Lamiglas Big Bait Special Rod
Author: Rob Belloni
8' 15-30 7 Fast ¾ to 3 and ½ oz Fuji Alconite Concept 12 guides plus tip top The Lamiglas Big Bait Special is a rod that looks nice on the shelf. The blank is surprisingly thin, and it is just covered in the small Fuji Alconite guides. The rod has an amazing 12 guides plus the tip top on it! The action overall is pretty fluid, just a gradual taper. It's a light rod overall that feels more like a regular bass rod than a swimbait rod in your hand. With the smaller Alconite guides holding the line close the rod at close intervals, this rod pays out the line effortlessly during the cast. It really feels like the line is being sucked through the guides. I like the handle length, long enough to get back under your arm on the retrieve, and long enough to get good spacing between your hands when you need to make a long cast. This is a solid rod for smaller baits and for wood baits. If you throw a lot of 5 to 9" baits, especially the lighter wooden or hard plastic baits, this rod has a nice feel to it for that kind of stuff. You could cast the larger heavier rubber baits on this rod but it doesn't have the backbone to set the hook on a heavy piece of rubber. When I cast this rod I think Rago Rat, 5" Big Hammer, 7.5" Generic Swimbait, 9" MS Slammer or AC Plug, etc. What I don't think is 10" Stocker Trout, 12" MS Slammer, or 8" Optimum. It just doesn't have the beef in the butt section to lay into a fish on a heavy bait when the rod is already loaded up by the weight of the lure on the retrieve. Because the blank is thin, the cork handle is correspondingly thin which makes it feel small in your hand. If you want a rod that doesn't feel completely different than your normal bass rods, this would be a good choice. It's an easy transition to pick up this rod after setting down your standard 7' or 7'6" bass rod. There was one thing I did not like about this rod, and that was the wobble it gives off when casting a heavier bait. Some rods deaden quickly when flexed, and others want to continue wobbling back and forth. This rod just has a tendency to wobble after you launch the cast. It also quivers toward the middle of the blank when you rip the rod back during the retrieve. It almost feels like a glass rod in that regard. Glassy actions are good for two hook hardbaits, and smaller single hook swimbaits, but not for the heavy rubber baits or the baits with 8/0 G-Mag hooks. Buy this rod for what it is, a light, easy casting, 5 to 9" bait rod. Don't buy it expecting to heave the big stuff.
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