D will advise you on what you need and help you along the way. Once you build your first rod, you will never buy a complete rod again!
The longer rods will cast further than the shorter rods. The longer rods will not fish as well as the shorter rods. I'd say that if you will be using a single rod that a length of 9' - 10' is ideal. It won't wear you out after an hour or two like the 11'ers will.
Most use 30# mono for poppers and either Dacron (30-36#) or the new gel spun lines(50#) for jigs. You can make do with mono for both.
By the way you can have a custom 9' rod built on a Sabre blank at M&D for less than $150. A lot of guys have taken to these rods.
Good luck - see you at the Canal!

[jamesborghesani]

I have the exact same outfit -- the Ben Doerr 10-foot spinning rod with a Penn 6500. I've fished the canal quite a bit with it, and have been very happy. My rod must have come from a different batch than Josko's, because I haven't noticed the flat spot near the ferrule. I'm able to cast as far as anyone else around me and the rod has no problem whatsoever muscling in a big fish against a strong Canal current. As with any graphite rod, be careful around the rocks, especially in the colder weather. I wouldn't got any longer than a 10' rod at the Canal, personally. Good luck.

[tomflynn]

We'll, for what it's worth, Mike at M&D is making me a custom 9' rod with a Sabre 1088 blank for $140. I'm matching it with an Abu 6500 Mag. I was seriously considering the Ben Doerr but really wanted a one piece. I also won't miss that damn bail on the 6500 snapping closed and losing those expensive lures either.

Tom

[jamesborghesani]

Re Tom's comments about the 6500's bail snapping closed: It happened to me lots of times, usually when I had a Gibbs Polaris or some other pricey lure on. Then I realized there's a way to lock the bail so it never snaps shut. Actually, what you're doing is locking the spool so it doesn't rotate at all during the cast. To do it, make sure that when you open the bail, the joint (the section where the bail is screwed to its anchor on the spool) is tight against the nub (the projection designed to close the bail when you begin reeling). In thousands and thousands of casts last year, my bail never once snapped shut using this method.

[tomflynn]

Re: 6500 bail,

I was talking to Don at Red Top this past week about this and he suggested that it's not the bail but the position of the handle. Apparently if the handle is in the 12-6 o'clock position (top, forward and bottom) the momentum of your cast forces the handle forward thereby setting the bail in motion once it hits the bail close stop. If you keep the handle in the 6 o'clock (bottom) or 9 o'clock 9 (towards your body) position the handle has a much less change of moving during the cast. Personally, I don't want to have to think about the position of the handle or anything else tougher than opening the bail and letting it fly. That why Don now owns the 6500 and I own an Abu Garcia 6500 Mag. Don't get me wrong, I own Penn 4300 and 4400 reels and love them (they don't exhibit this phenomenon). The 6500's have great drags and many love to troll with them.

Tom

[jamesborghesani]

Re the Penn 6500 problem

It may be the handle position that does it. Whatever the explanation, it works. But you're right -- it would be easier not having to think about it at all, even if it becomes, as it has for me, an automatic checkpoint.