Okuma guide select for huds?

[maiti]

On 6/27/2023 at 2:58 PM, Fishingposer said:

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

Yes Sir! My first several hudd fish were caught on the 7'11" Okuma Heavy with the funny looking rear grip and a Cardiff. Cheap setup, and it was all I could afford, but great rod, and great memories walking the banks. I'd buy one again if I could find one, just for sentimental reasons.

[Fishingposer]

1 hour ago, maiti said:

Yes Sir! My first several hudd fish were caught on the 7'11" Okuma Heavy with the funny looking rear grip and a Cardiff. Cheap setup, and it was all I could afford, but great rod, and great memories walking the banks. I'd buy one again if I could find one, just for sentimental reasons.

Tried and true Cardiff, okuma guide select!!!! Then rogue popped in with some bad ass hudd rods.

[muptain_256]

Would you suggest the XH for throwing a 250?

[cchapraps]

1 hour ago, muptain_256 said:

Would you suggest the XH for throwing a 250?

100% can throw the 250 so easy, we throw mobs on it (7.5oz)

[urbanhick]

On 6/27/2023 at 2:58 PM, Fishingposer said:

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

I had one, It exploded during the back cast while tossing a Real Prey 10 inch trout. I just cut the label section of the rod  and mailed it them and they sent a new one. That pistol grip rear handle reminded me of the old 5'6" pistol grip bait casting rods from back in the day.

[hydrocephalic]

On 7/11/2023 at 1:16 PM, urbanhick said:

I had one, It exploded during the back cast while tossing a Real Prey 10 inch trout. I just cut the label section of the rod  and mailed it them and they sent a new one. That pistol grip rear handle reminded me of the old 5'6" pistol grip bait casting rods from back in the day.

I had the same explosion throwing a hudd on mine and never looked back. Didn't realize the warranty at the time. I'd consider another one after reading everyone's thoughts on the new style.

[Lunkerpunkerfanatic97]

On 6/26/2023 at 11:53 PM, 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. 

So the XH wouldn't be able to handle the roman made mother or the roman made mother triple?

[Dink whisperer]

1 hour ago, Lunkerpunkerfanatic97 said:

So the XH wouldn't be able to handle the roman made mother or the roman made mother triple?

Definitely not. For those weights you would be better off with the XXH for sure. I just don't like how stiff it is. It's better suited for soft baits IMO. 

[ra2bach]

That was a great follow up thank you. Do you have any long term opinions on these? Rods, reels, how they pair or perform, what line?..

[Lunkerpunkerfanatic97]

On 9/2/2023 at 6:19 PM, Dink whisperer said:

Definitely not. For those weights you would be better off with the XXH for sure. I just don't like how stiff it is. It's better suited for soft baits IMO. 

Would the XH be able to handle 2 3/4 oz soft bait? or would that bait be to light for that rod? 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Lunkerpunkerfanatic97

[Brian C]

On 11/26/2023 at 10:27 AM, Lunkerpunkerfanatic97 said:

Would the XH be able to handle 2 3/4 oz soft bait? or would that bait be to light for that rod? 

Definitely not the best for that. Been throwing 8" huds with it lately and I don't think I'd go much lighter then them at about 4 oz

[Dink whisperer]

On 11/26/2023 at 11:27 AM, Lunkerpunkerfanatic97 said:

Would the XH be able to handle 2 3/4 oz soft bait? or would that bait be to light for that rod? 

It can definitely do it it's just not the best for that. I throw 2.75" line thru baits on mine in a pinch and it does good enough. I think the sweet spot is around 4.5oz - 8oz myself. 

[alabamaswimbait]

Just ordered the Custom Black Heavy to test out, pretty good deal for $120 right now on TW. Interested to put it up against my custom rods. 

[Poutdoors]

On 6/28/2023 at 4:39 PM, Dink whisperer said:

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

Is the XH a good rod for things like a battle shad and baits where the hook is in the bait. Also do you recommend braid, mono or fluro to be used with this rod?

[Dink whisperer]

3 hours ago, Poutdoors said:

Is the XH a good rod for things like a battle shad and baits where the hook is in the bait. Also do you recommend braid, mono or fluro to be used with this rod?

Yes it's perfect for jig hook baits like the Hudd and big beast hooks too. It's too powerful for braid IMO. I use fluorocarbon on mine.