Dark Matter John Skinner Surf Spinning Rods

"The origins of the 9’ 2’’ rod go back to the mid 90’s when I first handled John Scherr’s 9-foot “Montauk Eel Rod”. I knew it was a starting point for what I wanted. Over the next 25 years a high percentage of my surf fishing on ocean and sound beaches was done with variants of that rod. I tweaked the length and guide layout, and upgraded guides as better ones became available. Other than length, I had no control over the blank itself, until I had the opportunity to specify exactly what I wanted in this Dark Matter model. After adjustments were made to a series of prototypes, the rod is now exactly what I’ve been looking for! This moderate action 9-foot 2-inch rod has a lure sweet spot in the 1- to 3-ounce range, but I regularly use it for heavier plugs as well as live and rigged eels. It’s a superb pencil popper and bucktail rod, and provides effortless long-distance casts with plugs similar to Daiwa Salt Pros. The rod allows schoolie bass to give a good account of themselves, but the moderate action lets the angler take advantage of the power in the full length of the rod to easily whip bass in the 30- to 40-pound-plus range. I match mine to a 5000- or 6000-size reel spooled with 30-pound-test braid.

When fishing smaller bay waters with payloads in the 3/8- to 1 ¾-ounce range, I prefer an 8-foot rod. The 8-foot Dark Matter is a scaled down version of the 9’2’’ rod and is perfect with a 4000-size reeled spooled with 20-pound-test braid. While this rod is a lot of fun with schoolie stripers, it has the power required to whip a cow bass or teen bluefish when needed. It’s also a superb rod for False Albacore fishing and its light weight allows for many hours of casting with no fatigue.

When the surf is up and you need to punch heavier lures into a strong wind, the 10-foot Dark Matter is up to the task. This is also a great rod for casting large eels and provides the stopping power to control trophy stripers around boulders and other obstructions. Match this with a reel in the 6500-size range spooled with 30- or 40-pound-test braid and you’ll be able to handle any big striper or bluefish that comes your way.

This 70/30 split on these 2-piece rods allow them to fish like a 1-piece rods while providing a wider range of transport options."