This time, we’re focusing on Shimano’s new rods, especially those designed for offshore fishing, where the theme seems to revolve around “flexibility” and “bendability.”
You’ll notice the word “bend” comes up frequently throughout. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Dialuna Telescopic Rod
A new addition to the Dialuna series, designed for mid-sized fish like Seabass, Trevally, and Bream, comes with a telescopic model offering excellent portability.
Known for its lightweight yet powerful performance, the rod integrates Spiral X and Hi-Power X technologies into the blanks, enhancing strength and flexibility.
Despite being a 3-piece rod with multiple joints, it is designed to maintain a smooth bending curve that distributes the load while strengthening the joint areas.
This is definitely a rod to look forward to.
It’s scheduled for release in November 2024.
Nessa SS
The budget-friendly version of the Nessa XR, which we recently reviewed on our YouTube channel, is now here. Unlike the solid, stiff feel of the XR, the new Nessa SS is designed with more flexible blanks that are easier to bend.
Stiff rods are harder to cast but allow for more precise lure control, while softer blanks tend to be the opposite.
However, this Nessa SS, particularly for surf fishing where distance casting is key, seems to be designed with beginners in mind. We are very satisfied with the Nessa XR, so we’re excited to try this one as well.
Scheduled release: October 2024.
Coltsniper Limited Big Game
The top-tier model of Shimano’s shore big game rods, the Coltsniper Limited, now has a super heavy-duty version for targeting massive fish like Kingfish and GT from the rock shores.
It’s a rod built with the best of Shimano’s technology.
This 3-piece rod also boasts excellent portability, which is a great feature.
The butt guide features the highly praised X-Guide, which reduces line troubles—especially useful when fishing from the challenging rock shores during expeditions.
Although there aren’t many places nearby where we can fully utilize this rod, it’s definitely exciting for those aiming for big game fishing from the shore.
Now available – If you’re interested, feel free to contact us.
Sephia SS Tip Eging
A rod designed for Japan’s popular boat squid fishing method, Tip Eging.
This is a more affordable SS-class rod. It features a solid tip, Taftec Infinity, which balances strength and sensitivity, especially crucial at the tip, where detecting subtle bites is essential.
The resin parts are made from Ci4+, making the rod light, flexible, strong, and highly sensitive.
Now available – If you’re interested, feel free to contact us.
Soare Limited
The pinnacle of light saltwater game rods has arrived, and it looks stunning.
It features a lightweight, ultra-sensitive carbon monocoque grip, and the grip end is also made from carbon monocoque.
The vibe is quite different from the XR model.
The rod is equipped with the X-Guide system across all guide frames and a high-sensitivity solid tip with High Response Solid technology.
The blanks are wrapped with the evolved Spiral X Core and Hi-Power X technologies. This rod will be a joy for serious light game enthusiasts.
Now available – If you’re interested, feel free to contact us.
Game Type-J Full Bend
A new model of the widely acclaimed Game Type-J has been released, featuring a full solid blank construction.
I was quite surprised when I first heard about this.
The rod is designed to bend well, absorbing shocks while catching fish, making it perfect for an exciting fight.
Although with such a flexible rod, you might start to worry about how much it bends!
However, Shimano claims that the rod combines flexibility with strength and resilience.
Apparently, people have already caught decent-sized Kingfish with it.
This is a rod I’d love to try for the upcoming jigging season.
Now available – If you’re interested, feel free to contact us.
OCEA Jigger Infinity Motive
This rod has been renewed for long-length slow jigging, a technique that has become particularly popular recently for targeting Albacore (Tonjigi).
The rod is designed for long rod slow jigging, with a focus on reducing fatigue, despite its length.
The taper has been adjusted to be slower, allowing the entire blank to absorb impacts while maintaining solid strength and resilience.
Personally, I prefer long rods nowadays, finding that rods around 6.5 feet are more manageable than those under 6 feet.
This rod will be exciting for those who enjoy offshore jigging, especially with the OCEA Jigger series.
Now available – unfortunately the closed length is too long for our overseas shipping.
OCEA Blade
Blade jigging, a fishing method that has gained popularity in Japan recently, targets species like Spanish mackerel and other pelagic fish by casting jigs from boats.
This rod is designed specifically for that method, with models ranging from a max cast weight of 60g to 120g.
These heavier models are something that hasn’t been seen before, and I’m particularly interested in this one. Locally, there are plenty of fish to target using jigs in the 30-60g range.
However, many offshore casting rods rated for PE2 braid are limited to a max weight of 30-35g, making it frustrating when I want to use heavier jigs but can’t. At the same time, casting rods made for Kingfish or GT are often too heavy.
This rod would be a great solution for such situations.
Unfortunately, the closed length is quite long, making overseas shipping a challenge.
Now available.
OCEA Plugger Full Throttle
The top offshore casting rod has been renewed for game fishing.
The description emphasizes that the rod bends “like a bow” and highlights the X-Guide system, which helps reduce line trouble, and the flexible blanks.
I’m particularly excited about the addition of four 3-piece models, which greatly improves portability for expeditions.
If you’re looking to cast for Kingfish or Tuna, this rod looks promising.
Now available – we can handle international shipping for 3-piece models, so feel free to contact us if you’re interested.
How was it?
There were quite a lot of rod announcements, and I wasn’t able to cover everything in one go, so I plan to introduce the rest in Part 2 at a later date.
The excitement just keeps building with all the new products being released!
