I have already reviewed the bigger brother to this rod, the 702ML…
https://dizzybigfish.co.uk/review-of-grauvell-teklon-concept-spin-702ml-rod/
So you could be forgiven for thinking that this is just a repeat performance. However, this was the model I had always wanted to get my hands on. It is the most sensitive 7 foot rod int he Concept Spin range. The specification states that it is rated to cast 7 to 25 grams. So I was expecting a light wand.
First impressions were good, but not quite what I was expecting. Yes, the rod is light (135 grams) and the tip is quite sensitive, but not as soft as I was expecting. I gave it the usual “Swish”; not even a hint of floppyness. I got Connor to hold the tip whilst I applied pressure to the rod… blimey, this rod has some power in reserve ! My initial thoughts of possible mullet rod were well off the mark. This was a more powerful beast, which really opened up a whole new series of fishing possibilities. I felt that the rod would be capable of handling alot more than just light plugs and plastics (that is what is was designed to do). And you will find out later, that my hunch was right !
Back to the review. As already stated, the rod is 7 feet long (210 cms)…
…and comes in two almost equal sections.
We shall work our way along the rod, starting at the butt section…
A nice short butt section, ideal for use on the kayak. As with the other Teklon models, the blank is superbly finished, though the colours are a bit garish !
The reel seat is a custom job – it has a nice soft rubberised reel to it, but the reel lugs are not vey big – not so much of a problem on this model, because you would not want to go any bigger than a 2500 or 3000 sized reel anyway.
Another thumbs up from me, for the neat little hook keeper ring just above the reel seat…
The whippings are very neat and not too much varnish…
The butt section has a single large ring…
A long spigot should see many years of wear and also should take a fair amount of abuse…
On to the tip section. The tip has 7 fuji rings and a small tip ring. The rings are high quality single leg affairs…
I like the single leg rings on rods like this – because there is not alot of whipping, the action of the rod is not affected.
The tip ring is quite small, but it is well secured with thread and varnish…
The action of the rod is very fast – it bends down to about halfway along the tip section, but then the rest of the blank comes into play, and there is an amazing amount of power in the rest of the rod as mentioned earlier.
I decided to take the rod on a kayak fishing trip to test out its capabilities. I teamed it up with an Okuma Trio 30S fixed spool reel – it seemed to feel good on the rod. I was using Varivas 9Kg braid (yellow) with a 15 flurocarbon leader. My friend Marc Jones had done really well using poppers for bass a few days earlier, so a plan was hatched to take a fist full of plugs and try for a repeat performance…
On went a Maria chase BW, and no sooner had I cleared the river entrance when I had a take from a bass of about 4 lbs – I saw the fish follow the plug in the clear water and it had a tentative lunge at the plug.
No hook-up, so I paddled further out in search of tope. I managed a huss on the Okuma Cortez rod, and then a crazy thought entered my head “I wonder what this little rod can handle ?”…
I put some home made mackerel feathers on (size 8 34007 with silicon bodies) with a 3 oz. weight, but all I could manage was a garfish. I decided to try baiting the feathers on the Teklon rod and lobbed them back out .
A few minutes later, the little rod buckled over. I struck, but there really was no need. Whatever was on the other end, was not happy. The rod arched right over, but I could still apply power even though the tip was now not affecting the action of the rod. The clutch on the reel was singing, and all I could do was to hang on, as the fish made a couple of boring dogged runs. Slowly, I managed to gain line and started to control the fish, you could feel the butt of the rod working.
Another five minutes and I glimpsed the fish in the clear water. It was a huss, a real beauty – looked to be about 15 lbs. I managed to drag it aboard the kayak and took some pictures and video. It was not happy, but I was !
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48Rj_KeCLnw
There couldn’t be a better way of testing the Teklon to the max. And I have to say that I was seriously impressed. Maybe not as sensitive as I had imagined, but this was compensated by the fact that it had so much power in reserve.
The Teklon Concept Spin 702L is available from Veals tackle…
https://www.veals.co.uk/acatalog/teklon-concept-spin-702l-1974.html