Fishing Rod Review - Witch Doctor Shaman rods

Rod Review

A Mix of Handling and Power Voodoo in the Witch Doctor Shaman Rods (continued)

Design and Ergonomics: After fishing with the Shaman rod for an extended period of time I really appreciated how light the rod felt when power fishing, or even when casting baits heavier than the rod’s rated specifications. The rod balances out well with most aluminum framed reels, and the EVA handles provide a solid and comfortable grip.

The Quick Clip bait keeper positioned directly in front of the reel seat makes it easy to stow and deploy all types of baits quickly

When it comes to ergonomics everything on the Shaman is designed with function in mind. The quick clip bait keeper is positioned directly in front of the reel for the quick and easy stow and deployment of baits. The composite cork caps on the handle are not just placed on the EVA foam grips for styling but thoughtfully integrated to provide an additional barrier from damage to the edges of the grips.

I'm usually not a huge fan of round EVA bulb butt handles but the design adds functional benefits and matches the overall performance oriented layout on the Shaman

In general I’m not really fond of the larger round EVA butts on rods, but since this particular Shaman rod is designed for pitching and flipping applications I understood the choice to provide some additional padding when the rod is leveraged against your body when setting aggressively, or dragging a fish out of structure. This is just another example of that focus on functional design being key in this particular rod’s design.

The more I fished the Shaman rod the more I appreciated the clean design and refined handling

Overall this Witch Doctor Shaman rod is well designed from an ergonomics perspective. It may not look like an enthusiast rod without fancy aluminum inserts, a branded butt cap, or sculpted fore-grip, but the rods do exhibit a certain elegance in the simple function-first design.

Price and Applications: Witch Doctor rods are definitely positioned towards the higher-end of the spectrum, but still under the ultra-premium/enthusiast level. These rods are created with tournament anglers in mind, and are intended to be fished hard by both professional anglers and weekend warriors, and the overall pricing makes sense.

Though lightweight the Shaman provides plenty of power when you need it

Retailing from $300-$380 dollars the Shaman rods are positioned squarely in the price range of other popular high-end offerings like the G.Loomis IMX Series, Shimano Expride, and Dobyns Champion Extreme for example, and more expensive than the popular Daiwa Tatula Elite, Shimano Zodias, and Abu Garcia Fantasista rods. The only area where the Witch Doctor rods fall a little short of some of the similarly priced competition is in the overall length of the warranty, which is two years, versus the limited lifetime warranty that comes with some of the competing rods.

Ratings:

Witch Doctor Shaman 7'6" Extra Heavy Rod Specifications (?/10)
Construction/Quality	This is the first Witch Doctor rod that we have ever experienced and we were not disappointed. It exhibits much of the styling and design that we have seen from other rods making heavy use of ALPS components, but definitely has a distinct American custom rod feel and great overall build quality	8.5
Performance	Even though the rod is rated as a Moderate-Fast rod at times it behaves more moderately than we originally expected, which actually turned out to be a useful characteristic, and enables the rod to be used for a wider range of applications including smaller swimbaits	8.5
Price	This Shaman rod retails for $379 dollars which puts it in the highly contested premium segment. There are a lot of competitors in this space but Witch Doctor offers a well rounded, and more exclusive, package. If the rod had a longer warranty it would rank "Great" in this category	7.5
Features	The top features on this rod are the well designed blank and quality ALPS components. The rod doesn't have a lot of bling but details like the use of composite cork in the handles and well balanced layout demonstrate the function and performance oriented design	7.5
Design (Ergonomics)	Handles much better than you would expect for a rod aimed at power fishing applications. Light and easy to fish all day	9
Application	This particular Shaman rod can be used for contact baits, light punching, pitching, and even swimbaits. Truly a "Search for One" contender	9
Total Score		8.33
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable! For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus	Minus
+ Very good weight to power ratio. Feels light and crisp for a pitching rod	- Styling is somewhat subdued, good for anglers that prefer traditional function-first rods
+ Delivers plenty of power when you need it	- 2 Year Warranty isn't as long as some similarly priced competitors
+ Decent sensitivity
+ Quality ALPS components. Reel seat does a good job keeping reels firmly in place
+ This particular 7'6" Shaman rod is a multi-talented performer and good for more than just pitch and flip work
+ Tip is lively and provided pinpoint casting accuracy

Conclusion: Anglers that are going to be interested in the Shaman, or Witch Doctor rods in general, are likely those that are looking for something different than the brands that you will find on most boat decks. These rods feature a custom-rod feel, and the fact that they are made in the U.S. is also an added plus for those looking for a homegrown offering. My first experience with a Witch Doctor offering has been a good one, and fans of ALPS design and components will find the rods will feel immediately familiar.

The Shaman rod is a well designed, U.S. made, rod that delivers an excellent balance of light weight, crisp handling, and the power to move fish quickly

This particular 7’6” Shaman rod is a good place to start, and is a great example of what makes Witch Doctor rods so compelling, which includes their overall light weight, crisp handling, and generous lifting power.

Witch Doctor Shaman rods are designed with purpose, and will serve both weekend warriors and tournament anglers well. With 25 application specific rods to pick from, and multiple other series rods in various price points, the Doctor is doling out plenty of bass fishing voodoo.

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