Fun With the Lunakia

I know Randy posted a time or two lately about his adventures with the 610 Lunakia, but I wanted to add my own as I have found a whole new love for this rod this season.

Just came off the lake after a couple hours drop shottting the main lake bluffs. No big gills like usual today, but I did run into a smallmouth that ran about 18” +\-

The 610 Luna handled her like a champ, I’ve caught some giant drum on this rod, so I know it can handle heavy fish, this is the first big fighter I’ve played with. That old gal jumped five or six times on me, each time clearing her whole body and then some out the water. At one point she surfaced at the bow of the boat and cleared my trolling motor. I was real nervous after she jumped the first time, I was spooled up with me new Daiwa Sensor 2.8lb JDM braid and an ORVIS 6x fluorocarbon tippet for leader, been struggling with knots slipping/breaking with this tiny braid.

Watching Randy fight fish on these rods and years of fighting big fish in the Great Lakes growing up made this fight way more fun than nerves.

Anyone wanting a high quality, made in Japan, UL rod that is fun with small sunfish all the way up to big fun on smallmouth and big drum, largemouth etc. don’t think twice about the 610 Lunakia.

I’m thinking about a second just for a backup.

This rod would be, hands down no contest, the rod I would keep if someone made me only have one rod the rest of my life.


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Pictures?

Attachment 381120


Not a giant, but fun as heck on the Luna and 2.8lb line.

That’s a great catch, and on the UL......awesome.

In the stickied thread, I mentioned I had narrowed it down to this rod and the Rockin' Finesse. However, the Rockin' Finesse has been OOS for months from what I can tell which has me looking more closely at this one. I mainly fish for bream and crappie. The bream at the local place I fish the most aren't the most impressive so I'm wondering if the Lunakia is too much rod for those fish? Or will they still put a decent bend into the rod?

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Originally Posted by TXPanfisher

In the stickied thread, I mentioned I had narrowed it down to this rod and the Rockin' Finesse. However, the Rockin' Finesse has been OOS for months from what I can tell which has me looking more closely at this one. I mainly fish for bream and crappie. The bream at the local place I fish the most aren't the most impressive so I'm wondering if the Lunakia is too much rod for those fish? Or will they still put a decent bend into the rod?

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Small bluegills make it interesting enough on this rod. Crappie would be big fun.

But, if you are not going to be fishing except where little fish live, the 63 Lunakia would likely be a better option.

If you could find one, the 67 SUL Slow taper special Eradicator from Abu Garcia Japan would be ideal for what you are looking for.

In my opinion the sheer versatility of the 610 Luna is why it shines to me. It is fun with all sizes of fish, smaller fish aren’t just buckets of fun, but light line and loose drag help there. I travel for work, at any given time I could be anywhere between St. Paul, Mn or New Orleans on the big rivers, I always travel with a rod or two, my Luna has caught smallmouth and crappie out of the river in lacrosse, Wis and then two weeks later I was catching cichlids out of City Park lagoons in NOLA. I can drop shot with 3” inch gulp minnows and 1/4oz weights for smallmouth, size that down to a 1” inch gulp minnow and I’m slaying bluegills, yellow bass, white bass etc. with a spool change on the Luvias I’m throwing .5 gram jigheads with trout magnets, another spool change and I’m throwing 3/16-1/4 oz blade baits in the river currents.

My 610 Luna, 2020 Luvias with 2 spare spools with me and I can catch fish pretty much anywhere, and nearly any game species shy of the monsters. Most importantly, I’m having a BLAST doing it.


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Originally Posted by Yodie

Small bluegills make it interesting enough on this rod. Crappie would be big fun.

But, if you are not going to be fishing except where little fish live, the 63 Lunakia would likely be a better option.

If you could find one, the 67 SUL Slow taper special Eradicator from Abu Garcia Japan would be ideal for what you are looking for.

In my opinion the sheer versatility of the 610 Luna is why it shines to me. It is fun with all sizes of fish, smaller fish aren’t just buckets of fun, but light line and loose drag help there. I travel for work, at any given time I could be anywhere between St. Paul, Mn or New Orleans on the big rivers, I always travel with a rod or two, my Luna has caught smallmouth and crappie out of the river in lacrosse, Wis and then two weeks later I was catching cichlids out of City Park lagoons in NOLA. I can drop shot with 3” inch gulp minnows and 1/4oz weights for smallmouth, size that down to a 1” inch gulp minnow and I’m slaying bluegills, yellow bass, white bass etc. with a spool change on the Luvias I’m throwing .5 gram jigheads with trout magnets, another spool change and I’m throwing 3/16-1/4 oz blade baits in the river currents.

My 610 Luna, 2020 Luvias with 2 spare spools with me and I can catch fish pretty much anywhere, and nearly any game species shy of the monsters. Most importantly, I’m having a BLAST doing it.


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Thanks for the reply! I have a 6'3" Major Craft Finetail UL and was wanting a longer rod.

I bet there are decent size bream in the pond I fish, but I really haven't come across them yet. I've caught a couple nice size crappie and 1-2 lb bass and catfish every now and again.

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Originally Posted by TXPanfisher

Thanks for the reply! I have a 6'3" Major Craft Finetail UL and was wanting a longer rod.

I bet there are decent size bream in the pond I fish, but I really haven't come across them yet. I've caught a couple nice size crappie and 1-2 lb bass and catfish every now and again.

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The major craft 742UL N-One is a fun rod as well that would fill in the blanks you’re looking for... 7 foot 4, great with small fish, soft top, moderate bend...., it was my first JDM Rod, which very quickly became my wife’s first JDM Rod....


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by TXPanfisher

In the stickied thread, I mentioned I had narrowed it down to this rod and the Rockin' Finesse. However, the Rockin' Finesse has been OOS for months from what I can tell which has me looking more closely at this one. I mainly fish for bream and crappie. The bream at the local place I fish the most aren't the most impressive so I'm wondering if the Lunakia is too much rod for those fish? Or will they still put a decent bend into the rod?

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For what it's worth: you might want to look into Ice Cube IC-74FS as a longer and ever so slightly more powerful version of the Finesse (available at Digitaka now). I do not have that rod, but I was choosing between the Finesse and the 74FS. It was a very tough choice, and it came down to the fact that I wanted the most delicate option. I have read multiple comparisons of the Finesse and the 74FS, all giving a nod to the 74FS as a higher quality rod. I believe it also uses a better blank. In hindsight, I should probably have gone with the 74FS. Then again, I only wish I had it and could compare the two first hand...

I also have Yamaga Blanks BC 67 TZ Nano, and the Finesse handles tiny jigs (< 1 g) much better, but the BC is definitely more sensitive.

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Originally Posted by Yodie

I know Randy posted a time or two lately about his adventures with the 610 Lunakia, but I wanted to add my own as I have found a whole new love for this rod this season.

Just came off the lake after a couple hours drop shottting the main lake bluffs. No big gills like usual today, but I did run into a smallmouth that ran about 18” +\-

The 610 Luna handled her like a champ, I’ve caught some giant drum on this rod, so I know it can handle heavy fish, this is the first big fighter I’ve played with. That old gal jumped five or six times on me, each time clearing her whole body and then some out the water. At one point she surfaced at the bow of the boat and cleared my trolling motor. I was real nervous after she jumped the first time, I was spooled up with me new Daiwa Sensor 2.8lb JDM braid and an ORVIS 6x fluorocarbon tippet for leader, been struggling with knots slipping/breaking with this tiny braid.

Watching Randy fight fish on these rods and years of fighting big fish in the Great Lakes growing up made this fight way more fun than nerves.

Anyone wanting a high quality, made in Japan, UL rod that is fun with small sunfish all the way up to big fun on smallmouth and big drum, largemouth etc. don’t think twice about the 610 Lunakia.

I’m thinking about a second just for a backup.

This rod would be, hands down no contest, the rod I would keep if someone made me only have one rod the rest of my life.


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Sounds like an awesome rod and a lot of fun fishing it. I'm becoming more and more curios about the Lunakia, so far the glass content in the blank has been stopping me... Does not seem to be a problem based on all the reports though!

I can speak to the 63 Little Luna. It is as Yodie and Chris at Finesse have said. It is an incredible rod for pans and crappie. I fish on a small stream and it is perfect for those fish. My largest smallie was 12” or so, many air launches and the rod handled him no problem. The rod is very sensitive and I use 3lb test JDM Wild Trout nylon line. I use my TSS if I think I’m going to see a lot of larger fish, but I’m not afraid of taking them on with the Luna.

Very nice catch and writeup. I should have been fishing the Lunakia a lot more. I am going to try to get out this week if the storms slow down....and the heat decreases. I will only have 2 rods with me...the new Banshee just to try out and the 610 Lunakia. I can't put it any better than Yodie....the sheer versatility of the rod is great. I have bought dozens of JDM rods on this journey and the Lunakia is the first rod really that I can use on any specie and feel I get my fun factor yet not be underpowered on white bass...Smallies...Spots.. The Finesse is great...but I do not relish the fact of using it on smallmouth. Most of us who use JDM gear have multiple rods. For those that may only want one rod and want it for multiple duties the Lunakia is it...at least from the rods I have used.


Regards

With the original post being about the Lunakia and its versatility how would you Randy compare it to the 6.10 Corto , not money wise but action, softness, tip action, build, and overall versatility. And for the OP, do you have or have you used the 6.10 Corto for your comparison notes. It does not appear in you table but like Randy said we all have multiple rods for multiple applications.

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Originally Posted by StantheMan2567

With the original post being about the Lunakia and its versatility how would you Randy compare it to the 6.10 Corto , not money wise but action, softness, tip action, build, and overall versatility. And for the OP, do you have or have you used the 6.10 Corto for your comparison notes. It does not appear in you table but like Randy said we all have multiple rods for multiple applications.

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The Corto has a larger butt....is more rigid. The blanks are much different....the Luna is slower. The feel of the blank on the Lunakia feels and reacts similar in some ways to the blank on the Finezza Prototype...at least to me. For me the Corto is very one dimensional. Now of course I can say that as I have multiple rods to compare it to. For me catching bluegill on the Corto is not a lot of fun. Come next spring when all of this madness settles down...which I sure hope it does....I will make that trip to Dale Hollow for the big bluegill and the Luankia will be with me.....I will have a lot of fun with it and when that 21 inch Smallie hits...and it will quite often up there in the Spring...I will not be undergunned with the Lunakia. I am at the point now that I really ponder over a new rod. I don't want to be buying them just to have another rod. I have the bluegill game covered.....with 5 area trout rods. My latest is the Banshee 59....but I am thinking do I need and even shorter rod..say in the 55 range. I am pretty sure when I started this there were no hybrid light game rods...mebaru/ajing. Of course the Luna is one of those...as is the Eradicator Real Finesse. I think they have hit on something with these hybrid light game rods.


Regards

Thanks all for the quality discussion in this thread.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by StantheMan2567

With the original post being about the Lunakia and its versatility how would you Randy compare it to the 6.10 Corto , not money wise but action, softness, tip action, build, and overall versatility. And for the OP, do you have or have you used the 6.10 Corto for your comparison notes. It does not appear in you table but like Randy said we all have multiple rods for multiple applications.

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I don’t have nor have I held a Corto.

Of all the rods I have fished the only one close is the Finezza Prototype 610UL.... I’m not sure how to describe how it’s different, it just is. It’s got a softer top to me that doesn’t lend itself well to drop shot, but does great with crankbaits and spinners. I’m sure it would handle a bigger fish just fine. But it isn’t as versatile as the Lunakia.




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Quote:

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Originally Posted by s_v

Sounds like an awesome rod and a lot of fun fishing it. I'm becoming more and more curios about the Lunakia, so far the glass content in the blank has been stopping me... Does not seem to be a problem based on all the reports though!

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What is your concerns with the glass content?


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This is only my own pet peeve: 5-6% glass is just a bit higher than a typical glass content in the rods I own or consider for ownership, particularly when it comes to very low lure ratings. I tend to associate glass with lower sensitivity than graphite, but also appreciate that a slight increase in the glass content can lead to a significant improvement in the strength of the blank. The trade-off in selectivity can, of course, be minimal compared to the gain in durability. But with the lightest of the lures that I use, I am more concerned about sensitivity than the durability of the blank.

P.S. This was certainly not meant to be a negative comment about the finest piece of tackle – I've nearly pushed that order button on 6102S-MLT many times!

I want to clarify what I mean that the Finezza Prototype and Lunakia being similar. I am talking about blank behavior....materials. Graphiteleader is doing it with the T1000G and Tenryu is doing it with their CNT and Magna Flex. Now what all that is I can’t say but I know it allows them to use a higher graphite content yet it allows them to make it more elastic. I can only assume the Eradicator rods are using similar processing. I too used to be hung up on graphite content. But have learned with the new....high tech blanks.....that a higher glass content does not necessarily mean a less sensitive rod. I am not feeling any remorse from buying the Finezza but it is in my opinion an UL rod meant for bigger fish than bluegill. While deciding whether or not to purchase the Lunakia my head kept getting wrapped up in the glass percentage in the rod. In the end I said what the heck and bought it. I’m glad I did.

Regards


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alphahawk

I want to clarify what I mean that the Finezza Prototype and Lunakia being similar. I am talking about blank behavior....materials. Graphiteleader is doing it with the T1000G and Tenryu is doing it with their CNT and Magna Flex. Now what all that is I can’t say but I know it allows them to use a higher graphite content yet it allows them to make it more elastic. I can only assume the Eradicator rods are using similar processing. I too used to be hung up on graphite content. But have learned with the new....high tech blanks.....that a higher glass content does not necessarily mean a less sensitive rod. I am not feeling any remorse from buying the Finezza but it is in my opinion an UL rod meant for bigger fish than bluegill. While deciding whether or not to purchase the Lunakia my head kept getting wrapped up in the glass percentage in the rod. In the end I said what the heck and bought it. I’m glad I did.

Regards


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I agree.

The eradicator is an enigma to me, they are claiming 100% graphite composite. But the slow taper special has a nice mid rod bend.

I wish I’d have just bought two Lunakia instead of the Finezza.



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I hope that no one takes my comment about the glass content further that it is meant to go. I know little about the technology that goes into those Japanese blanks (though I have heard and learned much more than I would actually like about carbon nanotubes...), and the consideration of the glass content is merely a rule of thumb than seems to work for me more often than it seems to fail me. I am happy to say that I am set for the moment when it comes to my light and ultralight JDM rods (have one too many actually, I think). But my fishing interests span a very broad spectrum, and I am starting to build up my JDM seabass/ shore fishing arsenal – and I am as excited as ever. In this new realm, some glass is not such a bad thing as it turns out...