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Event Article:
El Salto with Shimano |
Fishing El Salto with pre-release Shimano Tackle and Jimmy Houston
(continued)
The Rods: It is in the category of rods that Shimano
has come the furthest in the shortest amount of time. Let’s be honest just four
seasons ago Shimano rods were not on our list of priorities for review, nor were
they regularly discussed on our forums. When the Clarus and Compre rods were
rolled out and backed with an over the counter warranty the train started
moving, and when the company introduced the Crucial rods anglers started jumping
on that train in droves.
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All the
spinning reels down to the new Saros feature a sleek one piece bail |
Since then Shimano has
built a reputation of best bang for the buck for their rods, offering a whole
lot of stick for the money. As the company gained ground in the rod market they
slowly edged their way up, and are now butting up against rod offerings from
some of the industry’s most popular brands including St. Croix and even their
own acquisition…. G.Loomis. On the rod side Shimano America leads the direction
for this market entirely, and the new rod series was the hard work of Robby and
Justin at Shimano.
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The new reel
seat has been pared down to provide more access to the blank |
As with their new reels
Shimano's rod team did plenty of homework before determining their strategy for
creating the new sticks. They decided to build a rod that was extremely
sensitive, very lightweight, designed to fish bottom contact baits, be
application specific (Drop Shot, Carolina, Texas, Jigs, Ika, Split Shot), and
most importantly be both innovative and completely new in the Shimano lineup.
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The new rod
features a clever stealth hook hanger integrated into the grip itself! |
The new rod series features an IM-10 blank, Fuji
Sic concept guides, custom split reel seats, a custom minimal fore grip, and
will weigh in nearly 10% lighter than the already light Crucial series.
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The spinning
rods feature a comfortable "seamless" carbon reel seat |
The new rods that we got to fish with at El Salto are truly premium offerings,
and really positioned right at the threshold below the enthusiast category. These rods have an
especially low weight reel seat that reminds of us both the Japanese ultralight
and Airrus Ultra XL implementation; however Shimano has designed them so that
when paired with a Shimano reel they are seamless and more comfortable to hold.
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Ted Sakai
Product Manager - Accessories tests the load on the new rods |
The use
of carbon helps reduce weight, and increase sensitivity on the spinning rod
version, while the casting models push for complete access to the blank. Shimano
also makes the move to dense but lightweight EVA foam like the imports, and the
rods feature a beautiful split grip implementation. The hook hanger on these
rods is very innovative, and can’t actually be seen on the blank, as they are
implemented into the grip itself.
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A serious
"hint" for saavy readers |
Fish after fish we felt these rods were by far the most
sensitive rods Shimano has built till date. If you liked the Crucial series the
new rods are going to blow you away. Jeremy and Dan said that they hadn’t
intended the new rod series and baitcaster to match in color and design, but you
would never know it as they look and feel awesome together.
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When the
fishing was good honey holes could easily support multiple boats pounding
the same spot with success |
We ran braid through the
rods the entire week, and the sensitivity of these rods definitely helped us
detect more bites, and once we were hooked up we often had to drag the fish
right out of some very nasty El Salto structure. The rods load very well, and
have a surprising amount of muscle for such lively tipped rods.
Steve is in charge of Sales at
Shimano, and was the host of the entire event
There will be a total of 15 rods in this family
when they are introduced, with 8 casting and 7 spinning versions. Mass
production of these new rods actually has already begun, and though the team at
Shimano has been testing them for a long time it was on this El Salto trip when
they were first revealed to certain dealers and press.
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Zander rests
during the Siesta before heading out for some more fishing, these were
seriously good accommodations |
Though
we are positive there will be more introductions at ICAST this exciting new rod
series will be
positioned above the Crucial and retail for 199.99-219.99. We have no doubt that
this new rod series will find an immediate following among fans of the Crucial
series, as they offer many of the great elements found in those rods, and a ton
of other performance oriented features.
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The Anglers
Inn is comparable to the best hotels, and we certainly were not "roughing
it" out at Lake El Salto |
Next
Section: Big Fish El Salto Style
