Shimano's Tescata rods work Lucanus Jigs with finesse
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Date: |
8/27/08 |
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Tackle type: |
Rod |
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Manufacturer: |
Shimano |
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Reviewer: |
Zander |
Total Score: 8.00 - Great
Introduction: Shimano has jigging on their mind yet again with the
release of the new Tescata rods which are designed specifically for one
application, fishing the company’s own Lucanus jigs. The new rods have been
created with very specific tapers and powers to accommodate the complete range
of Lucanus jig weights.
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Shimano
Tescata TSC80L Specifications |
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Material |
TC4 Graphite |
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Pieces |
1 |
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Length |
8'0" |
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Grip |
EVA |
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Foregrip length |
1.5" |
|
Reargrip length |
14.0" |
|
Line Weight |
12-30lb |
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Lure Weight |
80-100g |
|
Guides |
10 plus the tip |
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Rating |
Light |
|
Action |
Extra
Fast |
|
MSRP |
$199.99 |
Impressions:
Shimano made waves with the introduction of the Butterfly jigging system at
which time they also introduced a rod designed around the adapted technique. The
Trevala jigging rods were well received by not only fishermen interested in
fishing Butterfly Jigs, but also anglers dipping traditional iron.
The Tescata was designed
specifically for fishing Lucanus jigs
The new Tescata rods take application specific fishing one
step further as they really are designed specifically for one bait and one
technique….fishing Shimano’s new Lucanus jigs. Already an award winning rod the
Tescata took home top honors in the saltwater rod category at the recent 2008
ICAST show.
The Tescata rod features a
extremely light tip
Before going into detail about the Tescata let’s brush up
on the Lucanus jigs they are designed to fish. The Lucanus jigs resemble the
insects they are named after, and the beetle profile is quite unlike the normal
diamond or bar used to target rockfish. The jigs were designed after Japanese
“Snapper Rubber Jigs” which commercial fishermen were using to target fish in
heavily pressured areas. Shimano researched the technique and developed the U.S.
version of the jig and modified the technique for the regional preferences and
thus the Lucanus system was born. The Lucanus jigs are worthy of discussion in
themselves but for this review we will focus on the rod designed to fish them.
We loaded up on Lucanus jigs for
our tests
Turning our attention to the Tescata rods we found the new
rod series once again makes use of Shimano’s proven TC4 blank material to be
extremely light in weight for an eight foot rod. The TC4 graphite has a unique
finish that looks matte and solid in appearance under low light conditions and
only reveals its true nature under bright light where the interwoven fibers
become visible.
The Lucanus jigs are quite unlike
the traditional iron we are used to tossing for rockfish
The most identifiable element on the Tescata is the
distinct hook hanger which is positioned below the Fuji seat. The custom dual
anodized hook hanger is incorporated right into the grip and is designed
specifically for holding the small dual Owner hooks found on the Lucanus jigs.
Anglers will recognize the anodized pattern as the same one used on the drilled
crossbar of the Calcutta TE DC series, as well as the new Calcutta TE 400 LJV
reel designed specifically for this system.
We didn't have a Calcutta Lucanus
Jig reel so we turned to our trusty 300 TE
Next Section: On to the Real
World Test
