Spine, Weight, and Balance Point: The spine of a rod blank helps define the power and casting characteristics of any particular fishing rod. It influences the natural curvature of a fishing rod and while spine placement can be a highly debated topic, the general practice is to have the spine either on the top or bottom of the fishing rod when built for non-specialty casting situations. The spine of our MgAPSMH66 was on top of the rod, a configuration that protects against the natural tendency of a rod to turn so that the spine is on top when the blank is under load. This reduction of torquing stresses is argued, to prolong the life of your rod. As expected, with the no foregrip and split rear grip configuration, this rod came in at a sub 4 ounce weight. Also as expected, with no foregrip, a split rear grip, and no counterweight, the balance point of the rod with no reel was rather far up the blank at eight and a half (8.5) inches above (towards the rod's tip) the centerline of the reel seat.

A closeup of the MgAPSMH66 exposed blank reel seat

Real World Test: Enough of the lab tests already, and what does it all mean? After seeing how our MgAPSMH66 seemed to compare favorably side by side with our Loomis MBR783C GLX in the lab, we were a little more than anxious to get out on the water and start fishing with it. What more ideal combo could we come up with than matching our Kistler Magnesium TS rod with an actual Mg reel - a Scorpion 1001 Mg? Together, our svelte combo came in at a very respectable 10.1 ounces. The balance point of this combo was reduced from the afore mentioned eight and a half (8.5) inches above the centerline of the reel seat with no reel to a distance of three and a half inches (3.5") with the reel mounted snuggly in the seat. For a visual clue, this balance point ended up being at the thread of the hook hangar. The combo felt very light, well balanced, and ready for action!

Casting/Pitching: With the results of our RoD and Action tests, we anticipated a steely, inflexible tip section in our MgAPSMH66, but were very pleased to find out it loaded just fine during casts and seemed to excel rather well at pitching. With its short, 6'6" length we were able to launch baits like our 1/2 oz Pro Assassinator Spinnerbait and 1/2 oz Critterbait with ease on pitches, and were right on target fishing cranks and spinnerbaits on overhand casts. Right at the bottom end of the recommended line rating, our 10lb Yozuri Hybrid felt smooth through the stainless steel framed guides. The overall light weight and balance of this rig, with our Scorpion 1001 Mg reel, felt fantastic.

Sensitivity: With such a stripped down list of components and a nice, light, responsive blank, it's difficult to deliver a completed product that is NOT sensitive. Our MgAPC66MHC did not disappoint. We were able to detect the wobble of our cranks, the vibration of our spinnerbaits, and even get an idea of the lake's bottom composition while dragging our half-ounce jig through the depths of our local lakes. Because we were able to feel all of the above sensations, our strike to hookup ratio with this rig was impressive. In fact, I don't think I missed a single fish on this rig and I experienced none of those "mystery" hits where I was unsure whether or not I had a hit or my bait was entangled in some weeds or other near snag.

Viewed in other lighting conditions, the finish of Kistler's Magnesium TS rods resemble an eggshell finish with subtle glitter highlights