So far this season I have been using two rods for my shore fishing with baits. The rod I have had the most luck with is the ABU Garcia Workhorse 2 salmon multiplier rod. It’s a 10′ rood rated for casting weights of 20-60 grams, so for using it is as a beach rod, it’s quite light. But it did bring in a 12lb cod for me last weekend. But then again, Salmon is one of the strongest fish there is, and they routinely catch them in the 30-40lb range in our rivers. So a lazy cod is no problem for a rod like this. And while fight with a salmon like that may last up to an hour, reeling in a cod is just a matter of doing just that.

The other rod I use with baits is a Fenwick Seahawk Pro Surf 14′ rod. This one is a fixed spool rod, but I have been using it with a multiplier reel, as I prefer that type of reel over fixed spool these days. But my plan is to rebuild it into a multiplier rod during this summer.The reason I use a fixed spool rod, is that in Norway, it’s almost impossible to find a multiplier surf rod. It would seem that those Norwegians that have discovered beach fishing with heavy lead and long rods for chucking a bait into the horizon, all preffer fixed spool rods, so the vendors don’t keep anything else in stock, which is a shame really.

I have been looking far and wide, but the only people who seem to stock any multiplier beach casters/surf rods at all are Chr Baardsen & Søn AS in Haugesund. But they only have the high end Century rods immediately available for sale via their web page. These rods will set you back around 3500NOK here in Norway, hence they are way out of my league. The only alternative I have found is a Mustad Viking Power 126 MTP Rod, and at 699 NOK its quite affordable. But I fear that the rod will be to weak. But there does not seem to be any alternatives available.

I could always order from the UK. There they have swimming in multiplier surf and beach casters. But again, the finances stop me. The shipping costs is ridiculous. For example the web shop of the World Sea Fishing  website, wants around 65£ to send a rod across the north sea. I could buy an extra surf rod for that money.

The alternative is to buy a heavy salmon rod. Shimano and others has salmon rods in the 80-150gram range. And I just saw a 14′ Tica Salmon rod in this class on sale for less than 600 NOK. I suppose this will tie me over until I can find a good, reasonably priced multiplier beach caster in Norway. And when I am such a lousy surf caster that I cast just as far with my current salmon rod with a 50 gram lead, as i do with my surf rod with a 150 gram lead…I guess the choice makes sense…