Lamiglas Skeet Reese Fiberglass rod

Rod Review

Getting to know glass all over again, the Lamiglas Skeet Reese Cranking Stick

Date:	8/21/07
Tackle Type:	Reels
Manufacturer:	Lamiglas
Reviewer:	Zander

Total Score: 8.66

Introduction: Are you a fan of fiberglass bass rods? These days it seems that glass rods have been shoved into the shadows as graphite owns the spotlight. Yet there are those that believe that glass makes sense, and that includes Skeet Reese who helped develop his own special Lamiglas cranking glass rod.

Lamiglas Skeet Reese SR705R Specifications
Material	E-Glass
Length	7'0"
Length from Back of Reel Seat to Base	8.5"
Line Wt.	8 - 20 lb
Lure Rating	3/8 - 1 1/2 ounces
Pieces	one
Guides	10 guides + tip (Fuji Alconite)
Power Rating	Heavy (5 Power)
Taper	Fast
Rod Weight	5.8 ounces
Manufacturing Country	USA
MSRP	$230

Impressions: I’ll come right out and say it. I’ve never been a huge fiberglass fan when it comes to bass rods. Sure I recognize the benefits of fiberglass, but the sacrifices in terms of sensitivity are something that I just could not accept. That being said the new hybrid glass and graphite rods proved to be very good rods, offering a good balance of power, durability, action, and sensitivity. But over time I found myself starting to miss the inimitable soft feel of fiberglass. While I certainly would not switch out my graphite rods for all glass I felt it was time to give glass another try.

Lamiglas partnered up with Skeet Reese to create their glass cranking rod

Lamiglas has long been known for their quality glass rods and they offered a new rod endorsed by none other than professional angler, Skeet Reese. The Skeet Reese special, or SR705R, is a fiberglass rod that makes use of a new wrap to offer anglers a lighter more sensitive glass rod with a more forgiving tip action that is good for crankbaits and jerkbaits.

The cork grip on this rod is tapered with a thicker grip near the reel seat

The rod is instantly recognizable as a fiberglass rod thanks to the light orange appearance, and stands out from the rest of the Lamiglas offerings. You can see the wrap under a generous layer of gloss, and the rod features a fast action. This is interesting considering fiberglass often has a slower action than graphite, and yet Lamiglas made sure this rod had a faster action than the vast majority of fiberglass rods.

The rod features a cork foregrip

Lab Tests: In the lab we compared the rod to a number of fiberglass rods including offerings from Powell, a custom Seeker, and the imported Megabass Shiryu.

Lab Results for Lamiglas Skeet Reese SR705R
Model	Avg RoD (2-32 oz)	Rated Action	Spine	Measured Weight	Balance Point
Lamiglas SR705R	2.19	H	Bottom	5.8 oz	9.5"
Powell 705CB	2.04	H	Top	6.1 oz	13"
Custom Seeker BS706S	2.3	H	Left	5.1 oz	11"
F4-610GT3 Shiryu	2.22	MH	R&L	5.3 oz	8.5"

Rate of Deflection (RoD): All of the rods tested similar but there certainly were differences between the Skeet Reese SR705R and the three other glass sticks we tested it against. Unlike all the other rods the Lamiglas Skeet Reese cranking stick spine came out at the bottom. The balance point was 9.5" measured from the center of the reel seat towards the tip of the rod and the line came into contact with the blank at a load of 12 ounces during our test.

Fig. 1 : This RoD Deflection Chart shows the deflection characteristics of our Lamiglas SR705R against that of three other glass sticks: the Megabass F4-610GT3 Shiryu; the Powell 705CB; and a custom stick built off of a Seeker BS706S blank.

Real World Test: To test the Lamiglas SR705R we head straight for the largemouth bass that inhabit the Northern California Delta. We purposely searched for heavily weeded areas to stress the durability attributes of this rod. We really didn’t have to look far as vegetation during this time of year is still pretty thick on the Delta.

Under sunlight you can see the fibers of glass construction

Casting: The SR705R does have a thicker diameter at the base of the rod than graphite rods, but it is surprisingly light. My second biggest complaint about fiberglass is that they often way a ton, and can even feel unbalanced. This is not the case with the SR705R which weighs 5.8oz, and to be honest feels more like a graphite rod when balanced with a reel.

We paired the rod with an old favorite, the Daiwa TD-X

Once you cast the SR705R you immediately feel the difference. It has a lively yet very consistent soft feel in the tip, and the fiberglass butt section is extremely strong making it possible to cast even the biggest of cranks with ease.

No blank through on this rod

By whipping the rod quickly it is possible to catapult lighter spinnerbaits with great precision. I was able to drop spinnerbaits in pockets of vegetation, something I usually find difficult with a sloppy glass rod.

The rod felt comfortable to grasp

Next Section: Get on with that Retrieve!