Power: Once again, that monster bass eluded me while testing this rod, but I caught enough to know this rod does feel like a traditional "medium heavy" rod when loaded with a feisty bass at the end of the line. You're not going to overpower a fish with this stick, but at the same time, you'll be far from underpowered with it in your hands - for the majority of fish most of us catch anyway.

The butt end of the CMG691MH-F-C comes with e21's traditional, removable cap for custom balancing of your rod.

Sensitivity: The combination of Sufix's new 832 braided line together with the micro-guides on this stick delivers a final combo that is both sensitive and responsive. At the same time, I can't help but feel this rod's sensitivity could be enhanced further were it not for the heavy duty orange finish on the blank. I'd love to see how this stick feels with just a matte finish to the blank and no paint.

One pitfall of micros is care that must be taken when applying epoxy to the thread wraps.

Micro-Guides: It's still very early in the micro-guide craze and important to note that the current production run of Carrot Stix Micro Guide rods comes with the Fuji K-Series, tangle free micro guides. For those who think this technology is overkill for micro-guides, think again.

A look at the split reel seat of the CMG691MH-F-C.

To test how the CMG691MH-F-C handles precision casting, I tied on a Paycheck Baits Transporter (their frog bait) to the end of the line and took several casts into cover out on the California Delta. There was a slight breeze blowing, but nothing out of the ordinary. To my amazement, I began to experience line wrap around the tip of the rod quite frequently with the line tangled up in the standard frame micro guides of the CMG691MH-F-C.

Line wrap not a problem with micro guides? Wrong - thank goodness e21 has gone to the Fuji K-Series micros from here on out as the standard frames are still subject to line wrap.

As you may or may not recall, this was never a problem in any of the previous micro-guided rods I've fished and reviewed, but granted, there were only two - a Kistler Mg TS Micro and my Kistler Zbone rod (which features k-framed micro guides that are spiral wrapped). It's good to know that e21 has upgraded these guides to the K-Series, otherwise, the ease by which the line tangled around the tip of this rod would be a big concern moving forward.

The Carrot Stix Micro Guide series are the real deal.

Application: The CMG691MH-F-C is a very good all purpose option able to handle both moving baits and vertical presentations with ease. My favorite with this stick were spinnerbaits and topwater baits because matched with the Scorpion 1001XT, the combo was able to fire these baits accurately and with distance.

Conclusion: This morning, while making myself some coffee (Peet's!), I noticed on the coffee filter box the statement, "Flavor Enhancing Micro-Perforations". From "nano" to "micro", need we any more evidence that big changes come in minuscule enhancements? The CMG691MH-F-C is further proof to me that micro-guides are the real deal.

The CMG691MH-F-C makes a fantastic topwater "stix"!

A genuine sore point with me in the past with all the e21 product has been the guides. I had zero appreciation for the guides that came with the Gold Series of rods especially considering those sticks' price points. Micros give the CMG691MH-F-C a really lively feel all evidenced by the way this stick can cast. While its power is decidedly average for a medium heavy stick its sensitivity is good, and the overall versatility of this stick is right in line with what we'd expect in a "Search for One" candidate. I guess you could say in this instance, micros really did enhance the flavor of this Carrot-Stix.

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