Do you know anyone looking for a spinning combo for some serious smallmouth/largemouth fishing? I had the opportunity to try a combo from Pinnacle - their 7-foot Tournament Class Perfecta DHC5 micro guide rod, paired with the Optimus XT size 30, 5.0:1 reel, and here’s what I found.
I thought this incredible lightweight rod was well balanced and looked great. The rod’s construction is outstanding, with internal and external carbon spiral wraps adding strength and increasing sensitivity. The micro guides are top-quality Fuji Micro Concept guides with hard, ultra-sensitive Alconite rings. I have never used a spinning rod with micro guides, so I thought I might have a problem with casting, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to cast long distances, and it delivered a level of sensitivity comparable to more expensive rods I’ve used. I found the guides keep the line tight and close to the blank, which aids with sensitivity. I’m looking forward to using this rod more this year to see if the micro guides help reduce fraying. I liked how it stored, I use rod gloves, and the micro guides made it easier to cover and store.
The rod is perfect for finesse, tube, and drop-shot fishing. The sensitivity is outstanding, and it has plenty of backbone for hooking and landing big fish no matter what depth you fish.
I spooled the reel with 6-pound fluorocarbon. I thought it would work great with such a nice rod in its class. I felt the reel wasn’t the lightest reel I’ve used. At 9.9 ounces, it was a bit heavy. The reel has a multi-disk drag system feature and an oversized line roller bearing. The reel design makes it easy to maintain the roller bearing. That bearing on spinning reels is often neglected and is the most often replaced bearing in spinning gear. The whole mechanism is just two parts - the cover and bearing and the roller sleeve, making it easy to access and service.
I liked that Pinnacle individually hand-tunes each reel before it leaves its facility. Most people purchase new reels, toss them on the rod, and go without consideration of the lubricity or brake settings, giving the reel optimized operation right out of the box. I found the reel seated perfectly to the rod and handled well. It was a comfortable fit for my hands. The reel’s performance worked as advertised and was very easy to use, and I never had an issue with casting or retrieving.
My only complaint is it’s a bit heavy, so using this all day could be a problem if it’s the only rod and reel you use. The reel performed well, and it looked great paired with the Tournament Class Perfecta rod.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for a good rod-reel combo for either tournament or fun fishing. The combo is very nice looking and performs well, making this one of my new go-to rod and reel combos.
