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Megabass Silver Shadow: I'm amazed......

1957 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Vidar Thomassen
Vidar and his shiney toys got the better of me earlier this year and we bought a pair of these nice little toys. Megabass Xor Silver Shadow SSz-75m

megabass product
megabass field report

It's made from z-pbo (zylon) and not carbon fibre so it has a higher tensile strength yet it's still a fast action rod with a soft tip. Perfect for soft plastics. It's backbone and power in the lower section is tremendous and yet the rod is still relatively lightweight. It's casting weight is 10 - 35 grs but with a soft tip the upper weight end feels a little weird but that tip is so flexible there's little chance of cracking the tip off unless you thunder shot the lure. I've worked Zonks and SP's to approx 30grs with it, casts a fair fair distance too for a short rod.

I took it to Jersey with me and managed a couple of small Bass maybe 2lb max and since then it's been polished and put away to be cherished and hopefully used again when the pleasure takes me.

I was reading through all the stuff we've been talking about recently over light weight gear, ultra light lures and plugging and thought about my lovely little Megabass rod. So out she came this evening, clean and shiney as new, on went a reel filled with 10lb power-pro and I stepped into the garden to see how low this rod would go. I know it would cast several grams OK but would it cast something really low? So with nothing else but a single SSG split shot on the end (1.6gr) I flicked it out onto the grass. It went about 20 yards without much effort. Errr this rod just cast 1.6grs 20 yards !!! Bugger that I thought and on went a single BB shot (0.4grs). It wasn't even enough to pull the slightly curly braid straight but flick...10 yards. What?

Well I'm absolutley amazed. This rod will cast 0.4grs up to 35grs, it's got a wicked back bone and a fast action but it's no lightweight through action salmon spinning rod, it's a power stick. The link above shows it being used to haul in a 17.5lb 97cm Bass. Now I love my freshwater fishing but who would have thought one rod could cast a little 1gr mepps to catch a 6" Perch, AND a absolute lunker of a fish like that? I am gobsmacked. I also stood there and did what Myfish said to do with the injection, tap the reel seat with your index finger when holding it loosely and the tip vibrates like a beauty. I LOVE THIS ROD.

I'm now gagging for xmas to come and go so I can go out and play with 2gr softies in my local waters as I'm now working 6.5 days a week so no time what so ever to play.
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that sounds very impressive!!!! and too good to polish and put away for such long periods!!!! there is always something you can fish for assuming you are not working. Hopefully I will get to see it in action sometime.
Sounds brilliant.

What a weight range.., Impressive report.

But...

How much £ ?
myfish said:
Sounds brilliant.

What a weight range.., Impressive report.

But...

How much £ ?
First of all, let me say I fully agree with Andy, it is a stunning piece of kit :twisted: :twisted:

Not cheap by any stretch of imagination. The rod retails for 45,000 JPY and delivered to the UK it will cost about 57,000 JPY (around £400 with the current rubbish exchange rate) including shipping, but excluding the VAT and duty charges.

I organised the import of both Andy’s and my rod and was therefore able to negotiate a good price from Plat (it probably helps that I have bought more than two dozen rods from them) and because the shipping of two rods is only marginally more expensive than one, we both saved a nice amount on the total :D :D
Cheers for the info..

Always interested in new stuff especially niche equipment.
I had a really negative thought about a rod such as this.
First of all if as claimed, it casts from less than a gram to over 30gms how do you justify buying any more rods?!?!?!? If your respective partners find out this rod is so versatile you might have a lot of trouble justifying any others!!!!!
I think the more rods I buy, the more 'niche' they become. Having a rod that does so much goes against all that. It does sounds impressive though to be able to do so much with one rod just don't tell the other half!!!
Oh, I don't know:

Like my Injection.

Looks perfect and is, the best I've ever used on tumbled SP's and burn and kill style shads.
Is very good with spinner, chatter and buzz baits.

Is brilliant at drop shot.

However, I'm using it as a micro light plug rod too but, i doubt it is the best at that.

If we break each tool into niche requirements, you'll often find all equipment is compromise.

I love my VS100 reel but, at 4.75:1 it's too slow for spinner baits and such. I prefer much faster reels
(still turned slow) but they keep the blades spinning at low revs.

That's just 1 example of which, as an experienced angler, you should arm yourself
with just as many reasons to own gear as all the gear you have, or NEED.

Tell them it makes you happy and, that usually works.
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saltiga said:
I had a really negative thought about a rod such as this.
First of all if as claimed, it casts from less than a gram to over 30gms how do you justify buying any more rods?!?!?!? If your respective partners find out this rod is so versatile you might have a lot of trouble justifying any others!!!!!
I think the more rods I buy, the more 'niche' they become. Having a rod that does so much goes against all that. It does sounds impressive though to be able to do so much with one rod just don't tell the other half!!!
This is a lovely rod, really lovely but it isn't an allround rod. I've used it with Zonks, swapped outfits straight onto a rod bar with a zonk and there's just not enough fizz in the lure with the silver shadow. I tried a TM 175 flyer, it had NO action what so ever, tried a twitch bait, tried a patchinko they don't work. This will work with plugs but it isn't ideal. I've caught 2 bass on it, one on a feed shallow and the other on a zonk. It really is a Soft Plastics rod BUT used exclusively with SP, I quite agree within that superb casting range, it would do everything. I reckon I could use it with a waggler and double maggot too. I was just amazed I could cast such a UL weight and yet it's not an UL rod.
Andy
Did you use the rod at teh Jersey festival?
Blockhead said:
This is a lovely rod, really lovely but it isn't an allround rod. I've used it with Zonks, swapped outfits straight onto a rod bar with a zonk and there's just not enough fizz in the lure with the silver shadow. I tried a TM 175 flyer, it had NO action what so ever, tried a twitch bait, tried a patchinko they don't work. This will work with plugs but it isn't ideal. I've caught 2 bass on it, one on a feed shallow and the other on a zonk. It really is a Soft Plastics rod BUT used exclusively with SP, I quite agree within that superb casting range, it would do everything. I reckon I could use it with a waggler and double maggot too. I was just amazed I could cast such a UL weight and yet it's not an UL rod.
Very true indeed :) :)

However, in addition to SP’s it will work very well with straight retrieve crankbaits and lipless cranks, but the tip is far too soft for any lures that needs to be worked / jerked or lures (spinnerbaits and deep diving plugs) with a lot of water resistance.
JonB said:
Andy
Did you use the rod at teh Jersey festival?
Yes Jon, it's the one I caught the Bass with standing next to Tracey, with the trebles impailed in my thumb.
Ok time for a silly question..............

Which of the Megabass range (apart from xor ind ) are fully salt protected :?:
Nick Phillips said:
Ok time for a silly question..............

Which of the Megabass range (apart from xor ind ) are fully salt protected :?:
There isn’t much difference, if any, between the Megabass freshwater rods and the salt versions. In fact, designed for fresh or saltwater all Megabass rods comes fitted with titanium framed guides and components that are more “saltwater safe” than the stainless steel version that you will find on many other salt spinning rods.
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