MMA FISHING:
Rods Built for Battle and Winning
One thing I truly love about attending fishing shows is the opportunity to find so many new products. And new rod manufactures are always a great sight to an anglers! I had the opportunity to meet Matt Adams at the Raleigh Fishing Expo and the Richmond Fishing Expo. He is fishing the Bassmaster Opens this year and finished 5th at the Lake Okeechobee tournament. He is the man behind MMA Fishing.
First off, MMA just sounds like you are looking to do battle. And battle is what we do every time we go fishing! Actually MMA is Matt’s initials, but creates a cool name for the new fishing rods he has designed and built with a “winning” mindset. And I was lucky enough to learn all about them between the 2 shows.
Matt developed the rods from light weight, premier custom 30Ton Nano blanks. It took a while to work out exactly where the precise guide spacing should be and he makes sure to use American made guides. He uses High-end cork split-grip handles on all his rods. Each rod is backed by a 3 year warranty. And they are all proudly made in Alabama, the BASS capital of the World!
Matt was kind enough to let me use one of his rods to do a little testing and for me, I chose his TAKEDOWN Knockout Series 6’ 10” MXF TD610MXF model for my jerkbaits. I wanted something to help me get better distance and action in my jerkbaits.
My first impression looking at the rod was that it looked like a high quality rod. And after talking to Matt, I got a better understanding of just how much quality control goes into every rod. Detail is everything for Matt because he not only builds them, but uses them in his fishing.
I paired it up with my normal jerkbait reel, a Quantum EXO and 10 pound Seaguar Red Label fluorocarbon. And I tied on my favorite SPRO McStick 110 so I could go do battle. This rod just feels so good in my hand and I was making long casts with it. My only problem was that the bass just weren’t playing where I was fishing. But I found some really aggressive crappie. The rod had enough bend to make even pound to 1 1//2 pound crappie feel so good. And I loved the way it allowed me to dance my jerkbait in place with ease.
But I wanted some bass action. And I went searching for it. One thing I love is the casting distance I was able to achieve, which is very important for fishing a jerkbait. I finally was able to find some willing bass to help me put the rod to the test. Most of the time, we are line watchers when we are working a jerkbait, watching the slack line for that jump signaling a bite. But I had turned my head on the pause, and I actually felt the twitch through the rod seat, which is a very welcome advantage with these rods.
There is enough flex to allow you to fight the bass so you don’t rip the hooks out of the bass’ mouth and enough backbone to fight those big bass. So far, the biggest bass I have been able to hook into has been right around 5 pounds, but I want a giant on it before long.
I like to do battle with the bass, and MMA Fishing has got the rods that will help you win those battles. Quality built here in the U.S.A. in Alabama. And ready to become your favorite weapon! Don’t miss out on these rods! MMA Fishing is located at www.mmafishing.com and is there to help you in your quest.
