Megabass US Destroyer P5 F7-75X BMG Product Review #megabassdestroyerbmg

Rod Review

A Stick That's Difficult to Pin Down : Megabass's US Destroyer P5 F7-75X BMG

Date:	4/11/23
Tackle Type:	Rod
Manufacturer:	Megabass of America
Reviewer:	Cal

Total Score: 8.0 - GREAT

Introduction: Coming off of our positive experience with Megabass of America's US Destroyer P5 F7.5-76X Mark-56, we felt it appropriate to take a step back and look at a stick with an appeal for more conventional techniques. Question was, with at least four different rods that fit that bill, which one to choose? Well, rather than go back over a specification I've already fished, I thought it was time to look at something relatively new. With that in mind, the P5 F7-75X BMG seemed quite intriguing with a length and specification along the lines of an all purpose, heavy powered stick. Let's take a look.

Megabass US Destroyer P5 F7-75X BMG Specifications
Material	5-D Graphite System Blank
Length	7'-5"
Line Wt.	12-25lb
Lure Wt.	1/2 - 1 1/4oz
Pieces	One
Guides	9+tip (Fuji Ti/SiC)
Rear Handle Length	11.5"
Power Rating	Heavy
Taper	Fast
Rod Weight	4.5oz
Origin	Made in Vietnam
MSRP	$499

Introducing Megabass of America's US Destroyer P5 F7-75X BMG

Impressions: Megabass of America's Destroyer P5 F7-75X BMG is a seven foot, five inch (7'-5") stick built with a split rear grip and a custom reel seat. All of the Destroyer P5 casting rods, JDM and USDM, are built with the same look and of course feature the same components, so there's nothing unique about the BMG from that regard. It is specified as heavy in power features a lure rating of half an ounce up to one and a quarter ounces (1/2 - 1 1/4oz). The rod's line rating is from twelve to twenty five pound (12-25lb) test.

The BMG is touted as an ideal stick for bottom contact baits

Built with a fast taper, the BMG is touted by Megabass of America as a stick for bottom dragging baits like swing heads, football jigs, and Carolina rigs. The manufacturer compliments the rod's heavy power rating with a soft tip to help disguise blank tension from would be predators.

The design intent behind the BMG reminded me a lot of my old G.Loomis MBR844C GLX, one of my old school favorite jig sticks, but also a rod I relied upon for a variety of other techniques. With that in mind, the BMG, with its added length over the MBR844, seemed like the ideal specification for a place like the California Delta where the bite on any particular day might range from Senkos, to buzzbaits, to paddletails, to flipping and punching soft plastics in heavy cover. A stick that kind of versatility can be invaluable and that's exactly what I envisioned with the BMG.

Matched with my Abu Garcia Zenon MG-LTX

Real World Tests: To test its capabilities, I paired the BMG with my Abu Garcia Zenon MG-LTX and spooled the reel with some Varivas 8-strand Nogales Dead or Alive braid (#2) then tied a leader of 15lb Seaguar Tatsu. Initial applications I had in mind were simple - jigs for some vertical bait work and Megabass's new Sleeper Gill for some same-brand mojo to catch fish.

Early success bodes well!

Casting: The softer tip Megabass of America describes as a feature of the BMG is evident right from the very first cast. It does not handle like a heavy powered rod. Yet its lure ratings are accurate because it can easily present baits up to its maximum lure rating. In fact, to test the BMG's limits in this area, I tied on Click Bait Custom's Ice Sonar, a five inch, resin bait weighing right around one and a quarter ounces (1 1/4 oz). Based on my initial casting impressions with the BMG, I expected it to feel overloaded with the Ice Sonar, but to my surprise, it handled that bait just fine leading me to believe it could handle even more weight (a theory I did not have a chance test because my line setup was too light).

Guides are Fuji Ti/SiC

On the slower presentation side of things is where I really came to appreciate this rod. At 7'-5", with its lively tip, the BMG makes a wonderful stick for pitching presentations. There's something kind of Zen about hunting around docks while gliding your bait mere inches from the water's surface for a soft landing at your intended target. To borrow a line from a certain star studded superhero, with the combo of my BMG and Zenon MG-LTX, I could do that all day.

Delicate details continue in the Megabass tradition

Sensitivity: I feel as though everyone today is looking for electric sensitivity in their fishing rod. Especially if the rod in question is at or above a certain price threshold. At just under $500, the BMG likely meets that threshold for many and if that's your expectation, I can tell you right now those expectations will not be met with the BMG. At the same time, I can also tell you that you will not have any issue sensing the bite with this stick.

Most of my bites were of the "something doesn't feel right" variety

While I don't recall feeling any of those electric hits while fishing the BMG, I had plenty of those, something-doesn't-feel-right type of hits. So what the BMG lacks in crisp, no doubt sensitivity, it makes up for in that mysterious, sort of telepathic communication that a fish is at the end of the line. I don't know how else to explain it, but that's how it performed in my hands and I found it strangely confidence inspiring.

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