Stealth Stixx 2 Fathoms Cranking Rod: Built to Plunder the Mid-Range

Total Score: 8.16 - GREAT

Introduction: Crankbait fishing is one of the few techniques that remains effective year-round, and during the colder months in particular, success often comes from driving baits deeper to reach suspended fish or those holding tight to the bottom. While Stealth Stixx offers a broad lineup of rods across multiple bass fishing applications, the brand has developed a particularly strong following for its Fathom cranking rods, shaped in large part by input from co-founder, professional angler, and West Coast crankbait specialist Randy McAbee. Here, we take a closer look at the Fathom series, focusing specifically on the 2 Fathoms Cranking Rod, a purpose-built model designed to fish medium to deep diving crankbaits.

Stealth Stixx rods are bait on high strain Japanese carbon blanks and an advanced resin

Impressions: Stealth Stixx was founded by Bryan Jordan, Randy McAbee Jr., and Ryan Kuhns, combining custom rod-building experience, high-level crankbait expertise, and business leadership. Jordan spent years building rods and experimenting with new materials, eventually focusing on carbon fiber handle systems to improve balance and sensitivity. McAbee, a well-known West Coast crankbait specialist, was brought in to evaluate and refine the designs, applying his on-the-water experience to dial in tapers and actions. As the project grew, Kuhns joined to help structure and scale the company.

Randy McAbee is a renowned crankbait angler on the west coast and brought his own personal experience and expertise to the Fathom rod design and actions

I first learned about Stealth Stixx through Randy McAbee, whom I had fished with years earlier on Lake Pardee. Watching him work a crankbait was an education in precision. This was well before the advent of live sonar, and what stood out most was how deliberate he was about extracting every bit of depth from a lure, often burying the rod tip deep into the water to gain just a few extra feet of dive.

There is a lot of carbon fiber on these rods

That approach wasn’t just about covering water, but about putting the bait into the exact zone where deeper fish would react and rise to strike. Today, tools like LiveScope make it far easier to identify and understand fish positioning, but effectively reaching them still depends on the right combination of crankbaits and rods designed to fish those depths efficiently.

Stealth Stixx doesn't have one cranking rod they have three. Each Fathoms rod is designed for targeting a specific depth range

Stealth Stixx’s crankbait lineup consists of three rods ranging from 7’4” to 8’, with actions spanning medium-moderate to medium-heavy, moderate-fast. Each model steps up progressively in power and lure weight and is easy to identify by name: Fathom, 2 Fathoms, and 4 Fathoms. Rather than relying on model numbers or alphanumeric codes, Stealth Stixx opted for a pirate-themed naming convention that fits the brand’s look while serving a practical purpose. Some of the other rods in the Stealth Stixx lineup bear grin inducing names like Bounty, Booty, Pillager, and Scallywag for example.

The 2 Fathoms rod is designed to fish those 10-17 foot diving cranks while the 4 Fathoms fish those 22+ feet diving plugs

The names correspond directly to each rod’s intended depth and application, making it easy to grab the right tool at a glance. The result is a system that’s intuitive on the water, quicker to navigate when rotating presentations, and, admittedly, a lot more fun. Stealth Stixx isn’t alone in this approach. Other rod brands, including Megabass, have shown that meaningful, application-based naming makes far more sense on the water than relying on technical model codes that do little to explain how a rod is meant to be fished.

The Stealth Stixx logo is the most flashy part of this rod

From a styling standpoint, all Stealth Stixx rods share a consistent look and feel, defined by an all-black aesthetic and heavy use of carbon throughout. Carbon is not only visible in the blanks, but also in the full carbon grips, reinforcing both the visual identity and functional intent of the design. The result is a clean, understated, and appropriately stealthy appearance that complements the brand’s name and pirate-inspired theme without drawing unnecessary attention to itself.

Under the bright light of the sun the carbon fiber handles really look beautiful

Real World Tests: I’ve been fishing the Stealth Stixx 2 Fathoms for the past ten months, using it as one of my primary crankbait rods. Most of my time with the rod has been spent targeting largemouth bass in the California Delta and surrounding regions. Given the 2 Fathoms’ ability to effectively drive crankbaits into the 10 to 17 foot range, much of the Delta itself proved too shallow to fully showcase the rod’s strengths.

Spooled up with fluorocarbon and ready to start cranking

Where it really came into its own was in lakes and reservoirs featuring deeper drop-offs and submerged points. For these applications, I typically paired the rod with deep-diving crankbaits and fluorocarbon line to maximize diving depth and maintain bottom contact, most often using Berkley 100% Fluorocarbon in 15 and 17pound test across a range of casting reels.

I personally like deep cranking with lower gear ratio reels for more power

Casting: The first thing I noticed about the 2 Fathoms rod is how crisp and consistent it felt when casting. Unlike many cranking rods that are very moderate due to the use of glass, or simply their design, the 2 Fathoms feels crisp through the majority of the blank and yet the tip still has enough spring in it to whip mid to large crankbaits with ease. The near 8 foot length helps catapult bigger cranks smoothly and precisely, and it never feels whippy or sloppy. The rod felt so accurate that I also found it very good for casting and fishing larger bladed baits ranging from 3/4 to 1 ounce.

One of the interesting attributes of all Stealth Stixx rods is the use of the American Tackle Company Microwave guide system

While the 2 Fathoms is not the lightest cranking rod I’ve fished, it is notably well balanced when paired with a 200-size casting reel. The butt section has clearly been tuned to offset the longer multi-carbon blank, improving overall handling and reducing fatigue during long casting sessions. Casting is smooth and controlled, and overall distance is excellent thanks to the refined blank design and the inclusion of the American Tackle Company MicroWave guide system.

The Microwave stripper guide is very unique looking but it works

Though the MicroWave guides look unconventional and add a small amount of weight, our experience has shown that the system delivers tangible performance benefits, especially in spinning rods where taming the initial cast improves overall line management. With casting rods I feel that beyond distance gains, one of its biggest advantages is improved casting feel and consistency.

The 2 Fathoms launches with confidence and is a very accurate caster because it isn't as moderate as traditional cranking rods

The system uses a dual-ring stripper guide to address one of the least efficient moments in a cast, the instant line leaves the reel. On casting rods like the 2 Fathoms, uncontrolled line movement at that point can reduce distance and accuracy. The MicroWave stripper immediately captures and centers the line, after which a carefully spaced reduction train keeps it moving in a straight, stable path toward the tip.

The Microwave stacked stripper guide quickly captures and centers the line reducing friction and wasted energy. I've felt the system at work on spinning rods before but only when fishing the 2 Fathoms did I really notice the difference on casting rods. This was because I was fishing baits that were heavy and could be cast very far