Shimano 21 SOARE XR S76UL-T Spinning Rod
Picked this rod up after quite a bit of time debating the purchase but decided to pull the trigger thinking it would fill a gap in my JDM collection as a dedicated float rod.
Took it out yesterday for maiden voyage while my Dad and I fished early morning for a Father’s Day trip, ended up not fishing any float rigs and spent the whole time casting drop shot rigs and slow dragging them back, fishin on some deeper banks to find a few gills for the freezer.
First fish ended up being a 12” or so Smallmouth that really gave a good fight and test for the rod. The Soare handled it perfectly.
Had the 23 Vanquish 2000s spooled up with some small Varivas braid of some sort.
This rod is listed as UL but has a bit of power behind it with a nice semi-moderate bend curve to it, and a soft, yet responsive tip. It is trimmed out and finished beautifully and the reel seat/handle is the most comfortable I’ve ever held in my hand. Most of my fishin is with three fingers above reel foot and one below, but this reel seat forces a two and two hold and it’s just perfect. The material is like some kind of “soft touch” hard rubber coating in it that feels smooth to the touch but with the littlest bit of cushion to it. Ended up fighting with 1/2 dozen or so gills after the smallie most small, but did get in to one that was 8-9” or so and thick across the back, he put a good bend in the rod too.
I mentioned the power behind this rod…I’m still trying to figure out how to describe it… the rod has a nice light flex to it and when shaken whips a bit down its length, but when fully loaded with a fish there is plenty of power to keep you in control. It will throw a 1.25gram jig head with a trout magnet on it plenty of distance for me, but also does not feel overloaded with a 3/16oz tungsten drop shot weight on the cast.
Sensitivity is on maybe not where the Finezza Prototype or Eradicator is, but it’s no worse than the Lunakia, which is just a notch below the other two.
This is not a super soft SUL or XUL rod, it will dwarf the Eradicator 67 SUL in a power contest, but I would describe it somewhat like a 610 Lunakia that’s been stretched out, similar bend curve and power, just a bit softer due to length. This is honestly perfect for me, my 67 Eradicator is the only SUL I own, and as much as I love it, I don’t I’ll own another SUL unless they bring that lineup back I’ll buy a duplicate of the 67 to put away.
This rod fits in that middle ground of “Light Game” rod that doesn’t really fit with Ajing or Mebaru traditional rod blanks feel. This is the only model in the lineup that is a tubular tip, so I’m not sure if the solid tip models fit the same profile or not. I much prefer a tube tip so most likely won’t be trying any of the others in the line up.
Fish are starting to move out to their summer homes so might have to wait until til next spring to really get to test it with floats unless I get up north this summer/fall to hit a couple of the little trout streams in Iowa I have come across in my work travels.
Dropshot being my favorite way to fish, I’m super excited this rod works well for that, honestly this rod pretty instantly shot toward the top of my favorites list, not ready to say its claiming the top spot but the 610 Luna needs to be real nice to me the rest of the year because this rod is closing in fast. I prefer longer rods in general so that, along with the grip feel is helping it along with me.
