Fenwick Elite Tech River Runner 7'6 Review

[bassbandit]

There have been a few comments about Fenwick’s Elite Tech River Runner rods on this site, but so far, no one has provided an in depth opinion on them yet, so here is my take as I received my 7’6 L River Runner last week.

For the past couple of years, I have been using a St. Croix Triumph 6’ L spinning rod for my trout fishing. Although the rod performed well, I really wanted something longer and bit nicer. Over the past couple of months, I have debated between rods in St. Croix’s Avid series, G.Loomis’s TSR series, and Fenwick’s Elite Tech River Runner . I am very familiar with St. Croix’s Avid UL rods as I have fished a 5’ UL quite a bit in the past. I was unable to handle rods from Fenwick or G.Loomis prior to making my decision. Ultimately I decided on the River Runner because I liked the length over the Avid and the price compared with G.Loomis’s TSR rods. I settled on the 7’6 because it seemed like the rod that best fit my specifications.

My initial impression is that this rod is very light for being so long. The blank, as mentioned by others, does look a little on the thick side compared to other rods of comparable power, but the lure rating of 1/32 oz.-3/16 seems spot on after an hour of use. I paired this rod with a Shimano Stradic CI4 ML spooled with 4lb. Fireline Crystal. One of my worst fears was that this rod would be an unbalanced club, especially since the Stradic is so light, but that isn’t the case. The combo is slightly tip heavy, but not prohibitively so. In fact, I barely noticed it while fishing.

Cosmetically, this is a very attractive rod. I like the olive green color of the blank. The wraps match pretty well also. I like the inclusion of winding checks on the handle and the inclusion of trout decal on the blank near the first guide. It’s a small detail, but a very thoughtful one.

The fit and finish of my rod are not perfect, but I’d say that the imperfections are minor and the level of craftsmanship is acceptable for a rod in this price range. Specifically, a couple of guides have too much glue. But the guides are straight and the wraps were executed properly. There aren’t any gaps in the assembly of the handle either.

I was able to get this rod out on the water this past weekend and although I wasn’t able to catch any fish, I do have a few observations. Mostly my impressions are positive. I was able to cast much further than I was previously able to with a 6’ rod. I know it’s hard to judge sensitivity without a fish on the end of the line, but I had no problems feeling the wobble of my spoons, but this could have been enhanced by the braid.

The drawback of this rod is that it doesn’t have the crisp action of St. Croix’s Avid or I imagine, G.Loomis’s TSR rods. It’s still a fast action rod with surprising backbone, but it feels a bit more “sloppy” than I hoped. I was also fairly disappointed to discover that the tip wobbles on the cast. It could just be the way I cast, but tip wobble is fairly annoying even if it doesn’t affect fishing. Also, the handle is at least two inches too short. A longer handle would make two handed casting more comfortable and improve the balance,

So, I guess the most relevant thing I could say in this review is whether or not I would buy another River Runner. I’ll say yes, but there price will be the most important determinant. The price between the River Runner and the Avid is significant with the longer rods because they cost more as length increases. If I was going to buy a 5’ or 6’ UL, I opt for an Avid over the River Runner. In my case, the 7’6 River Runner was $50 less than the 7’ UL Avid. That was significant enough that I chose the Fenwick. A 5’ UL would run about the same price, and given that, I’d choose St. Croix instead.

But this is all just my opinion.

[Tomhdez]

Thanks for the review! I have the one piece 5'8" model and I love it! At the risk of sounding like a fenwick fanboy I will say I haven't noticed any quality issues or wobble on casts. Also The 5'8" is a single piece and it balances almost at the reel stem with my reel on.( I posted pictures before the crash.) And I am using an Abu c400ui spooled with 4lb flouroclear the rod is still sensitive enough to feel the blade spinning on size 4 panther martins. I think it's cool too when i go between a dressed and a non dressed lure the difference in how the lures feel is also pretty pronounced.
The handle; interesting design. I find it comfortable but it felt large at first The material handles well with wet hands. I handled a St croix (triumph?) 5' something in ultralight that felt too noodly. I hvent held a TSR but the RR feels pretty crisp and I'm happy with the action. As for the price I got mine for 90 dollars delivered. I'm currently contemplating a seven foot model .

[Tomhdez]

Here are a few pics to illustrate the above posts.

[uljersey]

I have the 6' 8" UL version. Until now it was almost impossible to find a QUALITY UL rod longer than 5' 6 " without spending a lot of money. They hit it out of the park with this one.

Mine is paired with a Pflueger Supreme XT in the 25 size. I use Sufix Performance braid in 10/4. Several weeks ago I was throwing unweighted 2" Senkos wacky style to non aggressive crappie and felt every peck, so at least for me sensitivity is not an issue with this rod. For the past 3 weekends I've been throwing tiny Strike King crankbaits and this is where this rod really shines. This rod excels with moving treble hook baits, I have had no trouble with pulling baits away from the fish. I have missed very few fish. The biggest I've caught was just a bit over 3 lb.

One thing I am curious to find out is how well it works with some 1/16 oz jigs that I picked up. UL jig fishing is a new thing to me, we'll see how that goes....

So far I'm very pleased with this rod. If you are on the fence about it, go for it. I think you'll be happy with it.

[Ranger 619VS]

ULjersey,


I think I contacted you once before in the past. I am an avid some would say obsessed UL angler. I fish fish with 1/16oz jigs 99% of the time. If you want to meet up for a fish one day just pm me and let me know.

I have been smacking the big yellow perch and crappie on lake hopatcong last week throwing 1/16oz jigs with either a power grub or slider grub. I was catching big numbers of fish and could not believe how aggressive they were in 45'F water temps. They were in only 2.5ft of water too.

I am heading out this week a few times but anxious to see what the weather has done to the bite.

Ranger 619VS/Brian

[uljersey]

ULjersey,


I think I contacted you once before in the past. I am an avid some would say obsessed UL angler. I fish fish with 1/16oz jigs 99% of the time. If you want to meet up for a fish one day just pm me and let me know.

I have been smacking the big yellow perch and crappie on lake hopatcong last week throwing 1/16oz jigs with either a power grub or slider grub. I was catching big numbers of fish and could not believe how aggressive they were in 45'F water temps. They were in only 2.5ft of water too.

I am heading out this week a few times but anxious to see what the weather has done to the bite.

Ranger 619VS/Brian

Hi Ranger....

I was referring to this type of jig paired up with a NetBait Tiny Paca Chunk trailer...http://blogs.courierpostonline.com/fish ... sy_bug.jpg

As for the 1/16 oz ball head jigs with the Slider grubs, I've been throwing them for years and indeed they are a killer on all species. If you haven't yet, you should get yourself some of the Strike King Bitsy Pond Minnow crankbaits. I know you're an enthusiast, but these are no joke. They run true out of the package and don't roll over at higher speed retrieves. At under $4 each (I have found them for as little as $2.50 at WalMart) they are a gem. I have been killing them this year on these, cold water and all. Most ul cranks leave a lot to be desired as they roll over like a possum. One exception (without getting into high dollar JDM) are the Yo Zuri's. I also just ordered a bunch of the BPS Crappie Maxx cranks. They're on sale for $2.99 ea. and got good reviews. I haven't had the best of luck with BPS brands in the past but I'll take a chance on these.

Thanks for the offer to fish. I'm in South Jersey right across the river from Philadelphia, so I'm quite a ways from you. I'll keep your offer in mind if I ever get up your way. I'm off to a good start this year. Last year was one of my worst, the brutal heat was one factor, plus I strayed away from my ul. That won't happen this year. I'll still have my heavy bc rig for throwing frogs and heavy tubes into pads, but I'll be back to ul for the most part. I learned my lesson...

[ah_long]

I have the 7'2L that I paired up with a Symetre 1000 for crappie fishing... I originally wanted to pick up the 6'8, but I decided to go for a longer pole with a bit more backbone... for the price of this rod, it's great, no complaints aside from the minor details like the epoxy job and so so wrapping

[aditud]

I posted some extensive stuff on this rod here: http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=29291

So, I kind of disagree with the initiator of this thread (in that that there's some in-depth description out there). In fact, most of the important issues (nice design, on the thick side, a bit tip heavy, lure rating) brought up by this review had already been noted.

It is true that my posts are kind of specialized, they focus on ultra-small jigs (1/64oz) jigs (such as the TM).
Also, I really think (no offence!), an "in-depth" review should include comments on how the rod handles fish of various sizes.

I have the 7'6" model paired with a Pflueger Patriarch 9530X (6.3oz). Already landed lots of trout with this equipment, from 1/2lb to close to 4lb. The backbone of this rod makes any fish under 1.5-2lb kind of uninteresting. If you fish a stream where you know chances for a 2lb-er are very low, you'd be better off with an UL stick.

A little rainbow...
http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l61 ... /rnb11.jpg

Fighting a big brown...(not landed) on 4.75lb test Orvis Superstrong Tippet material (the 100m spools are ideal for spinning applications where very thin, yet strong lines are essential). The 7'6" Fenwick ERR is great with larger fish.
http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l61 ... drill1.jpg

A big brookie on the same equipment (except the line; for this one I used Stroft 4.8lb-test, just 0.14mm thick).
http://i1126.photobucket.com/albums/l61 ... brook1.jpg

All fish caught on the TM.

[uljersey]

This rod is more than capable of dealing with larger critters....http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=31007

[bassbandit]

[quote="aditud"]I posted some extensive stuff on this rod here: http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic.php?f=47&t=29291

So, I kind of disagree with the initiator of this thread (in that that there's some in-depth description out there). In fact, most of the important issues (nice design, on the thick side, a bit tip heavy, lure rating) brought up by this review had already been noted.


quote]

I did not mean to imply that there wasn't information on the rod, merely that most comments were spread across a few different threads. Prior to the creation of this thread, there wasn't a "Fenwick River Runner Review" thread.

Also, unless I am unaware of other posts, I might be the only person who has one of these rods that isn't completely enamoured by it. I'm still not sure that I shouldn't have just picked up an Avid UL instead.

[aditud]

I did not mean to imply that there wasn't information on the rod, merely that most comments were spread across a few different threads. Prior to the creation of this thread, there wasn't a "Fenwick River Runner Review" thread.

No problem.

Also, unless I am unaware of other posts, I might be the only person who has one of these rods that isn't completely enamoured by it. I'm still not sure that I shouldn't have just picked up an Avid UL instead.

Well, an UL was out of the question in my case. I really needed an L rod, for big(ger) trout on ultra-tiny jigs (like the TM). Now, the official description for Gloomis TSR901-2 is: "there's even a 7 1/2' rod (TSR901-2) made especially for Southern California large trout on small jigs". It is L, and has exactly the same lure rating and length as my River Runner. And, even though I haven't handled/seen one, I'm pretty sure is slimmer and better than the River Runner. But I would have had an impossibly hard time explaining to my better half why I felt like spending $300 for a spinning rod . So, even though I'm not enamoured by my River Runner either, I could add it to my collection without prompting a divorce .

[SixKillerVR6]

Please somebody tell me how wide (thick) is the blank in the base - 6'8"UL ? Thank you

[SixKillerVR6]

...and if someone can take some pictures of 6.8UL please send me on my e-mail: georgiev_asparuh@abv.bg. I want to buy this rod but I'm from Bulgaria and it's too difficult for shipping and I can't see before buy.

Thank you a lot!

[SixKillerVR6]

Pls ...

[Smead]

Here is their toll free service/warranty number...not sure if international toll applies if you use it...maybe not.

They might be able to give you misc size information.

On this page, you can sign up for their e-newsletter, which may provide e-mail contact.

http://www.fenwickfishing.com/cat.php

I looked on google images, but could not find any good, large photos of that specific rod length.