The new Toadfish Inshore fishing rods are the only rods that clean our coastal waters 10 square feet at a time.
I received one of the Toadfish Inshore Series fishing rods just in time for the fall salmon run here in western New York. The seven-foot, two-inch, medium light X-Fast (XFS) rod is one of the most balanced, beautiful rods that I have ever fished with.
It's robin's egg blue color is matched by its impeccable grip and feel. It will balance on your fingers, even with a spool-filled reel attached, and its castability is so smooth you won't even believe that you have it in your hands.
I can truly say, after all the gear I've used over the years, inshore fishing has never looked so good and felt so right!
Here's the kicker: for every rod, or any item that they carry, Toadfish Outfitters plants 10-square feet of new oyster beds. In fact, they've gone on record saying, "When you're done with your Toadfish products, send them back to us. We'll repurpose or recycle as much as we can and help you find a new product to keep you living the coastal dream."
That's going above and beyond the call of duty.
Toadfish founder Casey Davidson has imbued this inshore fishing rod company with the mantra, "Put 'Em Back" in the hope of working towards healthier coastlines nationwide.
Here's a short video to get you more into what they're all about, then the real deal further down the page:
The medium light, fast action rod that I was given is made for 8-20 pound braided line (Shimano Power Pro Super Slick in the previous video), good for throwing anything from one-eighth to three quarter-ounce lures or baits,. Let me tell you this: braided line (I used Bass Pro's PowerPro) absolutely flies through the guides of this great rod!
I turned it up a notch to target huge king salmon—fish that can routinely reach 20-30 pounds and up—so I was throwing 50-pound test Fireline at one point. Admittedly, it just doesn't cast as well as the braid.
Although I've been having pitiful luck here trying to land a salmon, being that temperatures are still in the mid-80s, I was still able to bag a hoss largemouth around some nasty dock pilings with the Toadfish rod:
The reel seat on this spinning rod is as comfortable for your reel as it is for your hands. The rods all have Kigan 3D stainless-steel guides making these saltwater fishing rods as tough as they come, but they have a great track record against freshwater species as well.
Plus, at ToadfishOutfitters.com you can purchase an oyster knife, a crab claw cutter, or a shrimp cleaner as easily as you can a prime fishing rod.
Saltwater anglers that love offshore fishing and regular "bass pros" like you and I will get a lifetime of great use out of these rods. I've used them to throw jig heads to live bait, and it's worked well with all of them.
If I have to find one thing that I don't care for about these rods it would be this: They are all one-piece rods, making them a lot harder to transport without a rod case. I'm not really into using a full case every single outing, so it's the only real drawback I've found so far.
The bottom line is that the revolutionary design of these rods, coupled with features like the hidden hook holder at the head of the reel seat, makes these rods a bargain at $138. That's the price for every rod that they sell, from the Sheepshead 5'11" M XF to the Inshore 7'6" MH Fast action.
Record chasers everywhere are going to get to use these great rods to target inshore species and keep healthy coastal ecosystems at the same time! I'm pretty pumped about that concept, and here's hoping lots of you are too.
Cover photo courtesy Toadfish Outfitters
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NEXT: HERE'S WHAT I FOUND OUT AFTER USING THE SAGE BASS II FLY ROD FOR A MONTH
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