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Event Article:
2007 ICAST Rod Coverage |
ICAST Coverage Day 3 (Rods) - Let the Rod Wars Begin!
(continued)
Powell:
It wasn't too long ago that Powell was entering the bass rod market after many
years of just focusing on fly rods. The newcomer quickly rose up the ranks and
Powell was one of the first US rod manufacturers to actively promote the
benefits of custom split grip design. This season Powell continues to add new
rods to their MAX lineup.
Keith Bryan shows us his new
swimbait rod
President and CEO, Keith Bryan greeted us at the
Powell booth to show us a couple of the ten new sticks he’s added to his Max
line of bass rods. Of particular interest was his one-piece 7’-6” s-glass
cranking stick that felt light and very nice in hand.
The new 8 foot heavy swimbait
stick is a serious rod made for big baits
This rod is
designed to serious cranking and can handle some very large crankbaits. The rod
is designed to handle both the impact of the strike on the crankbait and allow
some give in the rod during the fight, making it less likely for the fish to
shake the bait.
A look at the graphite under the
light
Another, rather serious stick was the new 8’-0”
extra-heavy duty swimbait stick rated from one half to a full pound in weight (8
- 16 ounces)! It will be both interesting and scary to see what new baits make
it to the market that can test the upper limits of this rod’s casting ability.
The 7'6" s-glass cranking stick is
designed for deep cranking
Like the rods before them these new rods feature
the Powell split grip and a combination of gloss and matte finished blanks with
blue threaded highlights.
The S-Glass rod may be thicker in
diameter but the rod still felt well balanced overall
As the rod wars heat up it will become more and
more difficult to distinguish features of one rod manufacturer to another.
Luckily for Powell they were among the first to tout the split grip design, and
are among the most recognizable on store shelves.
The cranking rod makes use of
Powell's signature split grip design
Next Section: Kistler prepares to refresh the LTA
rods
