Abu Garcia Pro Series Rods - Fishing with Elite Series Angler Hunter Shryock #abugarciaproseries #abuproseriesrods

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Fishing Abu Garcia's New Pro Series Rods with Elite Series Pro Angler Hunter Shryrock (continued)

Pro Series vs Smallmouth: Leading up to ICAST I headed to Lake Champlain to try the new Pro Series with some of the Pro Anglers that worked on them including Adrian Avena and Hunter Shryock. Adrian and I tried a number of these rods targeting Lake Champlain's aggressive smallmouth using a variety of techniques, including flogging, and compared the rods with Abu's Zenon rods and the new Fenwick Elite Series. While the Zenon rods are definitely the lighter and more sensitive rods I felt the Pro Series offered actions that catered better to specific applications. If you are looking for a rod to specifically fish a particular technique these rods are designed for you, and also feature the most bold styling that sets them apart from other Abu rods.

Lake Champlain smallies were eager to put these new rods to task

I then spent another day fishing with Elite Series Angler Hunter Shryock. We started out fishing wide open areas but it was blowing hard that day on Champlain and we were getting absolutely battered by waves which made staying on top of fish difficult, and working finesse rigs all the more challenging.

Hunter tries to keep the boat over fish while the wind and waves have other plans

While we were able to land a few small fish Hunter decided it was time to make a move. Hunter is known for his shallow water fishing game and pitching and flipping are some of his favorite ways to catch fish.

Catching small fish is fun but we were looking for bigger fish to really see what the new rods could do

We headed to abandoned bridge which had basically been reduced to decaying pilings over the years. There was submerged wood, jagged fences, and concrete breaks everywhere. Basically a pitch and flip paradise.

A look at the sculpted EVA handle on Shane Lehew's Dock Skip rod

Hunter handed me his signature Heavy Flipping rod which was already rigged up and ready to flip and I went to town targeting each post and piling as we cruised down what was left of the deteriorating bridge as Hunter started rigging up another rod. I got busy pitching the Texas rigged Maxscent Creature Hawg against the posts and before he could even tie up another rod a solid fish hit the bait a split second after splashdown.

Hunter handed me his signature Pro Series rod as we proceeded to flip an old bridge

I knew right away it was a good fish, or at least the best Champlain smallie I had hooked into on the trip thus far. I set as hard as I could and felt Hunter's rod go to work.

Hunter helps grab a few shots as I am still shaking and trying to unhook the fish

This particular flipping rod felt very light while I was pitching but the second I hit that fish and it loaded up I could feel just how much backbone this stick had. This 7'11" rod exhibits a nice even action that helps drive the hook and yet doesn't feel sloppy at all when trying to pull a fish away from heavy cover.

A quality Champlain smallmouth succumbs to Hunter's signature Heavy Flipping rod

A few seconds later and I had the fish in open water and was finally able to land it. That fish weighed in right at 4lbs. and was the largest smallmouth I had caught in a long time. In the span of a few minutes I had become equally impressed with Hunter's Pro Series rod and the incredible fishery that is Lake Champlain.

It was a fun experience learning about the rod's design from Hunter and then catching a big smallie on it just minutes later

That afternoon I caught a few more quality fish with various Pro Series rods but the largest and most memorable one was the fish I landed with Hunter's personal signature rod. It was a cool experience to hear firsthand about what Hunter wanted in the design, and how the Abu engineers were able to customize the blank and action to his specific requirements, and then to actually be able to put that rod to the test on a big fish. The day couldn't have been scripted any better.

There are a lot of great new rods in the Abu Garcia Pro Series lineup and they exhibit the engaging action and modern styling that is quickly becoming a signature of Abu Garcia's brand identity

All of the new Abu Garcia Pro Series rods are designed to be application specific, and with close attention to the subtle characteristics that each of these pros personally prefer when they approach these favorite techniques. For example Bertrand's Pro Series Drop Shot rod is 6'10" and is designed for maximum tip sensitivity, while Hunter's Heavy Flipping stick is 7'11" and has both the backbone and parabolic action that he prefers to maximize hook penetration and muscle fish away from cover. All of the new Pro Series rods will retail for $199.95 and come backed with a limited 3-year warranty. These new Pro Series rods offer a lot of bang for the buck and exhibit the performance, engaging actions, and modern styling that is quickly becoming a signature of Abu Garcia's latest generation of offerings.