THEY CALL ME MELLOW YELLOW
John Holden tests the Daiwa Sandstorm.
Ihave owned dozens of beach rods and tested hundreds more. From the cheap to the exotic, most did a fair job, while a handful were truly wonderful. My big issue is finding sensible recommendations for anglers who want to improve, especially in the casting department.
Way back, I chose the Conoflex Cod 5. Later I changed to Daiwa’s Moonrakers. When Moonrakers morphed into Sandstorms, I switched again. My old 13ft Sandstorm appears in just about every Sea Angler casting article over almost a decade. It served as my go-to fishing rod simply because I like it.
Sandstorms trigger a Marmite reaction. Some fishermen love them, others hate them. I have had a lot of stick through social media and face to face. “Impossibly soft”. “Not worth putting a reel on”. “They can’t cast a lead 100 yards”. “Too heavy, too fat”. “Can’t you afford a proper rod?” Cruellest of all: “It’s so bloody yellow.”
Sandstorms have helped thousands to cast and fish better. I hand somebody a Sandstorm, make a few changes to their casting technique and they are rewarded with an instant boost of 30 yards or more.
Off-ground or pendulum style, the rod is super friendly and deceptively efficient despite the weight and chubbiness.
UPRATED FORM
Daiwa has been a leading mass manufacturer of beach rods for years. Some models from the Paul Kerry era rank alongside the very best, regardless of name and price. For example, the AWB129PM pendulum rod is one of the finest long-range fishing tools ever made, still highly respected and making serious money secondhand. Anyone keen to take the high and wide pendulum technique to its limit on beach or field could do worse than track one down.
Daiwa’s current beach rod range is confusingly wide, but the Sandstorm soldiers on, now in uprated form. The options comprise two 12ft 6in rods for fixed spool or multiplier, a similar pair at 13ft 6in, and this 14ft multiplier rod, the Sandstorm SSS1422M, that retails at £175.
Casting weights and casting performance are similar at 100-200g, with distances peaking at 200 yards with a multiplier and 175 yards with a fixed-spool reel. Each has a two-piece carbon blank fitted with Duplontype grips, slide/lock reel seat and one-piece Seaguide rings with aluminium oxide liners. They are well made and neatly finished. Being very, very yellow in the midriff, they are also instantly recognisable as Sandstorms.
ON THE BEACH
Over several sessions I fished the 1422M alongside another 14ft multiplier rod. At 790g, the Daiwa weighed about the same and it was equally slim at 25mm diameter along the full handle length before tapering to 3mm at the tip.
Line runs through nine Seaguide side rings ranging from 24mm at the butt to 8mm, topped off by an 8mm tip ring.
Since makers’ quoted ring dimensions seldom reflect the true bore size, I am