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Filling out the Arsenal - A Hands on Look at the Newest Megabass
Destroyer Rods (continued)
  The Otomat is
Ideal for lures like the Dog-X Diamante, Giant Dog-X and Popmax, which respond
dynamically to subtle changes in how the rod is worked. The rod’s unique taper
also makes this a decent crankbait rod for anglers who prefer a more crisp and
responsive feel than the traditional slower tapers or glass composite cranking
rod offerings.
The Otomat is an absolute blast to
fish and feels extremely unique. The first fish I caught on the rod really put
the tip to the test, and it performed beautifully
Out of the entire new lineup the Otomat was probably the most
distinct feeling new rod to me, and the one that I was probably the most excited
about. Maybe landing a five pounder during my first few minutes with the rod had
something to do with it. Nothing beats an explosive topwater bite, and the
Otomat makes working baits and keeping them pinned a whole lot easier.
The Otomat is ideal for topwater
baits like the Dog-X...
...but the unique tip action also
makes it a good option for smaller crankbaits
F4-74XS
“BRIGAND”: The Brigand was designed for working tubes
for smallmouth bass in the Great Lakes and also working ultra-light lines with
Dark Sleepers, finesse worms, or even Senkos for anglers prefer spinning set up.
This rod is also an excellent choice for light Texas rigs and many of the soft
plastics that are too heavy, or require more hook set power, than traditional
spinning rods offer.
The Brigand is a tube anglers
dream come true
The Destroyer
Brigand really takes the fight to the depths for bottom contact spinning
applications like tubes, jigheads, bottom dragging football jigs and swingheads,
and the company’s own Dark Sleeper swimbait by aligning crisp blank recovery and
sensitivity with just the right amount of power for these applications.
The Brigand is an excellent option
for taking the fight to the depths with tubes, jigs, and the company's Dark
Sleeper swimbait
The Brigand’s
characteristics are ideal for large open water situations when thin diameter
braided line and fluorocarbon leaders are utilized to minimize the effects of
challenging wind and current changes, while still providing anglers with
sensitivity in these tough conditions. The rod’s 7’4” length also offers an
advantage in line management when considerable yardage is out at the end of long
casts, or in deep water. One of Kenichi’s favorite abilities of the Brigand’s
crispness is that it enables baits to cut free of unwanted grass with a quick
pop of the wrist, triggering bites when targeting areas in and around
vegetation.
The Brigand and Flyssa both
feature the familiar split grip design with a tapered AAA-grade cork main handle
and high density EVA in the rear grip
F2 1/2
- 76XS “FLYSSA”: Before now the Destroyer finesse
spinning rods were somewhat limited, and for those that felt like they needed a
rod to complement the Addermine in finesse moving bait applications we now have
a new option with the Flyssa, which is designed to effectively fish 4 pound
test. This rod was created specifically for the new Okashira Screwhead and
ultra-lightweight hair jigs. Long casts with these light rigs was a priority,
and though Megabass knows many anglers will consider this rod for drop shot
applications the Flyssa really is designed for swimming applications, but can
function as a deep water drop shot rod in a pinch.
The Flyssa continues the use of
Fuji Titanium SiC guides
Kenichi
describes the Flyssa as an “exceptionally balanced combination of sensitivity
and finesse,” and the rod is crafted to maximize finesse offerings with a light
blank that loads effortlessly to cast ultralight rigs, and is still able to
protect delicate light-line by absorbing the hard charges and head shakes of
fish during the heat of battle, and all with “silken responsiveness.”
The Flyssa is designed to be the
perfect rod for fishing 4lb. line with horizontal finesse applications
To deliver these
attributes the Flyssa’s long tip section is created with plenty of supple
forgiveness, obscuring rod tension from wary feeders while transmitting subtle
ticks. The Flyssa really excels in horizontal finesse applications,
demonstrating the kind of smooth load-characteristics that is ideal for
sweep-setting with 4lb. test and trusting its unique taper to keep fish pinned.
The Flyssa is purpose-built for light line applications, particularly finesse
swimbaits, hair jigs and is the rod of choice for anglers looking to master the
Okashira Screwhead paired with a Spark or Hazedong Shad.
Casting late into the evening I
was able to experience each of the new rods and found each exhibited a unique
personality
i-WING
135: As usual whenever I fish with Kenichi I can be
sure that he has something new and exciting tucked away in his bag that wasn’t
on the original menu for the day. In this case it was some first run samples of
the new i-Wing, a bait that he personally designed to be the first burnable
large wing bait on the market.
Kenichi wasn't done yet and had
one more product to show me... his newly designed i-Wing topwater bait
I fished the i-Wing
with the Bunker Buster, and as fast as I retrieved the bait it still tracked
true, creating a ton of water displacement. Kenichi stated that he designed the
bait to “target monster fish that are clever enough to avoid reacting to
slow-moving objects that they have good sight of. Chasing prey is the predator’s
natural instinct, and that’s what we focused on with this design.” The i-Wing is
a fun bait to fish, and should be a nice addition to big bait angler’s topwater
cache.
Kenichi designed the i-Wing to be
fished fast, but unlike many other topwater wing baits it will not wash out
Retrieved at high speed the i-Wing
is loud and displaces a lot of water on the surface
Filling
out the Arsenal: We don’t have any of the new
Destroyer rods in for complete reviews, but my time spent with Kenichi and the
new rods provided some good insight into how refined these new rods are. His
passion for both lure and rod design is obvious, and the detail in which
Megabass goes to deliver the ideal action for applications, and even specific
in-house baits is pretty incredible.
The new Destroyer rods are a great
example of the lengths that Megabass goes to create rods that are not only
application, but also bait, specific
These five new
rods were all designed specifically to round out gaps in the Destroyer Series.
Out of the five rods the Otomat was probably the one I found the most exciting,
but Kenichi highlighted the Flyssa as his personal favorite, and simply because
the company has never had a Destroyer that he felt was designed specifically to
fish 4lb. test perfectly. Application and bait specific design, taken to the
next level, is what these new Destroyers bring to the table in spades.
Looking for the new Megabass
rods? Try
Tackle Warehouse
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