The new 2013 Shimano Cumara rods

[bartmandude]

Hi guys. I finally got to fish with a new 2013 Cumara. I'm a long time Cumara user, and huge fan. It's the one model of rod that I always go back to after fishing something else and say "oh yeah...these ARE still better than anything else I've tried." I had a 7' 2" medium spinning model break on me unexpectedly. I did the over-the-counter warranty replacement, and the replacement was a new, 2013 red 7' 2" medium jig/worm model. I got it months ago, and now I've done finally done a few outings and tournaments with it. I was a little freaked out by the handle at first. The red i don't really care about. In fact, in person it actually seems kind of attractive. I use it paired with a Pflueger Patriarch Magnesium 35-size spinning reel, spooled with Daiwa 18lb Samurai braid with a 4 ft. 10lb Vicious Elite flouro-carbon leader.

That small handle that everyone seems to be concerned about actually seems to be the very thing I like about it most. I have always held my spinning setups with the reel mount between my middle and ring fingers. This new handle essentially gives a little bit of meat to grab at the back, but other than that you're all over the blank. The advantage seems to be that I feel EVERYTHING that's going on beneath the water. Pulling a 1/8th ounce texas rigged finesse worm through grass, I can swear I was feeling each blade of grass. My 13 year old son picked it up after he had a break-off on his own setup. He about lost his mind, fell in love, and now i can't seem to get it back from him when we fish together. He immediately pointed out that it casts a mile, and that he can feel everything. I was trying like heck to "christen" the rod (catch a fish on it) on that first outing, and that lucky little punk caught a keeper on his 2nd cast with it. On my last outing I was doing a side-by-side comparison with that rod, a Loomis Bronzeback 7' 3" M, and a Crucial 7' 2" M dropshot rod, all with the same reel/line setup. All of them are great rods, very sensitive, good backbone, etc. I think the handle on the new red Cumara, (the way it allows you maximum blank contact) actually makes it the best of the 3 when I'm trying to feel the bottom and feel light strikes.

Hope this gives some perspective for those on the fence due to the handle. I have yet to try and of the new casting models, so I can't speak to that model yet, but I hope to pick one up soon.

[quantum angler nt]

Why can't they produce a cork handle? That would make the rod look so much nicer. That EVA looks so cheap.

[basskeeter1]

Why can't they produce a cork handle? That would make the rod look so much nicer. That EVA looks so cheap.

I agree but, High grade cork cost more than cheap EVA. Cost effective.

[mrpao]

I would have preferred cork too. I don't like the feel of Eva.

[murphy]

I recently got a CUCX711HA on a trade-in and it's a beautiful rod. The rod is very tip heavy, so you may want to look into a balancer cap if you like your combo balanced.

[mrpao]

It seems that most of Shimano's rod that are over 7' are tip heavy.
I have a old style 7'2" cumara casting rod that I never fish bacause of the tip feeling heavy.
I might just need to put a heavier reel on there.

[bassninja]

I have the gen 1 Cumara CUCX72MH with a Core 101 on it. It balances 1/2" in front of the foregrip.

[the hooligan]

Im also a cumara/cumulus nut, i have 4 older cumaras and two cumulus rods in my arsenal. I love the original cumara so i cant wait to try the new one. I hold the rod/reel between my middle finger as well so im excited about the sensitivity.

I ordered the 6'8 mh spinning rep sample from the tackle trap, couldnt pass up such a good deal. Its funny, but i dont like cork, i prefer the eva and i also prefer smaller grips so hopefully this rod works for me. I also have my eye on the 6'10 spinnerbait model, that might be next.

Now i have to figure what reel i want to put on it, i have a stradic fj, ci4, and sustain fg.....

[bartmandude]

I just got a 7' 0" crankbait model a week ago on a warranty replacement. So now I have two of the new red cumaras: one spinning, and this crankbait rod. I just fished the crankbait model for the first time this past weekend and now I have a problem: the problem is I'm in love. No rod I've ever used has ever felt "so right". I don't want to fish anything else. Damn you Shimano. Damn you. I don't have the money lying around to spend on more rods, but now I wanna sell all my carrot stix and kistler magnesiums and crucials everything else and replace them with these. I won't. But I wish I could. I probably will pick up a heavier jig/worm rod soon. I was thinking of a Duckett or another Carrot Stix, but now I can say with certainty that it'll be a Cumara.

[miracleJim]

I'm a detail-nut, and I find the Cumara rods, for the price, have sloppy craftsmanship (nothing against Chinese made rods or anything but I have better quality Chinese made rods that are lower in price). I've seen a few in the store that have blanks and guides that are not aligned perfectly, some of them veer to the left. The threads above the handle and near the guides are not even all the way around, and the craftsmanship is not consistent from one rod to the other.

From the feel though it is a great rod, very lightweight. For the price though you can't ignore the inconsistent build quality.

[cndbasshunter]

I'm a detail-nut, and I find the Cumara rods, for the price, have sloppy craftsmanship (nothing against Chinese made rods or anything but I have better quality Chinese made rods that are lower in price). I've seen a few in the store that have blanks and guides that are not aligned perfectly, some of them veer to the left. The threads above the handle and near the guides are not even all the way around, and the craftsmanship is not consistent from one rod to the other.

From the feel though it is a great rod, very lightweight. For the price though you can't ignore the inconsistent build quality.

i tested a few of the longer rods 7'+ and they are very unbalanced. The older gen were better balanced.

[husonfirst]

Being tip heavy seems to be a common gripe since the 2012 line. A rod can be super light but if it doesn't balance well, the light weight doesn't matter.

[mrpao]

Its hard to beat the original cumaras. I really like the balance of the models 7' and less.
Over 7' the balance is off.

[dragon1]

Disparity of opinions on the new Cumaras is very enlightening...

[John Puckett]

I'll be honest here guys, I NEVER look to see if the guides are perfectly inline or if the thread wraps are 100% even before I purchase a rod so I just can't see what the big deal is over those things. I'm much more interested in how the rod performs on the water but that's just me. Not trying to say you should ignore these things if they're important to you, my opinion is no more valid than yours.

On the balance side of things, the only Cumara A I have so far is the Umbrella Rig rod and it balances very well with my Curado 301E. I plan to pick up another one, probably a flipping stick, to go with the new Chronarch CI4+ lefty whenever they are available. That light of a reel may change my mind on the balance issue, just have to wait and see.