Black Hole USA 11' Surf Heavy II VS. 10 oz. Savage Cutbait Herring 

This is definitely a “how to” guide on severing your fingertip haha. I still watch this though and am amazed at how much sack that bloody rod has. I had a 12’ custom sharking rod made paired with the old 8000 Saltiga expedition and I’ve yet to find the end of its power on sharks up to 250lbs

Yea especially considering that cinder block of a lure it was throwing

Angling Addicts the rod is a total nuke. Feels like it could throw a pound and the built 10’ weighs like 13 oz.

vsonic86 two totally different applications, but if I had to choose just one jigster all day

Cape Cod 8 78 So the Tica 10’ 2-8 is one of my favorite budget* jigging rods. I believe it’s the TC2, but for the money you’d be hard pressed to find a better jig stick.

Much appreciated! I'm Looking for a solid dedicated jig stick for my son without having to live on the canal in wake of purchase!.. He has been using a 10' 3-6 ounce Airwave elite which quite surprisingly has held up throwing 5 ounce Gags and Savage's seemingly well. Do you feel it would be beneficial to make the swap over to the Tica in terms of jigging? Or is there a different rod you would recommend in the $150-250 bracket? Thank you for taking the time-energy to answer my questions much less read them.

So you don’t need to stand up on the bank. I did that for the video. And jigging has the longest learning curve and you’re going to lose stuff. The biggest misconception is that you need to bounce the bottom repeatedly. With the creation of paddle tail jigs you can let the jig hit the bottom and just slow roll it back in like a trout fly in a river. Just know that the paddle tail is going to act like a parachute in the current and stopping it and letting it sink until you feel it hit bottom every now and then is a good idea and when it gets past you in the current REALLY slow your retrieve down. Not until you get to the ledge do you need to burn it back up. I use 50-65 lb braid and 80lb fluoro or 100lb mono at night and I can rip through snags that would pop 50 or 60 pound easily. It’s a graveyard of shit down there. Gear accordingly

@@DanEvan thanks for the reply Dan and great tips . Are you gunna release some more footage from the canal I love watching and learning from you pulling in those beasts. My goal is to beat my PB this year 33”

@@chrischambers4538 yeah I probably will. But it won’t be until months after the season is over

@@chrischambers4538 and thank you for the kind words bro, much appreciated

Tommy Lusignan fished it all season!

dan cha The frontier is a really solid all around surf rod. It’s what I would call a true mod fast. My 11’6 has a sweet spot of like 3-3.5 and will start to get a little lazy after 5 oz. Now if you remove a foot of the rod you’re probably looking at bit stouter setup with the 10’6 - If you could tell me your application, the type of fish you’re targeting, type of plugs/bait you’re throwing, I could definitely point you in what I at least would feel the right direction would be based on my experience.

@@DanEvan I'm targeting striped bass, I throw bucktails/flukes ranging anywhere from 1 - 3 oz. For plugs, loaded spooks and pencil poppers. TIA

dan cha so my next questions would be - What kind of rod action is both your favorite to fish with in terms of: ▪️personal comfort ▪️casting performance ▪️fish-fighting ability ▪️ability to effectively work the lures you like to use -How do you prefer to cast (do you like to use a methodical slow-to-fast progressive type of cast or do you prefer a real thumping, overhead snap cast) -Where do you fish? Is there a ton of current? Open beaches/inlets/jetties/boulder fields/all of the above? I want to give you the best recommendation possible. I’ve handled and fished with the frontier X, the NEX 1, Jigster, and Genesis, but haven’t tried the new D.N.A. series which sounds like it could be a really sick option from everyone I’ve talked to.

@@DanEvan I'd like something with casting performance and the ability to fight the fish, something not too heavy so I can fish longer. Maybe something along the lines of a moderate - fast action. I typically fish fast, a lot of overhead casts. I live in the western part NC, a few hrs from the coast. All the stripes we fish for are fresh water. I fish at dams when they generate water so there is plenty of current, especially when the flood gates open. My current set up is a St. Croix Avid surf 10' MF rated 1 - 4 oz. paired with a Shimano Sustain 6000 but when throwing anything around the 3 oz. range definitely feel the rod flexing more than I think it should. Thanks!

dan cha Then I think the 10’6 2-6 frontier X is perfect for your needs. It will throw an oz and all of 5 and 2.75-3.5 just perfect. It is has plenty of sack to turn a big fish and bends so that all the guides are working for you

mick kong I’m honestly not sure man.

American Angler North F.C. I suppose it depends on the application, but all around the 11’ 4-10 jigster is pretty much my all time favorite rod. I use it for everything from big stripers to brown sharks from the beach

@@DanEvan Sweet man. The reason I ask is because I myself have the 11 foot 4-10 oz, and absolutely love it. Didn't think there is anything better.

American Angler North F.C. yeah so the blackhole heavy II is like borderline too much rod for most striped bass fishing conditions and for me is a dedicated Jig stick for the canal. You can barely feel a 3 oz lure on the blackhole and it takes about a 40lb pissed off striper to put a bend in it whereas the jigster throws well below its rating and will bend down to the stripper guide soaking up all the energy of the fish instead of your back. The blackhole also feels very different than the jigster with its thick diameter vs. the thin diameter/thick walled jigster. I won’t fish the canal without my jigster, and IMO it’s hands down the best all around rod for the canal. It excels at bombing bigf lures and fights fish beautifully.

@@DanEvan Yeah I use my jigster mostly at the canal. I can throw 3 3 1/2 0z guppy and I can work it perfect. Works really well with plugs under and over its rating. I've seen your video on you tube. Love your stuff pal. Let me know when your selling some of you hybrids. I'll take some pal. Let me know thanks again buddy.

My name is Jeff Araujo, by the way. American Angler North is my fishing Crew.

Stephen G Riley so Stephen, are you looking for a dedicated jig stick, or an all around canal rod? If I were going for a dedicated jig stick it would be the black hole heavy II in 10’....working at Red Top once a week has given me the opportunity to get my hands on, and test just about every popular canal rod. If you want to save some coin and get one of the absolute best canal jig sticks for the money, without question the 10’ TICA 2-8 oz is probably one of ;my favorite rods. Absolute pleasure to jig with. If you’re looking for one rod to do it all then look no further than the Jigster. Its just as good if not better than the 2-8oz st croix legend, and Century SS 1328. Honestly I’ve always said the Jigster should be called the plugster....Its my go-to rod for just about everything. I throw pencils a mile with it, use it for plugs anywhere from 2.5-8 oz with it really shining in the 4-5 oz range. It throws big sebiles, metal lips, stick baits, rubber shads etc better than just about anything I’ve tried. Hell I own a Century SS1327 and an ODM Frontier X and even with my Aerotechnium loaded with 30lb maxcuatro, I can put a pencil out further with the jigster matched with a Stella. Don’t get me wrong, it will handle 5 oz savages no problem and it’s capable of casting them literally 110yds....it’s just when you start getting into those 5oz Al Gags (really weigh 6.5oz) that the tip starts to feel a bit soft, and I found myself wishing for a bit more stiffness and recovery on those longer sessions (something the TICA and Heavy II are in no short supply of) The Jigster will comfortably handle 8 oz but the Black hole is in another league in terms of power. The Jigster should really be rated 2-8 oz instead of 4-10 and the black hole should be rated 4-12 or higher. It it truly a fucking meatstick and you can see so many of the companies design features incorporated into the heavy II that reflect their background of heavy duty tuna and GT popping rods. I hope this helped man. I made this video specifically for guys like you simply because there’s not much out there right now regarding this blank and I wanted to provide at least some point of reference. If you have any questions about these rods mentioned above or any other alternatives don’t hesitate to ask brother!

Dan Evan , thanks for the in depth reply , I've held a blackhole 11ft but haven't tried it out , I have a tfo rod , you know the blue one that's rated 2 to 6 oz , but I wanted that as a backup rod for the canal but I haven't gotten my hands on a jigster for comparison, but thanks for taking the time to reply

Stephen G Riley it sounds like the Jigster would be far more in line with what you are looking for. Try Tomo’s Tackle in Salem MA. He’s an awesome guy to deal with

Dan Evan Fishing Great video! Exactly which Tica are you referencing?

@@DanEvan Digging up this old thread but super helpful because I'm looking for an upgrade and I've narrowed it to the jigster, frontier 3-8, and BH heavy (have the BH 9'6" for stickbaits and love the thing). I think I'm going jigster because I don't need to throw jigs heavier than 4-5oz 90% of the time and I want something that does well with plugs, including in boulder fields where you need to really lock down on the big ones to avoid hanging up. Cheers!

ODM jigster best all around canal rod. BH dedicated jig stick.

@@DanEvan awesome thank you, hope your season is going well

Yes I have fished 3 different ones

@@DanEvan how were they

@@bobbylee3567 they were solid rods, honestly my favorite one was a 9’6 1/2-2 oz. The 12’ 2-8 didn’t like to throw anything under 4 oz, the 11’3 1-6 was a bit soft but the rods themselves are awesome

@@DanEvan I’ll have to look into these BH rods now. Thanks for your response.

So I’m going to give you a few rod choices that are in that range that I have used and really love. If you find that you’re throwing more in the 1-2 oz range I’d get the black hole. If you’re more in the 1.5-3 oz range then I’d go with the ODM DNA -Black Hole Striper Special 9’2 rated 3/4 - 3 oz. Awesome rod, build quality really nice. Price is around $390 -ODM DNA 10’ rated 3/4 - 4 oz - probably the best Rod for the money in that size range and beautifully built. I’d recommend this rod at the $280 price point it’s got the quality you’d find in rods in the $400 range. -Century Slingshot SS1145 9’6 rated 3/4 - 3.5 oz. This rod is extremely fast and powerful. It throws 4 oz but doesn’t throw the bottom end of its rating very well. $415

@@DanEvan indeed obliged for your guidance and wonder if you could guide as to tsunami brand Salt X doing lot of advertising these days. I am more into 3/4 to 2 ounce range and would need your kind guidance as to rod that transmits every lure movement... old words no more broom sticks i am really afraid of! thanks and kind regards

Faisal Rafique The tsunami Salt X reel is incredible so far. Wicked smooth and powerful drag, seems well-sealed, manual bail conversion kit included. If I were pairng it with the 9’2 black hole striper special 3/4-3 I’d pair it with a 5000. ODM DNA 10’ i’d go 6000. As far as the Salt X surf rod goes I haven’t had a chance to thoroughly test that enough to give you my feedback man.

@@DanEvan thanks appreciated. Very kind regards

@@DanEvan i wonder if you could refer black hole dealer who could ship it saudia. For tackledirect, it seems they dont have stocks Kind regards

Take it over to Tuna Outfitters in Gloucester

Thanks for the tip - I will give them a call.

Rob Thorpe ThorpeRobertT did u catch any last night?

Nothing on Sunday night from 5pm-11pm.

Rob Thorpe ThorpeRobertT Robert unfortunately I don’t think their one year warranty covers guides. Message me in the group and we’ll figure something out

kameron steel It’s the rod in the title of the video. Black Hole USA Surf II Heavy 11’

Tackle Advisors definitely not something I’d want to do regularly, but it’s certainly nice to see a manufacturer back up their claims on weight rating!

Yeah man.....Usually over 6 and I'm bailing on a spinner without a canon installed. Shit..I'm so stuck on conventionals now if I had to huck 10 on even a taped finger I'd bet I'd tap out after an hour. I have a few BH cape cod nano rods....and the action for a 9'6 is stellar....and it throws a huge range. And ya can pull real hard. I gained a ton of faith in Kilsong after using his early tuna jigging rods. Dude brings in some nice stuff for sure.

Tackle Advisors yeah I never throw this but it would be nice to have something in this profile in the 5-6 oz range. And yeah I’ve got the 9’2 Striper Special, the 10’6 nano heavy, and the 8’ Nano PE 5-10 popping rod for tuna spinning and that thing is a treat to fight 100-200lb fish on.

I would look at the ODM Jigster. It jigs much better the the black hole.

Mighty Me I own a custom built Jigster, and I respectfully disagree. It’s tip is way too soft for lifting heavy jigs in deep current. I use it for throwing plugs and it’s an amazing all around canal rod, but as far as a dedicated jig stick, the black hole is far better. But again that’s just my opinion and I respect yours my friend

jonathan Alvarez Hola mi amigo. No hablo muy bien el español, pero intentaré responder tu pregunta. En comparación con el 10'6 Nano, esta varilla es mucho más rígida y potente. Tiene una clasificación de 3-10 onzas en lugar de las 2-6 onzas para las que está calificado el 10’6 Nano. Esta es una barra muy pesada y fue diseñada para lanzar plantillas pesadas. Para un Saltist 5000 creo que la versión 10 'sería mejor.

Tsunami Sam correct

Dan Evan holy crap! That’s a lot ..

Tsunami Sam it is a lot but the rod is rated 3-10 oz so I wanted to see if it would live up to the hype. I’ve owned so many rods that felt like they’d fold like origami at the top of their weight rating. This was not one of them that’s for sure. The thing is a nuke!

Dan Evan pretty cool

Tsunami Sam yeah and I’m certainly not saying that it’s necessary to throw such a massive jig, and your casting finger would probably hate you after a while. I wish they made this exact lure in a 5-6oz range instead. I think it was designed to catch Ling Cod which are usually in 100+ feet of water. The profile of the bait and the mackerel pattern is awesome and the hook is up there with the 9” tsunami shad in terms of how stout it is.