Bush 'n Beach Fishing Magazine Location reports & tips for fishing, boating, camping, kayaking, 4WDing in Queensland and Northern NSW
THE term ‘value for money’ gets thrown around a lot these days, no matter what it is you’re buying.
Where a product comes from, what it is made from and how it is built affects a product’s value – but finding out these basics can often be difficult and sometimes impossible. When talking fishing, like many things, plenty of emotion and individuality is involved in why you use or like a particular piece of equipment.
That goes for rods, reels, lures and every other piece of equipment we fishers use. So, when you break down the latest offering from the Atomic stable, a fully Australian-owned fishing tackle company, the Atomic Arrowz rod range is easy to recognise as ‘great value for money’.
The Arrowz integrates two very respected manufacturers in Majorcraft and Atomic, delivering a rod that uses full Fuji components and advanced designs while catering for Australian fish and fishers. I am sometimes asked how designing a rod for Australian conditions would differ from designing a rod for fish in other parts of the world.
The easiest way to answer that is the majority of light tackle rods imported to Australia come mostly through Japanese or American companies. These companies predominantly design lighter rods for largemouth bass. Largemouth bass, while looking somewhat similar to a number of our Aussie fish, are in fact very different in the way they breed and more importantly the way they eat and feed.
So the rods are not really made for Australian conditions. In contrast, Atomic Arrowz have been designed for both bait and lure angling in Australian conditions and feature three ranges: Estuary, Offshore and Barra, all with full graphite blanks and Fuji components. The Estuary series has six spin models including designated individual surface and crankbait rods, a finesse special 70SUL designed for ultra-light bait and lure fishing and the heaviest model in the series, the 70ML.
This series delivers refinement, precision and lightness. The Offshore series delivers superior muscle and control. These four 7’ spin rods feature ultra-refined fore and rear neoprene grips.
In the Barra series you’ll find two spin and two baitcaster rods, all with neoprene fore and cork rear grips. These rods possess the finesse to feel the subtlest of bites and blank sensitivity and control to twitch, rip and pop baits. All the 7’ rods in the range are available in both one and two-piece configurations.
The Atomic Arrowz range offers a quality product that could be mistaken for a much higher-priced item. The light estuary models come in at around $180 (RRP). That to me, is good value for money!
For more information on the new Arrowz range, check out the Frogleys Offshore website frogleysoffshore.com.au
Joe Allan
