Most Popular Inshore Rod, Reel, & Line Combo [Slam Stick]

This will be your new "go-to" combo for inshore fishing because it's a premium rod with a great reel that's spooled with premium line by a professional... you will not find a better deal for a great combo anywhere else.

This is the worry-free rod, reel, & line combo you've been waiting for. Every time you reach for it you know it will deliver a top-notch fishing experience and will be in excellent condition. 

You will have the brand new Slam Stick Rod that will be paired perfectly with the Otis 2500 Reel. These two were made for each other. Literally. 

Best of all, this combo is so light that it actually floats if you accidentally drop it into the water!

Rod: The Slam Stick

Reel: The Otis 2500

Line: Daiwa J-Braid: This combo comes with a free spool of the best 10 lb braid we've tested so far in terms of casting distance and strength... and we've tested a bunch of lines over the years.

Overall, you will be blown away with how much farther this combo casts since it's a premium rod that has a great reel that's spooled with great line by a professional. 

The Slam Stick

The best value fishing rod for under $200.

Quick Takeaways:

• High-quality rod blank that compares to rods in the $200-250 range
• Fast action for a quick hook set
• Perfectly positioned guides to maximize lure-casting
• Durability to let you fish and transport it with piece of mine (not a pure "performance" rod)
• Overall quality is in between the TFO Pro S and Slot Machine. The perfect intermediate-level rod.
• Fish Strong's best rod warranty

Is the Slam Stick Rod For You?

We wouldn't tell you to buy a rod just to have it (although rod collecting is an addictive habit of mine).

The Slam Stick is for the angler who loves fishing with artificial lures, wants great feel and power, but also needs durability.

It makes life easy for CASTING, CATCHING, and CARING.

Casting: For casting artificial lures, having a high-quality rod blank with PERFECTLY placed guides is a game-changer. A top-end rod blank lets you get maximum "load" on the rod while casting so your lure launches with just the flick of the wrist. The Slam Stick's rod blank is similar in quality to rods of well over $200 and is tough enough to handle big lures as well. Also, the Slam Stick comes in the 7"6" length which is our recommended length for maximizing your casting skills. You'll notice the improvement in your casting distance and accuracy immediately from your lower end rods.

Catching: The Slam Stick really shows it's value when the bite is on. Again, it comes back to having a great FAST-ACTION rod blank. Fast action means the rod first bends toward the tip of the rod. So when you go to set a hook, you don't have to wait for the whole rod to bend and absorb the weight to pull the line. Think of it like a "quick-set" rod, just the twitch of the wrist is all it takes to drive the hook in. Then, after the hook set the weight of the fish is transferred into the strong backbone of the Slam Stick, allowing you to handle big bruising fish without worrying about your rod falling.

Caring: The Slam Stick is built to use! This is a "go-to" rod, not just for breaking out on special occasions. It is built with sound quality from top to bottom and has high-end protective paint that lets you get a little rougher with it. Now, it won't survive the trash compactor (or worse the grandkids) but it will do just fine hauling in and out of vehicles, through the garage, and bouncing around on the boat a little. This is the rod that gives you an extremely enjoyable fishing experience with artificial lures, while also providing the peace of mind that you don't need to "baby" it. This is your EVERYDAY rod. We're so confident in the quality of this rod that we're giving it our best rod warranty yet (more on that below), making this a truly worry-free rod purchase.

The Slam Stick Specs:

• High Modulus Carbon Fiber Construction
• Length: 7'6" Spinning
• Weight: 5 oz
• Power: Medium+
• Action: Fast
• Line Rating: 8-15lb.
• Lure Rating: 1/8oz-3/4oz
• Butt Length: 8.5" from bottom of reel seat to butt cap
• Seaguide guides spaced for max distance casting
• Ergonomic Reel Seat
• Premium Hook Keeper (Works Well with Weedless Lures)
• High-Grade Cork Grip

The Otis 2500

The Otis 2500 spinning reel was customized specifically for inshore saltwater fishermen who are targeting strong fish on lightweight gear without having to break the bank.

After 4+ years of product design and testing, this reel has proven to be a fish catching machine that is super fun to fish with.

It weighs in at just 7 ounces which is extremely light, but it has enough power to handle overslot redfish and big snook. It has a smooth carbon drag that has enough power to effectively use 40 lb braid (although we recommend 7 lb to 15 lb for optimal casting performance).

After seeing how this reel goes above and beyond the normal duty for controlling big fish, we decided to name it after Salt Strong's mascot, Otis, given that he always is sure to deliver an abundance of energy when a big fish is on the line.

Otis 2500 Specs:

• Weight = 7.0 oz
• Inches per turn = 36 inches
• Bearings = 7
• Line Recommendation = 6 to 15 lb braid
• Drag = Super Smooth 14 lb
• Spool Holds = 220 yd of 10lb line but we recommend a mono backing and fill until there is a 1/4" gap

We've spent years researching and working with rod-building experts and learned that there’s no better way to dial-in the performance of a rod without building one yourself.

We were surprised about how the mass production rod manufacturers were overlooking some EXTREMELY important details in their rods designs that decreases the actual performance of the rod.

One of the biggest missed opportunities that most rod manufacturers seem to overlook is Guide Spacing and Reel Pairing. Having a guide layout that's placed appropriately for your specific reel size will help optimize casting distance while also reducing the potential for wind knots.

After countless hours of field-testing multiple prototype rods, we are proud to say we've nailed in the Recipe for the Best Inshore Spinning Setup that has a price tag under $400.

Shipping Details:

There is a $30 flat rate shipping fee for the Slam Stick rods (up to 3 Rods can be purchased within the same order). This Rod can be ordered in combination with any others as well (TFO, St. Croix, etc.). If more than 3 rods are ordered, there will be an additional $30 flat rate shipping fee to accommodate the additional shipment. Please note that we are unable to ship rods to a PO Box and to some areas in Puerto Rico as UPS does not allow.