Return of “Phenix,”
a first look at the company’s new line of bass rods
(continued)
Ultra
MB-X cont'd:
Fishing the Ultra MBX series cemented the fact that the Phenix rods are
lightweight, and it is easy to toss lures on them all day with little fatigue in
your arm or wrist on the account of an overweight rod. The Ultra MBX baitcasting
rods weigh in at 3.7-4.1 oz depending on length and the spinning rods weigh only
3-3.4oz. In total there are 13 rods to choose from in this series and the rods.
The spinning rods also feature a
split grip with the same style composite cork butt
Crankbait Series: Mid
way through our tests the temperature topped 103 degrees and instead of becoming
more active the fish settled into a curious but unwilling to commit mode. We
could easily get big fish in the 6 plus pound class to follow our lures but the
minute we imparted any action other than a direct retrieve the fish would simply
break chase. This was incredibly frustrating for Cal who had a few monster bass
rise up to follow his swimbaits yet simply turn and disappear as the lure neared
the boat.
Robert fishes a spinning MB-X rod
paired with a Daiwa JDM Exist
We decided to go deeper with
crankbaits since topwater wasn’t generating any strikes and test Phenix’s
crankbait series rods at the same time. Unlike the Ultra MBX rods the Phenix
X-10 crankbait rod features a more traditional solid cork grip and makes use of
Fuji Alconite versus the SiC guides. The rod handles crankbaits from ¼-1oz. in
weight and weighs in at 4.5oz. There is a longer 7’6” version for more casting
distance but the lure ratings remain the same.
Next we move onto the Phenix
crankbait rod which makes use of a glass tip
What is special about
Phenix’s crankbait series is the use of a fiberglass tip with a graphite lower
section. This results in a rod that still weighs very little and has good
sensitivity while still having that soft buttery feel in the tip that only glass
can provide. The tip rolls over nicely and when we found that when fish would
hit the lure the tip would respond nicely by absorbing the shock and keeping the
fish on the line.
The glass tip offers plenty of
give while the graphite lower section reduces weight and improves sensitivity
Zander especially liked
the Crankbait series and found it offered the best of both worlds when it came
to weight and glass action in the tip. The only thing that he would have liked
to see was the continued use of SiC guides and the split grip design, since the
company had an attractive blueprint on the Ultra MBX line. Zander also remarked
that he would like to see another version that exhibited slightly more robust
specifications for casting and retrieving larger deep diving crankbaits.
The Super Flipper series is
designed for exactly what its name implies, though we found it excellent for
smaller swimbaits as well
Flipping: Phenix
addresses flipping with east coast style telescopic rods they call the “Super
Flipper” series. These rods are easily distinguishable in the rod locker as they
feature an EVA butt knob. Like the Crankbait series these rods feature Fuji
Alconite guides, and a Fuji reel seat. The Super Flipper rods are considerably
heavier than the Ultra MBX line as you would expect from a flipping stick, and
weigh in at around 6oz. each.
The Super flipper rods feature a
EVA butt
Though designed for
flipping the sticks proved to be quite good small swimbait rods in our tests,
and we tossed lures over 2oz outside the 1 1/2oz maximum specification with
little difficulty. We also found the Super Flipper rods outstanding for fishing
paddletails.
These rods are telescopic...
Ultra Swimbait Rods:
While Zander spent most of his time fishing the plastic and crankbait style
rods Cal naturally gravitated towards the swimbait series. The Ultra Swimbait
rods we tested were the furthest from mass production, and were still undergoing
some final changes. Like the Ultra MBX rods these rods feature a clean split
grip design and are still relatively light considering their ratings.
...and fold down to fit in smaller
rod lockers
Next Section:
Slinging the big baits on Phenix rods
