Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Megabass Destroyer TS78X+ King of Baccarat against the historical averages of big bait sticks we've tested over the past twenty plus years

Power: With a stick rated at up to fifteen ounces in lure weight, you have to think this thing is going to be powerful. Sure enough, looking at the results of the TS78X+'s session on the RoD WRACK as charted on the deflection curve above, we see a very shallow curve (red) which speaks to the stick's power. Yet despite all that, the King of Baccarat doesn't feel like a broomstick. It's the rod's saving grace really. I've fished a handful of bass rods built to handle truly heavy weight lures and more than a couple were disappointments because they were very broom stick adjacent. Gan Craft's Dead Sword Shaku-One was one of the exceptions and now, Megabass's King of Baccarat joins that list of powerful sticks built for heavy lures that aren't a burden to fish.

The TS78X+ King of Baccarat with 24oz of weight applied to the tip

Design & Ergonomics: While, relatively speaking, Megabass's King of Baccarat is not a burden to fish, it's also not going to win any contests for being light or well balanced. Despite its shorter than normal length for a rod of its lure rating, and sporting a long, sixteen inch (16") rear handle, the TS78X+, at over nine ounces in weight, is heavy, and it's tip heavy. Its weight and balance is reflective of the stick's raison d'être.

Component wise, one might assume that this stick has Fuji guides because that's usually all Megabass relies upon, however, any references to Fuji with this series are suspiciously absent. All I can find in the literature about the guides is that they are double footed with double wraps for strength. There is no specification regarding the guides nor, on my build, are the guides stamped "Fuji" on the arms as most guides from the brand are. The rod's tip top has a very tiny "Fuji" stamped on the outside near the guide ring. To fend off unwarranted rumors, I reached out to MegabassUSA who confirmed with Megabass HQ (Japan) that the guides are indeed Fuji SS/SiC. So much for my scoop.

I was able to verify guides are indeed Fuji SS/SiC

Otherwise, for a Megabass stick, I find the King of Baccarat somewhat understated. There's nothing fancy about its EVA split rear grip nor is the reel seat anything unique. Options are always limited with thicker blanks and it appears Megabass is using a painted variant of Fuji's TDPSM seat for this rod. The reel seat hood is somewhat decorative, but still, for Megabass, understated.

Understated but still a beneficiary of Ito Engineering

Price & Applications: All this serves to keep the Destroyer T.S. series somewhat accessible - at least that was the case until recently. Now, the King of Baccarat retails for $599 and while big bait fishermen once easily dropped this amount for an exclusive, difficult to source, hype bait or two, the backbone of our favorite past time, the fishing rods, have rarely benefited from the same degree of infatuation. On the flip side, finding a stick with the bait range of the King of Baccarat is not as simple as locating one to toss your four once glide or wake bait. This stick is built to handle truly monster baits.

Conclusion: Once upon a time, a proper stick built for big baits (no foregrip and a rear handle long enough to make two handed casts comfortable) were a rare commodity. Now, just about every manufacturer makes a stick suitable for big baits up to about four ounces. The next threshold, six to eight ounces, is another tier with fewer, but still a good number of choices. Once your needs approach the need to sling baits weighing ten ounces or more, options really dwindle.

The Mephisto's lineage can be felt in this King of Baccarat

Megabass's Destroyer TS78X+ King of Baccarat was a surprise find for me made even more suitable by it's less than eight foot length. For those of you who remember the stick from a decade ago, the King of Baccarat has Mephisto like vibes in that it's shorter than the norm and able to handle heavier than expected baits with ease. If these qualifications sound like something that'd suit your needs, act now before, like the Mephisto, Megabass decides to discontinue this stick..

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