Juggling two themes at once (2009’s Crankbait Rod Wars & 2010’s The Search For One) can get a bit confusing, but what helps to clear the fog are products that excite that enthusiast spirit in us all. Though I’m still fishing some domestic flavored product for the sake of TackleTour, I’ve more or less rededicated myself to what brought me here and that’s the tackle products from other markets. In any other industry, these are referred to simply as grey market items but here on TackleTour, it’s all about enthusiasm and that special niche of tackle that inspires an inexplicable excitement – or – enthusiasm.
Earlier this year, we previewed some items from just across our northern border.. Rapala Canada’s new line of bass rods. I’ve since had a chance to fish some of these sticks and initial impressions are all very good. Of particular note are the R-Type sticks… In our January preview, we were only able to share their musky sticks from this lineup, but I’ve since acquired a couple of their split grip bass rods including a two-piece travel stick and boy, for right around $100 Canadian, these are some fun sticks to fish! And don’t forget, even the top end Shift rods are only $179 Canadian.
These might not have quite the same aura and back story as the sticks from Japan, but when our reviews on these two sticks are done, I predict there will be a fair number of tackle junkies ready to drive across the border to import these value driven, enthusiasm inspiring sticks. Oh Canada!!
Living in Canada, I picked up one of Rapala’s new R-Type cranking rods and fished with it throughout the summer and fall last year. I must say, that they are excellent rods in general, even more so when the price point is taken into consideration. They are sensitive, but with enough backbone to handle anything I could throw at it. I will be dusting this rod off again once the local season opens back up, and I expect another year of faithful service.
I picked one up at the Toronto Bass Pro Shops, and I was surprised at how great they felt for the price. I’m looking forward to your full review.