Abu Garcia Villain 2.0 VS610-4 Spinning Rod Product Review

Rod Review

Abu Garcia's Villain 2.0 Continues to Impress

Date:	4/10/17
Tackle Type:	Rod
Manufacturer:	Abu Garcia
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 8.42 - EDITOR'S CHOICE AWARD!

Introduction: In this age where the anti-hero is gaining more popularity on the silver screen Abu Garcia was perhaps ahead of the curve with the villainous naming of their freshwater bass rod series. We've already told you about the newly revamped Villain 2.0 series with our review of the VC70-6 casting rod. Today we take a look at the gentler side of Villain with our review of their VS610-4 spinning rod.

Abu Garcia Villain 2.0 VS610-4 Specifications
Material	40 Ton Graphite
Length	6'-10"
Line Wt.	6-10lb
Lure Wt.	1/8 - 1/2oz
Pieces	One
Guides	7+Tip (Ti/Zirconia)
Rear Handle Length	9"
Power Rating	Medium Light
Taper	Fast
Rod Weight	4.1oz
Origin	Made in China
MSRP	$199

Introducing the Villain 2.0 VS610-4.

Impressions: The VS610-4 spinning rod from Abu Garcia is a six foot, ten inch (6'-10") long stick made from 40 ton graphite. This is reportedly among the highest grade graphite you can source for the purposes of building a fishing rod. The blank features Abu Garcia's proprietary "V-Wrap" which is a method of reinforcing the blank similar to what many of the JDM rod manufacturers now do (e.g. Megabass Orochi XX, Evergreen International Kaleido). The VS610-4's blank is finished with a clear gloss coat.

The VS610-4 sports a Fuji TVS reel seat.

Overall the rod feels very light and well balanced in hand. Abu makes use of Fuji's new TVS Spinning reel seat that features aggressive, exposed blank cutouts on either side of the rod. The VS610-4's guides are titanium framed with Zirconia inserts probably made by Abu Garcia (Or their parent company, Pure Fishing) themselves.

Extra touches like the carbon inlay on the reel seat lockring are what I enjoy.

Real World Tests: Anxious to take this aggressive looking spinning rod out for a spin, I paired it with both a Daiwa Exceler 2500SH spooled with ten pound (10lb) Sunline Super Natural nylon monofilament, and a Pfleuger Supreme SP35X spooled with six pound (6lb) Stren nylon monofilament on separate trips.

The rod's hook keeper is placed above the reel seat and is open ended making it easy to secure your drop shot weight.

Casting: The VS610-4 is rated for between one eighth to one half ounce (1/8 - 1/2 oz) lure weight and actually feels like a much lighter powered stick than that in hand. I fished it initially with some 1/8th ounce shakey heads but on a separate occasion rigged up a drop shot setup with very minimal weight at the end of the line (1/16th oz weight). It handled all those baits extremely well and with its nine inch (9") rear handle, is very comfortable with both one and two handed casting.

The butt end features a little design that actually helps with your grip on a two handed cast.

Sensitivity: Sensitivity is where this rod really shines.

The rod's 40ton graphite composition is very apparent. You can feel a lot of what's going on at the end of your line even with just nylon monofilament. I didn't get a chance to fish this stick with some nice fluorocarbon at the end of the line - I didn't have to its sensitivity is so good - but I know it would shine with some Sunline Shooter or Seaguar Tatsu spooled on your reel. This stick's blank together with that aggressive Fuji TVS reel seat really inspire confidence that you're going to feel the great majority of hits you receive while fishing.

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