Got to use my modified Tsunami Classic rod (as per John's instructions) & a XH one this past weekend while out on a head boat in R.I. sound, not many fluke at all were caught by the 50 or so anglers on the boat for some reason, but quite a few good sized Black Sea Bass were. I got 4 keepers (could only keep 3), lost another keeper & landed 1 short in a 4 hr morning trip. Started with a 4 oz bucktail jig with Gulp, then 6 oz, then 8 oz as the drift got faster. The Tsunami rods worked great, even with the heavier jigs. They had enough stiffness so that the action imparted to the rods actually reached the jigs, yet they were soft enough that a decent fish could still put a bend in the rod. Thank you John for the great advice in your videos & books.
here is an oldie but goodie... when i was a young lad in the 1960's my dad would roll up the back window in the station wagon... poof instant rod modification... way funny... i always glued a new rod tip on using archery cement... since superglue or hot melt glue had not been invented yet.
Im definitely going to do this! 80 ft on the shinnecock reef had me doubting the rapid jigging when my buddy who doesn't really fish was doing just as well as me by not really jigging at all.
That's a great mod to give better action to those heavier jigs. I like a Dremel or other rotary tool equipped with an abrasive cut-off wheel for the cut - it's almost impossible to splinter the rod.
I use a triangle file when I cut a rod. It is pretty much the same as using a Dremel or other rotary tool but throws off less fibers into the air. Fiberglass or carbon fiber is not good if you breathe it in.
I was thinking about doing this , but thought I was the only one who would do such a thing. I was very disappointed in the jigging action of my last fluke rod purchase. Hopefully, this is the answer. Thanks John!
Mr Skinner, My friend and I have access to 2 kayaks, no fish finders and no foot pedals, but we do have paddles. The place we fish is a shoreline across from a marina, there's a sandy flat about 4-6 feet deep, then a steep drop Off to somewhere around 20 feet. Current doesn't exactly rip through the channel, but it moves at a decent speed. The channel goes back into a shallow creek. It is connected to the Chesapeake bay. What time would you fish and what lures would you start out with? As far as we know, there's fluke and stripers there, but we haven't caught any blues. Thanks a lot for the consistent uploads and useful info.. tight lines!
Hey John! Great tip (pun intended)!! LOL. I picked up the Tsunami Classic XXH at J&H recently to pair with the Accurist. It's rated for lure weights 1-6 oz range. Do you think that is overkill as an overall rod setup for Fluke/Blackfish/Black Sea Bass/Porgy/Albies. This setup will be used more for fishing on boat/kayak in deeper water & reefs. My thinking was that this setup can be versatile and allow me to use heavier jigs or drag bait in deeper water with heavy sinkers. Will this affect the feel & fight when hooked up? Should I opt for the XH instead? My last rod (Ugly Stick GX2) was to soft for jigs 2 & up. Tight lines!
5 minute epoxy, hot glue stick even super glue works very well, you can buy many different size rod tips for very thin rods to pool cue rods at most bait and tackle shops, wal-mart or any decent sporting good stores
So I guess my questions are, how did the manufacturer intend to see the rod used in its orig length and softness, and what advantages did you give up with the modification? The new advantages are evident in the pool, but what was sacrificed? Thx u
If anything was sacrificed, it was at the low-weight end, like 1.5 ounces. This video shows the original rod jigging 2 ounces. th-cam.com/video/XXyaGR19QQo/w-d-xo.html It's great, and I like loading up that nice big bend with a fish on to keep it from shaking off. But like I said, I have two of these, so I keep one as intended, and tweaked the other to handle 3-4 ounces. I used the cut one a couple of days ago and it was excellent. I'll post that trip this week.
Hey Mr.Skinner,I'm from the Jersey Shore and I usually fluke fish Barnegat Bay but a couple times a year I go out in the ocean on a charter boat. Would you be able to recomend me a casting rod for Jigging up to 8oz.The first time I went I was completely unprepared and since I've been bringing my stiff ugly stick and heavy pen 5000,its exhausting.Thanks for all the great videos and sharing your knowledge with us.
Hi John help me out a bit please. Getting into fluke next season and I’m confused on you rod. I thought I would want a medium action rod but your saying your go to rod is the tsunami heavy action rod. I’m all messed up. I bought two penn 3000 battle reels and looking into your quantum reel also. Idk what I’m doing, lol
John as far as off the shelf rods go. I want to get a 9ft'r I have two airwave elites at the moment 7' inshore and 10'6 surf. Do you think your lamiglass spec rod is worth the extra cash? Most plugs I use are 1-2.5ozs and I never live line anything. Planning on making a trip to j&h this upcoming weekend.
Obviously I'm partial to that rod. I'm curious to know what off-the-shelf rod of this caliber would be significantly less money. If you compare this to the 9' 6'' Airwave Elite, you'll see there's quite a difference in action. BTW, "my" 9 is excellent in that 1-2.5 ounce lure range, but it's also my live and rigged eel rod. Check it out when you go to J&H, and let me know what you think.
+JohnSkinnerFishing I am getting a abu Garcia 6600 c4 reel and wondering what rod you would suggest for vertical jigging with a heavier jig (2-6oz)...Thanks for being a huge inspiration for me
I know nothing about that reel, but that's a wide weight range. I use at least two rods to cover that. One for 2- to 4 ounces (the cut one in this video), another for 6 ounces - the Tsunami classic XH 15-30#.
John Skinner Fishing if cutting the tip stiffens the rod for better action in deep water, wouldn't it act like the XH rod? Or do you still notice a difference between the two? I've been using an XXH classic and it's working well so far in deeper water. I was wondering if you think I should still get an H or XH. Thanks for help. Your videos really help.
Hey John, Rick from NJ here. I have an Okuma Rockaway 8ft rod I use for shore fluking. I bought it for light bucktail fishing since it's a fairly light rod, but after fishing it the tip seems a bit soft even for 1-1&1/2 oz bucktails. I want to make sure I'm getting the proper action on light jigs. Would you recommend trimming it down a bit at the top? If so, how for should I go? Thanks.
It's hard to say without knowing the rod. I'd consider buying an inexpensive Tsunami Classic, or whatever lower model they have that's closer to what you want. Then you'll have two different rods. The Classics are around $60.
John Skinner Fishing Makes sense. It's sometimes difficult finding that certain action you're looking for in a not too common 7ftsize. At least based on what I've found unless you go custom course. Thanks.
John Skinner Fishing Boat fishing. Star Aerial Jigging Rod paired with a Abu Garcia 7000c. Reel is slightly on the heavy side but the rod is so light it feels ok. Got out with it for the first time today it felt good. Was just wondering your opinion on that size. After using a 6 foot for fluke I was sold on the shorter pole for vertical jigging. The heavy power of the rod appealed to me. 3-9oz sinker rating on such a light rod. Never really see that size besides the house poles on party boats.
Bad advice in my opinion. By doing this, you're destroying the action that the rod was designed to have. Why not buy a rod and reel that was designed with the action that you need for the heavier jigs and leave the lighter one as it was designed to be? Always good to have a backup rod or two rigged and ready to go when ever you're fishing in case you lose a rig or run into a bunch of bluefish that destroy your rig.
As I said in the narration - I have two of these. I left one as-is, I cut 4 inches off the other. I've since fished it and I wished I had done it last year. The result is a rod that has a sweet spot of 3 ounces, but handles 4 nicely - just what I wanted. I still have the other for 1.5 and 2-ounce. I carry 3 rods for this type of fishing. The next rod up in this series, the XH, is what I use for 6 ounces, but it's stiffer than I want for the more frequently used 3- to 4-ounce range.
Rod action can be tweaked with a cut like I showed here. Everyone I fish with cuts the Nexus and the Tsunami Classic for ocean fishing. This nexus cut is actually an option when the rod is purchased at Tackle World.
Takes a brave man to take a hacksaw to a fishing rod! Especially that top end.
Got to use my modified Tsunami Classic rod (as per John's instructions) & a XH one this past weekend while out on a head boat in R.I. sound, not many fluke at all were caught by the 50 or so anglers on the boat for some reason, but quite a few good sized Black Sea Bass were. I got 4 keepers (could only keep 3), lost another keeper & landed 1 short in a 4 hr morning trip.
Started with a 4 oz bucktail jig with Gulp, then 6 oz, then 8 oz as the drift got faster. The Tsunami rods worked great, even with the heavier jigs. They had enough stiffness so that the action imparted to the rods actually reached the jigs, yet they were soft enough that a decent fish could still put a bend in the rod.
Thank you John for the great advice in your videos & books.
I'm glad the advice helped you out! Thanks for sharing that.
here is an oldie but goodie... when i was a young lad in the 1960's my dad would roll up the back window in the station wagon... poof instant rod modification... way funny... i always glued a new rod tip on using archery cement... since superglue or hot melt glue had not been invented yet.
Im definitely going to do this! 80 ft on the shinnecock reef had me doubting the rapid jigging when my buddy who doesn't really fish was doing just as well as me by not really jigging at all.
thanks thus helped a lot i took my 7ft Fenwick and made ut a 6ft 10 perfect for 2ounce jigs and i landed a 17.5 in flounder/fluke
Excellent!
John Skinner Fishing thanks
That's a great mod to give better action to those heavier jigs. I like a Dremel or other rotary tool equipped with an abrasive cut-off wheel for the cut - it's almost impossible to splinter the rod.
Good advice. Hacksaw works, but is crude.
I use a triangle file when I cut a rod. It is pretty much the same as using a Dremel or other rotary tool but throws off less fibers into the air. Fiberglass or carbon fiber is not good if you breathe it in.
May also consider a compound saw. Very clean cut
I was thinking about doing this , but thought I was the only one who would do such a thing. I was very disappointed in the jigging action of my last fluke rod purchase. Hopefully, this is the answer. Thanks John!
Worked great for me.
nice video . .can I use the car door to modify my rod . .
My car window was the tool I used for this before...definitely wasn't intentional! haha
Funny and unfortunately a true rod modifier.
The original rod modifier! Lol
Screen door for mine
Also don't be afraid to replace the tip yourself. Buy a tip repair kits and give it a try.
I unintentionally modified my rods so many times
Great information for a self learner! Thank you!!!
Mr Skinner,
My friend and I have access to 2 kayaks, no fish finders and no foot pedals, but we do have paddles. The place we fish is a shoreline across from a marina, there's a sandy flat about 4-6 feet deep, then a steep drop
Off to somewhere around 20 feet. Current doesn't exactly rip through the channel, but it moves at a decent speed. The channel goes back into a shallow creek. It is connected to the Chesapeake bay. What time would you fish and what lures would you start out with? As far as we know, there's fluke and stripers there, but we haven't caught any blues. Thanks a lot for the consistent uploads and useful info.. tight lines!
John, instead of a hacksaw, go to a bicycle store and ask for a cable cutter, less then $10 and makes a very clean cut.
Hey John! Great tip (pun intended)!! LOL. I picked up the Tsunami Classic XXH at J&H recently to pair with the Accurist. It's rated for lure weights 1-6 oz range. Do you think that is overkill as an overall rod setup for Fluke/Blackfish/Black Sea Bass/Porgy/Albies. This setup will be used more for fishing on boat/kayak in deeper water & reefs. My thinking was that this setup can be versatile and allow me to use heavier jigs or drag bait in deeper water with heavy sinkers. Will this affect the feel & fight when hooked up? Should I opt for the XH instead? My last rod (Ugly Stick GX2) was to soft for jigs 2 & up. Tight lines!
Great video, further cements that you are one of if not the best.
5 minute epoxy, hot glue stick even super glue works very well, you can buy many different size rod tips for very thin rods to pool cue rods at most bait and tackle shops, wal-mart or any decent sporting good stores
Thanks.
So I guess my questions are, how did the manufacturer intend to see the rod used in its orig length and softness, and what advantages did you give up with the modification? The new advantages are evident in the pool, but what was sacrificed? Thx u
If anything was sacrificed, it was at the low-weight end, like 1.5 ounces. This video shows the original rod jigging 2 ounces. th-cam.com/video/XXyaGR19QQo/w-d-xo.html It's great, and I like loading up that nice big bend with a fish on to keep it from shaking off. But like I said, I have two of these, so I keep one as intended, and tweaked the other to handle 3-4 ounces. I used the cut one a couple of days ago and it was excellent. I'll post that trip this week.
John Skinner Fishing thank you sir!
Hey Mr.Skinner,I'm from the Jersey Shore and I usually fluke fish Barnegat Bay but a couple times a year I go out in the ocean on a charter boat. Would you be able to recomend me a casting rod for Jigging up to 8oz.The first time I went I was completely unprepared and since I've been bringing my stiff ugly stick and heavy pen 5000,its exhausting.Thanks for all the great videos and sharing your knowledge with us.
Hi John help me out a bit please. Getting into fluke next season and I’m confused on you rod. I thought I would want a medium action rod but your saying your go to rod is the tsunami heavy action rod. I’m all messed up. I bought two penn 3000 battle reels and looking into your quantum reel also. Idk what I’m doing, lol
good idea but skip the hacksaw ,its to slow for these new graphites. i've used a dremel with cutting wheel on highest speed. zips right through
great advice never thought to go to the tackle shop for a tip replacement what is the recommended max on the 701
Max weight I think you mean? Sweep spot 1.5-3 ounces, fine with 4.
John Skinner Fishing yes great advice thank you
one more question do you also using shortened the 701MH
John,
What rod tip action would you compare this modified rod too?
Thanks
Jim
Do you also cut the XH rod
No. That one is OK as-is.
John as far as off the shelf rods go. I want to get a 9ft'r I have two airwave elites at the moment 7' inshore and 10'6 surf. Do you think your lamiglass spec rod is worth the extra cash? Most plugs I use are 1-2.5ozs and I never live line anything. Planning on making a trip to j&h this upcoming weekend.
Obviously I'm partial to that rod. I'm curious to know what off-the-shelf rod of this caliber would be significantly less money. If you compare this to the 9' 6'' Airwave Elite, you'll see there's quite a difference in action. BTW, "my" 9 is excellent in that 1-2.5 ounce lure range, but it's also my live and rigged eel rod. Check it out when you go to J&H, and let me know what you think.
will do thanks
Just an update got your rod, now a need a chance to go fish.
+JohnSkinnerFishing I am getting a abu Garcia 6600 c4 reel and wondering what rod you would suggest for vertical jigging with a heavier jig (2-6oz)...Thanks for being a huge inspiration for me
I know nothing about that reel, but that's a wide weight range. I use at least two rods to cover that. One for 2- to 4 ounces (the cut one in this video), another for 6 ounces - the Tsunami classic XH 15-30#.
John Skinner Fishing if cutting the tip stiffens the rod for better action in deep water, wouldn't it act like the XH rod? Or do you still notice a difference between the two? I've been using an XXH classic and it's working well so far in deeper water. I was wondering if you think I should still get an H or XH. Thanks for help. Your videos really help.
The resulting cut rod has a sweet spot of 3 ounces, handles 4 fine. That XH is much stiffer, and I use it only when I need to go to 6 ounces.
Hey John,
Rick from NJ here. I have an Okuma Rockaway 8ft rod I use for shore fluking. I bought it for light bucktail fishing since it's a fairly light rod, but after fishing it the tip seems a bit soft even for 1-1&1/2 oz bucktails. I want to make sure I'm getting the proper action on light jigs. Would you recommend trimming it down a bit at the top? If so, how for should I go?
Thanks.
It's hard to say without knowing the rod. I'd consider buying an inexpensive Tsunami Classic, or whatever lower model they have that's closer to what you want. Then you'll have two different rods. The Classics are around $60.
John Skinner Fishing Makes sense. It's sometimes difficult finding that certain action you're looking for in a not too common 7ftsize. At least based on what I've found unless you go custom course.
Thanks.
Hey John , recommend any good tackle shops in Moriches area ?
Smith Point Bait and Tackle is the one I know. Craig knows his stuff. He's right on the parkway.
John Skinner Fishing thanks !
What do you think about a 5’6” jigging rod for fluke?
Fine, depending on the specific rod and application.
John Skinner Fishing Boat fishing. Star Aerial Jigging Rod paired with a Abu Garcia 7000c. Reel is slightly on the heavy side but the rod is so light it feels ok. Got out with it for the first time today it felt good. Was just wondering your opinion on that size. After using a 6 foot for fluke I was sold on the shorter pole for vertical jigging. The heavy power of the rod appealed to me. 3-9oz sinker rating on such a light rod. Never really see that size besides the house poles on party boats.
Thanks that was helpfull
Hey John, what is the better thing to do when using 3-4 ounces, take the 12-25 rod and cut the top back, or just buy the 15-30 XH model?
Definitely cut the 12-25. That XH is very stiff, and I'll only use it for 5+ ounces.
Just get a stiffer rod
I live in Long Island would u fish with me
Bad advice in my opinion. By doing this, you're destroying the action that the rod was designed to have. Why not buy a rod and reel that was designed with the action that you need for the heavier jigs and leave the lighter one as it was designed to be? Always good to have a backup rod or two rigged and ready to go when ever you're fishing in case you lose a rig or run into a bunch of bluefish that destroy your rig.
As I said in the narration - I have two of these. I left one as-is, I cut 4 inches off the other. I've since fished it and I wished I had done it last year. The result is a rod that has a sweet spot of 3 ounces, but handles 4 nicely - just what I wanted. I still have the other for 1.5 and 2-ounce. I carry 3 rods for this type of fishing. The next rod up in this series, the XH, is what I use for 6 ounces, but it's stiffer than I want for the more frequently used 3- to 4-ounce range.
I'm glad it worked out for you John.
Please don’t give information about rods they are made to do what they do . I cut mine and ruined it !!!
Rod action can be tweaked with a cut like I showed here. Everyone I fish with cuts the Nexus and the Tsunami Classic for ocean fishing. This nexus cut is actually an option when the rod is purchased at Tackle World.