Legit Designs Wild Side WSC72H+ Product Review #legitdesign #legitdesignrods

Rod Review

Now This Stick Is Legit : The Wild Side WSC72H+

Date:	8/8/21
Tackle Type:	Rod
Manufacturer:	Legit Design
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 8.08 - GREAT

Introduction: In the JDM spectrum of bass rods, there exists one spec that is seemingly as dominant over there as the "medium heavy" is here. I call it the JDM wonder-spec. It is that stick measuring seven foot (plus or minus a few inches) that's able to handle two to three ounces or more in lure weight. Evergreen International, Megabass, Gan Craft all have contenders in this spec, and from what I can tell, all are wildly popular. Here in the States, to have a chance at being properly appreciated, a similarly rated stick from one of our established rod manufacturers needs to be at least seven foot, four inches (7'-4") in length, but preferably somewhere in the seven foot, eight inch (7'-8") range or more. US anglers, just prefer longer fishing rods.

Ready to take another walk on the Wild Side with Legit Design

I used to be in this camp, but past experience with rods like Evergreen's Super Stallion, Megabass's X4 Destruction, and more recently Evergreen's Black Rose and Gan Craft's Dead Sword turned my thinking around. The convenience of having a shorter stick that can handle long rod duties is increasingly appealing. Today, we look at a stick from yet another Japanese manufacturer that does not actually come with that specification, but to my surprise, slides right in comfortably. Here's Legit Design's Wild Side WSC72H+.

Legit Designs Wild Side WSC72H+ Specifications
Material	85% Graphite, 10% Aramid, 5% Glass
Length	7'-2"
Line Wt.	12-25lb
Lure Wt.	7-35g (1/4oz - 1 1/4oz)
Pieces	Two (separates at handle)
Guides	9+ Tip Fuji SS/SiC (all double footed)
Rear Handle Length	11
Power Rating	Heavy+
Taper	Mod-Fast
Rod Weight	5.3oz
Origin	Made in China
MSRP	$335

Impressions: Similar to its bigger and more powerful sibling reviewed in August 2020, the WSC75XH Big Bait Special, the WSC72H+ arrives in a custom, two compartment rod sleeve. It is a two-piece stick separating at the handle, and once assembled, is very easy to forget was ever in two pieces. However, unlike its previously reviewed sibling, this stick does not come with a fun nickname. Despite that shortcoming, the WSC72H+ is nicely crafted with a split rear grip of cork and EVA, and a handsomely appointed reel seat highlighted by a carbon hood with purple accents.

The WSC72H+ is more than what it's specification would lead you to believe

Similar to the Big Bait Special, the WSC72H+ comes with a light gloss coat over the blank as a means of protection. Guides are all double footed and are Fuji, stainless steel framed SiCs. The rod's lure rating is what I'd consider "heavy" ranging from one quarter to one and one quarter ounces (1/4 oz - 1 1/4). However, an early visit to the RoD WRACK revealed so much more.

Legit Design wraps their blanks in an Aramid Fiber (similar to Kevlar) as a form of reinforcement for the entire blank

Our rod testing routine is not regimented. Sometimes sticks get sent to the lab for Wracking before we take them out on the water, sometimes after. For the WSC72H+, a stick I'm going to refer to from here on out as SeventyTwo-Plus, before taking it out onto the water, I wanted to know what this "+" at the end of its model number was all about. I had a hint flexing the stick's tip against a carpet after first assembly, but I wanted to verify.

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Legit Designs Wild Side WSC72H+ against the historical averages of similarly powered rods we've tested over the past twenty years

I knew right away this stick had far more "oomph" to it than that modest lure rating suggested, and once on the Wrack, it was obvious. SeventyTwo-Plus charts out similar to some of our heaviest powered swimbait rods - sticks that are rated to about eight ounces in lure weight. Because it's only 7'-2" in length, it's going to load much differently than an eight foot (8') stick designed for big, heavy baits, but SeventyTwo-Plus is even more powerful than the recently reviewed Black Rose.

The WSC72H+ is made with a split rear grip

Real World Tests: A stick with the potential for special qualities deserves to be paired with a reel that will allow that potential to shine. Fortunately for SeventyTwo-Plus, I just so happened to have a Daiwa Steez LTD SV TW 1000 that needed a home for the review season. I fished this combo with two line configurations, first with a full spool of Seaguar twelve pound (12lb) Tatsu Fluorocarbon, and later with the combo of Seaguar 50lb Threadlock Hollow Braid and a top shot of Gold Label Fluorocarbon Leader in twenty pound (20lb) test.

Matched with a 2021 Daiwa Steez SV TW Limited

Casting: Coupled with the discovery SeventyTwo-Plus can likely handle bigger, heavier baits than its official lure rating would suggest is the question of its true low end. One quarter ounce (1/4oz) seems awfully optimistic for a stick with its performance on the RoD Wrack, so the first thing I did was to test this stick was to tie a snap at the end of the line and rely on some known quantities to check the rod's fishable lure weight range - casting plugs.

The reel seat on this build, unlike the previously reviewed WSC75XH, is an exposed blank design and a little more comfortable to grasp

As I suspected, while SeventyTwo-Plus can cast that 1/4oz casting plug, distance and ease of casting that light of a plug, even with the Steez, wasn't great. A more fishable low end for this stick is three eighths of an ounce (3/8oz). Just that slight, eighth ounce more in lure weight and I was comfortably able to cast and pitch to targets with little effort.

The cork portion of the rear grip is fairly clean

On the other end of that lure range, SeventyTwo-Plus's blank can realistically handle baits up to six ounces (6oz), but because its handle is so short at only eleven inches (11"), casting a 6oz bait is not a very sustainable. You just can't get sufficient leverage with a bait that heavy, and everything feels awkward. A full day casting something up to four ounces (4oz) is much more realistic.

The WSC72H+ passes our sensitivity test fishing jigs offshore

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