My 2019 fishing gear review & 2020 initial thoughts

[SpeckleDawg]

Good stuff Beast. I've seen a lot more chatter about the Lews reels in recent years, but have never snagged one.
I'm more of a fan of the Falcon rods than you seem to be, but I also much prefer the cork handles (probably just used to it from way back). The HD has been solid and I really like the Coastal spinning 7' I got last year.
Agree on the cheap feel of the lower end Abus, but if it works, it works.

[BeastMan]

Good stuff Beast. I've seen a lot more chatter about the Lews reels in recent years, but have never snagged one.
I'm more of a fan of the Falcon rods than you seem to be, but I also much prefer the cork handles (probably just used to it from way back). The HD has been solid and I really like the Coastal spinning 7' I got last year.
Agree on the cheap feel of the lower end Abus, but if it works, it works.

I really don’t have any issue with the Falcons HDs. But when I post the 2020 gear early thoughts you’ll see what I’m talking about. I’ve gotten in to buying gear at the new year because you’ll find some heavy heavy discounts. I bought 4 new rods none over $69 and some retailed $130. The Omen rods are fine. I’m gonna make another post today.

[BeastMan]

Shimano Curado X 7:1 on a 13 Fishing Fate Black 7’3 MH



The Curado on sale for $99 (reg $179) and the Fate for $69 (reg $99). Are we seeing the huge discount trend? Dec-Feb is a great time to get your shopping done. The Shimano cast well and feels really sturdy. It feels the most well put together of all my reels including the Lews Super Duties. Very low profile so they feel really good in you hand. Smooth smooth reel. Small spool but I love braid so no biggie. Here’s what I don’t like about Shimano. While the rest of the industry makes cool little details they stay in 1986 with detachable side plates on almost $200 reels. Come on man. And while I don’t have any complaints about the performance of the drag, the plastic clip system just feels antiquated. It’s hard to tell if they’re clicked on or off unless you remember. I will say this this plastic clip system is an upgrade from the Citicas I had a cpl years ago that had these weird plastic tabs you slid up and down and could actually pop off. The Fate Black rod is 24 ton graphite but it feels pretty good. Love the split handle. The color is bright. One thing I hate is why cork the blank above the trigger when it could be exposed? I don’t understand why you do that. One thing I really like about this rid compared to the same power/length on the omen series is this one has a lot more tip. I’m gonna have some versatility with this one.

[BeastMan]

Shimano XG 8:1 on a H20 Xpress Ethos 7’3 Heavy



This is my frog setup. Actually got the rod mid summer but it made the cut to 2020. Although my best bass this summer was on a mh rod, my percentage went waaaaay up with this rod. It’s a value price point probably $70ish bucks. I’d highly recommend it if you have need for another cheap heavy stick in the arsenal. Love the split grip and exposed blank but since most of the time I’m froggin with this the exposed blank doesn’t matter. Maybe if I do some pitchin with it.... See all above praise and complaints on Shimano Curado X series but this one is the high speed picks up some damn line. My froggin equipment got a huge upgrade for 2020. I’m pumped about this setup.

[BeastMan]

13 Fishing Concept A on a 13 Fishing Omen Black 7’1 M




You’ve already heard about this exact rod so I won’t say much more other than it’s a tad heavier than some other brands medium so with the braid on this one I’m going to get to throw pretty much my 3 favorite 3/8-1/4 presentations: under spin jigs, swim jigs, and chatter baits. I chunked around the lazyman hook with a paddle tail a lot the other day just because it was fun to throw. The Concept A is a sexy ass reel with the matte black finish and the cork grips. The side plate stays connected and the breaks are the same as the Z. I’m really curious to test the durability of the A vs the Z. It’s a battle of more industry standard tech vs new tech.

[BeastMan]

13 Fishing Origin TX on a 13 Fishing Omen Black 7’3 MH




Last is the Origin TX. The Origin series is a notch down from Concept. This one is $100 msrp so about half the price on all the concepts (or more). The 7’3 omen is lighter than the fate black and it has the exposed blank above the trigger but it doesn’t have as much tip. Just interesting. I wonder if 13 made a trade off with the 30 ton graphite being more sensitive so they gave it more backbone than they same length/power fate. Something to test... The Origin TX is the saltwater specific model on the origin line so I bought this setup to be my redfish combo. If I’m going to the marsh, this one is coming. I’m going to put that saltwater designation to the test. One thing I noticed is it feels more sturdy than the other origins. If you go to academy and feel an origin chrome and then pick up the origin TX, you’ll think the chrome feels like plastic junk. Not saying it is just how different the TX feels. I threw a 3/8 TX rig to give this one a test and man, I was impressed. Cast a mile and smooth as you could ever want for a c-note. Really like the soft rubber grips. They’re a little smaller than the concepts but like them a lot. The side plate is detachable but I can live with that at the price. Can’t have everything for nothing. That said, 13 does cool features like the composite insert hook keep on the reels since that’s where we put them a lot of times anyway. Drag is the same as the Concepts as far as how it sets up. Really pumped to get some reds on the end of this one.