A few months ago as I was digging through tournament results, emails and trade information, I ran across a story about my good friend Randall Tharp and a new rod he was using to win tournaments on Lake Okeechobee. Randall is an angler who utilizes the best products that work for him without scrimping, so naturally I wanted to know more. I dug around and found the telephone number to Halo Rods and gave them a call.
My call was answered by a gentleman with a very different accent (I guessed wrong with Australian), who turned out to be Alex Pappas from South Africa. Alex now resides in the United States and has co-partnered with another South African, Lionel Botha, to start Halo Fishing. Their goal is simple—to build the best rods, reels and terminal tackle at a price most anglers can afford.
Halo began with their super-light Twilite Series rods fully equipped with split-grip EVO foam handles, tacky grips and micro guides. To test whether or not these rods could hook and land giant bass in the heaviest cover, Halo Fishing asked noted flippers and pitchers JT Kenney, Koby Krieger and Randall Tharp to give them a try. If they stood up to their abuse, it would be obvious that the majority of anglers would also approve. They definitely withstood the test, with their parabolic design, weightlessness and durability now catching the eyes of anglers across the country.
Following their huge success with the Twilite Series, Halo Fishing has recently released their new, less-expensive Daylite Series. I recently had the opportunity to test the 7-foot, 6-inch heavy-action Halo Fishing Daylite Series Casting Rod and was extremely pleased. With such an attractive price point, many anglers wouldn’t expect such outstanding feel, sweet cosmetics or durability from a rod, but the Daylite Series offers just that—and more.
Pulling it from the wrapper, the most noticeable trait is the gold glimmer of the blank. To accent its good looks, gold-wrapped micro guides are paired with a carbon fiber mesh in the blank-through black EVO foam handle. The super-light taper and balance of this rod is absolutely incredible, making it feel and perform like a much more expensive rod. It also feels extremely balanced in your hands when combined with a low profile, high gear ratio reel. So it looks awesome, but how does it fish? The proof is in the pudding, so fishing with it was the “real” test.
Before I hit the water, I put a new Abu Garcia Revo Premier casting reel on my Halo Daylite Series rod and spooled it with 65-pound Sufix 832 Braid. On the business end, I opted for an Eco Pro Tungsten jig with a Zoom Super Speed Craw trailer. When punching and pitching, the Daylite Series rod is sweet, allowing the braid to flow through its 13 micro guides without any line slap while casting. Because the first guide is a bit larger than the rest, the line effortlessly funnels to the tip, resulting in very smooth casts.
I was also impressed with the rod’s stoutness. Whether you plan on using this rod as a heavy-duty flipping stick or a big swimbait rod, it offers plenty of tough backbone to get the job done. When fishing with workhorse rods such as this one, anglers often sacrifice a great deal of sensitivity. That is not the case with the Halo Daylite Series, as I could feel every piece of cover that my bait came into contact with. When setting the hook, I didn’t hold anything back, and the parabolic bend of the rod allowed it to load very well. Swinging big fish into the boat was made easy, as the Daylite Series was up to the test.
With a very reasonable price tag of $79.99, the Halo Daylite Series rods are outstanding rods that won’t break the bank. If you’re looking for a high-performing rod without emptying your wallet, you need to get your hands on a Daylite Series.
To view the entire series of Halo Fishing Daylite Series Casting Rods, please visit TackleWarehouse.com.
Halo also has introduced some great new heavy-duty punch hooks, BlackHead swimbait nose cones and bobber stoppers. In addition, they will also be releasing some new reels very soon. You can learn more about all of their products at HaloFishing.com.
