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Rod Review

 

The Search for One : Leviathan Rods's All Purpose Bass Breaker (continued)

 

Power: One manufacturer's idea of "medium-heavy" does not always correspond with another's which is why we go through the effort of wracking each and every bass rod we test. Comparing a single rod's performance in this area to a twenty year historical average of similarly rated rods is our way of normalizing this information.


Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Leviathan Rods Trinity All Purpose Bass Breaker against the historical averages of similarly powered rods we've tested over the past twenty years

Figure 1, above, shows the Trinity APBB in solid red, charted against our averages from medium to medium-heavy to heavy powered bass rods and how this stick more closely aligns with what we'd consider a heavy powered rod.


Checking out that tip

Out on the water, I did feel the APBB leaned a little towards the heavy side, but honestly, if I hadn't have wracked the rod afterwards to verify, I would not have suspected. I did like the rod's power on those hooksets with the jig but the ensuing battles revealed nothing to me of the rod's more heavy powered tendencies. That slightly more powerful feeling I got was more from the rod's handling of the baits during a cast/pitch.


The Alps AGC reel seat features a double locking ring for a more secure hold, but I'd still like to see some of that exposed threading trimmed back

Design & Ergonomics: If you are a fan of more contemporary rod designs and are bored with the more conventional looks, you will appreciate the effort that Leviathan puts into this refreshed Trinity series. Colored carbon grips are becoming a thing, Leviathan chooses a color for this stick that is kind of sort of reminiscent of cork. That tan/orange motif is carried on through the guide wraps with impeccable threadwork and craftsmanship. My one criticism? That silver colored insert in the reel seat is totally out of place. You can't win them all, right?

Lab Results for Leviathan Rods Trinity All Purpose Bass Breaker

Model
Avg RoD
Taper
Measured Weight (oz)
Balance Point (inches)
Balancing Torque (ftlbs)
Leviathan Rods Trinity All Purpose Bass Breaker
1.50
Fast
4.8
7.5
0.19
TSFO >100 Rod Avg
1.76
--
4.6

8.0

0.19
Heavy Power Avg
1.39
--
5.1
8.2
0.23


The silver colored insert in the reel seat is out of place

Nitpicking aside, Leviathan adorns their Trinity sticks with a full array of Fuji guides. From what I understand, they have made a similar move with their swimbait rods as well. While it's difficult to really outline the benefits of one manufacturer's guides over another, the use of Fuji's K-series (tangle free), stainless steel framed guides with SiC inserts on the APBB is an indication the Leviathan is through with cutting corners and is ready for serious consideration in the conventional bass fishing market. Like it or not, justified or not, Fuji is the standard and the use of their product on a fishing rod infers a level of credibility to the consumer.


Threadwork is very detailed and precise

Looking at the numbers, the APBB weighs in right in between our historical average for medium-heavy and heavy rods, but with better balance than either. This is why the stick handles so well out on the water. It strikes that coveted median between weight and balance.

Not to be overlooked here is the role that almost twelve inch rear handle plays in all of this. A shorter handle would make the rod much more tip heavy but any longer might get in the way during pitching presentations and working baits that require you to twitch the rod's tip.


The clean transition of the graphite grip on the back to a composite cork cap

Price & Applications: Leviathan manages to refresh and update their Trinity line of rods for 2022 while keeping the price point consistent with past generations. $360 is a very competitive price given this rod's origins and level of components and I would argue it's even a better value now than before. If your goal is a stick that is more true to the medium-heavy standard, I'd move down one power from the APBB. Otherwise, if you don't mind a little more "oomph" in your stick, the difference in feel is marginal. The APBB is a very worthy Search for One candidate.

Ratings:

Leviathan Rods Trinity All Purpose Bass Breaker Ratings (?/10)

Construction/Quality Impeccable craftsmanship 10
Performance Very solid performing fishing rod 8
Price Competitively priced 7.5
Features NFC Blank, Fuji Guides, Carbon Grips 7.5
Design (Ergonomics) Good weight to balance ratio with a proper length rear handle 8
Application A very worthy all purpose candidate even if it does lean on the heavy side of power 8

Total Score

8.17
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

 

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus

Minus
+ NFC Blank - Slightly more powerful than its ratings suggest
+ Fuji Guides - That silver insert within the reel seat
+ Good weight to balance ratio  
+ Excellent performance all around  

Conclusion: It's a little odd, but when a long time fishing rod manufacturer that specializes bass rods puts out a swimbait stick, that product is often met with criticism and immediately dismissed by the sub-culture that is the swimbait community. Granted, not all these products are built correctly, but so long as the basics are covered and the design is right, there's no reason to think a company that has built a long standing reputation as a fishing rod manufacturer can't build a stick to sling oversized bass lures. Frankly, I'd be more concerned about a fishing rod product built by a manufacturer without a track record proving they know how to put together something worthy of your attention.


Leviathan's Trinity series is worthy of your attention

Leviathan Rods comes to us from the other side of equation, but Eric Gomez, owner and CEO, has a long standing reputation as a passionate builder of fishing rods. He and his company cut their teeth in the very discerning and often reclusive swimbait community, but he and his team have proven they know what it takes to build a proper fishing rod. What's more, they take pride in doing all of it here in the United States. American built rods on American built blanks are a rarity these days, but just because something is American born and built, does not mean it's worthy of your attention. If the subject of today's review is any indication, Leviathan's Trinity series absolutely is. Aside from one or two simple cosmetic issues, they got it right with this stick. If you're looking for something fresh and new to re-ignite your enthusiasm, the APBB belongs on your list.

 

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