The Fishermans Net

Am looking to upgrade to a proper rod from my Soniks after finally coming over to the dark side after 18 months of sea fishing and loving it . I've looked through the forums and think I want a second hand Century or Ziplex but am confused by the choice and just as I think I've seen something, another review puts me off. Mainly fishing clean beaches and the mersey with leads around 5-7oz I want something soft enough to help me improve my cast (fed up with broom handles) and with a nice sensitive tip that'll let me see the tiddlers that I usually catch . Grateful for any pointers from you experienced old hands, thanks, Mark.

Its all good and well people saying centurys or Zzippys are the best but its down to personal preference. Some models of Zippy will be better for your fishing than some century rods and vice versa Best advice I or anyone else can give is to try as many different rods you can before you make a decision and atleast then you know what you are looking for

My favourite rod is still a old Diawa Surfbreaker

Edit; If you get down to the fish and Meet on sunday Im sure most wont mind you giving there rod a wiggle

Hi Bob

I was in a similar predicament a couple of months back. I was in the market for a new Zzippy or Century but needed to gen up on the models. Similar to yourself I was after a rod with a bit more power than my Daiwa Supercast and Abu Suveran SX but I didn’t want to splash a shed load of cash on a rod that turned out to be a tourno poker with zero bite detection.

I did a whole heap of research online and tried a couple of rods too. I narrowed it down to the following:

Zzippys : M4 Hi-flex Match, Primo Hi-flex, LT14 Hi-flex, HSM

Century: Tip Tornado Super Match

My first choice was the M4 Hi-flex Match having had a few bungs with GAZZ3R’s. What a rod!! As per all of the Hi-flex models it’s a C curve and so it’s easy to load and is tippy enough to detect a rattle from a dab.

However, having read nothing but good reviews about the Century TTSM and comparing the price of the two I was reluctant to spend an extra £100+ on the Zzippy M4. I dithered for a while then spotted a barely used 9 month old TTSM on eBay and gobbled it up. I’ve used it a few times now and it’s exactly what I was looking for, but it’s not quite as easy to load as the M4 Hi-Flex Match which I’ll be adding to my arsenal in due course.

As Shaun said though, if you get the chance to try out a few rods before you buy then you’ll get a feel for the different models available. Happy hunting.

Thanks for your helpful replies gents

Got a Zziplex Dymic Lt14 and to be honest its a great rod but
i wouldnt swap it for my Shakespeare Atlantis-only difference
is it has more backbone for rock marks etc etc-its horses
for courses mate

I had exactly the same choices as godders but was in a position to get the M4 hi flex, not used it yet but going to Cleveleys tonight for a 3 day session. I have the original Century carbon metal & it does every thing you ask of it but its probably better suited to mixed ground ,it comes into its own when theres a big tide loaded with weed. I back this up with a 25 year old Zzippy 2500M which can detect a Dab fart at a 100 yards.

So its not all about the latest rods but the new materials certainly do help.

i might be at the meet sunday. if i am i will have both of these rods with me if you want a look.