Tiralejo Surf Rods has been a workhorse for surf fishermen. I have been using Tiralejo for many years. Just received the new 9 ft 6 inch version in April 2022, fishes a few times and the epoxy is cracked at the joint section. Sent it back for warranty and Shimano declined the warranty. Shimano claimed that a big fish was caught and the joints were not inserted tight. See photos, rod is only a month old, fished a few times and caught gator blues.

I own two 12 foot tiralejo surf rods that I regularly take to Cape Hatteras. They have never let me down. One of them has a 6500 bait runner and the other has a Saragosa. Both reels are spooled with braid. They are sensitive enough to feel a puffer fish bite and strong enough to catch a 7 foot shark. They can handle everything the surf can throw at them. One bit of advice. If you are using braid with a mono or fluorocarbon leader I would use a double uni knot or a knot where the tag end of the mono or fluorocarbon is toward the reel. If the tag end is facing the tip it will get caught in the guides and get tangled. Don’t use an Albright knot, you will get frustrated. This is a great rod and it’s very durable and light.

I purchased the 12' Medium-Heavy 2-6 oz to throw 3-4 oz sinkers with bait to catch Pompano and Whiting in FL. I paired it to one of my Shimanos Ultegras 5500 Ci4+. Here are my initial impressions. The rod is very light (17oz) and does cast very far, I got at least 80-100 yards on my casts using 25-ft of shock leader (mono 30-lb) and Powerpro braid 15-lb as main line plus a double dropper rig with sandleas/clam and a 4oz sinker Compared to my other rods, Carolina Cast Pro 13' 3-6 oz, it is a stiff rod and when you hammer it, you feel the recoil back to your body, may be I have to adapt my casting style but I did not like the recoil from the rod recovery. As far as sensitivity, the tip could be softer to aid in bite detection (when sitting on the sand spike) and to aid when reeling the fish (to prevent ripping off the hook off the mouth of my target fish). However, I was able to catch 3 Pompano my very first time with this rod. In terms of the craftsmanship and finish, I was not impressed at all. The guide wraps are well done but nothing that screams top of the line, the transitions between the but cap or reel seat to the rod blank are very austere (may be to save weight? no ring or beveled epoxy from butt to blank and a flat ring between reel seat and blank). It does not have any cushioned coasters or wrapping above/below the reel seat to make fish fighting more comfortable, just rubber flock covering the blank. I would say the overall finishing is comparable to rods that are half the price. The butt rubber cap is Pack bay, seat and guides are Fuji. The action of the rod may be more fast than the advertised moderate-fast. Last, the tip top guide is a size 8 which in my opinion may add friction when you use a thick 30-lb mono shock leader. My other distance rods have a tip top ring size 10. Overall a nice rod that gets the job done.

I bought two of the 9’6” for my daughters to use for surf fishing. I paired them with Spinfisher 5500 long casts. I really like the combination. I read in a past review that the grip is very narrow and will wear out your hand during a long fight. I agree, so I did a paracord wrap around the grips on each side of the real seat. IMO, it looks good and it should help my daughters hold the rod if they hook into a big Red or Drum.

Love this rod. Bought it in summer of 2019 and the sensitivity and casting distance of lures is truly superb. The size make this very easy to handle and with the matches lure weight and the Shimano Baintrunner 6000D i'm running on it, it casts as far as i need while still being able to gets cut bait and smaller baits in out into the troughs. Sensitivity with power pro has you feeling the littlest nibbles and enough back bone to take on fighting blue or stronger stripers. I've loved fishing this rod off the coast of NJ.

This is a great rod. Used for 2 seasons and zero complaints. I do wish it were a little thinner as it can feel a little bulky in the hand but it is super light and very easy to cast.

cast very far with super ease. Am loving it

Casts beautifully!

It’s a slim handle that’s great for plugging. I have no problem throwing 1/2 and 3/4 with this. It’s really sensitive for when im catching bait too

Just purchased this rod... love it cast a mile great for throwing poppers

great for snag and drop off the surf and throwing big plugs handles big fish very well

I own two of these rods, the 9'6" and the 10'6". Both are fantastic light plugging rods! I've thrown plugs up to 3oz with the 10'6" and 2.5oz with the 9'6". They both throw SP minnows and other light plugs very well! And they work pencil poppers and other topwater lures nicely. Solid backbone in both rods, and a nice uniform bend. Easy to forget it's a 2 piece. Overall a very nice surf rod for light use.

This paired up with VR 150 can Dominate surf. Cast Far and blank material is very nice.

For surf fishing in Florida replaced 12 ft ugly sticks with a pair of 12 ft tiralejo rods. Paired with Battle 8000's. They are super nice, light, powerful. Great rod.

When I cast it, it is longer than any others that I have