Whether any of this is a pro or con for the Omega Swimbait 8' Heavy is really up to each consumer. Some anglers prefer a balanced stick, some want one as light as possible choosing to try and balance their rod with their choice in reel. On a side note, I'm fine with a super light rod, but the argument of using your reel to balance the rod is one I never buy into with casting gear. Why? Because if you're holding your rod right where the reel is, the weight of that reel will have zero impact on balance of the rod. You don't balance an object by placing weight on your hopeful balance point. For a rod and reel combo, this just makes your overall package heavier. If balance is important to you, find a way to add a little weight to the end of the rod or buy a stick that has better or the best available balance right off the rack from the factory. If this is what you seek in a swimbait stick, Leviathan's Omega Swimbait 8' Heavy is really the answer to your search.

Leviathan delivers the 8' Heavy in its own rod sleeve

Features: Leviathan delivers the Omega Swimbait 8' Heavy in a custom, nylon mesh rod sleeve similar to those offered by The Rod Glove and a few other manufacturers. What I found interesting about this stick was the company's treatment of the rear grip. The base material is EVA foam, but Leviathan covers this foam with a shrink wrap material that gives the handle a soft, rubbery texture. This makes it a bit more durable than the bare EVA foam and maybe even easier to grip. It's a little strange and all together sensible and comfortable. The only downside is this somehow increases the handle's ability to absorb and retain heat. If you have multiple combos and place this rod down for a period of time in the hot sun, be careful when picking it up. It gets hot. Your hands can adjust quickly, but after the first cast, when you tuck that long handle under your arm, you immediately feel the heat there as well.

Leviathan bucks the component trend by choosing not to go with the standard Fuji line of components and instead, give some of the other guys a chance. The Alps TX16 TexTouch reel seat is stylish, comfortable, and does its job well although I find the double lock ring unnecessary. I also didn't care much for how Leviathan chose to finish off the reel seat with a tiny piece of EVA foam as a cap. Although it's not really that cap that bothers me as much as the amount of thread that's exposed above the reel seat. It leaves me with the impression that part of the handle assembly is unfinished.

The guides on this stick are by SeaGuide, a rod component company based out of China. They've been in business since 1997. Generally speaking, while I prefer Fuji branded components because of their time tested performance, I welcome the use of other brands to keep competition and the desire to innovate alive and overall costs down. We all know the use of Fuji components often equate to higher finished rod prices to compensate for the higher cost of components. I am only bringing them up because I find the trim or orientation of these XQG guides curious in comparison. If you look closely, guides typically have a front and back side with the front being the side that faces the rod tip, and the back the side that faces the reel seat.

I'd expect to see this side, with that big groove around the insert pointed towards the reel so as not to invite the accumulation of dirt and debris that falls off the line as it comes back into your reel from the water

On a Fuji guide, the front features a transition between insert and frame material that's very smooth. The backside is typically less elegant with a subtle channel around the outer edge of the insert material. This side is pointed away from the tip of the rod to keep any dirt or debris picked up by your fishing line from accumulating in the channel and potentially corrupting/corroding your guides.

But SeaGuide designs the guides so that unfinished side points towards the tip

SeaGuide's XQG guides, found on this stick, flip that orientation as if to invite the accumulation of that dirt and debris. But I have another thought on this orientation. Manufacturers often describe the insert material on rod guides as "pressed in" meaning it's just tension holding that insert within the frame. If what I assume to be the front of the guide is also the direction in which the material is pressed in, orientating that guide backwards will leave something like the tip top more susceptible to having that insert material pop out if you accidentally reel your lure all the way up to the guide or jam the rod tip in your rod locker.

This rod and bait pairing worked out well

It might be natural to assume that it's Leviathan's fault for orientating the guides in this manner, but the way in which the guides lean in their frames reveals how the manufacturer of that component intends the guide to sit. Leviathan places the guides correctly, SeaGuide's orientation is just reversed. I've also seen this in Kigan guides, so maybe it's a way to get around some obscure patent? I'm not sure, but I do know it's enough to bother me. On the plus side, SeaGuide reportedly uses a higher grade of stainless steel in their guide frames than does Fuji (316 versus 304).

Price & Applications: The Omega Swimbait 8' Heavy and its three siblings (Med-Heavy, Ex-Heavy, XX-Heavy), are available for between $299.99 to $319.99 each (depending on the model) through Leviathan Rods's website. With those options, you can easily find a stick to suit your big bait needs. The 8' Heavy, specifically, retails for $299.99 and makes a nice stick for any moving bait you can cast with it. That means crankbaits, wake baits, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, swim/vibrating/bladed jigs, single, jig style hook swimbaits, hard bodied big baits with treble hooks, you name it. Because of the rod's sensitivity, you can even use it for vertical bait presentations flipping, pitching, punching, and casting worms and jigs too so long as you're mindful of that extra long handle.

Conclusion: My journey with Leviathan's Omega Swimbait 8' Heavy was very up and down. Overall, this is a really solid performing stick in both casting ability, sensitivity, and power. I really like the length of that rear handle. Where I have some less favorable impressions of this stick is the sacrifice in weight for balance. I appreciate a balanced rod, but after my first couple of trips with this rod, I noticed my hand was actually a lot more fatigued than usual. It finally dawned on me it was probably from having to hold and grasp the overall weight of this combo all day. Additionally, while I really like Leviathan's treatment of the rear handle, I did find that shrink wrap material unexpectedly hot. There were a few times I picked it back up after switching rods and had to work my way up to holding it kind of like you do when you get in your car on a hot day and can't grasp the steering wheel right away. It was exacerbated when tucking that hot handle under my arm after the cast and feeling it on my side. It wasn't so hot to the point of burning me or anything, it was just uncomfortable at times.

For anglers that like consistency in their combos, the Omega Swimbait rods by Leviathan make for a killer lineup sticks dedicated to throwing big baits

Finally, I think this stick deserves better quality guides. I appreciate SeaGuide is using a higher grade of stainless steel than a company like Fuji, I'm just not sold the guides are made as well and I find the orientation of the finished side troublesome. The other points I criticized, the hook hangar and exposed thread on the reel seat, are of little to no real consequence. All these points are made because it's my job to be critical and expect more. In the end, I think the positive attributes of this stick outweigh the less positive, and I find the Omega Swimbait 8' Heavy a worthy contender in the big bait rod market. What's more, I really like the only differences between the sticks in this entire suite is their relative powers. Lengths, handle assembly, etc., area all the same. For anglers that like consistency in their combos, the Omega Swimbait rods by Leviathan make for a killer lineup sticks dedicated to throwing big baits.

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