Real World Tests: I matched the MX-S72L up with my Shimano Sustain 2500FG spinning reel spooled with 20lb Berkley X9 braid and a topshot of 6lb Sufix Advance Fluorocarbon. I know, I'm a model or two back since the this reel was updated in 2018 and actually won 2017 ICAST honors for best saltwater reel, but for some reason, the Sustain FI hasn't really beckoned me. I must be the only one disappointed Shimano abandoned the kickstand during the reel's update.

Rigged and ready to go...

Casting: I have, what I consider, an unconventional casting motion with spinning rods. Most people I see have a pretty big back swing when casting with a spinning rod in a kind of long windup motion. I usually snap cast with my spinning gear same as I would a baitcaster moving down the bank. Because of this, I'm pretty picky when it comes to choosing a spinning rod I can rely upon. Longer sticks tend to load too slowly for this casting motion which is why most of my go-to spinning rods are under seven feet in length.

Hooked up already?

The MX-S72L is longer than I typically prefer, but to my surprise, it performs perfectly fine with my snap cast motion. It also performs fine with a standard, long windup but all fishing rods do in that situation. I found this stick surprisingly crisp and responsive in helping me place my baits where I wanted.

This fish tried to bury itself in the weeds, but the MX-S72L would have none of that. Not bad for a light powered spinning rod!

Sensitivity: Being the third stick that I fished in this series, I kind of already knew what to expect in terms of sensitivity for the MX-S72L and it did not do anything to upset to those expectations. Phenix's new M1 series definitely performs better than the previous generation in this department and is very commensurate with what I expect from a stick in this price range. The MX-S72L gave me good feel for my bait while fishing both drop shot and Ned rig techniques.

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Phenix Rods M1 MX-S72L against the historical averages of similarly powered rods we've tested over the past twenty years

Power: Another idiosyncrasy I have with spinning rods is I typically like them lighter in power than other anglers. Case in point, Zander really likes Loomis's 2-power spinning rods for his drop shot technique. I prefer the 0-power. This comes from my years fishing finesse worms on a split shot rig with ultra-light equipment during my formative bass fishing years. You can't get any better feel with a split shot than when fishing six pound line on an ultra-light rod.

Checking out that taper

This preference translates well to a drop shot rig, my finesse presentation of choice, but not so great with a Ned or shaky head rig where you need a stick with more backbone to set that jig style hook more effectively.

The Phenix MX-S72L has good power to make that set with those finesse, jig style hooks and has a really nice, smooth power curve so critical when fishing light line.

Guides are stainless steel framed with SiC inserts made by Essex

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