I recently had the opportunity to use this cleverly designed 4-piece rod whilst on a fly fishing trip to Ascension Bay in Mexico for Bonefish, Permit and Tarpon. These species were a bit thin on ground so it was out with this lure rod for some surface action on poppers and shallow diving plugs.
If you travel much for your fishing then this rod is an ideal piece of kit as it has an extra butt section that will convert it from a 3-piece 6ft 4in 20-30lb class boat rod to the 4-piece popping rod format which I used. In this 4-piece format it is 8ft 6in and will easily handle casting hardware between 60-165g (2-6oz) which I found more than adequate for casting snapper deadbaits and Rapala Magnums etc for the large barracudas that patrol the reefs and beach margins.
The blank has overfit joints and is finished in a high gloss deep blue with gold tipped whippings. I used it set up with a fixed spool reel loaded with 50lb braid, which cast very well through the generously sized SiC lined rings; there is plenty of power in the butt section too when it comes to setting the hook and playing fish and this was very welcome when the larger barracudas decided to head for the horizon as it allowed me to really put the pressure on with confidence to keep the fish under control.
This rod is part of Snowbee’s Deep Blue Travel Rod collection, all designed to fit into your luggage at 29-30in and enclosed in a tough Cordura-covered tube, the tube for this model being 32in because of the slightly longer boat rod butt section.
Although I only used this rod in its 4-piece popping format the 20-30lb boat configuration would be ideal for trolling or jigging with artificials or bait over reefs or wrecks, and if you connect with the fish of a lifetime you’ll be glad that both the butt sections have gimbal fittings with covers for when the going gets tough.
Model: 10010. Deep Blue Popping/ Boat Rod
8ft 6in 60-165g
6ft 4in 20-30lb Class
RRP £199
Check out the rest of the Snowbee Deep Blue range HERE or, to buy, click HERE
