Calstar rods, manufactured in California, are one of the worlds best built rods - with world record catches to back up the statement. No finer quality rods are built, that's an opinion shared by many
Thank you Mark for the informative video and outstanding customer service. I purchased a Calstar Grafighter 765H 50-130 class rod from you guys. It's a true work of art. I am privileged to own one of these masterpieces. Can't wait to land a big land based shark on this stick. Thank you sir and tight lines!
fhpd350 Thank you, and I'll add that every rod produced by Calstar is a classic piece built by a fellow who has been a leader in rod design and construction since the '60's. Leon Todd, owner of Calstar along with Pat his wife have built their reputation on quality production and design. Leon is getting up there in years, still arrives to work early every day and still very much enjoys working at the craft. Enjoy your rod, like I said it's a classic as are all the rods Leon builds.
Thanks for visiting our channel. They were wonderful rods, Leon Todd was a classic, just like the rods he created. Leon passed away a few years ago, the company he created looks to be passing as well. Things move forward, United Composites now occupys the higher end of SoCal rod building. Designs and methods of production have advanced, but that takes nothing away from what Leon accomplished during his prime years.
@@CharkBaitUSA yes, you are right. I remember calstar rod's all the way back in the early 90s. Definitely strong, well made beef sticks. My favorite was the 90J jig stick, i had a penn 3/0 with a newell conversion kit to fish 30 pound monofilament on my 90J
@@jasonallen7779 Classics, I loved my old Newells. Sold them all off a few years ago. They were great reels for use during the mono only days. Use of braid makes 'em seem large for their intended line classes. 90J's, classic jig stick. Put a pull on a UC 9E (Reaper), you'll be impressed with how far things have come.
I still break out an old fiberglass Calstar fishing inshore. Rods have come a long ways since this video but reality is these still land fish. Believe it is a 270 that i have an original SX on.
I have a custom Calstar 270 built buy the Rod Rack in Hayward, CA ( they have been out of business for a few years now). I love the rod, 12-30lbs live bait rod I've used it for Halibut, Rock fish, Salmon and everything in between. I also got a Grafighter deckhand rod.
Hello, I'm looking into a calstar for a trinidad 14a or calcutta 300te. Which rod do you think would be good for bait and jig between the 25lb and 30lb? I'm interested in the 800ml or the GG 270-8H.
Old school fiberglass rod, best at 20# in my opnion. The 870 would be my selection for 30. Having said that, there are other rods, United Composites as a prime example, that are much lighter, stronger and an improvement over the older fiberglass made pieces. The 270 is a classic old rod for near shore use.
+Jerry Esten Agreed. Wonderful gentleman, I visit their factory weekly and appreciate spending time with Leon. He's getting up there in years, but you'll still find him at the factory each day. One of the great men who have left a mark on the tackle industry and benefited fishermen from CA, like Russ Izor, Carl Newell, etc.
Matthew Ryan Yep, be great for that use, and don't let me convince you not to give the rod some tasks for which it wasn't necessarily planned for when it was originally designed. That rod is also a very good white seabass rod, squid or squid and jig. Good thing for the arsenal.
Del Marsh is very much missed. He was a great guy, always made others feel welcomed and appreciated. He was Leon Todd's friend for many years, an ambassador for Calstar in many ways. We can hope that Del and Leon are laughing together and sharing tales, as both have passed on from this world. Calstar is essentially gone from the marketplace these days, far from the company it once was.
Great video. I have a Release SG spooled with 40lb brand and topshot of 30lb mono. I'm considering having a custom rod built. Is the Calstar GF-700L the best way to go? Thanks in advance.
Grafighter 765XL can cover that, though most folks run the piece more at 40. The West Coast 665 also covers 30-40# use quite well - heavier stick than the Grafighter.
These days, no doubt about it, United Composites 9E (formerly known as the Reaper) is the definitive 40# surface iron stock. Lighter and stronger than the old calstar, skinnier diameter blank, excellent action on the rod and it will hurl the iron farther. It's a slingshot and by design the better rod made from better materials. Seeker is no more (they don't make their own rods any more and all key staff left years ago), and Calstar is a shadow of it's former dominance (Leon Todd passed away a couple years ago and really nothing new since 2000 - they are toast). The world changed a few years ago. Having said all that, the old 90J was a classic old school rod, the GG lighter - neither hold a candle to the 9E.
@@anthonymuro4917 The Monster is another versatile piece, can do surface iron and bait well, 40# application. They have a number of winners within their line of blanks and finished rods, a range of actions. If you're local to us, or ever come this way stop in. Also, some YT vids are posted on our channel, the one I did a year or two ago provides a good deal of info you may find interesting.
Hi Mark. I am looking to buy a Calstar rod for Tuna fishing. I'm new this, so please suggest a Graphfighter. I'm not a big strong guy so I would need so help from the rod. Thank you
We've given up Calstar rods. United Composites, USA made rods represent the top of the domestic production rods and blanks at the current time. Gave up on Calstar when they were trying to sell the firm, didn't cover our needs reliably. Frankly GUSA, now known at United Composites, always had the better design in rod building but lacked finished rod production capability. That changed as the West Coast rod making field when thru major changes. A fellow bought Seeker, ceased making their own blanks, sold off the inventory as well as production equipment in an attempt to buy Calstar which fell thru. Effectively he ruined two firms, but the silver lining was that it gave UC the right personnel to be able to grow. Seeker's old production manager now owns UC, he brought his whole team with him. Visit our website for more info or contact me directly, you have some very good options.
I was checking out the Wes Coast Honey in a spinning rod. The eyes did not have any inserts, they were just pain chrome plated. Why just plain metal with no inserts?
The stainless steel guides are less expensive than the Fuji insert type guides which are used on the Grafighter series rods. The West Coast Series is representative of older rod construction format. Nothing wrong with durable, high quality stainless steel guides, they've done well for decades. With better braids also no wear issues from what I've seen over the past 20 years. They work just fine.
I couldn't agree more, and that's exactly the direction we took. Lots of back story on Calstar and Seeker, both were once cutting edge lines but time moves on and neither firm is as they once were. Seeker doesn't even make their own rods these days.
Hugh Hill The 700ML is excellent for 30# application. Other good rods to check, the Ahi Assassin Topwater 30, United Composites 700M. The Ahi is heavier, more power with light tip, metal gimbal, reel seat, overbuilt guides. The UC is lighter and makes better use of the carbon fiber while also still using fiberglass for lift. Fuji guides on the Calstar, Alps on the Ahi and UC. Calstar produces rods by which all others are compared. Excellent actions, well made, and made by a legendary figure in the West Coast sportfishing scene - Leon Todd.
pan8a Can't speak to that one, internal family stuff isn't my business. Time passes for us all and Leon is getting up there. The firm has not been producing rods in the numbers we'd like to see, that's a certainty. But, every rod he produces is a classic and worthy of owning for decades to come. With Seeker essentially history under the new ownership, no longer capable of producing quality rods, could just be that United Composites becomes the major player in terms of quality USA built rods.
Taking a hold on that one. One of the cousins owes me a bit of $ from when I had him building rods for us - never did make good on what I'd already paid for nor given me back the components I paid for to produced the rods. I tried to help him years ago, and I got burnt. So, no thought of supporting them until I'm paid back. Cousins got some outside investor money, have been spending it like drunken sailors since. Rumors were that they tried to partner up with another firm, that idea went south once the books were opened. I don't trust long term existence of the firm given history of the owners and overhead. The capability and experience are there, but operating principles are lacking in my estimation. As a retailer, to bring in a line is in many respects like making an investment, an investment in inventory and faith in the future. Can't rationalize that, my faith and hope lies with United Composites. I like their designs more - always have, and I trust their owner more. That's my honest opinion, others are welcome to have their own thoughts.
Thank you Mark for the informative video and outstanding customer service. I purchased a Calstar Grafighter 765H 50-130 class rod from you guys. It's a true work of art. I am privileged to own one of these masterpieces. Can't wait to land a big land based shark on this stick. Thank you sir and tight lines!
fhpd350 Thank you, and I'll add that every rod produced by Calstar is a classic piece built by a fellow who has been a leader in rod design and construction since the '60's. Leon Todd, owner of Calstar along with Pat his wife have built their reputation on quality production and design. Leon is getting up there in years, still arrives to work early every day and still very much enjoys working at the craft. Enjoy your rod, like I said it's a classic as are all the rods Leon builds.
Cool Video clip, calstar rod's are one of my favorites. I used to have a 6480H, 90J and a 270H
Thanks for visiting our channel. They were wonderful rods, Leon Todd was a classic, just like the rods he created. Leon passed away a few years ago, the company he created looks to be passing as well. Things move forward, United Composites now occupys the higher end of SoCal rod building. Designs and methods of production have advanced, but that takes nothing away from what Leon accomplished during his prime years.
@@CharkBaitUSA yes, you are right. I remember calstar rod's all the way back in the early 90s. Definitely strong, well made beef sticks. My favorite was the 90J jig stick, i had a penn 3/0 with a newell conversion kit to fish 30 pound monofilament on my 90J
@@jasonallen7779 Classics, I loved my old Newells. Sold them all off a few years ago. They were great reels for use during the mono only days. Use of braid makes 'em seem large for their intended line classes. 90J's, classic jig stick. Put a pull on a UC 9E (Reaper), you'll be impressed with how far things have come.
Superb looking shop, and if I weren’t in the UK I’d head straight for that grafighter line up, they look quality rods
I still break out an old fiberglass Calstar fishing inshore. Rods have come a long ways since this video but reality is these still land fish. Believe it is a 270 that i have an original SX on.
I have a custom Calstar 270 built buy the Rod Rack in Hayward, CA ( they have been out of business for a few years now). I love the rod, 12-30lbs live bait rod I've used it for Halibut, Rock fish, Salmon and everything in between. I also got a Grafighter deckhand rod.
Where did you buy it in the bay?
The calstar 870 and mxj is a great combo when fishing for sturgeon in San Pablo bay...
Kind of sad what happened to Calstar. I've always preferred the UC rods personally but Calstar was such a name for soo long.
Hello, I'm looking into a calstar for a trinidad 14a or calcutta 300te. Which rod do you think would be good for bait and jig between the 25lb and 30lb? I'm interested in the 800ml or the GG 270-8H.
Would a 270 work with my speed master 8 spoiler with 30lb plan to use for live bait maybe bottom fishing
Old school fiberglass rod, best at 20# in my opnion. The 870 would be my selection for 30. Having said that, there are other rods, United Composites as a prime example, that are much lighter, stronger and an improvement over the older fiberglass made pieces. The 270 is a classic old rod for near shore use.
Great information going to get the one. Respect
Would a 6480C be a good rod to pair up with a torium 20 for jig fishing yellows out of SD?
Well said Great Video
perfect rods
Leon was the best and still is!
+Jerry Esten Agreed. Wonderful gentleman, I visit their factory weekly and appreciate spending time with Leon. He's getting up there in years, but you'll still find him at the factory each day. One of the great men who have left a mark on the tackle industry and benefited fishermen from CA, like Russ Izor, Carl Newell, etc.
Would a calstar 8ft west coast 30-60lb be a good surface iron and yoyo jig rod?
Matthew Ryan Great for surface iron, but wouldn't be my go-to for heavy yoyo use. Give me a 6 1/2 to 7 footer for that, nothing longer, thanks.
Could it be used for live bait and surface iron?, want a versatile rod. If i was just going surface iron if probably go 9 ft, but wanted options
Matthew Ryan Yep, be great for that use, and don't let me convince you not to give the rod some tasks for which it wasn't necessarily planned for when it was originally designed. That rod is also a very good white seabass rod, squid or squid and jig. Good thing for the arsenal.
Rip Del.
Del Marsh is very much missed. He was a great guy, always made others feel welcomed and appreciated. He was Leon Todd's friend for many years, an ambassador for Calstar in many ways. We can hope that Del and Leon are laughing together and sharing tales, as both have passed on from this world. Calstar is essentially gone from the marketplace these days, far from the company it once was.
Great video.
I have a Release SG spooled with 40lb brand and topshot of 30lb mono.
I'm considering having a custom rod built.
Is the Calstar GF-700L the best way to go?
Thanks in advance.
Nelson Flores I'd lean towards the 700ML for 30, a bit more lift.
***** dang it, wife already picked up the 700l.
Well hope it turns out good.
Thanks👍
Thanks for the info
So the grafighter butt does not have Gimbal?
I believe some do
hey my friends what calstar rod you think best fits sturgeon fishing will be fitting my avet mxj???
What rod would you recommend for bottom fishing (rock fish) ? I have a MXJ with 50# braid and 30# topshot about 10# drag. I'm wanting a 6-1/2' rod
Grafighter 765XL can cover that, though most folks run the piece more at 40. The West Coast 665 also covers 30-40# use quite well - heavier stick than the Grafighter.
That would be the wc665
20-50# rod?
steve gonzalez yep
Good jig stick for tady 45’s ? CALSTAR? 90j or 100h? Or the GG90j
These days, no doubt about it, United Composites 9E (formerly known as the Reaper) is the definitive 40# surface iron stock. Lighter and stronger than the old calstar, skinnier diameter blank, excellent action on the rod and it will hurl the iron farther. It's a slingshot and by design the better rod made from better materials. Seeker is no more (they don't make their own rods any more and all key staff left years ago), and Calstar is a shadow of it's former dominance (Leon Todd passed away a couple years ago and really nothing new since 2000 - they are toast). The world changed a few years ago. Having said all that, the old 90J was a classic old school rod, the GG lighter - neither hold a candle to the 9E.
@@CharkBaitUSA awesome reply. Super informative I appreciate you very much any other rod in the united composite that you would recommend
@@anthonymuro4917 The Monster is another versatile piece, can do surface iron and bait well, 40# application. They have a number of winners within their line of blanks and finished rods, a range of actions. If you're local to us, or ever come this way stop in. Also, some YT vids are posted on our channel, the one I did a year or two ago provides a good deal of info you may find interesting.
Hi Mark. I am looking to buy a Calstar rod for Tuna fishing. I'm new this, so please suggest a Graphfighter. I'm not a big strong guy so I would need so help from the rod. Thank you
We've given up Calstar rods. United Composites, USA made rods represent the top of the domestic production rods and blanks at the current time. Gave up on Calstar when they were trying to sell the firm, didn't cover our needs reliably. Frankly GUSA, now known at United Composites, always had the better design in rod building but lacked finished rod production capability. That changed as the West Coast rod making field when thru major changes. A fellow bought Seeker, ceased making their own blanks, sold off the inventory as well as production equipment in an attempt to buy Calstar which fell thru. Effectively he ruined two firms, but the silver lining was that it gave UC the right personnel to be able to grow. Seeker's old production manager now owns UC, he brought his whole team with him. Visit our website for more info or contact me directly, you have some very good options.
I was checking out the Wes Coast Honey in a spinning rod. The eyes did not have any inserts, they were just pain chrome plated. Why just plain metal with no inserts?
The stainless steel guides are less expensive than the Fuji insert type guides which are used on the Grafighter series rods. The West Coast Series is representative of older rod construction format. Nothing wrong with durable, high quality stainless steel guides, they've done well for decades. With better braids also no wear issues from what I've seen over the past 20 years. They work just fine.
Right on, thanks. I didn't know if they made that same rod with Fuji inserts.
Calstar is the Past….United Composites is the Future….
I couldn't agree more, and that's exactly the direction we took. Lots of back story on Calstar and Seeker, both were once cutting edge lines but time moves on and neither firm is as they once were. Seeker doesn't even make their own rods these days.
Would pair a Shimano Talica 16II
With a 700ml
Probably use 30# braid general purpose fishing live bait
Tuna, Mahi flat line , and kite fishing
Hugh Hill The 700ML is excellent for 30# application. Other good rods to check, the Ahi Assassin Topwater 30, United Composites 700M. The Ahi is heavier, more power with light tip, metal gimbal, reel seat, overbuilt guides. The UC is lighter and makes better use of the carbon fiber while also still using fiberglass for lift. Fuji guides on the Calstar, Alps on the Ahi and UC. Calstar produces rods by which all others are compared. Excellent actions, well made, and made by a legendary figure in the West Coast sportfishing scene - Leon Todd.
I heard that Leon's kid(s) want nothing to do with the rod business and so when Leon retires Calstar will be no more. I hope this isn't true.
pan8a Can't speak to that one, internal family stuff isn't my business. Time passes for us all and Leon is getting up there. The firm has not been producing rods in the numbers we'd like to see, that's a certainty. But, every rod he produces is a classic and worthy of owning for decades to come. With Seeker essentially history under the new ownership, no longer capable of producing quality rods, could just be that United Composites becomes the major player in terms of quality USA built rods.
***** How do you feel about Cousin's rods?
Taking a hold on that one. One of the cousins owes me a bit of $ from when I had him building rods for us - never did make good on what I'd already paid for nor given me back the components I paid for to produced the rods. I tried to help him years ago, and I got burnt. So, no thought of supporting them until I'm paid back. Cousins got some outside investor money, have been spending it like drunken sailors since. Rumors were that they tried to partner up with another firm, that idea went south once the books were opened. I don't trust long term existence of the firm given history of the owners and overhead. The capability and experience are there, but operating principles are lacking in my estimation. As a retailer, to bring in a line is in many respects like making an investment, an investment in inventory and faith in the future. Can't rationalize that, my faith and hope lies with United Composites. I like their designs more - always have, and I trust their owner more. That's my honest opinion, others are welcome to have their own thoughts.