After chasing bass for nearly 40 years, I’m aware of my proclivity to jeopardize any fishing trip as a weather jinx. When extended the offer to captain the 2024 Game & Fish Tackle Test in sunny central Florida, I jumped at the chance to try all the best new rods and reels on shallow, pre-spawn bass in mid-January. The subsequent midwinter suntan being the envy of friends and family upon my return home would be icing on the cake.
Instead, we were greeted with temps in the 40s and 50s, sustained winds exceeding 30 mph and even a tornado warning. With apologies to my fellow Tackle Test team members, I even managed to jinx a trip to “sunny” Florida.
However, the weather challenges proved beneficial in a couple of ways. The high winds provided a legitimate test of the anti-backlash technologies within the baitcasting reels, and the chunky bass caught among the scattered clumps of coontail in open water challenged the rods’ action and performance.
Over the course of a week, we put 29 rods and 19 reels from household names in the tackle game, as well as a few entrants aspiring to become household names, through the paces. Among the themes observed, attainable quality was pervasive across the field. This season, consumers can expect to find rods and reels packed with premium features at very reasonable prices. Meanwhile, a handful of high-end outliers tilted toward the enthusiast niche impressed us almost universally.
To standardize the reel test with uniformity in fishing lines, we spooled the baitcasters with 15-pound Seaguar AbrazX fluorocarbon and the spinning gear with 15-pound Smackdown braid. The lines performed flawlessly all week.
Finding separation among the volume of excellent products submitted for review was a labor of love. However, as my dad says about his grandkids, there’s not a dog in the bunch. After a week on the water, here’s how things shook out.
THE WINNERS: BAITCASTING RODS AND REELS
DUCKETT JACOB WHEELER SELECT
When the question circulating among the test team at lunch is, “Have you tried the Duckett Jacob Wheeler rod yet?” you know it’s scoring well with everyone. The Select Series is a step up from Duckett’s previous Wheeler Signature Series, with an impressively lightweight, well-balanced feel that gives the impression this rod could retail for more than its $249 price tag. The split cork handles offer premium traction and look great against the royal blue butt section. Our specific rod model was the 7-foot-1-inch medium-heavy, a configuration that’s right in the sweet spot for myriad bass-fishing techniques and excelled when casting a variety of lures during our evaluation. The Sensi-Touch rod blank is ultra-sensitive, with plenty of power for crisp hooksets and just enough flex at the tip to cast a 3/8- to 1/2-ounce lure with ease.
The open design of the reel seat was popular among the test team, as it reduces weight and gives complete access to the rod blank with the fingertips. Lightweight, single-foot micro-guides adorn the blank.
Quite simply, the Jacob Wheeler Select Series rod fished comparably to, and even better than, rods with significantly higher prices. ($249; duckettfishing.com)
BATES FISHING CO. HUNDO
If you’re not yet familiar with the Bates Fishing brand, you need to be. The company turned heads at the 2023 ICAST fishing industry trade show with a display showcasing the process of milling its reel frames from solid blocks of aluminum. The result is a frame and reel seat that’s incredibly strong and resistant to torque under an applied load. The brand’s flagship baitcasting reel is the eye-catching Hundo, with a simple yet beautiful anodized gunmetal gray finish. The fit and finish of the reel is akin
