ARK Rods Invoker Pro IVP74MHRC Casting Rod Product Review #arkinvoker #arkinvokerrod #arkinvokerreview

Rod Review

ARK Rods's New Graphite Cranking Stick : Invoker Pro IVP74MHRC

Date:	10/15/20
Tackle Type:	Rod
Manufacturer:	ARK Rods
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 7.83 - GOOD

Introduction: ARK Rods burst onto the scene a few short years ago and has been busy refining their primarily value driven lineup of rods. They hit a good stride with their Randall Tharp Signature series sticks a couple of years ago and continued that trend with their new flagship, the Reinforcer this year. Riding on the coat tails of the Reinforcer success is a refresh of one of their original series, Invoker. They've elevated these rods to "Pro" status but kept the price point the same. Let's take a look a the IVP74MHRC to see how they've done.

ARK Rods Invoker Pro IVP74MHRC Specifications
Material	40T high modulus carbon fiber w/ carbon nano-tube reinforcement
Length	7'-4"
Line Wt.	10-20lb
Lure Wt.	1/4-1oz
Pieces	One
Guides	8+Tip SS/Zirconium Micro
Rear Handle Length	10
Power Rating	Medium Heavy
Taper	Regular (moderate)
Rod Weight	4.3
Origin	8.5
MSRP	$149.95

Introducing the Invoker IVP73MHRC cranking stick from Ark Rods

Impressions: ARK Rods's Invoker IVP74MHRC is a seven foot, four inch (7'-4") stick made from a blank rolled with 40-ton, high modulus carbon fibers reinforced with carbon nano-tube technology. It features the same external wrap as the Reinforcer series and is adorned with generic, stainless steel framed guides with Zirconium inserts. They're listed as micro guides although I think they're a tad larger than traditional micros.

Specifications are right in line with a general purpose cranking stick

The rod has a "Regular" or moderate taper and is intended for moving baits in the one quarter to one full ounce (1/4-1oz) weight range. The rear grip is split and made of EVA foam. It's a smart looking, mostly non-flashy assembly, but there are some red, anodized highlights that give the stick just a little bit of flare.

Hmmm... that crank needs some red in it to match

Real World Tests: I paired the IVP74MHRC with my classic, Daiwa Japan Millionaire I'ZE Light spooled with a fresh supply of 50lb Seaguar Smackdown braid topped with a thirty foot leader of Sunline Crank FC fluorocarbon in twelve pound test.

Had to take this reel out of retirement for this test

Casting: The IVP74MHRC came at just the right time because I had a box load of new cranks to test including the Skinny Bear Jr. Deep, Megabass's Deep X 200 & 100 LBO, Nishine Lures's Chippawa RB DD Crank, a new balsa crank from PH Customs, and more. To facilitate the matter of switching between all these baits, I tied on a snap and had at it.

The rear portion of the rod's handle is comfortable during two handed casts

The IVP74MHRC comes with a lure rating of 1/4-1oz. With cranking sticks, the high end lure rating is rarely much of a concern, but being able to fire those smaller plugs can be tricky if the stick doesn't have the right tip. To test this rod's lower end spectrum, I attached the Skinny Bear Jr. Deep. Rated at one third ounce, it was the lightest bait I had on hand. The IVP74MHRC and I'ZE Light combo handled it with zero difficulty leading me to believe even a quarter ounce bait should be relatively easy to cast with this setup.

The front grip is adorned with the company's logo

One disadvantage here though is with the guides. They're listed in the rod's info as micros. I'd say this really only applies to the last half up towards the rod's tip. The first few from the bottom are small, but larger than I've seen in traditional micro-guide setups. Regardless, if you use a connection knot in your line like I did with the I'ZE Light, the guides can pose a problem during casts if you're not careful to really cinch that knot down nice and small.

Guides are stainless steel frames with Zirconium inserts

Next Section: Invoking both sensitivity and power...