| Simax is a Canadian company with strong roots in China. They offer several rod series and have expanded into techniques specific rods such as drop shotting, jerkbait and steelhead. The Loca series has been in production for several years. Made in China but designed in Canada, it has been refined several times. Here are their newest designs. IBASSIN.com is not providing a rating scale in this review. I feel that a rubric (scale) is a fine method of providing evaluation, but it is unjust to critically evaluate this style of equipment. Rods are tools and tools need to fit its owner. What is suburb for me might be a miss for you. We are judging this rod on its own merits. Priced for around $200, it isn't an entry level rod nor at the top. Here are its features:  |
| We got to sample two different 7'4" models. The top is the heavy action and the lower rod is medium-heavy. Both have identical length. A primarily black blank with red accents and threading makes for a sharp, attractive fishing rod. Each rod action was appropriately rated and had fast actions. The heavy action rod was strong and powerful enough to double as a flipping rod. I found it perfect for pitching and jig fishing. It would also double for Carolina rigs, medium Alabama rigs, or swimbaits. The medium heavy rod offered more of a tapered action than it's heavier action twin. This would be ideal for spinnerbaits, frogs (especially if you like to walk the dog), chatterbaits and swimbaits. |
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| Created out of black EVA foam this split grip handle and wrap is very stylish. Past models had cork with no fore grip. The 2013 models are all foam with a hard plastic fore grip. The first thing you'll notice is the handle difference. The heavy action (right) has a much longer handle. Each rod's fore grip is equal in size and is rigid plastic. Personally, I find the shorter handle more ideal for working topwaters, jerkbaits and frogs. I did find it a bit too short for pitching or deep worming. The longer handle model (heavy action) was very well balanced. I found it more comfortable and offered less fatigue especially when pitching or long range casting. One major change was omitting the balancing system. Prior models had a weigh system were the angler could add or subtract washers in the butt to fine tune the rod's balance. Simax has done away with this feature and offers a simple butt cap. |
