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Be Forewarned for Pure Evil Lurks Within : The All Purpose, All Species Megabass Mephisto
| Date: |
4/19/07 |
| Tackle type: |
Rod |
| Manufacturer: |
Megabass |
| Reviewer: |
Cal |
Total Score: 9.00
Introduction: Anyone needing proof that strategically planned, well placed marketing schemes work and work well need only witness the name of the product reviewed today's article. Invoking the mythology surrounding this name that represents one of the devil's chief minions, Megabass all but acknowledges their role in seducing the weary angler to the dark side of the tackle world.
After all, what self respecting Enthusiast can resist an evil magic wand that is known by the name "Mephisto"?
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Megabass F7-69DG Mephisto Specifications
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| Material |
Proprietary D.N.A. Graphite |
| Length |
6' 9" |
| Length from Back of Reel Seat to Base |
10 3/4" |
| Line Wt. |
12-32 lbs |
| Lure Wt. |
3/8 - 4 oz |
| Pieces |
one |
| Guides |
8 double footed guides + tip |
| Power Rating |
Extra Heavy |
| Taper |
Medium Fast |
| Rod Weight |
6.5 ounces |
| Manufacturing Country |
Japan |
| MSRP |
$420 |
Impressions: Like the magic wands in the popular Harry Potter books and movies, you do not choose a Mephisto, the Mephisto chooses you. When mine arrived at my door, I had little clue of what to expect. What was this funky slant-bridge handle about. What in the world was I going to do with a rod rated from three-eighths (3/8ths) all the way up to four ounces! When I unwrapped this nefarious
scepter it slowly came into focus practicality has no place in an Enthusiast's arsenal.
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Introducing the Megabass Orochi Super Destroyer Mephisto
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No, the handle is not broken, that's Megabass's slant bridge design you see at the back of the rod
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Lab Tests: When I strapped the Mephisto down in our RoD WRACK, I could have sworn it spoke to me in a hushed, ominous tone, "you've got to be kidding". I must admit, I was skeptical that any of the rod's character would be revealed in our suddenly insignificant load range of two to thirty-two ounces. What was even more difficult was finding a rod or two against which to compare data points.
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Lab Results for Megabass F7-69DG Mephisto
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Model
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Avg RoD (2-32 oz)
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Rated Action
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Spine
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Measured Weight
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Balance Point
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| Megabass Orochi F7-69DG |
0.95
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Extra Heavy
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Top
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6.5 oz
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7.5"
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| G.Loomis MBR844C GLX |
1.47
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Heavy
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Bottom
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4.7 oz
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7.5"
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| Powell 684C Ex-Fast |
1.32
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Heavy
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Bottom
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4.2 oz
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10.5"
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Rate of Deflection (RoD): Well, the simple answer is that the Mephisto is a full power or two heavier than the only two sticks we had immediately available to compare against. Those would be a G.Loomis MBR844C GLX and a Powell Max 684C Ex-Fast. Both of our comparison sticks are rated as heavy action rods and it was quite obvious the Mephisto was significantly more powerful than either of those two sticks. A better comparison would have been against some saltwater rods, but oddly enough, at the time of testing, none in our arsenal were available to come out and play.
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Fig. 1 : This RoD Deflection Chart shows the deflection characteristics of the Megabass Mephisto as compared to two of the heaviest rated rods we've measured in the past, a G.Loomis MBR844C GLX and a Powell Max 684C X-Fast - the Mephisto is a full power, maybe more, heavier than either of those two sticks
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Spine, Weight, and Balance Point: The D.N.A. wrap on the Mephisto made it a little difficult to determine the rod's spine, but with a little
persistence, we were able to uncover it lay on top. Though this rod is heavy for its length at six and a half ounces, the balance point was a respectable seven and a half inches above the center of the reelseat - identical to that of the MBR844C GLX.
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The Mephisto features 8 Fuji Ti-Framed SiC guides + the tip top
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The double foot guides extend all the way to the tip
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Real World Test: Our lab tests on this rod did very little except to confirm this is one beefy stick, so I wasted little time finding time on the water for the Mephisto. What better way to uncover the evil that lurks within this rod than to pair it with a modern day technology marvel, the Shimano Calcutta 201DC and Conquest 101DC.
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The Shimano Calcutta 201DC makes a fine match for the Mephisto
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Complete Field Test Set-Up for Megabass F7-69DG Mephisto
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| Reel(s) |
Shimano Calcutta 201DC
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Shimano Conquest 101DC
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| Line |
20lb Sunline Shooter
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12lb Yozuri Hybrid
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Pitching and Casting: One would think that with a rod this stout, casting might be an issue. Surprisingly enough, the Mephisto casts quite well with baits from the bottom to the top of its lure rating. Of course, matched with a Shimano DC reel, one might expect nothing less, but part of the duty of any devoted Enthusiast is to ensure the proper alliance between rod and reel.
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Despite its extra-heavy rating, the Mephisto's blank diameter is still small enough to make use of an exposed blank reel seat
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Another view of how well the 201DC compliments this rod
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Of even greater surprise is the ability to pitch with the Mephisto. Matched with a Conquest 101DC, this rod makes a wonderful jig and senko stick though certainly not my first choice given the overall weight of this combo. Just the same, the ability to go from casting big, heavy baits down
to pitching a three-eighths ounce jig is nothing short of pure evil. What's more, if you're fishing heavy cover in tight quarters, the Mephisto can be deadly because even though it's only six-foot nine inches in length, it has the power and leverage of a much longer rod thanks to the combination of its stout nature and the slant bridge handle.
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My favorite design detail of this rod is the intricate winding check at the top of the foregrip
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With a detail such as this, the Mephisto could have just as easily been dubbed, Excalibur, or did perhaps Mordred have something to do with this instead?
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Next Section: So how
sensitive is the
Mephisto?
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