Someone asked me on the beach yesterday why would anyone want a two piece rod instead of a custom rod. Let’s take out of the equation the need to break a rod down for transportation or storage.
Why would I, or anyone in my shoes, buy/use a two piece rod if I could get a custom rod instead.? It doesn’t make sense, does it? But you got to look at the whole picture. First, know who’s talking. I never been the guy who chases after the fads, I was never the first guy out with VS, braid or anything else. It took me years to switch to clips. I still wear $80 Grunden pullover splash top. So me jumping on the two piece rod bandwagon is not going to happen.
Here is why I did it. I liked the St Croix line of rods but unfortunately they only came in two piece. Do you think I would preferred this configuration instead of a single rod if they offered it? Of course not. I fished for years with Lamiglas GSB rods and nothing else. Great all around rods. There is nothing you can’t do with them. However holding St Croix in one hand and Lami gsb in other you will be amazed just how much lighter St Croix Legend is. The other attribute I really like is that Legend’s are not as sloppy as GSB when finishing a cast. What more is there? Why do people make this stuff to be more then what it is?
To me St Croix Legends feel better, they are crisper during the cast, very sensitive when retrieving a lure. Would I lean on it as hard as I did with GSB? I doubt it. I swam with it few months ago in Cutty and I because the water is about ten to twelve feet deep I was using my rod to push myself along. This is much easier done with GSB.
Some of you might say why not get a different one piece from Lamiglas instead. After all, they have other models. You know, if I looked hard enough, I would have probably found something to suit me. I am not a fan of Super surf , but I am sure there are some blanks that would have been just great. But I also know that St Croix has a kick ass warranty in case I need assistance and that they been one of the biggest supporters of this magazine since the day we started it and that means a lot to me.
What are the pitfalls? The only thing I experienced was that you might have to adjust your guides occasionally. Which is to be expected. Other than that , I don’t see a difference.
I grew up on 2 piece Rods they were the only option I ever saw until I could buy my own gear Ive used both types as an adult and the only down side 2 a 2 piece is I have cast the 1st half of the rod along with my lure..
↓i don’t see any need to defend a preference in rod build, material or brand. it’s all subjective opinion and there are so many good rods out there these dayze. for me, a 2 or 3 piece is about convenience, and i have a couple of albright 4 piece travel rods for surf and coves. all of my multi section rods have a very 1 piece feel, but i also have a pair of lami 1 piece rods i built in the early 60’s, for that old time glass nostalgia with a squidder. fishies dunno or care what kinda rod catches them. it’s all good, do want ya want. hah!
↓I think part of it is a very,very strong opinions among many of us that the gear we use currently is absolutely the best. I am not trying to defend so much as much as explain
↓Ive been using my 2 piece Mojo’s going on season 2 and they r my “go to rods” i never leave home with out them…9ft and 10ft just great all around sticks
↓Just don’t forget when you or your buddy have a 2 peice rod when you are trying to help them up onto a rock and you grab the rod, ooopss :)..
↓St. Croix is one fine rod as well as Shimano’s Tiralejo rods. I fish with both of these and would put them up against any one piece rod for any type of surf fishing. Have been fishing these the last couple of years and they have taken fish to 30lbs. Have not been lucky enough to beach/release a big cow but am sure either one could handle the task. As for casting both of these cast just as far with lead, plugs and metal with the proper cast.
↓The great thing is if you are not in a truck or vehicle that will hold a one piece you can break it down and tuck it away. Nice when you go away with the family in a car or smaller vehicle and can still include a little beach fishing in the schedule.
This is a funny thread in my opinion (no offence). Not living close to the ocean and having to travel up and down the east coast to fish I would flip the question.
Why would you ever purchase a one piece rod when you can get equal performance from a two piece rod?
In the end it comes down to an individuals fishing requirements and personal preference. No right answer on a topic that will be debated as long as people walk the ocean’s shores chasing fish with rod and reel.
↓I have always had 2 piece rods, even when I was building them myself. It was just what was done for ease of travel. the funny thing is I do own two , two piece rods that I have turned into one piece by epoxying them together, neither have failed due to this.And even though I can put them on the rack on my truck there are times I wish I didn’t. They are so much more secure in the truck then on the rack when stopping at the diner on the way home. And a small bit of tape stops you from having to adjust your guides when you whip the stick when popping plugs.
↓Z – if you get your GSBs wrapped “new guide concept” (NGC) style, it will take away alot of the wobble you get after a cast. You have less weight bouncing around on the top half of the blank. My 11′ GSB wrapped like that feels lighter and crisper than my 10′ GSB wrapped with a modified “cone of flight” style. Fights fish better too.
↓Two piece rods from the start have a weak point, the ferrell, which to me is foolish to use a two piece rod. Secondly, one piece rods are stronger and better for plugging, and fighting fish! You never have to worry about adjusting the top half because it comes loose. Why anyone would even use a 2 piece rod for surf fishing is beyond me.
↓I think there is a very simple answer to your question..becouse st croix or cts rods do not come in one piece ….people who loved them have to accept the annoyance that comes with using a two piece rods…there is no “wrong” way or someones way its better then your way..its about doing what you love and enjoying it…
↓Actually a two piece rod is stronger (smaller diameter) from the reel seat to the first guide ( where a lot breaks usually occur) because it has to go into the ferrule. Compare a one piece and two piece of the same rod and you’ll see the difference.
↓I had a gsb with concept guides before anyone years, and years ago..it was my favorite rod and I had ton of gsb at that time…if you are getting gsb built , go with concept, you wont regret it
↓Again, its a personal preference, I am kicking myself for selling a 2-piece Loomis I had since it outperformed some of my 1-piece rods but such is life. Seems to me the newer 2-piece rods are as good, if not better than MANY, not all, 1-piece rods… Just my 2 cents.
↓The same people who gripe about “one piece or nothing” are the same people who gripe that their gear is the best no matter what the situation. They are also the same people who comment on gear they have never seen/tried so I give those type of keyboard jockies very little weight. Once the whole St. Croix craze phases out something will replace it. I’ll still keep my rods because I love them but the folks who always have to have the freshest gear will always tout they know more then you. You really think the fish care how many piece rods you use or if you can cast a Northbar over the moon?
↓I’ve never had my legend or mojo come apart on a cast, and once I the rods are put together they are never adjusted. St. Croix does an excellent job insuring the ferrule connections are perfect.
Everyone defends their gear viciously. Personally I have only fished St. Croix rods because of the outstanding warranty, and they flat out perform.
Some of my buddies fish lami, cts and century and love all of them. There isn’t a rod out there that does everything in stellar fashion, but I have found that the legends come pretty damn close.
↓I’ve had 3 legends snap in the same exact spot. The weak point where the connection ends. They dont’t snap they explode. Not hating just giving honeset feedback. Also had a 2 piece surf and jetty snap. Also while watching espn seen 2 boat legends snap on one episode. THe guide and tv host said they have been guiding for 30 years and never seen anything like that. Love the warranty, and the guys at St croix are good dudes, but there is something going on with these legends. The fact is 2 piece rods snap more then 1 piece rods. Told Jeff make a 1 piece legend and people will pay extra for the shipping just to have it, or atleast I would.
Z, I wish you the best of luck and hope this doesnt happen to you. I’ve had a GSB for 15 years that has yet to flinch.
↓I use both and I don’t see a differance. Only in the trasportation does it impact my use.
↓Love my 2 piece rods. Love my one piece too but it doesnt get nearly as much use due to my travel constraints I find myself wishin’ it was a two piece most of the time.
↓Without getting into a long drawn out lifestory , I havent gone surf fishing for 2 YEARS . At this point , I’ll use a stick and twine ,I swear.
But anyway , I have a custom one piece and a two piece. If I needed to ,I’d grab the two piece and go …just like that
↓“What are the pitfalls? The only thing I experienced was that you might have to adjust your guides occasionally. Which is to be expected. Other than that , I don’t see a difference.” Zeno
Zeno Sorry but I dont not understand what this means. My rod our fished 4 to 5 days a week and adjustment of the tip is need to be done at least twice a year.
↓I wasn’t talking about a tip…I was talking about top section needing to be realigned with bottom occasionally
↓St. Croix and Lamiglas both outstanding blanks, but I haven’t read one thing here that makes a legitimate argument for proactively opting for a 2 piece over a one piece other than for travel purposes. I don’t believe St. Croix is a better blank, and it coming only in two pieces, to me anyway, is good enough reason alone to stick with Lami.
↓I’ve had a 10 foot 2 peice St Croix Ben Doerr Surf Systems rod for 15 years without a problem except for an occational adjustment of the guides now and then. Casts great and fit into my compact car.
↓its not Lami against St Croix against CTS against GLoomis…I think you are missing the whole point
↓I am going to try to be as blunt as possible…I owned 5 GSB rods. I bought them when I was guiding. They are the most kick ass rods I ever used. You can do everything with them. Throw eels, plugs, throw pencil poppers..I fished with nothing but them for a decade..if there was ever a homerun by Lami, GSB is it. I sold all of them and have no regrets and I will tell you why. I broke a rod last weekend at Montauk and borrowed Great White Hunter gsb because all I had was a light back up stick and wanted to throw eels. After about 10 minutes with GSB I was exhausted. I am just not used to rod that felt like an extension of my hand for years but now feels like a broomstick. Would I ever recommend GSB ? Absolutely , every minute of every day. Would I ever buy one after fishing with lighter rods from GLoomis, St Croix, CTS? Absolutely not. That is it in a nutshell, these rods don’t come in one piece, if they did we would all buy them. No one sane can say they rather fish a two piece rods unless it’s a storage thing
Z, what rod did u break last week?
↓Let me take this a small step further and give a nod to the 30/70 split two piece rods. I feel like i am never out gunned landing a fish versus the traditional 50/50 split. The 30/70 feels nice and parabolic taking the bend through the whole blank where 50/50 seems to be pushed.
Diehards can stick by their one piece rods but as time tells us newer technologically superior rods will come and others will replace them. Personally the new ART blanks are really something else from a durability/punishment standpoint and although defects occur I feel like they stand behind their rods better then others and that means a lot to me as a consumer should I run into trouble. I can get their rods in every tackle shop near my house and I like their track record. I didn’t appreciate my Mojo?Legend sticks until I tossed a similar rated Tica and Airwave. The comparison ends at the recommended rating. You really can’t compare the old guns of even just a few years ago with modern rods. It’s a different style of rod for different folks/styles. I have a friend so ingrained with the style of his Ben Doerr that he had great difficulty when he held a Legend. You just have to get off your ass and test cast each one and get to know them before you judge them.
Look at the VS…virtually unchanged in almost 20 years and has withstood the test of time. Other rods have their place in history (GSB/Ben Doerr) but folks need to be open minded trying something new. One piece isn’t the only way to skin a cat. Find the rod that fits you.
↓1 piece or 2 it’s a tool to get the job done. I use both.
↓Everybody has an opinon on what’s best.
The bottom line is what fits your buget and style of fishing is what you should use.
New tech and lighter rods will allwasys be welcomed in this sport.
Zeno, i would get Croixs furrule lube, i believe it’s really a beeswax, but put a thin coat (thin is the word)on the male end and work it in correctly and that top half won’t budge, i cast just about everything from heavy tins to topwaters to even chunking, and some of the areas i fish have brutal current which pulls the rod at extreme angles when spiked, and i have not needed to realign the top half in well over a year.
The only time i need to ever realign the top half is when the rod falls or gets pulled down when spiked during chunking. If your experiencing a need to realign on a regular basis somethings not right. I recall you stating in a previous post that you only had to realign the top half after it fell off a rock and you were sold on two piece rods.
↓Ive snapped one rode my whole life. A one piece. I was walking and wasnt paying attention and the end went into a fence. Ive NEVER seen a rod break while fishing PROPERLY. If you’re breaking rods you’re doing something wrong. Bottom line. Maybe take the monster reel and 50lb braid off and loosen your drag you chooch. These arent hockey sticks.
↓This is Ben Mojica, I build rods I have had many people bring me two piece spinning rods to convert into one piece. I use an epoxy that turns hot as it harding and it a 5000 lb. Strength. I have used mind for 20 years and I have fished many a day . One day I landed 19 bull reds smallest 27 lbs. biggest 49 lbs.on 4.5 hours. All catch and release. It was a surf two piece from academy. It was a twelve foot I cut down to 10 ft. That was 1975 and I still fish with it .
↓I have fished Lamiglas and Fenwick 2 piece rods for decades, never any trouble. My first attempt at a high end surf stick was a Lamiglas Infinity 10’6″. The thing had the most user friendly butt section I had ever seen, life time warranty. When I took it out of packaging I was amazed, I had to test the action so I put on my penn Torque 7 tied it off, raised the tip and it snapped clean in half about 8″ down from tip. I called Lamiglas and they said sorry, we don’t make that rod anymore, send it back and we will give you any other surf rod we make. None of the others use that same butt section or cost as much. I never sent it back. I now own St Croix mojo n Tsunami. No more Lami’s for me. I asked them to just build me a GSB top section. Nope we don’t do that. I’ll soon be all St Croix !
↓