The minute you put a well-constructed rod in your hands, you can just feel it. The weight, the balance, the power and the cosmetics just seem to work in concert. Because there are so many rod companies in fishing, choosing one that has the right action, the perfect length and the right price can be a difficult task at times.

I use the blind test on just about every rod. I never look at price until the end of the test when evaluating them, and I do that for a reason. I want the rod to be judged on the quality versus how much it costs, and it’s amazing to me just how many great rods are priced from $100-200 based on that test. I found exactly that with the ALX IKOS Promise 73 rod.