I just got this rod in the mail 8 hours ago and fished with it for 3 1/2 hours and had a blast. My other ultralight rod was a 5' one part of an 18$ combo from Walmart and it felt like it too. I'd try to toss a worm on a size 8 hook with 4lb test to let it slowly sink down in front of a dam and I'd have to REALLY work at tossing it out like 8 feet. This rod, being 1 1/2 feet longer, on the other hand I was able to throw out the same worm + hook + line like 20+ feet and I'm pretty sure once I get better at loading up the rod I can get it out there even further.
After catching a few panfish like that I put on the smallest splitshot I had, which was like a quarter of the size of my pinky fingernail, and let the worm sink to the bottom and hopped it around. Now on my other rod I could mostly tell when something was 'pecking' at whatever was on my line and when something 'bit' it because the 'pecking' was a very very slight jiggle and the bite was a jiggle that had a little umph to it. But with this rod even when they're just 'pecking' at it it taps the rod twice as hard than the 'bite' on my other rod. So I missed quite a few fish due to the rod being too sensitive if that's a thing. It's just something I have to get used to but once I do it should be super nice.
Lastly I used an atomic tube 1/32 oz with a trout magnet EZ-float or whatever they're called and was able to launch that a country mile. I was tossing it down from the top of a 2-3 story tall dam down to the bottom and was able to keep the line out of the rapids due to the increased rod length. I was also able to set the hook quite well considering I had a ton of line out.
Will update review if something changes the next few times I go out fishing and catch some trout or bass.
In summary:
Super sensitive (might take some getting used to)
6'6 length seems really good for casting distance (with 1000 reel anyway) also has 7 guides
Hook holder seems good (it's like a staple)
Seemed to have decent backbone for being so sensitive (caught a monster pumpkinseed and the rod didn't double over like an ugly stick and was able to set the hook quite easily even with lots of line out)
2 pieces held tight together (didn't come apart)
Cork handle feels pretty smooth and comfy straight out of the box (I had two pieces of plastic covering both pieces of cork)
Color of the rod was a nice burgundy color with striation rings around it once you shine light on it (kind of like cats eye or something?)
Others said to order the rod by itself because amazon will just shove it into a box with other stuff so that's what I did and my box came in perfect condition with rod unharmed so I'd recommend doing the same.
UPDATE: I caught a bass close to 2 pounds and it took me like 2-3 minutes to get it up to the shoreline. He bent the rod a ton a handful of times and I was forced to lift it out of the water onto land by the rod and the rod is fine. I don't know what all the reviewers are doing to break the rod in half or break the tip off. I know 2 pounds isn't a lot of weight but for the 2 seconds I had the fish out of the water by the rod it never felt like it was going to snap.
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 55.5 x 2 x 1 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.11 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 54 x 1.5 x 1.5 inches |
| Item Weight | 0.19 Pounds |
| Brand Name | OKUMA |
| Warranty Description | Manufacturer Warranty |
| Model Name | CE-S-461UL-1 |
| Color | Brown Graphite, trout |
| Material | Synthetic |
| Suggested Users | Unisex-adult |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | Okuma Fishing Tackle Corp. |
| Part Number | CE-S-461UL-1 |
| Included Components | Rod |
| Size | 4-Feet 6-Inch Ultra Light |
| Sport Type | Fishing |
| Fishing Technique | Spinning |
