ICAST 2015 Coverage - DOuglas Outdoors

ICAST 2015 Coverage

New Rods from Douglas Outdoors

Date:	7/16/15
Location:	Orlando, FL
Admission:	Buyers & Press Only
Manufacturer:	Douglas
Reviewer:	Wolbugger

Introduction: At last year's ICAST/IFTD show in Orlando we previewed Douglas Outdoors, a new company from fly fishing industry veteran Jim Murphy. Not just a fly fishing company, Douglas offers up a vast new product lineup geared towards both fly and conventional angling. We had sampled their intriguing new DXS and DXC families of spinning and casting rods, and now one year later we take a look at their newest models.

All Douglas casting and spinning rods are constructed with foam grips.

DXS and DXC Rods: The DXS (spinning) and DXC (casting) rods make use of 40-ton blanks along with Douglas' proprietary X-MATRIX construction process for top-tier performance. Each rod is custom-tuned with specific tapers/techniques in mind, and all rods utilize Fuji K-frame guides with Alconite inserts, Fuji reel seats, EVA grips, butt caps, and a specialized hook keeper.

Douglas has been busy designing a plethora of new models.

Twenty-five casting rods are now produced, of which eleven are new models:

- DXC 704M 7-foot 8–15 pound line 1/4–5/8 ounce lures

- DXC 703MF 7-foot 8–12 pound line 1/4–5/8 ounce lures

- DXC 764MF 7-foot 6-inch 12–20 pound line 1/2–2 ounce lures

- DXC 7115F 7-foot 11-inch 15–20 pound line 3/8–1 1/2 ounce lures

- DXC 805F 8-foot 14–25 pound line 5/8–3 ounce lures

- DXC 807F 8-foot 25–40 pound line 6–14 ounce lures

- DXC 835M composite 8-foot 3-inch 14–25 pound line 1/2–2 ounce lures

- DXC 9652M 9-foot 6-inch 12–25 pound line 1–4 ounce lures (2 piece)

- DXC 9642MF 9-foot 6-inch 8–17 pound line 3/16–1 ounce lures (2 piece)

- DXC 10642MF 10-foot 6-inch 10–20 pound line 3/16–1 ounce lures (2 piece)

- DXC 10652MF 10-foot 6-inch 14–25 pound line 1/2–2 ounce lures (2 piece)

DXS and DXC rods will also be getting a different look. The latest rods will feature a silvery-green color scheme (pictured on bottom)

The DXS spinning rods get nine new models:

- DXS 704F 7-foot 8–14 pound line 1/3–1 ounce lures

- DXS 744XF 7-foot 4-inch 8–14 pound line 3/8–1 ounce lures

- DXS 763F 7-foot 6-inch 6–12 pound line 1/16–5/8 ounce lures

- DXS 786F 7-foot 8-inch 15–30 pound line 3/4–3 ounce lures

- DXS 804F 8-foot 12–20 pound line 1/2–2 1/2 ounce lures

- DXS 9632M 9-foot 6-inch 6–10 pound line 1/8–5/8 ounce lures (2 piece)

- DXS 10633 10-foot 6-inch 8–12 pound line 1/4–3/4 ounce lures (3 piece)

- DXS 11633M 11-foot 6-inch 4–10 pound line 1/8–1/2 ounce lures (3 piece)

- DXS 13643M 13-foot 6-inch 6–12 pound line 1/8–1/2 ounce lures (3 piece)

By the end of the year expect to see the new LRS series of conventional 8-foot 3-inch to 13-foot 6-inch rods hit the market at prices at or under $200.

Thanks to Fred Contaoi and Jimmy Reese for showing us what's new from Douglas.

Conclusion: The guys at Douglas Outdoors also announced that prominent tournament pro Jimmy Reese recently joined the team and has been fishing DXS and DXC rods extensively. Pricing on the new models has yet to be announced, however expect them to fall in the ballpark of the current lineup which ranges from $285–$375.