HaHa: 0
Well, I finally took the plunge on a midrange UL JDM rod. Originally, I was trying to find a Shimano Bantam 264UL+ or an Evergreen 64UL Phase "Drift Master" however, the earliest the good folks at Japan Lure Shop could get it for me was late May for the Bantam or July to November for the Evergreen. While the prices quoted to me were very good, I didn't want to wait that long. BTW, the team at Japan Lure Shop was very patient with my requests for price and availability. These items are not on their usual stock items and I'm sure they get these questions all the time. So I went with what they had on hand which is a Shimano/Jackall Poison Adrena 64UL. Yeah, they sell the Poison Adrena here stateside, however, they do not offer anything lighter than a Medium Light. The price from JLS was $30 federal for shipping which was a huge plus.
I used to fish a lot as a kid and now that my youngest son has taken up a high interest in fishing... we are taking the hobby seriously. We have a couple of Major Craft, Megabass (Levante, Orochi), and three StC Rods. So this is the baseline from which I'm making a comparison. Out of the box (or CPVC tube, wonderful job packaging the rod by the Japan Lure Shop team, true to form they gave me a Jackall jerkbait for free, such nice people) the rod is pretty impressive. It's very minimal and clean in appearance. Although it is not as bling-y or funky as some JDM rods (you know what I mean, some rods have this "the mother-ship has landed" look to them, which is a part of their appeal) it still feels very JDM-y. At any rate the monocoque handle is pretty nice and the blank itself really high quality.
Took her out today on a mid 50s kayak trip up a creek to a small spillway. I managed to catch seven smallmouth bass and one bluegill.
- Although it's a UL rod, it isn't noodlelike. It recovers very quickly and is very 'lively" when dry casting it.
- Absurdly light at 85 grams. Almost makes it feel fragile.
- Sensitivity. A few of the smallies I caught were caught on slack-line bumps. I could feel their light hit on the downswing. That was impressive. Interestingly enough, I was retrieving a hung lure out of some weeds in the water and as I was dragging my hand along the fluoro leader, this caused the fluoro to squeak. I noticed that the squeak from the line was transmitted all the way up the line and down throughout the rod. The rod reverberated like a crystal wine glass.
- Casting accuracy. This is where the Poison Adrena shines. This is the most accurate rod I've ever used. On a creek, with root balls and overhang that you have to negotiate, this is no small task. I was surprised at it's casting accuracy. Seemed most accurate in the 1/16+ to 1/8+ oz range. I didn't have occasion to throw any 1/4 oz baits so I don't know. I was throwing some trout magnets on a cultiva JH-85 head and those were average accuracy, everything else was very accurate.
- Fun factor. I don't know whether the bluegill was lethargic due to the cold weather or if the rod is over powered for panfish but it wasn't as much of a fight as I expected/wanted. The smallmouths all gave an exciting and worrying level of action. A one pound smallie felt very strong and angry on this rod. The bluegill just didn't have the same level of fun. So I guess, although this is a UL rated rod, it's still a bass-centric rod. While this isn't necessarily a weakness, it's still something people should note.
Anyhow, it's a really great rod and I'm glad I took the plunge. I will probably end up getting another rod dedicated solely for panfishing (Yamaga B., Tict, or Abu).
Crappie Wall Hanger
Yes, one shouldn't compare an UL bass rod with an UL rockfish or area trout rod. You'll be surprised when you try one of the latter two. For comparison, take a look at Evergreen's description of Kaleido Inspirare 510ULX Woodpecker, under development – they promise working comfortably with rigs under 1 g and lifting 1.5 kg bass in the air with that 75 gram rod...
Shimano has a great blank tech, and JLS is a great store.
808_Larry LIKED above post
Crappie.com Legend
That was a real nice write up, Larry. Thanks for the details. I agree with the JDM being specialized, but I’m in the market for an “all rounder”. I can’t have all the ones I would like, but love the quality of my little Luna TEnryu. I think I’m going to pull the trigger on the 610 Luna and that will be my do it all rod. Great at some things and more than ok with others. Pans to smallies to trout will all be in the mix. It can also handle a variety of different baits and lures.
Bob
Last edited by BobC; 03-11-2021 at 08:36 AM.
Crappie Wall Hanger
Suddenly, the seemingly perpetual sale on Tict rods is over at Digitaka...
Crappie.com Legend
If that's not the greatest rod name ever, I don't know what is.Originally Posted by s_v
Sure beats "Ugly Stik".
Slabmaster II
Gamakatsu makes a 4’8” UL spinning 2 piece rod (luxxe) that weighs 0.98 oz and is made in Japan.
I've been following this and the previous tread for some time now and have went down the rabbit hole. So, far I have 610 Lunakia and a Soare ss S610L-S. I have been enjoying them so much that I am looking to upgrade my seatrout rod. I know this might not be the right spot to ask but there is not much English information on JDM rods. I am looking at the Lunakia LK822S-HT but cannot find any thing on the guides sizes (my 610's are way to small for what I will need). Will only be throwing swim jigs in the 11-18 gram range.
Thanks in advance for any knowledge on the subject. Does any one have any other rod recommendations?
Crappie Wall Hanger
Sounds like you're waaay out of the UL range... I'd recommend a seabass rod for your purposes. There are plenty in ML power that will have your 11-18 g lures smack in the middle of their recommended range. They also tend to have relatively soft tip. I do quite a bit of fishing for corvina and croacker in my neck of the woods with these rods.
The Lunakia you've mentioned can surely handle these lure weights, but it is an ajing/ mebaring rod after all, so it was designed for caro rigs and metals jigs. The guides on these will be somewhat small, as the line used for those purposes is usually thin. I do not have this rod, but I think it might be underpowered for seatrout. If you're set on looking for good size guides on a long light game rod, you can also consider Yamaga Blanks BC 93 All-Range. I have that rod and the guides are huge compared to everything else in my arsenal – it handles #1 PE with ease. It is in a similar power range as the Lunakia though.
To others: my apologies, I know this has little to do with UL rods...
Slabmaster II
I have a lunakia 610 also that I use for almost everything I fish for minus tiger muskie. I used it last year for my lake trout fishing using 20-30 gram weight inside of tubes straight down to 120 feet and it performed nicely. It weighs 59 grams and it very sensitive though i do a lot of line watching because bites are light. The lake trout average 5-15 lbs with a fair amount over 20 lbs. For tiger muskie I use a tikuto (tict) that is 7’4”. I consider the 610 plenty of rod for large lake trout and have used lighter rods also e.g. Apia grandage lite 64. This year i have 2 new matagi that weigh 33 and 39 grams. This might a little light for lake trout but it is open water fishing with no snags.
Thanks for the answers even though my question was off topic for UL fishing. It's just hard to find a English speaking community that discusses JDM rods at all.
Thanks: 
Reply With Quote