I first heard of Lamiglas rods as a young kid reading the virtues of this US-based fishing rod manufacturer in a local fishing magazine back in the early 1980s.
The memory that lasts was how highly regarded these rods were by the author. It’s only taken me about 20 years but I’ve finally managed to get my hands on one of the 6-10lb EXS 701 BA series of Lamiglas rods distributed locally through Blue Acres.
There are a couple of things you immediately notice when first picking up this rod. There is no foregrip, the rear grip is this funky looking carbon fibre thingy and the bulk of the exposed blank section is unvarnished with the bare graphite on display for all to see.
The carbon fibre grip is short and designed for single handed use – I prefer a short butt section on a light rod, longer butt sections get in my way when fishing light lines. The grip looks like it may become slippery, however the exposed carbon fibre gives a tactile feel and is sure-footed when wet. The reel seat features an ergonomic design and felt comfortable in my hands. It’s worth noting that a 2000 sized Daiwa reel tightly squeezes into the reel seat so any reel with a larger footprint would struggle to fit. The single footed titanium framed guides add to the refinement and quality expected in this class of rod; after months of hard use they still appear as good as new.
This rod looks and feels like it has been built to transmit every bump or vibration back to the angler and functionally it’s a star performer, positioned in my rod rack as a current favourite to fish 1/4oz jig heads when flicking for flatties. The blank is inherently firm, offering superb sensitivity and positive hook set characteristics – it’s one of the nicer rods that I’ve used in a while and has caught everything from bream to small kings.
I would have liked a gloss finish on the blank which would make the rod appear slick and shimmer in the sun although I’m not sure how much sensitivity would be compromised. Also, where the reel seat joins the blank I would have liked to see a dress ring or something similar to terminate the reel seat and create a seamless join – these improvements are minor however and primarily based on enhancing aesthetics.
On the whole, however, this rod rates quite highly in my books and ranks alongside many of the top performing off the shelf rods available to the discerning fisho.
Contact: Blue Acres at www.blueacres.com.au.
