Real World Tests: Such an intriguing and unique, high end stick deserves a pairing with an equally prominent reel, so I matched the Giant Dire Wolf with Shimano Japan's '23 Antares DC MD. For fishing line, I'm in the process of vetting some different braids to see if I can settle upon a favorite for when and whatever reason, I don't want to go with a hollow braid. For this journey, I spooled my Antares with Varivas's Monster PE Si-X in PE #4. I varied my choice in leader with this setup depending upon what bait I intended to fish. When it came to fishing something subsurface, I used Seaguar's Tatsu FC. For topwater presentations, I either chose Sunline's Saltimate Nylon Leader or Varivas's Absolute BBM Nylon Mono. My current connection knot of choice is the Alberto.

Both this rod and the Dire Wolf Wild 7 I fished two years ago have a no-cutout reel seat and you know what? I didn't miss it

Casting: While I was anxious to discover just how accurate the Giant Dire Wolf's lure recommendation was, I also had on hand an interesting little bait from Grow Design Works, their G-Flag 150 soft glide bait. Soft bodied big baits are not my favorite, but this bait in particular, in the shape of a gill and designed to glide, really intrigued me. In this case curiosity won out over testing responsibilities and found me tying this bait on with the intent of casting and pitching it around some docks.

Unlike the rod I fished two years ago, this Dire Wolf has a cork rear grip

With the Giant Dire Wolf's 6'-11" length, it's like a no brainer, but even more important to success in pitching presentations with any stick is the length of that rear handle. The Giant Dire Wolf, with its stout blank and conventional length rear handle makes for an excellent pitching stick with larger than normal baits (the G-Flag 150 is about 1.5-2.0 ounces depending on configuration). I had so much fun pitching and casting the G-Flag 150 to targets, I almost forgot I had some further testing to do.

Additionally, while the rear grips are the same material, this one is sculpted for just a hair more comfort and security when gripping for two handed casting

So to test the other end of the Giant Dire Wolf's capabilities, I tied on a bait from my arsenal that came to closest to eight ounces I could find - U.F.O. bait company's Mothership (7.6oz). At first, it felt really odd trying to sling such a heavy bait with such a short stick, but once I got over that first impression, the Giant Dire Wolf actually handled that bait with no issue whatsoever. Thanks to the pairing of this stick with my Antares DC MD, not only could I roll cast and even pitch to target, I could turn around and launch the Mothership some good distances. I was genuinely surprised.

The guide trail is a mix of Ti/Torzite and Ti/SiC from Fuji

Following that test, I settled into just fishing this combo so I could get a better feel for both the rod and reel. I tied on baits like the Donkey Slayer and Megabass's Mag Draft Freestyle and really enjoyed the Giant Dire Wolf's versatility and ability to present and fish just about everything I tied to the end of the line.

Like all of Evergreen's high end rods, this one is actually made in Japan

Sensitivity: If there is downside to this stick it will be this category. Because it is so stout and built with that softer taper, the blank itself is not super crisp. I could certainly feel what was going on at the end of my line while fishing the variety of baits I tried, but the hits were a little mushy. At least two felt like I got caught in some weeds, but when I pulled to free the bait, the weeds pulled back. Certainly other hits were bone jarring, but most hits with big, hard bodied baits are - that's why swimbait fishing is so popular but also why sensitivity is not paramount.

Next Section: So wrong, yet so right...