Solidly Crafted and a Solid Performer, Falcon Rod's Cara Series...just
plain "solid"

Date: |
5/25/05 |
Tackle type: |
Rod |
Manufacturer: |
Falcon |
Reviewer: |
Cal |
Total Score: 8.08
Introduction:
In January of 2005, we
reviewed the Falcon
Graphite Rods's
crankbait organizer
boxes. Since that time,
we've acquired one of
their very affordable
and very popular Cara
Series rods to see if
the quality and
thoughtfulness that they
applied to their
organizers extends into
their more well known
and widely popular
fishing rods.
Falcon Cara CC-5-1610MH Specifications
|
Material |
F45 Graphite |
Length |
6'10" |
Pieces |
One |
Grip |
Grade A Portuguese Cork |
Foregrip Length |
2" |
Reargrip Length |
10" |
Line Wt. |
12 - 25 lbs |
Lure Wt. |
3/16 - 5/8 oz |
Color |
Satin Black |
Guides |
Fuji Hardloy (8 + tip) |
Power Rating |
Medium Heavy |
Action |
Fast |
Rod Weight |
4.4 oz |
MSRP |
$130 |
Impressions: The first thought that came to mind when we wielded our Falcon Cara CC-5-1610MH was
"solid" ....solid value, solid components, solid construction. From the high grade cork and Fuji Hardloy guides to the exposed reel seat and satin black finish, our Falcon Cara rod wasn't flashy, but, in a word, solid - just what one would come expect from a company with the reputation of Falcon Graphite Rods.

The Falcon Cara is the
first Falcon rod we have
had an opportunity to
look at
Field Tests: Without a reel mounted firmly on the rod, we found our Falcon Cara a bit top heavy, so for our field tests, we pulled out our trusty Shimano Chronarch 101a and found that this 9 ounce reel (with line) balanced the rod out almost perfectly. Our entire combo weighed in at a conservative 13.5 ounces.

The Falcon Cara
features a
handsome
graphite blank
Casting and Pitching:
Falcon's Cara Series
CC-5-1610MH is a
medium heavy weight
rod with a lure
rating between
3/16ths to 5/8ths of
an ounce. This range
is a bit lighter
than the industry
average of 1/4th to
3/4ths of an ounce,
but despite this
manufacturer
recommended range,
our CC-5-1610MH was
able to handle lures
such as a lipless
crank up to three
quarters of an ounce
with little
difficulty. Pitching
and casting with
this rod is very
good given its fast
action blank and
responsive tip. The
rod loads easily and
our presentations
were right on target
each time. We
encountered no
surprises in our
casting and pitching
tests of the Falcon
Cara.

Falcon takes advantage of the industry standard Fuji ECS reel seats to provide
exposed blank access on their Falcon Cara Casting rods.
Sensitivity: Falcon employs a proprietary, high modulus graphite material they call F45 in their Cara Series of rods. We found this blank material to
offer good sensitivity and responsiveness as we were able to detect even very soft pickups when working finesse jigs pitched into about eight to ten feet of water. Our CC-5-1610MH also did a good job of communicating the vibration of our lipless cranks and spinnerbaits through the length of the rod. While not the most sensitive rod I've fished personally, I still found it
quite respectable.

Rated as a fast action rod, our Falcon Cara CC-5-1610MH has a real nice tip that loads easily for both casting and pitching presentations.
Power: Another area of solid performance for our Falcon Cara Rod was power. The fast taper of this rod sets up very quickly, and yet, despite it's lighter than average lure rating, the CC-5-1610MH has the backbone to support its medium heavy rating. Most of our tests with this rod came in reservoirs with flooded timber. Not one time did we feel in danger, after hookset, of getting wrapped around a branch or other obstruction. Now granted, on our tests of the Cara, we weren't fortunate enough to hook into any true hawgs but nothing in the
performance we experienced leads us to doubt the abilities of this very capable rod.

Our Falcon Cara Rod was assembled with careful, clean detailing.
Features: Falcon's Cara Series of rods sports a fairly industry standard line of componentry that being Fuji guides and reel seats and high grade cork as well as a very conventional composition of these components. One item we've come to take for granted, the hook keeper, stood out a little bit only because it is mounted on the right side of the rod rather than the left. Those who cast and pitch with their left arm will find this most convenient as the hook keeper is easily accessible to your right hand before and after a cast while those who cast and pitch with their right arms will find it a little awkward having to cross over to both stow and free your bait.
The plastic butt
cap of our
Falcon Cara Rod
proudly sports the Falcon logo and
the Made in the USA origin
statement
Applications: The CC-5-1610MH is touted on Falcon's website as being very popular for light weight jigs and Texas rigged plastics and this holds very true to this rod. We fished these and other baits including weightless plastics, jerkbaits, lipless cranks, and spinnerbaits and while we found it handled everything equally well, our favorite application for this rod during testing seemed to be the light weight finesse jigs. This would make an excellent smallmouth or spotted bass rod.
 |
This nice, healthy bass was an inspiring catch thanks to our Falcon Cara CC-5-1610MH |
Warranty: Falcon's Cara Series of rods come with a standard, limited lifetime warranty covering defects in workmanship and materials for as long as the original purchaser owns the rod. Damage caused by other factors are not covered under this warranty but they do have an out of warranty replacement policy where they'll sell you a new rod at a reduced price.
Ratings:
Falcon Cara CC-5-1610MH Ratings (?/10)
|
Construction/Quality |
Well crafted with no blemishes or other defects. |
9 |
Performance |
While the rod did not blow us away
in any
one
category, it is a solid performer |
7 |
Price |
Very attractively priced
for a
rod of
this
quality |
9 |
Features |
List of standard features - nothing extraordinary |
7.5 |
Design (Ergonomics) |
Left handed casters will like the position of the hook keeper. Otherwise, the exposed blank reel seat and standard configuration grip earn solid marks |
8 |
Application |
A very nice finesse jig rod with excellent all-purpose potential |
8 |
Total Score
|
8.08 |
Pluses and Minuses:
Plus Minus
|
J Attractively Priced |
L Sometimes, convention can be boring |
J Solid Craftsmanship |
L Anglers who cast and hold the rod with their right hand will find the hook keeper a bit awkward |
J Proven Components |
|
J Finally a hook keeper placed for folks who are left handed! |
|
J Nice, all purpose rod |
|