The new Centuryt Stealth blanks means tough rod/reel decisions will be coming up

[Saltheart]

Have you looked at the Stealths specifically? If you have looked at the other Centuries there are some standouts and some you may think are based on modern builds , etc. The Stealths are the rods that are exciting me. There are only 2, the 10 footer and the 11 footer. The density of the fiber resin systems is immediately noticeable. The nano resin systems may be used in other but only in the Stealth among the typical rods we would use here for stripers , have been autoclaved. These nanoresins require the pressure cure. That doesn't come from Century. I looked up the nanoresin systems used and the manufacturer makes it very clear that you must pressure cure these system to get the big properties improvement the nano level composites can deliver.

Anyway , just curious if your opinion is on the Centuries in general or specifically about the 10 and 11 foot Stealths.

[numbskull]

Originally Posted by Saltheart

Anyway , just curious if your opinion is on the Centuries in general or specifically about the 10 and 11 foot Stealths.

Truthfully, I don't know. There are so many options between these new companies that I get lost.

At the shows I looked at the full CTS line. They had fast action rods called the surf series (I think) that seemed like they would cast the nutz but suck to fish for long periods, and a parabolic series that seemed slower than ideal. They had a different taper in their 10 foot series, something in between the surf and parabolic, but I looked at their 10 foot 1-3 and felt it was not much more than a skinnier version of the gsb1201L. I understand they have a 2-4 version that Back Beach built and likes but I don't recall that blank specifically. To confuse things further I looked at a CTS 10 footer at M&D's the other day and it seemed MUCH stiffer than the blank I bent at the show.

As for Century, I looked at a lot of their rods at MSBA and didn't notice much difference in taper between them. They all seemed like copies of the XRA1322 taper.......though a bit lighter/thinner/and in various weight ranges. I liked them, but it is telling that given a choice between a XRA 1322 or a GSB 1321M most bass fisherman over the last decade have preferred the 1321m for work outside the canal. That collective experience suggests that time has proven the 1321M taper a better "big rod-all night fishing in bad terrain" option. I did not see a Century rod that I felt matched that taper.

Interestingly, I did look at the $500 FMJ 12 foot rod there. Felt like it would cast a mile. At 15 oz it weighed the same as a 1321M built with titanium, but felt heavier in hand because of length. If I wanted a pure casting tool and didn't have to worry about riprap behind me I'd be tempted.

Again these rods are very nice and may well become the tools of choice. If I needed a 2 piece rod I'd buy one in a flash since they certainly seem better than any other 2 piece option out there. I would note that CTS is promising 1 piece blanks soon, and Century is promising some further high tech resin system soon. Probably I will wait for these to come along. In the meantime I am enjoying these rebuilt GSB blanks very much.

[rphud]

A quick question, if I may. I see the M is rated 4-12 and the L is 2-6 in the catalog and I was wondering how "accurate" these ratings are. 4-12 seems a bit much for what plugs I would ever be throwing. thanks in advance.

[Big Dave]

I just wanted to say for the record that the century product lines have absolutely nothing in common with lamiglass. Nothing at all. No tapers, and certainly not any actions. When these rods were developed lami was not even a thought. In-fact I don't think that the folks at century have ever seen a lami.
For the past 30 years lami has been king of the northeast. But at one time so was the Squidder.

What has me personally so excited about Century is not only are they one of the best blank manufacturers in the world. (and have been for a couple decades plus ) They made a commitment to build rods for the Northeast bass fishermen. This really changes the game for fishermen here in New England. One of the main reasons people recomend lami is they are the only choice commonly available in shops around our area. Not many are willing to take a shot and spend good money on blanks they have never seen. But again thats changing as well. These are really nice sticks and I am really happy that there doing well in all the shops there in.
From the 8 foot popping rods to the 12 ultimate distance plugging rods and everything inbetween. These are high quality,light weight, casting and fish fighting machines. If anyone wants to try them they are welcome to ask me, or if they want reviews I suggest asking someone who bought one.