Shimano Zodias

[legendaryyaj]

I believe I asked him if they were to him. I didn't say he said they were, that's why I asked. I suppose I could have worded it better like, "So do those rods have the "wow" factor to you for under $200?"

[Jrob]

Just got my 7mh spinning Rod and paired it with a smoke speed freak spinning reel. What a match! Can't wait to fish it! The build quality of the Zodias rod is impressive!

[Jrob]

Another pic

[Chode]

alright guys lets hear some more on the water performance of these rods

[BRONZEBACK32]

How is the sensitivity on these rods?

[psngt]

I have one paired with a Curado I

Here's my non-professional review

First off, the finish

As the pictures show, it's an impressive finish, from the X wrapping, to the red accents. Some guys like the accents, some don't. I think it's a quaint touch. The Ci4+ reel seat also looks very smooth and solid and adds good character to the rod.

The build

The rod actually feels "thinner" than many other models/brands with the same action. I'm sure the wrap has a lot to do with it. The reel seat is very solid and secure. The thread portion is aluminum, which is a welcome touch. I've always been leery of the longevity of plastic on this part. The guides are nicely wrapped and are minimal, not bulky at all.

The feel

I came from using a Shimano Crucial, Compre, and BPS Carbonlite. This rod feels much better in-hand than any rod I've ever used. The reel seat is smooth and forms within your hand well. The balance with my Curado is perfect and casting felt even and natural. The tip didn't seem heavy to me, but some guys with more sensitivity might be able to better weigh in here. It feels very light in hand and I never fatigue with it.

On the water

Casting - is FAR better than anything I've used to date. Again, I've not come from using 50 different kinds, but compared to my others it's not even close. I feel I'm more accurate and able to cast further than I ever have. Some of that may be the new Curado I use, but some has to be the rod too, it's impressive
Power - feels very solid. I use the 6'10" MH model, which since it's not stated feels like a MH/F rod, I'm not sure why they don't include the rod speeds on the descriptions. I use this for my GP rod and it pulls through heavy cover perfectly, no issues with being light on power
Pitching/Flipping - this more deals with the length of the rod, but it does as expected, it's predictable when pitching and flipping so accuracy is whatever you experience now
Sensitivity - is incredible. I've never had a rod that felt this good. Now I can't hardly go back to either of my rods for any finesse or jig fishing where sensitivity is critical. I feel everything with this rod. It's a nice feeling to know what I'm dragging through with lures to know what action to impart

Pretty much every aspect of the rod feels like my best ones, just with all the minor quirks worked out. It's literally the best rod I've ever owned, Shimano really scored with this one, it's an amazing stick for under 200

I would list the only 2 cons as being:

1. The handles are EVA, which is actually my preference, but as with all EVA (black) it shows every speck of dirt and I keep my stuff in immaculate finish, so it pounds at my slight OCD
2. The rod speeds aren't listed anywhere I've found. I'm not sure why Shimano did this, I mean, I trust them, but I like to know specs before I buy

Hope my quick, non-professional review can help someone out.....it'll be a worthwhile purchase

[bassninja]

How is the balance on the 7'2" MH and H models? Say with a Chronarch Ci4.

[BucketHunter]

It's going to be tip heavy with the 72H and that reel.
Mine balances right under the lock nut with an Exsence DC, and that reel weighs 8 ounces.

It's starting to become a baffling exercise to me, chasing the white whale that is the uber light reel. Sure, they are warranted and welcome on short and light powered rods, (I want a new Alde for my Cumulus 65M) but to me, on anything over 7ft and anything over M power, these sub 6 ounce reels just have no place. Some companies have resorted to building rods with backweighting in them to achieve better balance, like Dobyns IMO and some are just building the lightest most skeletal rods they can, albeit tip heavy like the black EVA crucials were.
Is it better to have weight in the butt? Or build the lightest rod and use a reel to balance it? I am not sure, and maybe it's all up to the user and their preference. I would just like to believe that as reels get lighter companies would begin to build rods with more balance instead of less, as has been the case. Then again, we all know that the first vertical pick up off the rack, and the "oooooohhh that's light" is what sells most rods to most of the masses.

[cndbasshunter]

The Zodias is a lighter rod so feels nicer in hand than the 734. It's hard to have reel nut balance with any production rod.

CI4+ and 72MH zodias


comparable CI4+ with Dobyn Champion 734

[BigAl23]

Is there a spinnerbait model?

[BucketHunter]

You'll find Shimano is shying away from naming rods for specific applications. Too many rods were left out in the dark due to anglers thinking they wouldn't work for other techniques.
Spinnerbaits is a pretty broad tactic, requiring a few different setups. I will say the rods are Fast/X Fast so if that is your preferred action for SB's then pick a power and you'll be fine.

[cndbasshunter]

Is there a spinnerbait model?

I like the longer 7'2MH, i love throwing spinnerbaits in heavier cover and ripping them in weed. I use mostly 1/2oz-3/4oz, if you go lighter the M will do.

[IlliniDawg01]

Nice first post psngt! Thanks for sharing.

DaveJ

[IlliniDawg01]

It's going to be tip heavy with the 72H and that reel.
Mine balances right under the lock nut with an Exsence DC, and that reel weighs 8 ounces.

It's starting to become a baffling exercise to me, chasing the white whale that is the uber light reel. Sure, they are warranted and welcome on short and light powered rods, (I want a new Alde for my Cumulus 65M) but to me, on anything over 7ft and anything over M power, these sub 6 ounce reels just have no place. Some companies have resorted to building rods with backweighting in them to achieve better balance, like Dobyns IMO and some are just building the lightest most skeletal rods they can, albeit tip heavy like the black EVA crucials were.
Is it better to have weight in the butt? Or build the lightest rod and use a reel to balance it? I am not sure, and maybe it's all up to the user and their preference. I would just like to believe that as reels get lighter companies would begin to build rods with more balance instead of less, as has been the case. Then again, we all know that the first vertical pick up off the rack, and the "oooooohhh that's light" is what sells most rods to most of the masses.

I think a good bet if you want a light and balanced setup is to go light on the rod but pick one with decent balance and go as light as you can on the reel. Then add a little something to the butt of the rod until you get the balance you want. An ounce at the butt is worth 3 or more at the nut. I like rubber chair foot bumpers filled with washers stuck inside as necessary. If you move the balance back too much your casting accuracy will diminish because you will lose feel of the tip while casting.

DaveJ

[bassninja]

The Zodias is a lighter rod so feels nicer in hand than the 734. It's hard to have reel nut balance with any production rod.

I saw in the Shimano thread that you have a Metanium on the 7'2" H Zodias. How does that one feel?