There's a new rod company that might give Lami a run for their money

[Sudsy]

Anyfish Anywhere out of England.

I have the 10'9" 1 to 5 two piece factory built spinning rod in hand, very, very nice. Thin, very light and strong that can throw just about anything from a Bomber to a 5 oz popper. I've also got the 11' 1 to 3 blank which I've just started twisting up.

The 10 1/2'er has a very nice flex to it, a bit slower then an Arra Lami but faster then a glass or composite rod. All the action is in the top section of the rod with most of the flex in the top 26" followed by a more gradual flex over the next 36" during which the rod really starts to show it's backbone. The bottom section has a lot of power and the rod should have no problems bringing a fish to hand quickly, something necessary for fishing in the crowded lineups of Montauk and in areas with a lot of snags and obstructions.
I expect it to cast and work a heavy pencil nicely and yet have enough flex to snap cast the lightest Redfin.
It feels like it might be a real cannon but so far I haven't found a field big enough to give it a real test.

The rod is nicely wrapped with a very simple classy design. Basic black over wraps with 7 thread wide wrap of silver metallic A thread on either side with a two wrap wide highlight of metallic red near the guide. All of the epoxy work is impeccable. I can't tell whether or not there's an under wrap. If not it's a detail I'd like to see added. <edit, this rod was done quickly to get it to me in time for a rod building get together we had recently. In the future there will be underwraps on all guides> The butt wrap is small and serves as a panel for the logo. The top and bottom sections are of equal length at 66� each. The foregrip is foam, the butt grip is cork tape, and the reel seat is Fuji with metal shields finished in what looks like the Ti color. All in all a very well built rod.



I'm going to try casting it over grass with a Penn 706, the new Abu Cardinal 807 and a Daiwa Surf Saltiga. Over water I'll try working it with a pencil popper, metal lip, Bomber and 3/4 to 1 1/2 oz Smiling Bills. I tried it at the park across the street using the Saltiga and a 3 oz bank sinker and it smoked 100 yards with a snap cast I have to go find a bigger field and bring my 300' tape to see what this rod can really do.

Supposedly one of these rods will be considerably less expensive then a comparable Lami, but I'm not sure what the $$ are going to be. Maybe Thumb-burner (you may know him from other sites), who's going to be involved in importing them, can join up here and keep us updated.

FYI - I am in no way financially affiliated with this or any other fishing equipment company so if there's something about the rod I don't like I've no problems with saying it.

[JakeF]

Sounds really nice Suds! One of these days I've got to get me a rod from some place other than Wal-Mart, lol. I don't even know what I'm missing

[Sudsy]

I've never seen a single surf rod in Walmart or Kmart that's worth owning.

[Striperjim]

I am in the market for the 10 foot 2 piece Lami XS 101 MS. Maybe Ill wait and check this one out.
Most of the stuff I throw now is 1 to 3 ounces. I have a St Croix for heavier and a custom breakaway heaver for distance and big baits. I've been using Tica, Tsunami and Kenai lami for the lighter. (They do nicely I might add. )

PS I caught my biggest fish ever (~40) on a silistar and a mitchell eggbeater with a faulty drag. lol

[Sudsy]

Jim, I honestly think I may like this stick better - and you know how much I like the XS 101 MS. this new one seems loads better with the lighter weights as well as the big stuff. If the weather holds lets think about hitting the Bayshore next weekend (the fish are here), you can try them both out side by side.

[Striperjim]

Great. Im there.

[JakeF]

Originally Posted by Sudsy

I've never seen a single surf rod in Walmart or Kmart that's worth owning.

Me either,,, yet the purchase of anything better keeps getting superceded by stuff like diapers

I got to feel the balance of Jim's custom Breakaway rod last spring,,, Wow,, was all I could eek out, lol.

[Striperjim]

I had a chinese rod from modells that had more fish in it than my little league bat had hits.

[thumb-burner]

The rod in the picture that Sudsy has is built on one of our blanks, but is actually a custom built rod (though the colors are similar to the factory rods).

All the factory rods come with fuji alconite guides and fuji reelseats. While there are quite a few models to choose from, the ones that should serve the striper fishermen (from the surf) very well are the two sudsy mentioned and the 12' universal (which we should have to him soon to demo).

Retail prices are

$230 for the 11' 1-3 rod

$265 for the 10'9 " 1-5 rod

and 275 for the 12' 2-6 rod

all are very slim, light and cast and fish equally well. Blanks for the same three rods are $160, $180, and $196 respectively. A lot of people will likely prefer a custom, but for 70-100 dollars more than the blank you get a rod built very well with fuji alconite guides and a fuji reelseat.

The UK website is www.anyfishanywhere.com We are currently working on a US version.

Hope this is helpful. Let me know if there are questions.

[CarolinaCastPro]

Guys,

I've also done some field testing on 3 of the AFAW rods. The fit, finish and build on the factory rods are superb.

I was very impressed with the casting performance of each rod. I can't wait to wet a line and see how they pass the true test, Fighting and landing a big un.

Tommy

[Sudsy]

Tommy ?

This Tommy?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1LHbfQq9dY

[Sudsy]

Just noticed the link on the bottom of your post.

Welcome aboard Mr. Farmer

[CarolinaCastPro]

Yea that's me....

You know they say the camera adds 10 lbs, mine must be busted because that looks like a solid 50 extra to me.... lol

I really do like the rods.

Tommy

[Striperjim]

John do you have the actual weights for the rods listed?
http://www.anyfishanywhere.com/

Just curious on the weight of each.

[thumb-burner]

that's something i don't have but should be able to get pretty easily... Interesting thing about these rods.. Like most UK rods, they have a parallel butt, with little or no taper in the butt section.. often times the weight when placed on scales makes them "appear" heavy, but because they are balanced with most of the weight in the bottom half, they feel very light in hand.. not avoiding your question, just something i noticed..

I had a 13' conoflex oblivion at one time that had a blank only weight of like 23 oz.... when i put it in peoples hands with a reel on it they always said, wow, that's light..