Casting:
It’s been quite a while since I’ve fished a G.Loomis GLX and it was the very first time fishing this particular rod that’s been sitting in my collection for several years now. That old MBR783C GLX blank is an
absolute joy to cast. My Lucky Craft Pointer 128 flew at each swing without a strain, hiccup, or creak from #43 of 200. It’s little wonder why these GLX sticks continue to be so popular.
Appropriately enough, these rods feature the often missed, original Weibe reelseats that are offset at the rear handle helping to effectively lower the reel's position in the reel seat.
Sensitivity & Retrieve: That light, crisp feel is enhanced when working jerk baits and the GLX2000 snaps back and forth very precisely. Even when fishing jerkbaits, it was easy to tell when the slightest bit of weed was hitchhiking on the tips of my treble hooks. Of course, I was fishing this rod with braid too, so keep that in mind.
The GLX2000 features a special edition of the Weibe seat complete with a metal locking ring and threads.
Power: The thing I’ve always enjoyed with a rod rated somewhere in the range of one quarter to three quarters of an ounce (1/4 – ¾ oz) and ten to seventeen pound test line (10-17lbs) is it’s not too light and not too powerful. Battles with your catch usually walk the line of being enjoyable and in control. Of course, hook into a solid double digit striper and you can throw all that out the window.
The cork is as clean as they come.
On this day, we ran into a nice school of six to eight pound striper and #43 of 200 handled these fish just fine. It wasn’t overpowering, yet, it wasn’t too soft either. Another refresher on the joys that come with an MBR783C GLX stick.
A reminder of each rod's place in a series of 200 rods is provided at the butt end of the rod.
The rod's actual butt end is another decorative piece of metal that no doubt helps to counterbalance this stick.
Components: The GLX2000 is a special stick in many respects. It has a color changing finish protected by a clear coat, a special, metal thread version of the original Wiebe reel seat, and Fuji Gold Cermet Guides with translucent thread wraps. It comes in its own velveteen rod sack and a certificate of authenticity stating:
Capping off the already unique treatments to this stick are the phase changing finish and the high dollar Fuji Gold Cermet guides complete with translucent thread wraps.
“This GLX2000 Series is more than a rod. It’s art with a reel. A numbered, one-of-a-kind, limited edition G.Loomis Original. We hope you enjoy it for many years to come.”
Casey shows off the GLX2000's Certificate of Authenticity...
And on the flip side: “Congratulations on your purchase of this original piece of fine art from G.Loomis. As no reproductions of these rods will be made, in the event of breakage we will replace it with a like model from our GLX series.”
... And takes the rod for a spin with Cal's 2004 Custom Daiwa TDZ103ML in metallic pink.
I’ll stop short of actually rating this rod given it is no longer in production, but the actual performance characteristics of the blank are obvious and the status of the production versions of these sticks as the unofficial industry benchmark are well deserved.
