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Return of “Phenix,”
a first look at the company’s new line of bass rods
(continued)
 Ultra
Swimbait rods cont'd: Cal tossed over 20 different swimbaits on the Ultra
Swimbait 711H which is rated for 2-8oz, and found the rod handled everything up
to 5oz with little difficulty. At the higher end of the rating spectrum he felt
the rod was a bit strained, and while it could toss 8oz lures it felt a bit
strained. Robert confirmed that the rods were still undergoing some changes, but
that cosmetically they were close.
No more messing around, Cal grabs
the bigger baits
The 711ML is the lighter
version and proved to be very good at tossing lighter topwater swimbaits. This
rod felt crisp and catapulted lures at around 2-3oz with ease. Phenix rounds out
the offering with their full sized 8’6” 866H swimbait rod. This rod weighs in at
9.4oz and is rated to throw lures up to 8oz. in length.
Cal launches a 3:16 Armageddon
with the Phenix swimbait rod
While the rod comes too
late to be included in our swimbait wars reviews Cal’s quick synopsis of the
rods were that HE felt as though the lure ratings on each rod needed some
adjustment, the two Phenix Ultra Swimbait sticks Robert brought along (models
711ML & 711H) casted very well and he could actually feel the movement of the
22nd Century Triple Trout and 3:16 Lure Company 2-up while retrieving them in
the water.
The heat (and lack of sleep) get
to Robert as Cal keeps slinging
The rods did not feel
cumbersome thanks to their relatively light overall weight. Overall, they were
nicely built and all we needed was the explosion of a worthy fish to validate
our feelings of both rods' power, but that validation did not come today.
Cal loads up with a 12" (11oz)
Castaic Snap on Tail Real Bait
Preview Impressions:
It might be the heat that got to us but we found it oddly appropriate that our
one day preview on the water had been an absolute scorcher. The dictionary
describes a “Phenix” as another name for “Phoenix” a
mythical bird of great beauty that would burn itself on a funeral pyre, and rise
from its ashes in the freshness of youth and live through another cycle of
years: often an emblem of immortality or of reborn idealism or hope. Another
definition describes a Phoenix as “a person or thing that has become renewed or
restored after suffering calamity or apparent annihilation.”
The Phenix rod survives
The fires
of Phenix burn bright as the company comes back from the vestiges with a
surprisingly healthy offering that makes use of years of experience blended with
new blank materials and a renewed commitment to modern day design. Our single
day field test confirmed the rod’s excellent weight, above average sensitivity,
and quality casting ability, but we were unable to pit the rods against quality
fish. To formulate a final conclusion we need to further field test the rods,
but for now we do feel like Phenix has stepped in the right direction in regards
to design.
Cal and Robert work a steep drop
off
Price and Availability:
All the Phenix rods will retail approximately 170-250 dollars depending on
the model and the rods will become available within the next month or two
leading into ICAST. The same timeframe holds true for the company’s saltwater
rods, and Robert hinted that later this year the company will also introduce a
refreshed trout rod series.
Phenix is back, and Robert holds
up an array of the new rods that make up Phenix's new bass lineup
Though not fully
determined we did verify that all Phenix rods will carry a limited lifetime
warranty and rods within three months will be replaced free of cost, and after
that period the rods can be replaced for a small fee. The company is also
considering offering an upgrade program for owners of pre-rebirth Phenix rods,
the details of which are not yet final.
With the sun setting Cal gets in
his last few swimbait casts, unfortunately we were not able to get that big fish
but with the return of the brand future tests of Phenix's rods will allow us to
test the true fish moving power of these rods
Conclusion: By the
time we finished comparing the rods the sun was already on the decent. We had
caught small fish while testing the rods but didn’t have a big fish that had
tested the limits of the rod’s fish moving power. On top of that we had consumed
pretty much all the drinks we had on the boat, and with the water in the lake
starting to look appetizing we knew it was time to get in our last few casts and
head home. Though the company’s logo and ownership have changed the commitment
to truly custom rod designs has remained true. If the price point that Robert
described holds up through mass production the Phenix rods should make a big
splash in the market. Though the custom rod market is among the most crowded
Phenix hopes to regain the devout following it once had, and should be able to
do a whole lot more than that with the lightweight rods we tested today. The
latest Phenix offerings do the namesake proud, and anglers have yet another
choice when they consider their next application specific bass custom rods.
For more information about
Phenix rods and availability email Phenix
directly here.
Stay tuned for actual in depth reviews of Phenix rods in the future where we put
the rods on our RoD Wrack and rate the rods in all categories.
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