Pitching and Casting: Overhead, side arm, roll casts, the Powell 683C does it all and does them all very well. Some rods rated with an extra-fast tip are difficult to load, but not this rod. The 683C loads with amazing ease. Even a roll cast in tight quarters using just the power of your wrist can send a bait out over the water for very respectable distances. Pitching is performed with equal ease by the 683C and, given its relatively short length, you can turn that pitch into forceful underhanded cast and not lose a thing with accuracy. This rod is spot on in any casting mode and requires surprisingly little adjustment before casting is just second nature.

Sensitivity: The 683C certainly lacks nothing in the sensitivity department. The low profile reel seat coupled with a no-foregrip construction was made popular by custom rod builders for a reason. The sensitivity this configuration affords is amazing. More and more rod manufacturers are moving in this direction with their mass produced rods and it is really a welcome sight. The most telling tale we have of our 683C and its sensitivity was while fishing our Daiwa TD-Vibration lipless crank. The TD-Vibration is a rather subtle lipless crank when compared to the likes of the Lucky Craft LV-500MAX. We came to find, it's also a good bait at catching miscellaneous debris suspended in the water column. During one trip, on countless occasions, I hooked up with twigs, leaves, and weeds while throwing this bait and each time, I could actually feel the difference these hitchhikers made in the action of the TD Vibration thanks to the sensitivity of the 683C.

Another look at the 683C's exposed blank reel seat

Power: As revealed in our lab tests, the 683C lacks nothing in the power department. I found it quite easy to move bass up to 4lbs with this rod, wherever I wanted them to go. Hooksets were always solid and I do not recall one fish coming unbuttoned during our test period. We even pitted this rod against some schoolie striper on one trip and time and time again, while throwing both a Megabass Vision 110 and Lucky Craft Pointer 100sp, the 683C was up to the task against these small, but very powerful little fish.

Though well above its rated lure range, the 683C had no trouble with our ~2.5oz 8" Castaic Platinum Swimbaits

Features: Like its previously reviewed counterpart, the Powell MAX 683C sports contemporary design features such as a split rear grip, no foregrip, and open ended hook keeper. The rod's reel seat and alconite guides are produced by Fuji, and it sports the same handsome detailing we discussed in our review of the 701 L spinning rod with the aluminum winding checks and simple, but well executed thread wraps.

Ratings:

Pluses and Minuses:

Conclusion: Well, if you were holding out to hear more about this line of rods before making you're move, then here you have it. Offering custom rod features with the industry preferred line of components and paired with a very generous warranty all at a very aggressive price point, Powell's MAX line of bass rods has already made a huge splash in the bass fishing market and we can see why. We liked the 701 L spinning rod reviewed earlier this year, but we all know, casting rods is where the true passion of any bass fisherman lies and the 683C is a stick worthy of some serious consideration by both recreational and tournament bass fisherman alike. Value minded anglers looking for that ever elusive and equally ambiguous combination of "best bang for the buck" would do well to consider a Powell MAX Bass Rod. Keith Bryan is doing his best to best to expand on the Powell product offering and their first foray outside of the fly rod market, the MAX line of bass rods, promises to be an overwhelming success. So impressed was I with this particular rod, that I am awarding it with our coveted Editor's Choice Award!