Well, I’ll start with my own experience which I quite regularly enrich, fishing in the ponds of Cyprus. I have been fishing bass for quite a while and I devote to it a lot of my spare time, thus I have an opportunity to feel the difference and estimate the quality of different spinning rods I have. For the last 6 years my bass arsenal was enlarged with Pontoon 21 spinning rods, so it happened that it is these rods that form the basis of the rods of this type. Now I have a couple of spinning rods of this brand, intended for different conditions and lure of different types, but I’d like to tell you about my favorite model. It is this model that I use more often, and you can see it in many photos of mine. This is Pontoon 21 Seven&Eleven with the test of 8,0-24,0 g and 2,41 long, it has an extra fast action, its code is SES7115XF.

I liked Seven&Eleven at first sight when I saw it t Kurios dam, situated not far from Limassola. At that time searching for fish I had to climb a lot of mountains and comb all the places where bass could stay with my minnow. 7-8 feet rods are the best for active fishing style with jerking lures in Kurios. At the same time it should be possible to present the minnow in a rough bass-like style.

Now, in a couple of years, I can say it with any doubts that this rod casts various lures to any distance. But what I liked most of all is that thanks to its extra-fast action, the rod forgives almost all the mistakes and casts the lure all on its own without losing accuracy, which is very important for bass fishing. In spite of the fact that its test starts with 8 grams, lighter lures also fly quite well, which is enough for bass fishing from the bank.

Another bonus is Fuji SiC guides with anti-tangling mechanisms. This quality prevents the line from tangling, which makes casting easier. I should also point out their strength. More than once did I caught on rocks or stones, but the guides help to overcome these difficulties.

And surely, the most important thing is how the rod behaves during retrieve. By no means all know that when you fish for bass, the rod should be strong and fast, and at the same time very light. You would agree, that these feature can’t be combined in one and the same rod. Its action helps to cast the lure, make different retrieves, and to hook any fish very well without its having a chance to take off. Medium flexibility enables to have a constant control over the situation, especially when you sit on a steep bank, it’s quite difficult to pull out a fish, it’s equally important for bass fishing from the bank or boat. If you choose the right weight and size of the reel, you can achieve a perfect balance and then the system will be working almost autonomously, sensitively reacting to any manipulations of the fisherman. And it’s very essential if you fish for the whole day, using aggressive twitching. And if you use a heavy rod, the hand quickly gets tired, and you won’t get any satisfaction from fishing.

Seven&Eleven proved itself being excellent, even if you use silicone lures in different variants of rigs like Texas, Carolina, Drop-shot and Wacky. It’s quite pleasant to retrieve the lure along the bottom and feel everything that is happening to it. Pause biting feels particularly good, a sensitive blank accurately passes all the hits to the butt of the rod. SES7115XF has a butt of a big diameter, which besides power, gives additional confidence during the retrieve. For example, the rod managed with a 3-kilo trophy for A+, which enabled to pull out a fish to a rocky bank. And when you fish for a small bass everything goes just as you need it: you can feel with your hand even the most delicate biting, and you have an opportunity high enough to catch a fish.

I managed to try this rod in Karelia while fishing for pike from a boat. Now I can state it quite clearly: Seven&Eleven is just what you need in a powerful fight with a serious predator in a long distance as well as in a short one. It’s a perfect combination of length and power.

To my mind, you can use this rod quite successfully while fishing for bass as well as for any other fish, the range of conditions being wide and the lures being of various types. Hard baits – jerkbaits and crankbaits, shallow runners, from spoons up to spinners, silicone lures in different types of rigs. Seven&Eleven perfectly combines with all types of lures.

Vadim Lazitski