Over the last couple of decades of lure casting in close quarters (timber / mangroves) I've pretty well been stuck on the use of baitcast gear - shorter rods yet with power . ..... & they pretty well did the job on barra , jacks etc .
When it came to spin gear - I could never find the right balance of sensitivity , length & power ......... I looked at lot of rods over the years. Most of my lighter spin rods have been for bream , bass - 7ft plus .... capable of throwing small lures & a traditional single handed configuration .... but you know it when you hook something decent . For example my Egrell S4 - a great rod which casts well & has some grunt ..... but the short handle ergonomically sux when you are onto something decent .
Anyhow my recent journey back into the freshwater scene has really showed up the shortcomings of my current outfits & I started to look around eventually coming across the new Millerod Design Pitch range . Immediately I thought wow ..... A shorter rod , longer grip but still light in the tip - certainly can cast a Jackall Chubby 25m ..... with the power to stop big fish . The model I bought was the MHS 610 (6'10" 6-15kgs) .
Here is a comparison between the S4 & Miller Pitch ..... Longer gripmaking it more conducive to fighting bigger fish Millerod pitch vs S4.jpg
Anyhow If anyone is after a spin rod that is capable of throwing smaller presentations but is designed to stop fish - this rod should be on your list ...... I see it as a great lure casting jack rod . They retail somewhere between $400-$450 . Oh & there is a 8-15kg rated version
Here is a little piece from Ian Miller on the origin & idea behind such a rod
“These rods have origins in a custom rod project that a friend of mine required recently. This angler wanted to cast a specific lure to cod he was seeing on his Live Scope technology. Because of his particular scenario this needed to be a spin rod, and he wanted to be able to use lures a little smaller than most so the rod needed to be both light lure and Murray cod capable.
“This rod had to suit some pretty specific criteria. It was an interesting project so I made a prototype for myself and went and fished it. Pretty quickly I realised the rod design had a lot of merit and potential for many applications, not just targeting cod.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what species get targeted with the Pitch rods. As well as cod, there will be plenty of situations where barra could be the target, as could mulloway, snapper and others. I’m actually expecting some pretty wild stuff to be tackled with these!”
The blanks were designed from scratch for specific use on the Pitch, and have easy casting ability and plenty of power to turn strong fish away from cover if necessary.
The shorter length means the Pitch rods are ideal for fishing vertically in conjunction with electronics, or from kayaks where a long rod can be a hindrance and in any situation where a relatively light lure might need to be used to tempt big, strong fish.
The rod is very light, balanced and sensitive in the hand. It’s easy casting but turns into a real weapon once a fish is hooked.
The handle incorporates a full Fuji reel seat with carbon locking hood. The slightly longer fore-grip gives added purchase if necessary and is custom-shaped from x-firm EVA in blue Camoufish. A slightly longer butt grip from the same x-firm EVA is finished with the Millerods anti-skid butt cap.
The KR anti-tangle guide train has size #6 as the smallest ceramic so braid/leader clearance is fine by using a low profile connecting knot.^