ISE 2010 - Phenix Rods introduces new line, Rooster rods custom saltwater rods

Event Article

New Products at the 2010 International Sportsmen’s Expo (continued)

Dobyns Rods: Gary Dobyns was on hand at both the San Mateo and Sacramento shows splitting his time between booth duty and seminars on top of the demo tank. The company had the most impressive booth at the show and attendees crammed in to check out the complete line of rods ranging from the Xtreme to the aggressively priced new Savvy rods.

Gary shows us his eye-catching new booth

A lot of rod manufacturers are targeting the mainstream segment and the time may be right for these aggressively priced rods with many anglers looking for a quality rod at a price that doesn’t break the bank. The new Dobyns Savvy series of rods are all priced between $149.99 - $169.99 and feature Kigan guides with stainless steel frames and alconite inserts.

Most exciting at Dobyns are the affordable new Savvy rods

The series will feature four spinning rods, six standard casting models, and two heavier duty casting sticks for pitching and flipping. All but one of these rods will feature the split rear grip treatment with the SS766 FLIP, a seven foot six inch rod rated up to two ounces in lure weight, coming with a full rear grip design.

The rods feature Kigan guides with alconite inserts

The Dobyns Savvy rods are on the water now (literally) from Asia and will land in the next few weeks at both e-tail and retail stores.

Gary lands a fish on top of the demo tank

Shimano: Though still not yet available for purchase Shimano was showing attendees the new ultralight weight Cumulus rods they has debuted at the Big Rock Show in Las Vegas to dealers. If you thought the Cumara rods were light the Cumulus rods will blow you away. These rods are so light that even when paired with a Core 50Mg baitcaster the entire rig seems to disappear in the palm of your hand.

Dan "Bantam1" Thorburn shows anglers the ultra-lightweight Cumulus rods

Anglers at the show could feel how light the rods were and those that tried the rods with a Core 50mg couldn't believe how light the complete outfits were

Lamiglas: The company’s Excel rods are continuing to find homes among anglers looking for rods at the 100 dollar price point. New this season is the addition of a new glass rod in the lineup. Designed for both crankbaits and jerkbaits the 7 foot long XL705Glass is an extremely lightweight glass rod capable of deep cranking with an 8-20lb line rating.

Lamiglas grows the affordable Excel rods...

Like the previous Excel rods this glass stick is a great deal retailing for only 109 dollars. It is hard to believe such an affordable quality rod could be built right here in the U.S., but that is exactly what Lamiglas manages to do with these copper colored rods.

with the addition of the new glass cranking rod. True to the series the new rod only retails for 109 dollars

Rooster Rods: Saltwater Anglers looking for something unique will want to check out Rooster Rods, each rod is designed and constructed by master rod builder Steve Paterson. The rods are designed specifically for saltwater applications and make use of a number of different blanks including Phenix and Calstar.

Looking for something unique in a saltwater rod?

Because each rod is hand built to your exact specifications anglers are invited to call Steve and discuss what your unique application is, you’re fishing style and what components and cosmetics you prefer. At the show we checked out a few of the rods and the threadwork was exquisite, each rod had a distinctive color pattern and unique feel.

Each rod is built to exacting personal specifications

Anglers can specify actions, colors and components and Rooster prefers customers to call in and talk to them about exactly what they are looking for

The team at Rooster rods shows us a few examples of their saltwater masterpieces

It takes around 6 weeks for each rod to be constructed and each rod will retail from 450 dollars to 600 and up depending on exactly what is requested. Anglers interested in ordering a one of a kind saltwater custom rod can find out more on the company’s website.

Stay tuned for part 2 of our ISE coverage when we get into new lures