An SBR-68, stripped back

I am not especially interested in rockfish fishing, but I bought Thirty Four’s SBR-68 rockfish rod. It seemed not to be especially popular, and I found it at a fairly reasonable price.

My first impression was a somewhat vague feel. It did not seem to match even the Yoihime Hana. Time for a modification.

Less grip, more feeling

I peeled away the EVA at the top of the grip. At first I thought I had made a mistake. In fact, it was a great success.

Its appearance is as plain as can be, but in a way rather professional: a simple carbon tube, with the upper part completely open. I initially feared the reel would wobble. It did not.

In the hand, it feels very good. It reminds me of a Formula car with its tyres exposed—purposeful, ready to work.

A few little taps of the tip against the floor: this is good! It felt as though the sensitivity had doubled. That may be an exaggeration, but it conveys the impression. I had bought two because they were inexpensive, so naturally I modified the second as well.

That gave me a substitute for the HSR-610. Being a rockfish rod, it bends into the upper belly as well as the tip. I like that. When landing fish over 35 cm, it seems less likely to snap like my HSR-610 Version 1 if I lift the rod a little.

Unmodified, it falls behind my HSR-610 Version 2 in sensitivity. With the grip changed, they feel about equal to me.

On the water

I have caught a variety of fish with it. Small seabass are especially enjoyable. The strong butt makes fish up to around 50 cm fairly straightforward to bring in. The sensation of fishing with it is a real pleasure.

Subjectively, the design feels like the old HSR610 for large horse mackerel, shortened by about 6 cm and given a more supple belly. Its curve reminds me a little of a LUXXE ajing rod, with Thirty Four’s characteristic butt strength added. An interesting combination.

Its sensitivity is on a similar level to the old HSR610. Version II improved both sensitivity and tip strength. I broke the tip on my original version after lifting out a 38 cm horse mackerel, as I brought the line towards my hand. I was still a beginner then.

I associate some older Thirty Four rods with a vulnerable area where the sensitive tip meets the belly. People who dislike that may prefer the Yoihime series. It is not true of every Thirty Four rod: there are now rods such as the PSR60 that bend throughout.

With those older designs, after lifting out a large fish, it feels as though the only option is to keep the rod horizontal and lay it on the breakwater. On a breakwater with a narrow raised ledge, that may not be possible, leaving a landing net as the practical option.

Personally, using a net takes a little of the fun out of fishing. Depending on the rod, I would like to lift out horse mackerel up to about 37 cm. That is my preference.