[Bret]

Well, I finally got a chance to check out my new OTI Popper spinning rod. I Must say that it is a well thought out piece of equipment. I first tried to drop a jig with it to see how it felt.. No dice..totally different action than a jigging rod. I put a popper on it and it loaded very nicely and I was able to cast much farther than I could with my modified trevala. It is stiff enough to really get some strong, crashing,popper action and had several blowups. I didnt hook any fish.. but Wacker picked it up and he caught two yft with it and got them to the boat rather quickly. He didnt care much for my 9500 too much but he said that he really liked the action of the rod. I intended on taking pics of the rod in action but as you know tuna fishing is chaotic at times.... Wacker hooked one in the pec fin and had a fight on his hands for a minute but managed to subdue the 30lbr in short order. I know that this is not a very detailed review, but the preliminary report is fantastic. Hopefully I will get another chance to put it through the paces soon.

 

[gimmedeal]

My experience with it is only a little weightier. Have to say it feels great in the hand, a good match with my 16000F Stella. This reel is a few ounces lighter than the 20000 and works hard. On the Labor Day Big E trip, I cast a lot with one of the OTI poppers. The rod loaded well and I didn't tire handling it. Caught one, a 50 lb'er hooked at the end of a long cast. The rod had plenty of power for this size fish and I brought him to gaff in about 5 minutes.
The deck hand commented, he came up fast. So far, I'm very happy with my OTI rods, have one of each jigging and 2 of the spinners.

Fred

 

[lite-liner]

Well, I met TJ yesterday to pick mine up & I'm very impressed.
everything on this rod says quality. did some prelim. pulls to 20#
last nite in the garage w/ my 8500ss. Really nice! I can put my whole body into it. Big seller for me was the foregrip. not only the oversize diameter,
but it's placement on the rod allows me to "choke-up" on the rod for better
leverage. Still don't understand how wrapping the stripper guide backwards
improves casting, but I'm sure I'll figure it out soon enough(more testing tonite). The guides are awesome- no flex whatsoever.
I will say that although my 8500 has been extensively modified, and looks
great on the rod w/ all the gold, I will be putting a Stella on it sometime
after Venice in October.
good to hear some real-world testing has shown this to be a good rod
for 50# fish. now it's my turn.........
tight lines
-Brian

 

[txseadog]

Reversed Stripper guides on spinning rods. The thought behind this is it reduces tangles when the braid wraps around the guide during the cast (Fuji use to have some great high speed camera shots on their website but I could only find this link now ‚W'å"Á'¥) and reduces the chance that the limber braid hangs in one of the Vs on the "back" side of the guide since leading edge is smooth only has the one post.

 

[SkeeterRonnie]

thats what I like so much about OTI products.. the thought process put into each and every product!!! excellent!!

 

[lite-liner]

Well, went down to the pond to see what it would do.
all in all I'm impressed. I can see immediately why I want a
7.5-8 footer now. Even though I was thowing consistently
in the 50-60 yard range(is this enough?) w/ a Strike Pro popper, I can see
how rod length relates to casting distance. I'm sure I can
get an extra 10-15 yards w/ a longer model.
Also determined that when you're that far out, it takes WAAAAYYY
more effort to impart action into your lure w/ a "standard" 7'-er.
It's amazing how after only a few casts, you can see the benefits
of a long rod.
I love the action. It loads up nice w/out too much effort.
Can't wait for Venice, now!
-Brian

 

[SkeeterRonnie]

Remember- the longer the rod- the more leverage the FISH has on YOU.... WHy are you only gettting 60 yds? what size line are you using? you should be hitting 80-100yds consistently.

BTW! I have yalls confirmation number for the cabin at Venice, and Capt Eddie's guide number so yall can get your licenses... (817)903-1024

 

[lite-liner]

Not necessarily. have you seen the "ulua" type rods
that they use for GT fishing?
I like the idea of a 8' popper like some of those Randy
@ angler's pro shop sells. I just can't see selling one of
my kids to buy a fishing rod!
If you watch the video of him w/ an 8'-er, it appears you just
have to do a little deeper knee-bending!!
those guys know what's up w/ this technique so I'm
gleaning as much as I can from those GT guys!
as far as distance, I'm trying to be conservative. could be more like 70
using 65# pwr pro. I'm pretty sure I can get more distance w/ some practice
also gonnna try casting w/ a couple different reels & see if that makes a difference.
I call you later this week
tight lines
-Brian

 

[fishr1989]

Is the 16000 stella the 10000 body with a 16000 spool?

I didn't think shimano made a 16000

 

[gimmedeal]

The F series of reels preceded the FA series for shimano. The 16000F was the big reel in the Stella series for a while, prior to the 20000. It's every bit a Stella and a little lighter than the FA. Mine's still going strong and was made in the late 90's.

Fred

 

[fishr1989]

how much line does it hold compared to the 10k and 20k?\

in between?

 

[Minnow]

I spooled mine with 385 yards of OTI 60lb Dynee
ma line.