Testing M Series Rod: RMC-601-ML Field Tester: Kevin

[kevin]

Testing M Series Rod: RMC-601-ML (6' Medium/Light Baitcasting Rod)

I was pleasantly surprised to see my new Acadia M series rod at my home this evening and being it left TX on Friday and made it to New England today (Tuesday) after the holiday weekend, surely have no complaints on the shipping time at all...packaging was top notch and the rod made it here in great shape...this rod is 6' long and in the baitcasting model...on the initial placement of the rod into my hand the first thing that I noticed was how light this rod is...the weight of the rod is fairly important to me as I will fish many hours at a time and I don't want to be fishing with a heavy rod and this "M" Series rod is feather light...the cork handle is top notch and fit and form perfectly into my hand and is very comfortable as well...there are 8 guides on the rod blank for total control of the line for the full length of the blank...the rod blank goes through the handle with the blank exposed in front of the trigger grip that allows your fore finger to have full contact with the blank to be able to detect those bites...for a compact rod I am seeing a fast tip along with a strong backbone which is exactly what I look for in my fishing rods...the overall design looks very good and I am looking forward to catching my first fish on this rod...

Pros...
Light weight
comfortable cork handle
rod blank through handle
fast tip/strong backbone
plenty of guides
exposed rod in handle

Cons...
no hook keeper

It will be a few days before I am able to sample this rod as I have an Acadia bait casting reel on its way and hopefully by the weekend have that and be ready to go...I look forward to giving this rod a heavy workout and see what it has in it and want to thank Lee at Acadia and also WIF for giving me the opportunity on being able to field test a new product...

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[Timotha7]

Thanks for the initial report Kevin
I love the hook keepers too, hopefully that will be something added as result of this testing

Looking forward to the on the water reports

[kevin]

I haven't seen anything or read anywhere as to how long this test period is to go on...there wasn't any of this info in the paperwork as well...just a question...:confused0024:

[Timotha7]

Would imagine that the time is "flexible" based on feedback provided as everyone gets a chance to use the rods

Have not heard a "set" finish time

[kevin]

Testing M Series Rod: RMC-601-ML (6' Medium/Light Baitcasting Rod)

I was going to wait until I received my new Acadia Bait Casting reel before giving this rod a try out but I couldn't wait anymore...grabbed one of my other baitcasters and loaded it on and I was ready to go...the reel seat fit the Shimano bait caster like a glove and stayed snug while fishing today...

Then something happened on my second cast...I made the cast and felt something went wrong with the handle and looked down and the black butt end had broken off...not really sure why there is a screwed in butt end into a tapped sleeve that is inside the cork handle...the metal insert only has 3/32" of cork around it and there really isn't anything for this insert to attach itself to...I maybe missing the concept of the end of this rod but feel either the metal insert needs to be taken out of the cork handle or there needs to be more cork around this insert...by this breaking off I lost an 1.5" off of the handle and now makes it feel short...

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After getting back to fishing once again I am definitely liking the feel of this rod...this is a 6 foot rod so it feels short to me as I normally fish with 7 foot rods most of the time...this rod is a very compact rod but built very well and while fishing with it today, first thing that was noticed was how light this rod really is...this is a very nice feature and is one thing that you are not fighting with throughout the day like heavier rods do...the sensitivity is felt for each weed, rock and bump that the lure goes over and through is relayed right back to your hand...

I was fishing around and felt a fish pick the bait up and about the time I was going to set the hook the fish dropped the bait...casted back to the area a couple more times and then the fish picked the bait up again...not realizing that my drag was set light, I swung on the fish 180 degrees and thankfully there is plenty of backbone in this rod that I was able to get the hookset even as the drag screamed...I had hooked a smaller fish and with the fast tip and solid backbone there was a very nice fight felt on this rod...

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For the first time out with this rod I am enjoying the action that it offers and getting use to the compactness of a 6 foot rod and looking forward to the next time out...I got home today to find my new Acadia bait caster waiting for me and loaded that with line and mounted it onto the rod and definitely going to give it another try again tomorrow...

Pros:
Light weight
Great backbone
sensitive fast tip
comfortable grip
reel seat stayed snug
guides casted smoothly

Cons:
broke butt end off
handle a little short for me


I would definitely recommend taking a closer look at the butt end of this rod and see if there is some other way to finish this end of the rod off...if anyone else has the butt end that the black foam screws into the metal insert, be a little careful with that or maybe the other rods have a different butt end to them...

[heath19]

I noticed the screw in butt end and i wondered if they are making a set of weights for the M series of rods like some high dollar rods have. That does look like a problem that might want to be checked out though.

[gofish]

that should be the purpose for it

[Fishaholic]

I noticed the screw in butt end and i wondered if they are making a set of weights for the M series of rods like some high dollar rods have. That does look like a problem that might want to be checked out though.

I noticed that myself after opening the package and inspecting the rod, Im ganna go get my rod and take a closer look at that. Def somthing that needs to be looked into!!

[Fishaholic]

Do not check your rod its bad.. I used my thumb to see my rod and it just split off, I still have the shrink wrap on mine si its not completly off yet!
Id reccomend you take that End plug out on your rod so doesnt happen to you!!
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Great job kevin, this is what these test are for!!

[kevin]

It may help some screwing the black plug off but looking at your break as well Fishaholic, don't think much of a bump and these ends are going to fall off...would like to hear if there is something behind that design in something like weights that was mentioned earlier...or if this is just meant the way it is...will be looking for more again soon and I am definitely liking the feel and action of this rod...:icon_biggrin:

[troutrageous1]

My 6' spinning rod has the same feature. I've unscrewed and screwed it back in about a half dozen times so far and didn't notice any loosening of the metal receiver. Now that I know this, I'm a little afraid to give it another try, looks like the defect is above the receiver, maybe there's a pinch point there that shouldn't be...but if my rod fails in this fashion, will definitely be documented.

[Timotha7]

Good catch Kevin
That is what this proto-type testing is all about, making sure that everything about these rods is checked out and tweeked in so the production models are as close to perfect as possible

When the tests are over and the final production models come out, you all will be among the first to get them into your hands, an the end result will reflect the time and effort the WIF
testers have put in

Pretty cool when you realize the overall effect the work you are doing has on the fishing community

[kevin]

Glad to be a part of the testing going on and makes you fish a little differently as I am paying much more attention to details as I fish...I just got my Acadia bait caster and will give a quick note on that in the morning...:icon_biggrin:

[heath19]

The saying is curiosity kills that cat...well i just had to try it so i went and got my pole and pushed on the butt to see what would happen and nothing...i kept pushing harder and harder and it wouldnt do anything. mine is a spinning rod so maybe it got the rod in it like its suppose to?? now i cant wait to put the rod to use tomorrow!!

[kevin]

Well I was out again yesterday for a little while and fished with my "M" Series rod, M Series Rod: RMC-601-ML , and every time that I use this rod the more and more I am enjoying fishing with it...I can't say enough about the lightness of the rod and does not wear my arm out cast after cast...the sensitivity is remarkable and I can feel every weed and rock as I retreave the lure back...another great feature that is really starting to stand out is that the casting accuracy I am getting is very good and repeatable cast after cast...you don't find that in every rod...I am going to keep fishing with this rod since I haven't hooked a good fish yet and see what it can handle in that aspect...:icon_biggrin:

As a side note I have now matched this rod with the Acadia EC-7-LP Bait Casting reel...all I can say about this reel is amazing...anytime I buy new reels especially bait casters I am reluctant in their casting distances as each reel is always a little different...I am very impressed with this reel as casting with a 1/4 oz bait I can easily get 30-40 yards into the wind as well...it casts very smooth as well as reels very smooth...there is one issue that I see with this reel that happens consistently and that is when you get a little spool over run the line sneaks down in between the spool and the side housings...not sure if the small gap is a little bigger than other reels but it does that only when the line over runs the spool...other than that I haven't seen anything else that would keep me from buying another one of these reels and if over time it holds up and keeps performing, I could see a replacement for my Shimano's as time goes on...:evilgrin0039:

[kevin]

After another busy weekend around the house and getting back to work today, I was able to sneak in another time with the M Series Rod: RMC-601-ML test rod today...I have only been using this rod since the day I received it and still have the same likings every time that I use it...lightness, sensitivity, durability...today I was able to put it to the test with a decent fish and this fish gave it her all to not come to the shore...since breaking the butt end off of the handle, the shortened handle is not enough to get good leverage so I am adjusting my grip to get these fish in...this bass pulled mighty hard and since this is a ML rod, wasn't sure who was going to win the battle...but between setting the drag on the Acadia reel and letting the rod do its job, the equipment won out...the fast tip of this rod allowed me to get a good hookset and once that was accomplished, the rod loaded up very well and the backbone held its own and showed this fish who was going to win...looking forward to catching many more fish with this rod and every time I catch a fish on it, the rod is definitely showing its strengths...:party0045:

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[Timotha7]

Very nice Bass Kevin
Good to know the rod is performing well
All testers are going a great job getting the rods checked over, and it will lead to a
great finished product

Tim

[DaveIN]

Greetings from David in Indiana a newbie. Let me see if I get what is going on. A company that makes these rigs has donated them for a selected member(s) to test for them?

If this is correct, is there any chance that the company(s) could respond to a thread like this when a problem occurs with their product such as this.

Please tell if I am on the right track..........

[Timotha7]

Dave
These tests were initiated by the company
Lee Richards (Acadia Sports President) is serious about the quality of the products
his company sells, and feels that the best way to insure that quality is to involve
"real" fishermen in the testing of ground zero proto-type equipement

Right now have the rods being tested, and Gofish is testing some new baitcaster
reels
This will be an on-going thing as Acadia expands their product line, they will be looking
to fishermen from our family to do some testing for them

Will try to involve every active member in this that we possibly can based on their
style of fishing as they post it on the forum

I think it is a great thing, and am really enjoying following the progress of the testing
as it goes along

Our guys and Acadia are doing a great job

Tim

[DaveIN]

Thank you for all the info and think it is just great!

I found the thread where the company responed to each and every question posed by the testers. What a fantastic deal is going on for both the company and the testers. It is rare you find this relationship.

I was a tester for Eagle Claw a while back. Enjoyed it greatly.

Perhaps the forum owners could contact other companies for testing purposes.

[Timotha7]

Perhaps the forum owners could contact other companies for testing purposes.

You never know what might happen on down the road
But, for a fact
Acadia Sports® and WIF have a very special relationship/friendship and we look forward to working with them for a long time to come

I have a feeling that as they grow, we will be seeing opportunity to test a wide
variety of products for them

Tim

[kevin]

This week there has been a couple things that come to mind as I am fishing with the M Series Rod: RMC-601-ML...that I wanted to mention...:icon_biggrin:

The reel seat...the reel seats that are on these rods are very good...there are many rods that the tightening part of the seat will work itself free and allowing the reel to be loose in the handle...this reel seat has stayed snug since when I put the reel into the seat and have not had to tighten it at all...big plus this is as the timing is critical that we don't want the seat to loosen when fighting a good fish...:party0045:

The other is the length of the butt handle...as with many casting rods, many of us use two hands to make the cast...I don't have large hands by any means and find that the handle butt to be a little short...I palm my reel and grab behind with the other hand onto the butt handle and I like to have the handle throughout my whole palm and not 3/4 of it...another inch or so to the rod butt length I feel would be good but would like to hear what others think about this idea...:confused0024:

Good:
Reel seat stays snug like it should

Questionable:
Add a little length to the rod butt handle to be able to get both hands on the handle for two handed casts

:icon_biggrin:

[kevin]

Have still been using this rod quite a bit and haven't come across anything new as of lately...I am definitely enjoying this rod quite a bit as the sensitivity is unreal and I can feel any little bump as I am working my bait...I am definitely going to be taking a look at a longer rod on my next purchase and can't beat the price and deal that Acadia has setup...I want to thank Lee at Acadia once again for giving me the opportunity to be a part of this testing process and I feel that you really have a winning product here...:party0045: