Whether you’re entering the market for the first time or a seasoned swimbaiter, one of your biggest decisions will be getting the right rod for the job.
A serious stick as thick as your landing net handle that can not only tame one of the world’s largest freshwater predators, the mighty Murray cod, but deal with flinging big baits that weigh more than a house brick.
With a rod being such a lynchpin in your swimbait system, we’ve run our eyes, arms, shoulders and wallets over four options that wouldn’t look out of place under any Christmas cod log this year.
13 Fishing One3 Defy Black – DEFBC8H
- RRP: $139
- Height: 8’ 1 piece
- Max bait weight: 200g+
Hilly has been using the DEFY for over 12-months and it has been his go-to rod for bigger baits. The beauty of the entry level DEFY is it offers the brute strength and casting power of a swimbait rod with the comfort and feel of a regular baitcaster outfit – awesome for anyone just getting into the swimbait game!
The crisp action of this rod allows for accurate casting with the confidence needed to cast medium to large swimbaits. Courtesy of the Japanese 24 Ton HTC 2 Blank Technology, it also has surprisingly superior feel, well above its price tag, which is a huge asset if you like to impart the action on the swimbaits.
At sub $150, the DEFY is a thrifty option for any angler keen to test the waters with swimbaits, whilst leaving you with a few dollars in your pocket to grab a couple of new baits to toss around your local impoundment or river.
DAIWA Tatula 76XH-SB
- RRP: $249
- Height 7’5” tele butt
- Max bait weight: N/A
Of the rods reviewed, the Dawia Tatula 76XH-SB is the smallest of the burly bunch. But, what it lacks in bulk it makes up in feel and responsiveness.
This is courtesy of the Tatula’s Super Volume Fibre tech which provides a blank that is ‘hyper sensitive, delivering incredible connectivity between angler and fish, and does so with feather light precision.’
This is a great rod for any angler looking to add to their arsenal or dip their toes for the first time in the swimbait scenes and don’t yet have an appetite for throwing XOS 200g+ baits. Its competitive price coupled with its heightened sensitivity and feel will make learning with medium swimbaits, like the Jackall Gantarel or Gantia, as enjoyable as it will be effective.
Venom Swimbait – RLFVSWB
- RRP: $499
- Height: 7’6” 2 piece
- Max bait weight: 280g+
Norbs has been using the Venom Swimbait rod since its Aussie inception and doesn’t make a cod trip without it. Born, breed and made in Australia, the difference in the Venom Long Baitcaster blanks is their glass and graphite composition. This proprietary blend gives it a parabolic action when loaded, meaning it has greater flex than a stiffer fast-tapered graphite stick. This added arc, in turn, requires less angler effort to properly load the rod and fling big baits.
This is a huge advantage if you intend to spend
Yes, it’s slightly more expensive than the rest, but with a bevy of big cod already to its name it’s the perfect swimbait rod for any angler looking to treat themselves this Christmas.
MILLER ROD SWIMSANITY – 832H
- RRP: $445
- Height: 8’3” 2 piece
- Max bait weight: 350g+
This rod is big, really big. Thicker than an arm wrestlers forearm and twice as strong.
While rod phenom Ian Miller has numerous swimbait rods in his Production Range the Swimsanity is the biggest and meanest of the bunch. Its the only rod we’ve tested that can comfortably fling really, really BIG baits like the gigantic 32cm 420g Savage Gear 3D Line Thru Roach.
With a decent price tag, this rod is for the serious swimbaiter who is looking to push the boundaries of what big baits can really be cast at Murray cod this season.