Back in March 2024, Fenwick made an unprecedented move by simultaneously refreshing all four of their rod lineups: Eagle, HMG, Elite, and World Class. All at once, Fenwick flooded the fishing market with more than 250 rod models for various species priced from $100 to $480 — the variety is kind of mind boggling. In the Fenwick Elite rod line alone there are 69 different rods to choose from. If you just look at the Elite Bass Casting Rods that are specifically designed for targeting bass, you get to a somewhat manageable 19. Now, let’s take a close look at one.
Fenwick Elite Casting Rod Specs and Features
Specs
Length: 7 feet, 3 inches
Power: Medium-Heavy
Action: Extra Fast
Line Rating: 12 to 17 pounds
Lure Weight: 3/16 to 5/8 ounces
Key Features
- Large exposed section of the blank in reel seat for increased sensitivity
- Multi-material split grips
- Titanium guides with zirconium inserts
- Custom Fenwick designed reel seats with soft touch
- Limited lifetime warranty
First Impressions
Fenwick sent a couple of their mid-range Elite Rods ($230 to $270) out for testing about four months ago, along with two of their high-end World Class Rods ($420 to $480) and a couple of their budget-friendly Eagle Rods ($100). I pulled all 6 rods from the rod tube at the same time and, while I could certainly distinguish between the different series just by the weight, feel and look, I remember being immediately impressed by the quality of the Eagle Rods (check out our full review here) in particular for the price. For 100 bucks, that turned out to be a heckuva rod.
The Elite certainly caught my eye as well that day. As nice as the World Class felt, the idea of a rod costing north of $400 still gave me a little heartburn. But I didn’t know, at the time, if the Eagle would be good enough for serious tournament competition and regular abuse.
At first blush, the Elite looked like a Goldilocks rod with quality, capability, and price all just about right. And, as it turned out, after fishing with the Elite, World Class, and Eagle rods for the last four months, the Elite has become my personal favorite.
The Fenwick Elite Casting Rod On the Water
The Elite Casting rod I fished was a 7 foot, 3 inch medium heavy/extra fast model. I’ll say right off the jump: I believe Fenwick has this rod rated a little faster than others would. This “extra fast” rod, to me, is more in line with the response of most fast action rods made by other companies. This isn’t a bad thing, just something worth noting so that you can select the right action.
My Elite felt like the perfect rod for Whopper Plopper/Choppo fishing, so that’s what I rigged up to start. I paired the rod with an 8.1:1 Abu Garcia Revo STX LP. After spooling the reel up with 40-pound Sufix 832 braid, I tied on a Berkley Choppo 105 and started down the bank.
The inkling I had that this extra-fast rod wasn’t quite so fast proved to be true right away on the water — it was stiffer than the name would imply. The rod had a great tip for roll casts, underhand casts, and back-handed casts with the 3/4-ounce bait.
Almost immediately, I locked into a 3-plus spot on the Choppo. It exploded on the bait and put up a pretty strong fight, but the rod loaded up well to keep the hooks from tearing loose while still having plenty of strength to wrestle the bass to the boat.
I went on to catch a half dozen or so fish on the Choppo that day, and several more over the course of the next couple months; I really like the combination of this rod with the fast 8.1:1 REVO STX LP for that style of fishing.
I later used this rod and reel to fish a buzzbait as well on a few trips and I fished a swim jig on it some. I’m confident the 7-foot, 3-inch medium heavy/extra fast would make a great rod for almost any type of jig fishing.
What Sets the Elite Apart
Just putting the Elite up against the World Class and Eagle rods, it can be hard to distinguish between them all; all three have very similar aesthetics and the quality is high across the board.
The Eagle is, again, a phenomenal rod for the money, probably 80% as good as the Elite for less than half the price. But the Elite is the better rod series for the tournament angler, for sure — even better than the World Class when you consider the price.
The Elite rods are still an investment at $230 to $270, depending on the model. But that pales in comparison to the World Class rods that cost twice as much.
Compared to the Eagle rods, the Elites are a little higher quality, a little more sensitive and, I’d say, a little more capable. There are also a few more technique-specific options available in the Elite line (19) versus the Eagle line (15).
Top Features
I like the more traditionally-sized guide train a lot on the Elite rods. They’re not restrictive like micro guides, but they’re not big and bulky either, thanks to the high-quality titanium frames and thin zirconia inserts.
The reel seat is pretty unique as well, with a larger portion of the rod blank exposed on the back for better feel and sensitivity. The reel seat also has a “soft touch” texture to it that creates a nice slip-free grip.
The split grips are made from a variety of materials. There’s a rubbery-feeling butt cap that is more rounded off than most other rods, which is easier on the ribs and stomach on the hookset. Then there’s a small section of cork just above the end cap.
From there, a dense EVA foam creeps up the rod and begins to taper until it fades into a premium cork. After an exposed section of the rod blank comes and goes, there’s a solid cork used for the main grip that transitions into the soft touch reel seat. A really elegant and ergonomic design.
Final Thoughts
The Fenwick Elite is a beautiful casting rod that is as strong as it is good looking. It has a bit of an old school vibe, with more traditionally sized guides and a good bit of cork, all with the modern feel of a little EVA foam mixed in and a soft-touch, open-back reel seat.
With 19 different models available, there’s a rod in the Elite lineup for any casting application. But at $230 to $270, this isn’t a rod that I’d recommend for someone just getting into bass fishing. But for everyone from the weekend warrior who’s been at it a while, all the way to a touring pro, the Fenwick Elite Casting Rod is a great option for sure.
