Custom Tuna Rods

[Eric McNiff]

I just wanted to pass along a great tuna rod builder to you guys. I fish for giants from the bow of my 23' and the rods that this guys builds are perfect for this type of fishing. They also work great from the stern of a larger boat because of their forgiving nature.

The rod is designed for 130 sized reels, BUT they are longer and more flexible than a standard "chair style" rod. Most large rod manufacturers are stuck in the age of fighting chairs....they make short, stout tree trunks....fighting a giant from a rod holder with this kind of rod is difficult. What this company does is it uses a 80lb blank, gets some extra length and adds a couple more rollers. With 60lbs of pressure on large bluefin the tip is at the same level as the reel. This puts more pressure on the fish and is more forgiving. I have lost 80% less fish with this rod because I get them in more quickly and with less pulled hooks.

I am hesitant to put this information out to the masses (much like other commercial tuna fisherman), but I can't help it, these things work great......I have a picuture of the rod in action (fighting a 750 bluefin) if anyone is interested (don't know how to post it, but I can email it).

The company name is Mad Fish Tackle....email Dave at madfishtackle@yahoo.com.