In fact, later on that same day I had a cast out over a bed of weeds and right in the middle of cranking the Freestyle back, all sensation through the line stopped. I didn't feel a bump or anything to let me know the bait hit a strand or clump of weeds, so just in case, in the middle of my retrieve, I swung. It was fish on again! The fish had inhaled the bait and was swimming with it right back to me! That's when you know you have a good connection with your fishing rod.

Fig 1 : The chart above illustrates the deflection characteristics of our Megabass Destroyer F7.5-77X Bunker Buster against the historical averages of our flipping and big bait rods separated by power

Power: If you reference Fig 1, above, you'll see the Bunker Buster charts out right in line with our historical average for flipping sticks or right in between what we've termed our finesse and all purpose swimbait sticks. It is an extra-heavy stick in the traditional sense.

Checking out that buttery smooth tip

I didn't need that chart to tell me this. All I needed was that very first experience when I cast the MagDraft Freestyle as far as I could, assisted by the extreme ability of my Bantam MGL. Not only was I surprised that I could feel that bite so crisply, I was surprised I had enough leverage at the end of my cast to set the hook and get that fish to the boat.

A close-up of the cork handle

Perhaps just as surprising was my ability to set hook on that other fish that was swimming towards me but in this case it also helped that my Bantam MGL is an 8.5:1 retrieve ratio reel. The combo of that fast line pick up with the length and power of the Bunker Buster was perfect for that scenario enabling me to swing and set without pulling an oblique.

I really like the Bunker Buster with paddletail swimbaits

Design & Ergonomics: The Bunker Buster tipped our scales at an even six ounces and has a balance that is really very good for a rod of its length and power. Together with the Bantam MGL, a reel that is on the heavy side, the combo really floated in my hand. It's not often I fish a rod that makes a reel feel lighter than it actually is. In fact, the Bunker Buster has me contemplating the purchase of another Bantam MGL for permanent residency on that stick. This is something I rarely do preferring to keep my reels on a free agency rotation.

A look at the remaining, single foot guides

Otherwise, as mentioned earlier, the Bunker Buster shares the same aesthetic as the Onager and Mark 48. Megabass of America appears done fooling around with a hook keeper and has returned to their roots letting anglers figure out an alternative on their own. Something I found curious is the absence of the decorative insert inside the HeadLock (reel seat tightening nut). I thought this may have been removed as a cost cutting measure but it turns out, this is also missing in my Onager reviewed in 2017. My Javelin and Valdivia have it so this must only be a feature of the Destroyer casting rods with a spit rear grip design.

The Bunker Buster + my Bantam MGL + the MagDraft Freestyle were as perfect a rod, reel, bait combo as I've fished in a long time

Price & Applications: Megabass's F7.5-77X Bunker Buster is offered at $415.00. It is designed as a stick for fishing heavier jigs and soft plastic bait combinations through thick cover, but not as a full blown punching rod. I must be on a moving bait kick because I liked it better with the MagDraft Freestyle even though the way I rigged that bait had the entire bait combo over the Bunker Buster's lure rating. Future note, find a way to fish this bait on a lighter weight hook because together with the Bantam MGL, it was as perfect a bait, rod, reel combination as I've fished in a long time. I guess I can also find some smaller paddletails to use. Now there's an idea.

Conclusion: Megabass's Destroyer F7.5-77X may have been designed to rouse bass out of their heavily fortified bunkers, but it has weaseled its way into my regular lineup as more of a mine sweeper blowing up patches of weeds with fly by paddletail swimbaits. That combo of a nice, easy loading, crisp casting tip, length, power, balance, and weight work together in such harmonious fashion I find it difficult to tie anything else to the end of the line. With Megabass, I usually zero in on one or two sticks per lineup to purchase and enjoy. The Bunker Buster is actually my sixth rod from the USDM Destroyer lineup.

This is getting out of hand, but the Bunker Buster earns Megabass of America yet another Editor's Choice Award

This is getting a bit out of hand, and while not each Destroyer rod I've fished has been worthy of an editorial award, that super soft, castable tip and power of the Bunker Buster has earned Megabass of America another Editor's Choice Award.

It wouldn't be right to deny it just because I felt the manufacturer has already been awarded enough. The Bunker Buster stands proudly on its own for those two attributes and deserves the recognition.

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