All Pro Rods
Sensitive Power
Product Review
By: Billy Harris
http://www.billyharrisbasspro.com/
Recently I had been having trouble hooking larger fish with a ¼ oz or smaller jig. Most of the time smaller fish were no problem hooking nor was it an issue in shallow water. Most of my problems involved larger deep-water fish. I lost several five plus pound bass at the boat so I decided to look into the problem further. I broke my problem down into three categories and worked on each one individually. 1. Maybe it was my hook set. Unlikely, my technique is typically to “lay the wood to them”. 2. Line size and type. I switched from 14lb mono to 14lb fluorocarbon. The only thing I noticed was greater sensitivity. 3. The last and most obvious solution to me was my rod choice. So, from there I set out to find the best rod for me.
When I looked into a new rod for my jigs I chose the rods that were familiar to me or familiar to someone I respected in the fishing industry. There are a few things I look for when choosing a company to do business with. The first and most important to me is quality of workmanship. When I spend $200 to $300 or more on a rod I expect it to work and last a long time. Second, is customer service. I expect a representative to discuss my needs, my style of fishing, what I’m trying to accomplish and I flat out expect him to stand by his word and product. Last but not least, I want to know how the rod fishes, how it works and feels for me. Every person has a different feel they think their rod should be. For me spongy is not good. For someone else it may be just right. No two rods are the same so I make sure to get the one that feels right in my hands.
I chose three-rod manufacturers, G-Loomis, Al-Star and All Pro, a local mid-TN custom rod builder. I chose G-Loomis based on my respected friends Wayne Lindgren and Rich Lindgren. These two gentlemen are very good fishermen and G-Loomis experts. I chose All-Star just because a friend sent me one to try for free. I chose All Pro because I already had four of their rods in the APX series and love them. For this test I used specific size rods, the same line, same jig size and type, and the same reel.
Line type: 14lb Flouro-carbon P-Line
Reel type: Shimano Castaic SF
Lure: 3/16 oz Bitsy Bug with trailer.
I used a rating scale of 1 to 5 with five being the best.
Hook Penetration
Sensitivity Balance Power Casting Overall Feel (fishability) Score
G-Loomis 6’6” GL-2 MH 4 4 3 4 3 18
G-Loomis 7” GLX Heavy 3 4 5 3 3 18
All-Star 6’6” MH 2 2 3 2 1 10
All-Star 6’6” Heavy 3 2 3 3 3 14
All Pro 6’6” APX MH 4 4 3 3 4 18
All Pro 7’0” APX Heavy 5 4 5 4 4 22
As you can see the All Pro rod out scored the other rods tested. Keep in mind I am not sponsored by any rod company. These are personal opinions based on my use of each rod.
Sensitivity was extremely good in the All-Pro rod. Sensitive Power is their motto and it fits the product very well. I think I could feel a bass breathe on my jig from ten feet away. In all honesty this is one of the most sensitive rods I have ever fished with. I believe part of the reason is the time and care that is taken to make each one of these rods. The balance is extremely good. I have yet to modify the handle to change the balance.
The hook setting and penetration was also very good with this rod. It loads up very quickly in deep water and extremely quickly in shallow water. My first fish with the All Pro 7’ Heavy was a nice 4.5-pound largemouth. I felt the lightest tick in 18ft of water and laid the proverbial wood down. I had no problem controlling this fish all the way to the boat. My next cast was about twelve yards into 1ft of water. I felt the tap, reel down and again laid the wood down. I felt slack line so I assumed the fish was running toward me and reeled as fast as I could. The next thing I heard was a thud on the back deck. Guess where my fish was? Granted the fish was only 12” long but what power to pull a fish from that far out of the water and into the boat. My partner said the fish’s eyes were crossed when he unhooked it. J
All and all you can’t go wrong with a G-Loomis. They are a great rod, but if you want to go RIGHT go with an ALL PRO APX Rod. The final selling point for me was customer service. I called All Pro and talked to Billy Campbell on several different occasions. Billy was extremely helpful and I felt he was genuinely concerned about my search for a great jig rod. We talked for a bit to get an idea how I fished and what my rod choice was intended to be used for. We talked several more times about some test results and finally settled on the APX 7’ Heavy as my rod choice. Billy was able to get me the rod next day and I was fishing with it that night.
The next time you need a great rod at a great price and awesome customer service give All Pro Rods a call or visit their website at www.allprorods.com.