In this installment of the EVERYMAN Series, we are bringing you two casting rods for under $70.
I recently came across a couple of casting rods that are not in every big box store and wanted to try them out. What happened was a pleasant surprise.
EVERYMAN is not just about price but also about quality. These two rods are from major manufacturers you know. You just may not know it. No. 8 Tackle Co. is an offshoot of 13 Fishing. It will be interesting to see what happens with No. 8 as 13 just started One3 this year. The other is a Daiwa. Again. They really have put some time and effort into the mid market buyers which is perfect for our series!
Without further ado, here are two high quality casting rods under $70 that I feel good recommending.
Daiwa Fuego Casting Rods $50-70
I didn’t even realize the Fuego line made a casting rod. In a visit to a local tackle shop (Tightlines PFT in Killeen, TX), Tom Learned asked me if I had seen them. They were by the XT Rods, a Steez, and some Tatula rods. Nope, I hadn’t. He handed it to me and it felt expensive. It looked expensive. When he told me the price I bought it. $70. Yeah. I was shocked too. It has some nice appointments, some intricate cosmetic touches, and a great feel.
I walked through it my first day testing it in this video: Click Here
I will say that the 701MFB that I bought did have some short comings. I didn’t like it throwing topwaters or soft plastics. I couldn’t command a cast like I wanted with the light plastics and the topwaters I couldn’t walk the dog and set the hook like I wanted.
It started to shine as soon as I tied on a spinnerbait. I like a 3/8 ounce spinnerbait and the rod seemed dialed in for it almost like a custom build. It has good power, feel, and my casting control was spot on in that weight range with that bait. It’s my go to for a spinnerbait now.
In the Green Hat Rating Scale (1 to 5 with 5 being best):
Price Point: 4
Functionality/Performance: 4
Components: 4
Daiwa Fuego Casting Rods 12 out of 15 80% Recommended
No. 8 Tackle Co Hellbent Casting Rods $59
I was a little torn on which No. 8 rod to try out. The Hellbent was at $59 and the Blackout was at $79. Both had nice components but the shiny bling finish on the Blackout convinced me that the EVERYMAN cares more about functionality than flash for his dollar.
The Hellbent casting rods are a blended handle with cork on the front of the split grip and an EVA foam fighting butt. Again, my preference for cork on my hand is well documented. Having pinky access to feel the blank is nice for a finesse presentation while the split grip also gives you some extra leverage for side arm whips from a kayak.
I do wish the reel seat were a touch smaller. This one adds unnecessary weight to the rod and doesn’t do much except cut costs. I’d also like to see a little more substance to the foam above the slip ring. It could potentially be overtorqued and the slip ring itself seems a bit lightly gauged.
All in all it’s a good all around rod, especially at the price point.
In the Green Hat Rating Scale (1 to 5 with 5 being best):
Price Point: 4
Functionality/Performance: 4
Components: 3
No. 8 Tackle Casting Rods 11 out of 15 73% Recommended
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