What’s up BassResource fans? Scott Martin here, hanging out at ICAST 2013. I come and visit you on the forums, and I want to introduce you to something I’m very proud of; my new Signature Series Tournament Concept Rods by Okuma. This is not me just sticking my name on a rod, guys; I built and designed every aspect of every one of these 13 models. I picked out exactly the size guide, the length rod, the actions, the type of graphite, the way we wrapped them, the length of the handle, everything. This is not, again, me sticking a name on a rod; this is me designing a rod with every aspect that I can think of to be a successful tournament fisherman; we have them packed in with these rods, right here.
Couple things: I’ll show you one of my favorite ones. This is called . . . as you can read right here, the Mat Daddy. Living down in Florida flipping heavy cover hyacinths, doing all that heavy flipping you see me doing. This is what I love this rod for: 7’ 11”, extra-heavy action, perfect punching rod. It has some really cool features on here. Number 1: Let’s start with something you’re probably noticing right off the bat, this guide right here. You’re looking at this guide saying, “What is this guide doing there? There’s no other rod on the market has that guide.” That is my flipping guide. As I pull line off my rod, I’m pulling it from in front of this guide and back. The angle that it creates keeps you clear of the handle on your reel, which . . . you know what I’m talking about, guys, when you flip the old-school way; when you release, a lot of times your handle gets all tangled up in your line. It’s messed up. Now pulling it there, the different angle keeps me clear of the reel.
Number 2: It adds support and strength. As I’m torqueing down on a big fish; braided line, heavy cover, it’s displacing the weight throughout this blank so there’s no weak spot in it. On a flippin stick, your weakest point is from your last guide to your reel. With this extra guide right here, that adds extra support.
Also what we’ve done here which is really cool, we’ve wrapped this part of the blank all the way to the bottom with an additional carbon wrap that’s over top this 30-ton graphite. This section of the rod right here is extra-strong. Again, these are Tournament Concept rods; I don’t want them breaking, I don’t want any issues. Having that extra strength on there is very important.
Cosmetically, I think they look pretty cool. They got the nice blue, right here. Love the blue, obviously, with the Trokar stuff. Got some really cool cosmetic things, here: Got the nice, what I call, the little jet engine deal there. We got EVA foam. We have the compressed cork right here. Wet hands catching fish, you’ve got good grip.
I wish you could feel them because they are light. Everybody that walks by picks them up and goes, “Man, they’re really lightweight,” and they are and they’re sensitive. Medium micro guides, not the super-small micro guides, like some of the people are using out there. I like the little bit bigger guide, but it’s still a micro, allows me to get all my knots, if I’m doing double-uni knots and whatnot. Get through here, there’s a little bit bigger guides, a lit bit easier to get your line up, through. That’s the way I like them. Specifically, these handles are designed for each rod, different lengths, obviously. We got the hook hanger here on the back. A lot of other companies have hook hangers in different places. I wanted it right there, out of the way.
Anyway, Tournament Concept Rods, Scott Martin Series, Okuma: $129, lifetime warranty. What can you say more? See you guys.