Serious striped bass anglers know what they need to battle these awesome inshore species. And one of the most important aspects of any striped bass setup is the rod. This is where the Daiwa Blackline selection of inshore rods comes into play. The designers at Daiwa left no stone unturned, rooting out every want and need to create the ultimate lineup of rods, designed for the hardcore striper guy, with crossover appeal for multi-species anglers chasing fluke, bluefish, sea bass and false albacore.
These new rods join the Blackline surf and trolling/mojo rods introduced in early 2024. The Blackline Inshore series includes five spinning models ranging in length from 7, 7-foot-6 and 7-foot-10-inch lengths, along with a 7-foot-6 conventional rod primarily designed for fluke action. Being introduced at the 2024 ICAST Expo, the rods will start shipping to tackle shops by the end of July.
With the needed focus on keeping the overall rod light and durable, the Blackline Inshore rods are designed with Daiwa’s SVF (Super-High Volume Fiber) SVF Nanoplus Technology to lighten and strengthen the blank. They are also reinforced with Daiwa’s X45 bias carbon technology and Braiding X construction process to resist twisting, provide the needed hook-setting power, and maintain rod integrity during high-stress battles.
“Along with these rod blank technologies, we were able to keep the rod weight down and further increase rod sensitivity by using Daiwa’s exclusive Air Sensor reel seat on the spinning rods – the casting rod is fitted with a Daiwa custom reel seat,” explains Chris Martin, Daiwa’s field marketing specialist. “With the Blackline Inshore models joining the surf and trolling/mojo models, we’re able to show East Coast striper anglers that – not only do we listen when it comes to what they need in a rod – but also shows that Daiwa has a true commitment to striper fishermen, no matter what technique they use.”
While the Blackline Inshore 7-foot-6 BLB761HRB, is rated for lures up to 5 ounces and line weights from 20- to 60-pound test, absolutely has many striper applications, it matches up wells with Daiwa’s Lexa 300 and 400 size low-profile reels to target fluke. “As they did with the Blackline surf rods when the Daiwa product development staff visited the Jersey Shore for input on these rods,” said Bob Hryszko with Grumpy’s Tackle in Seaside, N.J., “they actually listened on what East Coast striper anglers wanted in a rod, and it shows with the finished product across the entire Blackline series. For them to include a conventional rod for fluke anglers, our input on these rods shows through and through.”
Matching up well with Daiwa’s Saltist MQ spinning reels in sizes from 4000 through 8000, and even better with Certate SW 4000, 5000, and 6000, the other rods in the Blackline Inshore lineup include the 7-foot BLB701MLSF for lures up to 2 ounces; three 7-foot-6 models including the BLB761MFS for lures up to 3.5 ounces, the BLB761MHFS for lures weighing up to 4 ounces and the BLB761HRS for lures up to a whopping 6 ounces, making them ideal for slinging large live baits like bunker and eels; the 7-foot-10 BLB7101HFS handles lures and baits up to 6-ounces as well.
Each rod in the lineup features split grips for a sharp look and unmatched sensitivity, with the grips themselves featuring high end cork. The spinning rods include Fuji Alconite Tangle Free K-Guides while the special fluke crossover rod has Fuji Alconite K-Guides. All of the Blackline Inshore rods retail for $249.99. For more information and a hands-on feel on the new rods, or any of the Blackline surf and trolling/mojo, stop into your favorite tackle, visit www.daiwa.us, and check out the video posted at the following link: https://youtu.be/H-Ee184lUEg?si=GVLNQC1SloPGT4PT.
