I’ve been doing a deep dive into budget-friendly bass fishing gear recently. I’m continually finding myself shocked by how good the products are that you can get for decent prices these days. Rods and reels that retail for under a hundred bucks have made up the bulk of these jaw-dropping finds of late. One of these is the Fenwick Eagle casting rod.
Reels like the Lew’s LFS Speed Spool and Shimano SLX A 150 have set and reset the standard over the last decade and a half as prime examples of what a hundred dollar bill can buy you when it comes to a baitcaster. But the development of quality rods at this price point struggled to match this pace set by the reels for some reason, until the last few years at least.
I’ve sampled a few stellar casting rods in recent months that have left me wondering why folks would ever spend several hundred dollars on a single rod. High-end rods are fantastic, don’t get me wrong. But several of these new budget-friendly ones are fantastic in their own rights, and available at a fraction of the cost. The Fenwick Eagle casting rod is a prime example of this. Let’s talk about it.
AT FIRST GLANCE
Fenwick has really upped their game with the quality of rods they produce the last few years. I had a couple Fenwick rods when I was a kid, closing in on two decades ago now. But the company fell off my radar as several others elevated their offerings at a quicker clip.
Fenwick is back in the game in a big way now though. I’ve been fishing with some of their latest and greatest rods for the last 3 months. Their premium lineup, Fenwick World Class, is the best casting rod I’ve ever personally fished with—but it is priced at $450 mind you.
Fenwick also sent over their mid-range rod, the Fenwick Elite (priced between $230 and $270 depending on the model). And they sent their entry level rod, the Fenwick Eagle, which retails for $100. The Eagle looked and felt almost as good as the World Class, but had cost less than a quarter than it. I was quite intrigued.
WHAT IT’S MADE OF
The Fenwick Eagle is built on a 24/30 ton graphite blend blank that makes for a surprisingly light rod at this price point. Stainless steel guides with Zirconia inserts are top notch. And the large section of exposed rod blank at the back of the reel seat allows you to detect bites and bottom contour more easily. These are features we’re used to seeing and have come to expect, but not from a rod that only costs $100.
The aesthetics are a thing of beauty as well. Fenwick masterfully combined various materials to create split and full grip handles (depending on the model) that feel as good as they look. The tapered handles and contoured rod butt appeal to the eye, and feel like they were molded to fit into your hands. The rest of the rod blank is polished off with a classy matte finish with the Fenwick and Eagle logos on display down near the bait keeper and foregrip.
SPECS
- Length: 7’ 1”
- Power: Medium-Heavy
- Action: Extra Fast
- Line Rating: 8-14 lb
- Lure Weight: 1/8-1/2oz
ON THE WATER
It was an interesting and rather unique experience for me to get to test these three models of Fenwick Rods alongside one another simultaneously. If you were to blindfold me and hand me one of the three (Eagle, Elite or World Class), I could tell you which was which right away based on the feel, weight and balance of the rods.
The World Class is the best, no doubt. But I say all that to reinforce a remark I made early—the Eagle has proven itself to be at least 80% as good as the World Class on the water. And, again, I think the World Class is one of the best rods on the market at the moment.
For this review, I tested the 7’1” medium heavy/extra fast version of the Eagle casting rod. I fished a jig on it primarily during testing and this rod made for a good jig skipping option. I caught a few pretty good fish on it and the rod held up plenty well on those fights. The Eagle was fairly sensitive—I’d score it at a 7.5 on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the most sensitive casting rod regardless of the price point). As far as weight and balance go, it receives similar scores.
QUALITY
The only issue I have had with this rod is that the cap came out of the butt one day while I was fishing with it. When making two-handed casts, I put a good bit of torque on the butt of a rod and have snapped that section off of other rods that have cork handles all the way to the end. I assume this same force is what dislodged the cap from the butt of this rod, but fortunately I was able to re-secure it with a little super glue and it hasn’t been an issue again since.
This incident did lead me to give the rod a really thorough inspection to see if I could find any other quality issues. I did notice a little bit of resin or glue around one of the areas where the handle joins the reel seat. But I had already tested the rod for a month or more at this point and the rod guides and other components were all still holding up as they should be. Even with the small issue with the butt cap and the little bit of residue on the rod, I’d still score it high on quality because it held up so well to the actual fishing.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you haven’t picked up what I’m putting down yet, this is an awesome rod for $100. Beginners in the market for his or her first casting rod, should give this one a hard look. If you’re a more seasoned angler looking to add a few rods to your arsenal without breaking the bank, there are nine versatile options in the Eagle lineup worth looking at, ranging from 6’6” to 8’. From what I’ve seen, this is a fantastic product that has earned my confidence on the water.
