Tsunami Airwave Elite 2pc Saltwater Striper Surf SPINNING Rod 8'8" TSAWESS-882M

Why it's worth it

An 8-foot-8 two-piece that's light enough to carry all day and still has the spine for schoolie stripers. Owners who cover ground throwing bucktails love it, while anglers with large hands often find the handle far too thin for comfort.

Some people fish the surf by parking a rod in a sand spike and waiting. This one's for the other kind. At 8 feet 8 inches and genuinely light in the hand, it's built for walking a beach with a small pack, throwing bucktails and plugs into the wash, and covering a mile of sand before dark.

Owners describe it the same way over and over: light, with backbone. It loads on smaller lures without going mushy, then holds up to schoolies and mid-size bass without bending into a noodle. If you fish Northeast striper beaches and your arms give out before the fish stop, that combination is worth more to you than two extra feet of rod.

From our review of 6 surf fishing rods, by Genevieve Dubois, Home & Living Expert

What we like

• +Some people fish the surf by parking a rod in a sand spike and waiting
• +Owners describe it the same way over and over: light, with backbone
• +It breaks into two pieces, which makes it the easiest of our picks to travel with
• +The handle is where opinions split

What to know

• –The thin handle is a real issue for some people, and so is ferrule fit
• –At 8 feet 8 inches with a medium action, it's not a heavy-sinker rod