Sensitivity: One thing I failed to do with the Swamp Survivor was to test it with bottom contact baits. Once I saw "Frog and Swimbait" in the manufacturer's description of the rod, I was focused in on those baits and those baits alone. However, reviewing the specifications on the stick and seeing that it is rated with a fast taper, likely the type of swimbait Megabass is referring to is the soft bodied kind which transitions nicely to bottom contact soft plastics. Fail. So to make up for this oversight, I did the next best thing and tied a jig to the end of the line and dragged it in our big bait test tank (a.k.a. swimming pool) where I was able to determine sensitivity with the Swamp Survivor is above average and about what I'd expect at this price point.

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Megabass Orochi X10 F7-71XT Swamp Survivor against the historical averages of similarly powered rods we've tested over the past twenty plus years

Power: This stick also has plenty of power without being too stiff in the tip. This is why it didn't occur to me to try vertical bait presentations out on the water because that tip is so forgiving, it doesn't feel like a stick I'd normally reach for when fishing a bottom contact bait. Otherwise the stick certainly has enough power for solid hooksets yet it's forgiving enough during battle to where my landing ratio with the treble hooked baits was one hundred percent.

Checking out that tip. Plenty of power to move fish out of the muck

Design & Ergonomics: Funny thing with the Swamp Survivor is that it fishes longer than it actually is. I had to keep checking and rechecking the specification on the rod for its length because it felt like something more in the seven foot six or seven inch range (7'-6" - 7'-7") when fishing those swimbaits. Conversely, while I'm an oddball and prefer something more in the range of six foot nine or ten (6'-9" - 6'-10") when slinging a frog, the Swamp Survivor is a very good length for placing the Pony Gabot into tight spaces with sidearm, windup casts.

Detail at the back of the reel seat

Typically JDM spec rods are all a bit shorter than US rods as there is a priority on portability and fishing in tighter spaces and smaller boats, and the Swamp Survivor is no different. Most US angler's will be more used to frog rods that fall in the 7'3" and up length but again I wouldn't rule this rod out due to the length as it fishes like a longer stick. 

The audacity of largemouth bass never ceases to amaze

Objectively, the rod's weight and balance are decidedly average, but the balance issue at least, is due in part to the short handle - which works out well when slinging a frog. The new graphics and color highlights stand out more than in previous generation Orochi series, but still done in the tasteful, Megabass way. Note the guides on this stick (save for the tip top of course) are all double footed.

Retail on Megabass's Orochi X-10 series is $399

Price & Applications: Retail on Megabass's Orochi X-10 F7-71XT Swamp Survivor, and all of the X-10 rods actually, is $399. That's a $100 price jump from the Double-X Orochi series albeit with much different tech in the blank. Application wise, the Swamp Survivor definitely falls in the afore mentioned "magic spec" of JDM rods that are right around seven feet in length and can handle a super wide ranging variety of techniques - even fishing jigs in swimming pools.

Conclusion: Despite my poor aim with this stick when paired with the larger Scorpion 201 MD, the Swamp Survivor is a casting machine. The tip on this rod is exactly what I seek in a frog rod which is very responsive to sling casts where I wind up with my wrists and make a sidearm kind of circular motion to launch baits near the surface into tight holes. It's very much the same swing most anglers use when skipping a bait under docks and into tight spaces only I'm terrible at skipping. Add to the fact this stick allows you to fish baits up to three ounces in weight, at only 7'-1", it's as versatile as they come.

I'm not certain I'll be looking to survive the experience of a swamp any time soon, but the F7-71XT certainly can be used for so much more than tossing frogs over mats

I'm not certain I'll be looking to survive the experience of a swamp any time soon, but the F7-71XT certainly helped me navigate the season with the ability to toss so much more than frogs. The same specs and characteristics that make this a solid tool for pulling frog fish out of the swamp also make it a surprisingly capable light swimbait stick. Robust, versatile, and with a new look and feel that delivers the refinement and fun factor that anglers expect in a Megabass rod, the Swamp Survivor successfully ups the power game in the workhorse Orochi line.

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