TFO Professional Series VS. Tactical Inshore [Spinning Rod Comparison]
- By: Wyatt Parcel
- on
What is the difference between the TFO Professional VS Tactical Inshore fishing rods?
We get this question a lot and we had the chance to address it last week at iCast!
Find out more in the video below!!
TFO Professional Series VS. Tactical Inshore [VIDEO]
Get the TFO Professional Series Rod
Get the TFO Tactical Inshore Series Rod
Butt Section
The Butt sections on each rod are very different.
TFO Professional Series Rods have an 8-inch butt length while the Tactical Inshore Rod is a 10-inch butt length.
Both of the rods used in this video are 7’6 Medium Power but the actions are slightly different.
As you work your way up the rod, you’ll also notice the reel seats are slightly different as well.
They are very similar but on the Tactical Inshore reel seat, there are cutaways on either side to provide direct contact with your hands to the rod blank itself.
This helps assist in the transfer of vibration of lure movement and fish strikes so you have an instant feel for them.
Moving on, the lockdown mechanism on the reel seat is the same on either rod.
But you will notice a major difference in the hook keeper style on these rods.
The Professional Series rod allows you to keep a weedless soft plastic presentation rigged and ready to go.
You wouldn’t have to expose the hook like you would on the Tactical Inshore.
At the end of the day, this comes down to your personal style of fishing and preference.
Guides
The guides are quite different for both series of rods.
The Professional Series comes with Fuji Standard-Concept Series guides with aluminum-oxide inserts, which is the standard in the industry.
But when you step up to the Tactical Inshore Rod, you have a higher-quality Fuji frame and ceramic insert.
They are Fuji CC Frames or Fuji Corrosion-Control.
The Fuji CC Frames are crafted in a tangle-free design and are made to be corrosion-resistant than other guides.
The Difference In Action
Technically speaking, the Professional Series is more of a Moderate-Fast Action and the Tactical Inshore Series is more of a Fast Action rod.
What that means is, on the Professional Series, the bend is going to happen a little bit further down into the rod.
That means it is going to be slightly more parabolic.
Even though the Tactical Inshore rod is listed as a Fast Action rod, which means it loads and responds quicker than the Professional Series, the difference is very minor.
I would not view this as one rod performs better than the other or one is truly faster than the other.
The main reason for the slight difference in action is the type of graphite used to craft the rod blank itself.
On the Professional Series, you have standard modulus graphite.
On standard modulus graphite, it’s going to be a little bit thicker blank because that standard modulus is more durable than a higher modulus blank.
The higher modulus blank on the Tactical Inshore is going to be overall more lightweight and more sensitive than the Professional Series which does make it slightly less durable.
Higher modulus graphite allows for a faster responding fishing rod.
So Which One Should YOU Get?
If you are just getting into the sport and you have about $100 to spend, you want a good rod that performs well in a wide variety of fishing scenarios.
The Professional Series is perfect for this.
It can tackle anything from topwater fishing to weedless soft plastics and even live bait.
But if you want a more refined rod, then go with the Tactical Inshore.
It has improved components with higher quality elements and features.
Get the TFO Professional Series Rod
Get the TFO Tactical Inshore Series Rod
Conclusion
At the end of the day, both of these fishing rods are excellent and will catch you a ton of fish.
Both of these rods will perform very similar to one another in application and when the rod is actually loaded on a fish.
We’ve been fishing using TFO rods for years because they know rod construction and are proven to handle BIG inshore fish.
Do you have any questions regarding the TFO Professional VS Tactical Inshore Rod comparison?
Let us know what you thought of this rod comparison down in the comments!!
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I just got a new TFO TAC IS TACTICAL INSHORE 7’6 medium heavy fast action blank. And I was wondering could I pair it with the Daiwa Ballistic MQ LT 4000 series reel. I would like to use this rod and reel combo for fishing structure
Yes, that reel should pair nicely with that rod
We now have 5 of the TFO Professionals and love them. One broke about 7 inches down from the tip the first time it was used. TFO provided a very quick and professional response and replaced the rod within days. Great product.
Great product & Great people!!!
I have the Tactical and absolutely love it. It generally the first one I grab when pitching lures.
The Tactical Series is awesome, I may add one to my personal line-up here soon.
I own two Professionals. Purchased mid summer last season. Actually love the action of these blanks however they are 100 dollar rods. The cork is coming unglued at the most gripped point and had a tip break during minimal handling of the tip while untangling a line wrap. TFO will replace them however I have to cut the blanks and mail them in. Decided to just live with these until end of season so I’m not out two of my main rods from my arsenal.
Sorry to hear, Joseph. That is the 1st time I’ve heard of a cork-related issue on TFO Rods. Glad to hear they are willing to assist you if needed.
Who wouldn’t be intrigued to try one of these rods? I have switched to the Black Pelican custom rod for my main inshore rig and have also incorporated Tsunami surf rods. Would be great to go back and test an excellent, middle of the road, inshore rod.
Black Pelican makes EXCELLENT rods as well! I’ll save up my pennies and buy one for sure. The Century Blanks they use look sharp!
Justin, great review on the TFO rods .
Thank you, David!
Great review Justin! Solid information my man!
Thank you Buddy!
Thank you Justin. Very good breakdown comparison of the two rods.
Thank you Mark!
Love the tactical inshore. Have been fishing it for years and own several. Nice job on breaking down the two rods!
Me too, Shane! I appreciate the improvements made to that series.
Great info Justin!
Thanks Mark!