ICAST Report 2011: Freshwater Rods
Originally Published on Jul 27, 2011 “From the Docks” NBC Sports
I suspect we’ll be seeing the term “nano” a bunch in the coming months and even years. Berkley’s Nanofil line just won Best of Show at the recent ICAST show, and not just in the line category…it won as the best new product introduced this year in all categories.
Why is this significant? The trend toward lighter and stronger continues, and are seeing its effects in a number of categories including fishing rods. A number of top rod manufacturers, including G. Loomis, Shimano, Quantum, Fenwick, Abu, Dobyns, Lews, Pinnacle and others are using terms liker “lighter” in their product descriptions, and weight shaving is seen in guides, reel seats, exposed butts and in the graphites and resins selected in the blank building process.
The top rod in this year’s class as selected by the angling press attending the show is the G. Loomis GL2, which for most anglers represents an opportunity to buy Loomis without mortgaging the house. There 32 rods in the series for everything from trout to heavy bass (swimbaits). Retail prices run $185 to $255 for these burgundy-colored rods. The handles are crafted from high-grade cork and cork composite materials. The reel seat is a Fuji ACS and the guides are Fuji as well (aluminum oxicide).
There were a number of great rods displayed at ICAST which means you have a number of great options to choose from.
