Rods and Reels Rewind - 2023

Video Transcription

Polish Pete

What's up everybody? Welcome to the Rewind of 2023, Rods & Reels Edition. That's right. This is everybody, all the staff here at Omnia Fishing's favorite Rods & Reels of 2023. I'm going to start off with one that I think, even though it's a big brand, flew under the radar, and that's the Tatula SV 70. This is a tiny little reel that absolutely is a big time performer. I found myself picking this reel up a lot more than I thought I would when it first came out. In fact, it's become one of my favorite reels that I'm going to put on multiple rods coming into the 2024 season. This thing performs a lot bigger than it is in its tiny little package. I got big into round knobs this year again. I did in the past and I kind of went back to them. And then I have to touch on the rod as well. Daiwa came out with Tatula Elite rods and full-cork candles. I'm a full-cork candle fan. I'm also a braid-to-leader fan on a lot of casting equipment. So the Tatula standard guide, Elite series rods, and full-cork candles. Also, the guide train passes a leader knot extremely well. Tip for any of you out there that are like me there. So go check out both of those. Next up is a pretty interesting one. This one happens to be the Lew's Pro SP. I got a couple of these from a buddy of mine. And he let-- and I ordered some round knobs for it. Since I'm into round knobs, copying Jason Christie there. And tried it out on this Champion HP 744. I've actually now got a few rods in this family. Full-cork candle again. Guide train passes a leader not extremely well. And I'm pitching lighter Texas racing lighter jigs with these. These reels hold very little line, but I can throw a really light braided line on them. They have a really small leader not with lighter fluorocarbon too. And they're really joy to fish with for pitching in particular. So both these were my two picks for 2023, rod and reel edition. I'm going to kick it over to the rest of the staff to show you what their rewind to 2023 rods and reel picks are right now.

Joe Ponessa

What's up, everybody? Joe here from Omnia. And this is my favorite from 2023 rods and reels edition. First, we're starting in the spinning reel category with Daiwa. This is the Daiwa. Tatula MQ LT. The major improvement here is this MQ monocoque style body. It's a larger, more rigid frame. It's going to be more durable, long lasting, incredible performance at $200. Make sure you check out the Daiwa Tatula MQ LT. Stepping into rods real quick, my rod choice for the year actually came out late last year. This is the Expride B model series. It has the monocoque handle down here, incredibly lightweight, incredibly balanced at around $279. These are, in my opinion, some of the best rods on the market. They hit that mark. You know, they're a little bit more on the pricey side. However, they're going to be very crisp, very light feeling, almost no matter what model you pick. And then lastly, we have a favorite of many people here. This is the Daiwa Zillion SV TW, a killer reel. I've been using this all year long. Lately, I've been throwing jerkbaits on it. I love this reel. Buy it now and you get a free Simms CX hoodie co-branded with Daiwa and Omnia logo. Make sure you check them out at omniafishing.com.

Kipp Youngquist

A lot of the better days I had on the water this past year came up shallow, junk fishing, kind of throwing everything I had in the boat. And I found myself picking up this rod a ton. What we have here is the Poison Adrena 7.3 medium heavy, paired with a Shimano Metanium MGL, specifically in a 7.1 to 1 gear ratio. I could throw just about anything that I want on this combo. This rod has more of a moderate fast action. So it will work for moving baits. I threw a swim jig on it a ton. But if you throw some braid on it, you can throw a Texas rig, a jig. And then if I found myself offshore, it's also great for dragging a football offshore. So if you're looking for a high end super versatile combo this year, think about the Poison Adrena 7.3 medium heavy, paired with a Metanium in a 7.1:1 gear ratio.

T Lo

Hey, everybody. I'm here at Omnia Fishing, my 2023 rewind picks for this year. Would have to be the Daiwa Tautula XT rod. This is the 7' medium action spinning rod. Absolutely love this rod. Very lightweight. I like the foam. I like the split grip handle here. But the 7' medium is great all around. You can throw a net rigs on it, throw a little swimmers on it, throw a drop shot, whatever you want to do. We love catching small moths up here. So that's awesome for that. And the real would have to be the Daiwa Procyon MQ LT. This is the size 3000 reel. Love the monocoque body on it. Makes it very, very smooth. 3000 size is going to have a bigger drag disc, smoother drag. You get a little bit longer casting with the radius of that spool as well. So these are my picks for the 2023 rewind.

Brad Novak

What's up, everybody? Brad Novak here. And this is my favorite rod and reel combo for this year. First, to start off with the reel, it's the Custom Lite spinning reel by Lew's. Typically, with my reels, I kind of like to stay in the sub $100 range, like the Fuego, the Pflugers. But this year, I kind of stepped it up. I wanted to go a little more premium. And the Custom Lite was the perfect option for me. The standard features, it's got a buttery smooth drag. I like the 300 size, a little larger spool, so I can make those longer casts. It comes with a carbon fiber frame, which makes it super durable and light. So something that I really am not used to. I just absolutely loved it this year. To pair it, I paired it with a Tatula XT. Again, I'm kind of like the more budget fishermen, so this is a perfect price point and a perfect rod for me. The reason why I paired these two is this is a 7'3" medium. I do a lot of ned rigging in the summertime. So being able to make a super long cast with that little extra rod, that 7'3". And then with the larger spool, just makes it easier for me to cast. So this is my favorite combo for 2023. (upbeat music)