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More then just deep cranking with Powell's 754 CB Glass Rod
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Date: |
3/23/08 |
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Tackle Type: |
Rods |
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Manufacturer: |
Powell |
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Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 7.41 - GOOD
Introduction:
In an endeavor to fish a
wider range of glass rods we came across the Powell 754 CB which makes us of
Powell’s clean design to create a surprisingly adaptable performer. Designed for
cranking we put the rod to the test with everything from wire baits to oversized swimbaits, and discover that sometimes glass really does make a whole lot of
sense.
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Powell
754 CB
Glass
Specifications
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| Material |
Glass |
| Length |
7'5" |
| Length
Rear grip
section |
10" |
| Line Wt. |
10
- 17 lb |
| Lure Rating |
1/4 - 1
ounce |
| Pieces |
one |
| Guides |
9 guides + tip (Fuji) |
| Power Rating |
Heavy |
| Taper |
Mod-Fast |
| Rod Weight |
7.1 ounces |
| Manufacturing Country |
China |
| MSRP |
$199 |
Impressions:
It wasn’t all that
long ago that I had all but abandoned glass rods in favor of graphite. It was
only last August that my opinion of glass changed thanks to the Lamiglas Skeet
Reese SR705R. Prior to this the weight penalties and lack of sensitivity in
traditional glass had me running for graphite. But well implemented glass sticks
exhibit an action that is ideal for certain applications, and there is no
graphite based rod that exhibits the exact same buttery feel of glass.
Meet
the Powell 754 CB Glass rod
Prior to the introduction
of our “Swimbait Rod Wars” we had already reviewed Powell’s SB711H swimbait rod
which was a well crafted rod, one that came with a reasonable price tag, yet
managed to maintain a custom rod look and feel. The SB711H was a serious
swimbait rod, capable of tossing the biggest swimbaits. Since then we wanted to
look at a lighter stick from the company, possibly one that could toss smaller
swimbaits as well as other mid sizes lures. That’s when we came across Powell’s
newest glass rod, the 754 CB. This rod is not exactly a true swimbait stick but
rather more of a multipurpose rod.
The
rod is designed for deep cranking and smaller swimbaits
The 754 CB Glass rod is
7’5” inches in length and is rated to handle lures from 1/4oz to 1oz. The rod
exhibits a Mod-Fast action and is rated “Heavy” in action. Like other Powell
rods the 754 is matte in appearance with only a thick layer of gloss right above
the reel seat. The 754 has the same easily identifiable Powell design with a
clean split grip implementation, complete with attractive metal winding checks
and silver and blue threading. The real difference between this rod and other
Powell graphite rods is the much thicker diameter of the blank, especially near
the base of the rod.
The
754 CB has all the
attributes you
expect from glass,
including a nice
moderate tip
Overall the rods look very straightforward, and to this day I still consider the
Powell rods among the cleanest in design. There isn’t a whole lot of “bling” on
these rods, just a clean functional implementation, something that appeals to
many bass anglers. The rod is black matte in appearance and aside from the
thicker diameter blank it is hard to tell that the 754 is even made of glass at
all.
Lab Tests:
Before hitting the
water the Powell
754CB was subjected
to our usual RoD
WRACK tests.
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Lab Results for Powell 754CB
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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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| Powell 754CB |
1.8
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H
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Bottom
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7.1 oz
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9"
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| Powell 703CB |
2.04
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H
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Top
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6.1 oz
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13"
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| Lamiglas SR705R |
2.19
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H
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Bottom
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5.8 oz
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9.5"
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| Custom Seeker BS706S |
2.3
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H
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Left
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5.1 oz
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11"
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| F4-610GT3 Shiryu |
2.22
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MH
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R&L
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5.3 oz
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8.5"
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Rate of Deflection (RoD):
The Powell 754 has a
spine on the bottom like
the Lamiglas SR705R
glass rod and exhibited
a balance point at only
9" measured from the
center of the reel seat
towards the tip of the
rod and the line came in
contact with the blank
at a load of 8 ounces
during our test.
The
reel seat
Real
World Test: On
the blank itself the 754 label states that the rod is designed for “Crankbaits,
Topwater & Swimbaits.” We logged many hours on the water fishing all three types
of these bait types on the California Delta, Clear Lake, and Lake El Salto.
Comparing the Powell grip (right) to a Kistler Magnesium (left). The Powell
implementation is longer and straight while the Kistler is rounded
Casting: The
754 actually looks heavier than it really is due to the large diameter blank,
something common among many glass rods. I paired the rod up with a number of
reels during our tests ranging from the Daiwa Zillion to the Shimano Calais. The
rod does balance out a little better with slightly heavier reels, and feels
better with a Calais or Quantum Burner strapped on than when paired with a lightweight magnesium based reel.
Though the rod features a split grip design the base of this rod has a large
diameter due to the glass blank
Next Section: Cast away...
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