2023 Steez “Real Control” Rods

[4g63power]

Yea the runners are size 4. Pretty small.

[trevor60]

Here Kyoya Fujita discusses the rods used for his Toledo Bend Victory...they are 6'5"ML

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOhfra6-86I

[Cranky]

Personally I don’t have any use for super long leaders and all I fish on them is braid to fluoro with FG knots. The longest I recommend going is keeping the knot between the reel and the first big stripper guide where your finger is still on the braid when you are casting. The rod will straighten out on the swing and the knot will pass through just fine. Otherwise just run a 12–18” length that stays completely out of the guides when casting (this is what Fujita was doing with the 30# braid and 16# leader, though he typically fishes the lighter PE lines elsewhere).

Personally I haven’t had any trouble with leader knots but I’m typically fishing 0.6PE and 5-15# range leaders (and hence the knot is very small).

[Cserafin]

So I quite like the 73h model. I don’t agree about the tip I think there is plenty for short range pitching. Certainly not the most but it’s still good to me. Where it shines is sensitivity and how dang light it is.

The tiny guides are a bit of a shock to me but after I got over that I actually love them.

The one thing I can’t get over and would be good to hear if anyone else has had this issue but the guides seem noisy? I inspected each one and they seem all in good shape but I’m throwing 18lb flouro and it is a loud friction sound and I have narrowed it down to the guides for sure. My only guesses on what I could be is the carbon wrap somehow transmits more sensitivity and in turn noise or I have some sort of defective guide somewhere that I cannot see. Would be curious if anyone else noticed. I’m usually not that nitpicky but this is 100% noticable. I fished it right along side a steez bottom contact 2 and it was night and day difference for sound coming off the guides particularly when reeling in.