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A Cranky Honey Badger of a Stick : Ark Rods's TS74MH-G B-Hittay
Since their debut a few short years ago, Ark Rods has done a good job making headway with affordable, smartly styled, good performing sticks. They recently upped their game by signing Pro Bass Fisherman, Randall Tharp to their team and last year, they celebrated this team up with the company's very first line of signature series of rods, Randall Tharp's Honey Badger line. |
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Denali Rods's New Sub $100 Rod Series : Ryker
With several series spread out
and smartly targeted at price points between $100 through $250, Denali's
popularity grows with each passing year. For 2021, Denali looks to push the
boundaries of affordability even further with the introduction of an entirely
new series. |
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Back in the Hunt for the Search : Fenwick's Refreshes Their World Class
Several years ago, we took a
look at a couple of sticks within Fenwick's flagship series of rods, World
Class. Both sticks left me with mixed feelings for while I liked the rods'
build, components, and power, I was hoping for a bit more in terms of
sensitivity especially considering we were fishing a flagship series... |
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Phenix Once Again Delivers on Maxim-um Value
One of Phenix's big
introductions for 2019 was their new look and feel Maxim series rods. This is
their ~$100 series bass rods built for exceptional value. Somehow, we never took
a look at the spinning rod options in the original 2015 series, but we're
correcting that today with our look at the totally revamped MAXS-610L. |
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Busting Bunkers and Awards with Megabass's Destroyer F7.5-77X
Megabass's F7.5-77X Bunker Buster is a seven foot, seven inch (7'7") casting rod featuring a full rear grip. The front portion of that grip is cork, while the back section is EVA foam. It shares the same cosmetics as the F10-711X Onager and F8-78X Mark 48 except at only twelve inches (12"),
the rear handle on the Bunker Buster is short like that of a flipping rod. |
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Casting with Veracity : Abu Garcia's
VRCTY79-9
In case you hadn't noticed, Abu
Garcia has a rather extensive catalog of bass rods. From the budget friendly
Vengeance and Vendetta to the more enthusiast tailored Fantasista, there's a
series of sticks to suit just about any budget covering a plethora of
techniques... |
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Are You a Big Bait Addict? If So, Kistler Has the Rod for You, the KLX7107XXH
Tossing big baits with the intention of landing bigger weights in the livewell
is becoming more commonplace with each passing year. However, that practice has
kind of settled in with the mid-sized and mid-weighted baits of roughly five to
seven inches in length and maybe two to four ounces in weight... |
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Purple Reign : Phenix's Reinvigorated M1
is a Winner
It's been a good seven years or
more since we took a look at the MX72H from their M1 series. Well, the wait is finally because Phenix Rods has unveiled a totally revamped, refreshed, and renewed M1 series with an updated look, feel, and appeal. We took the M1 MX72MH our for a test run. |
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ARK Rod's New Series Delivers Reinforcements for Your Enthusiast Soul
As we grow more and more conditioned to the different formulas (blank + components + grip material and design) for assembling a fishing rod at the various price points, it becomes increasingly difficult for an individual fishing rod or series thereof to capture our attention. What else can a manufacturer do to stir our enthusiasm? |
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Trippin' In Abu Garcia's IKE Finesse Series
Abu Garcia's recent refresh of their Mike Iaconelli signature series of rods is divided into three sub-categories. Our recent look at the MIKEC76-6 introduced us to the Power Series. Today we're concentrating on one of seven sticks from the IKE Finesse Series. Introducing Abu Garcia's IKE Finesse Series MIKES74-4.
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An
Affordable Cranking Stick for Spinning Rod Fans - The Abu Garcia Veritas
Last year, we shared with you our thoughts on Abu Garcia's new Revo Winch W30 - a low gear ratio spinning reel designed for moving bait enthusiasts. But no cranking or any technique specific reel is complete without a corresponding rod, right? Naturally, Abu Garcia knows this to be true and makes a stick to perfectly match with the Revo Winch W30... |
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A Shot of Finesse with a Dash of Versatility : Doomsday Tackle's T47S-370MF
Just like the previously reviewed T47C-370BCF, this stick features a retro-style color scheme and detailing
that we have found is a little bit polarizing. Some anglers love the throwback colors
and styling while others would prefer a more modern and tactical looking rod.
Which camp do you fall into?
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Taking Aim with Megabass's Destroyer F8-78X Mark 48
Cosmetically, the Mark 48 is a carbon copy clone of the Onager. In fact, if you line up the two rods' reel seats, there is about a two inch difference in handle lengths, and a one inch difference to the tip.
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The Search for One : Lew's Pro-Ti TLPT170M
Lew's stepped up to the plate
recently with a new, top end series of rods for their bass market and we managed
to get our hands on one. Here's our take on the Team Lew's Pro-Ti TLPT170M
casting rod. |
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Shimano and G.Loomis Launch Limited Edition Bantam MGL &
IMX-Pro Combos
For the first time in the two
decades that the G.Loomis brand has been part of Shimano the company will soon
offer anglers a limited edition combo which includes a limited IMX-PRO rod
matched up with the proven performing Bantam MGL baitcasters.
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Wait for It, Wait for It... Abu Garcia's IKE Delay Series
Sometimes, you just want to tie
one on, toss it out, and crank it up. Abu Garcia realizes that moving baits are
a staple of any bass fisherman's arsenal and in the recent refresh of their Mike
Iaconelli signature series of rods, they included a collection of seven rods in
a sub-series dubbed "Delay" just for this. |
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A Mix of Handling and Power Voodoo in the Witch
Doctor Shaman Rods
There are a lot of rod manufacturers out there, and while
Witch Doctor rods may not be a household name among fishermen, the company does
have a strong and passionate following among bass anglers that are looking for a
high performance rod that isn’t just another “me-too” mass produced import. For
our very first in-depth look at the brand’s offerings we put the company’s
flagship Shaman Series to the test. |
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A Spinning Rod with Multiple Personalities : Denali's Lithium L883MS Multi-Spin
I took the opportunity to ask
Major League Fishing Pro Jeff Kriet if he has a favorite in Denali's lineup.
Without hesitation he chose to highlight a stick he feels doesn't get enough
attention and that stick is the subject of today's review. Here's our look at
Denali Rods's Lithium Series L883MS Multi Spin. |
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ARK Rods's TS73MHFC May Not Be a Printer, But It Is Money
Ark Rods is an intriguing manufacturer. Seemingly out of nowhere they burst onto the scene with an array of smartly priced, smartly styled, performance driven series of sticks. We've been working out way through their Tharp series having good experiences with each stick thus far, and the subject of today's article had a name that was just too difficult to resist. Here's our look at Ark Rods's TS73MHFC Money Maker.
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Bub's Punch Rod Levels Up : iRod AIR IRA7104PRG-H
It's been some time since we've visited with a product from iRod Fishing. Founder Matt Newman was recently in touch to share with us some new models added to both their Air and Genesis II lineups. Today, we take a look at a stick designed by Western Pro, Bub Tosh. Here is iRod Fishing's AIR IRA710PRG-H.
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Are You Worthy to Possess the Power of Megabass's Warhammer?
Zander and I have been busy
getting acquainted with the new, extended models of Megabass of America's
current Destroyer lineup, but one stick from the original introduction has been
on my list since its debut in 2017... |
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Daiwa Introduces a Refreshed Black
Label Series - the BLX Bass Rods
At last week's ICAST the spotlight at the Daiwa booth was primarily
focused on the company's new Tatula Elite and Certate reels, but the company
also launched a complete renewal of the Classic Black Label line called the BLX
Bass Series. |
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Cranking It Up With Denali's Russ Lane Cranking Stick
The Attax AC722RL is a seven foot two inch (7'2") stick that
somehow feels more like 6'8" in hand. For some strange reason, I keep thinking
it's shorter than it actually is. Perhaps because it's so light and springy in
action... |
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Filling out the Arsenal - A Hands on Look at the Newest Megabass
Destroyer Rods
This season, in advance of ICAST, Megabass
introduced five new casting and spinning models designed not only for particular
applications, but also focused on actual baits in the brand’s own lineup. We hit
the water with Kenichi Iiada, Megabass America's Product Manager, to find out
more about the latest additions to the Destroyer collection.
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Feed Your Enthusiast Soul : Conquest 842C MBR
Saving money and being practical with your tackle buying decisions is the responsible thing to do. Afterall, you really can catch the same fish with a $99 fishing rod as you can with an $800 one, right?
If you consider such a purchase a waste, well, then there really is no need to spend that extra coin. However, for those of us who need a little more intrigue and performance, sometimes, nothing feeds your soul as well as that enthusiast piece of tackle. |
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Think Less, Fish More with Megabass of America's F5-75XX EMTF
The Extreme Mission Type-F (EMTF) is a seven foot, five inch
(7'-5") stick made from Megabass of America's proprietary X47-ASL Metal Fiber
Blank material code named kabt (ka-boo-toh) |
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The Power in IKE, Abu Garcia & Mike Iaconelli's MIKEC76-6
There's no denying one of the biggest personalities in the world of
professional bass fishing is Mike Iaconelli. There's no denying his competitive
spirit and raw enthusiasm. Abu Garcia recognized this when they signed him back
in 2010 and after a start and stop or two, finally have a full line of signature
series rods and reels to celebrate their relationship. |
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A Better Levante? Megabass
Remakes their Mainstream Rod Series
This season Megabass has completely remade the Levante Series, following
the recognizable actions of their popular Orochi XX Series, and introducing some
of the features and refinement from their higher end rod lines. Over the last
few weeks we have begun fishing the new Levante rods, and got the inside scoop
on the design from Kenichi Iida, Product Manager at Megabass |
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