Okuma guide select for huds?

[Brian C]

I am looking for a rod that can throw 8" huds or other jig hook baits in that size range but also throw 10" huds. I was looking at the okuma guide select custom black swimbait rod in the xx heavy. It says it's rated for 3.5-10 oz. I was wondering if anyone has put any time into them yet. What is the action like? Is it more of a jig hook rod or big hard bait rod? Also what is the difference between the guide select black and the one with cork handle, or is that it? Any input is appreciated! Also if there is a rod in the $150-200 that you think is a better fit for the job I am open to any suggestions. 

[Dink whisperer]

I would highly suggest that you do not get the XXH! I bought it going by the ratings but they are way overpowered. An 8oz bait doesn't even load the tip(mostly because it has no tip). As hard as I can pull on the line the tip flexes maybe 3 guides down but not much at all. 

I think the XH would be perfect for what your are looking to do. I should be getting mine in tomorrow. The XXH & XH are rated fast actions and the H is mod fast. I hear the H can do 6.5oz baits even though it's only rated up to 4oz. And after trying the XXH I definitely believe it. 

But honestly for the price I don't see how you could find a better swimbait rod! They actually got the handle length right and the aesthetics are beautifully done. 

And the only difference between the rods is the cork vs the shrink wrap. Everything else is the same. 

Edited June 27, 2023 by Dink whisperer

[FishDr]

I’ve been throwing 8” Hudds on the H Guide Select for a long time and it handled them well. When I’m throwing bigger baits like the CL8 Baby Possum or the 12” Slammer, I use an XH. The rods get the job done - they’re probably not as light or responsive as some of the newer or custom sticks but for the price, they do the job. I’ve been using mine since about ‘05 and so far I’ve had to replace the tip guide on two of them after I popped the ceramic insert out.

[Brian C]

14 hours ago, Dink whisperer said:

I would highly suggest that you do not get the XXH! I bought it going by the ratings but they are way overpowered. An 8oz bait doesn't even load the tip(mostly because it has no tip). As hard as I can pull on the line the tip flexes maybe 3 guides down but not much at all. 

I think the XH would be perfect for what your are looking to do. I should be getting mine in tomorrow. The XXH & XH are rated fast actions and the H is mod fast. I hear the H can do 6.5oz baits even though it's only rated up to 4oz. And after trying the XXH I definitely believe it. 

But honestly for the price I don't see how you could find a better swimbait rod! They actually got the handle length right and the aesthetics are beautifully done. 

And the only difference between the rods is the cork vs the shrink wrap. Everything else is the same. 

Noted. Won't get the xxh lol. Let me know with the xh if you think it'll throw the 10" hud or other baits around 7 oz alright. Do you throw treble baits or just jig hook baits with it? 

[Fishingposer]

Who remembers the first guide select Swimbait rod with a boot handle butt? Great rods for the money, even better warranty. 

[Brian C]

13 hours ago, FishDr said:

I’ve been throwing 8” Hudds on the H Guide Select for a long time and it handled them well. When I’m throwing bigger baits like the CL8 Baby Possum or the 12” Slammer, I use an XH. The rods get the job done - they’re probably not as light or responsive as some of the newer or custom sticks but for the price, they do the job. I’ve been using mine since about ‘05 and so far I’ve had to replace the tip guide on two of them after I popped the ceramic insert out.

So the XH is soft enough for trebles? Do you ever throw huds on it or just the H? I have a dobyns 806 I throw a lot of my treble hook baits but don't care to throw jig hooked baits on it

[alabamaswimbait]

14 hours ago, Dink whisperer said:

I would highly suggest that you do not get the XXH! I bought it going by the ratings but they are way overpowered. An 8oz bait doesn't even load the tip(mostly because it has no tip). As hard as I can pull on the line the tip flexes maybe 3 guides down but not much at all. 

I think the XH would be perfect for what your are looking to do. I should be getting mine in tomorrow. The XXH & XH are rated fast actions and the H is mod fast. I hear the H can do 6.5oz baits even though it's only rated up to 4oz. And after trying the XXH I definitely believe it. 

But honestly for the price I don't see how you could find a better swimbait rod! They actually got the handle length right and the aesthetics are beautifully done. 

And the only difference between the rods is the cork vs the shrink wrap. Everything else is the same. 

Been wondering about these! How is the balance?

[Dink whisperer]

30 minutes ago, Brian C said:

Noted. Won't get the xxh lol. Let me know with the xh if you think it'll throw the 10" hud or other baits around 7 oz alright. Do you throw treble baits or just jig hook baits with it? 

I will report back tomorrow after I get a full day out with the XH. I decided to return the XXH. To me it's unusable.... 

18 minutes ago, alabamaswimbait said:

Been wondering about these! How is the balance?

The balance is really good and even better than some of my way more expensive rods. Mainly due to the longer handle on these. Mine has a Revo Beast 40 on it which is a pretty light reel for it's size and it balances right at the top of the lock nut. 

[Morph808]

40 minutes ago, Fishingposer said:

Who remembers the first guide select Swimbait rod with a boot handle butt? Great rods for the money, even better warranty. 

Yup, when swimbait sticks from manufacturers were very few, it was the budget swimbait rod. Had that softer taper than what you see me now. Not the most elegant stick by current standards, but durable and reliable.

[bpm2000]

1 hour ago, Fishingposer said:

Who remembers the first guide select Swimbait rod with a boot handle butt? Great rods for the money, even better warranty. 

lol still hanging on my wall - never gets thrown though

[xxlbass]

great rods for the buck agreed.  Doubled footed fuji all the way to tip and the xh handle the ghost no problem

[FishDr]

4 hours ago, Brian C said:

So the XH is soft enough for trebles? Do you ever throw huds on it or just the H? I have a dobyns 806 I throw a lot of my treble hook baits but don't care to throw jig hooked baits on it

The Okuma's I have are the OG ones - with the "boot butt handle". I find that their balance is pretty good.  In reference to your question, I do not normally throw Hudds on the XH, but it does okay with the bigger baits - it would maybe be better for them if it were a tad softer, but I find that I don't lose more fish than expected with it. I do run mono on the reel, not braid, so that helps.

[Biglipripper]

I use the 10oz “a” version of it for my ghost and 10” hudds and it handles suprisingly well. Highly recommend them if your clumsy and break rods a lot bc they are indestructible. The dobyns 806 is a great 250 rod and for any baits in the 6-6.5 range. I just find the tip is too soft for my liking for throwing bigger baits between 7-8oz that’s why I chose the guide select. Anyone have experience with the xxh? The 14oz version 

[Brian C]

So are the "a" series xh and the select custom xh the same blank? I see they are rated to a lot different weights? The "a" is rated 2-10 oz while the custom is rated 2.5-6 oz? Or what's the difference in the rods besides the grip/looks?

Edited June 28, 2023 by Brian C
I suck at Grammer

[Dink whisperer]

Ok, so I now have a full day of testing in with the XH. I can honestly say that I'm VERY impressed by this rod, especially at this price point. I can confidently say that this is the perfect rod for both jig hook baits and bigger treble baits alike. 

I tried the rod all the way down to a 2.7oz line thru and all the way up to a 7.5oz line thru. It can definitely do the lighter stuff but you can tell it's most at home with baits above the 3oz mark. I would say that somewhere in the 8.5oz rage would be it's max just going by what I felt. 

It has a deep flex in the blank but it takes some effort to get it there if that makes sense. I would say it's somewhere in between fast and mod fast leaning slightly more towards fast. I did notice that it actually weighs about 3/4oz more than the XXH. I'm guessing maybe they added extra weight in the handle to get the balance better. 

I've attached pictures of the baits I used today for testing, the rod weight itself, the balance points with and without the reel, the reel weight by itself (Revo Beast 40 with 110 handle) and also pictures of how the rod flexes with different amounts of pressure applied to it. 

In conclusion, I think they outdid themselves on this rod! I like it just as much as my Blackjack and that's my favorite rod of all time. I ordered the Heavy model today with the 4th of July sale. I have high hopes for that one as my new rat/wake rod. The moderate action should do good with braid. Any questions feel free to ask. 

1) Light pressure 

2) Moderate pressure

3) Heavy pressure