Winter gusts whistled across the phosphate pits of Bienville Outdoors in north Florida, pushing an endless parade of whitecaps onto the leeward shore. The big two-stroke belched blue smoke as we inched through a labyrinth of tight canals, most no more than a hand’s width wider than the boat’s beam. The hull’s wake washed against the banks, sending baitfish and other forage scurrying.
We chugged from one skinny quarry to the next, searching for clean water and northern banks with direct sunlight, hoping the sun would thaw the cold front’s tight grip and nudge some bass into biting. With a couple miles and a few dozen pits behind us, we idled into one that held promise. Here, the algae-stained water we’d been slopping through turned a promising tannic color. With a full complement of combos spread across the deck, we dunked the trolling motor and headed for a sun-drenched cove. Following three short pitches into the shallows, we doubled-up on two fat fish hiding in a craggy, horizontal deadfall.
On that brisk morning we would flip approximately 50 bass over the gunwales, with a few pushing 5 pounds. Along the way, the Game & Fish test team would push the limits of some of the finest new rods and reels that will debut this year, later ranking their performance accordingly. The following results of our Tackle Test offer firsthand insight into what anglers can expect from the latest baitcasting and spinning gear.
THE WINNERS: BAITCASTING RODS
MEGABASS DESTROYER FMJ
Yuki Ito began Megabass in his garage in 1986. The bass-tackle innovator based his business model on crafting lures with the finest materials and components available. That same model is reflected in his stellar line of fishing rods, first introduced to North America in 1996. The 7-foot-3-inch Megabass Destroyer FMJ is impeccably built, using only the best materials. The big casting rod, with its medium-heavy action and fast tip, throws a variety of bait weights effortlessly. Rated for 3/8- to 1-ounce baits and 10- to 25-pound-test line, the Destroyer FMJ, unlike other manufacturers’ offerings, performed well across the entire rating spectrum, qualifying it as a true general-purpose rod.
The unsanded blank is built using five-directional “panels” of proprietary carbon fibers, each designed to provide structural integrity and metered flexure in varying force vectors along the blank’s length. These vectors include longitudinal tension (loading the rod on the back cast), torsional rigidity (resisting blank twist when side-loaded on a snappy hookset) and lateral stiffness (side-to-side flexure). Admittedly, that’s a whole bunch of engineering terminology, but suffice it to say the Destroyer FMJ has an uncanny mechanical efficiency and casts a large range of lure and line weights while producing head-jarring hooksets.
Eight Fuji titanium SiC guides and tip handle line management chores, both braided and clear lines, without a whimper. The split grip is an ergonomic indulgence—understated, yet exceptionally well-contoured for comfortably wrapping both hands around it while casting. The rod excels with contact baits like weighted soft plastics and jigs. It balances impeccably while the blank’s sensitivity allows the user to monitor the bottom makeup and feel the faintest taps.
The only nitpick we have with the Destroyer FMJ is the lack of a traditional hook holder. This may tempt anglers to hang their hooks on the guides, possibly leading to damage to the inserts and, ultimately, nicked lines. ($499.99; megabassusa.com)
BOTTOM LINE: This rod is a genuine piece of fishing artwork that will appeal to those searching for the best of the best.
DAIWA TATULA XT
Finding a good casting rod at a reasonable price can be a challenge. High-end rods often require anglers to dip into their pension, while rods priced $100 and less are often horribly tiresome to fish due to their excessive weight, pool-cue action or drunken balance. Daiwa’s Tatula XT, on the other hand, is a great casting rod with a shockingly low price tag.
The blank is radially wrapped along its length and cross-stitched (braided) in the butt section. This layup provides a stiff butt section while
