A first look at the new Megabass Levante second generation bass fishing rods for 2019.
New for 2019
I have been anticipating the release of the new Levante rods since summer in 2018. The original Levante rods are still one of my favorite rod lines ever for bass fishing. I thought the originals were incredibly durable, had incredible lifting power, simple but elegant detailing and good components in a $199 rod.
Megabass updated the rods from the ground up starting with brand new blank material, grips, guides, actions, tapers, guide placement and most importantly a special emphasis was put on rod balance and seat placement in this line to match the new lighter more sensitive blanks.
Same great combinations
While you will see most of the same combinations that anglers loved in the original Megabass Levante rod line, there are some new additions and there are some significant changes to several of the specific models.
Take the Perfect Pitch for instance. They focused on making this rod a lot lighter and more well balanced for the actual motion of pitching all day. To achieve this, Megabass moved the reel seat and put a counter balance weight in the butt. When you pivot the rod in your hand on a pitch, it transfers the weight effortlessly resulting in much more comfort and less fatigue over the course of a day. The pitching motion requires much less effort. That’s a fairly significant accomplishment in a $200 rod.
Other rods in the line had tweaks to the guide placement and balance points as well. Each rod is specifically designed with a specific guide alignment that fits just that rod’s combination of action, taper and power. You can’t use the same guide alignment on all the rods because they each bend differently depending on power, action and taper. So the guides are precision placed to make sure your line never touches a blank on a cast or a fight.
Lighter more sensitive blanks
The biggest thing anglers will notice on the 2019 Megabass Levante line is how much lighter and much more sensitive they are from the original line. These are brand new blanks with the latest materials technologies available. They are reinforced to keep that same incredible torque they are known for while being much lighter and crisper actions.
It is not an easy process to make a very strong rod with a ton of lifting power while reducing the weight and increasing the sensitivity over its predecessors. Most of the time you get crisp sensitive rods. Or you get powerful rods. That’s the nature of graphite. But as technologies have advanced, we are getting more of blend of these traits now, especially with these Megabass sticks.
Updated components
The new Levante rods feature Fuji Alconite guides with a stronger foot. The inserts are the same, but the guide construction is much improved from the original models.
Intricate detailing
The original Levante series had simple but elegant features but these new Megabass 2019 Levantes offer so much more intricate details and technologies like their Spiral Architecture seat that makes the rod lighter but more solid and durable where the reel sits. The fore nut locks down on a reel and doesn’t slip under torque.
Unsanded blank tape for maximum sensitivity
The rods feature a Micro Pitch Taping technology that gives the rods an unsanded feel but offers higher wrapping-density for increased durability and blank crispness. So you get a very sensitive rod that is not as dampened as the original models, balances better and has much more crisp actions.
Noticeable feel difference from originals
These rods feel lighter and more sensitive throughout the retrieve and the fight, which translates into a much more efficient and effective fishing experience for anglers. But the balance of the rods is so much better. I love how they feel, and you really can feel the effortless balance point in the rods like the Perfect Pitch where you fulcrum the rod all day making the same repetitive motion.
That took a ton of effort I’m sure to get the balance points perfected by adjusting handle lengths, seat placement and guide alignment to perfectly match individual taper, power and action for each different rod. The results are pretty remarkable in a $200 rod.
Strong and comfortable butts
I always liked the way the grips felt on the original Levante rods, so I am happy with the slight refinements to these new 2019 Megabass Levante grips while keeping the things that I loved about the originals. These have been workhorse rods for me for a while. So I’m excited to see what I can do with these new rods.
Hook hanger behind the reel
One thing the originals did not have that these 2019 Megabass Levante rods have is a hook hanger. It is placed behind the reel down on the handle for two reasons.
First, most rods get scratched and nicked from putting lures on the hook hanger on the blank right above the reel, as the baits and hooks dig into the blank when you ride down the lake or throw it in the back of your truck. The second reason was so that you don’t catch your line on the hook hanger after a cast, like can happen in the wind, or as you are popping your line when trying to free a hung lure.
That can be really frustrating on other rods, but I love having a hook keeper on these new Levantes.
Beautiful aesthetics
I love the color shifting finish on the new 2019 Megabass Levante rods. The green is one of the more beautiful finishes I’ve seen on a bass rod. And how it transitions in sunlight is slick. The detailing, grips, accents and the packaging of these rods does not disappoint at any part of the development.
Also, each rod comes with a custom zippered sleeve.
I have fished with the Extreme Mission Type F, Perfect Pitch, Jerkbait Special and Leviathan rods. I am extremely happy with how these rods kept the nature of the original rods but added so much more to them in technical ways. They are light, sensitive, comfortable and strong.
Love how the fish
If you never gave the original Megabass Levante rods a try, you really should give at least one of these a try in the new 2019 Megabass Levante line. The jerkbait rod is exceptional. The EMTF is a great multipurpose rod that I have used for deep crankbaits, 3/4 ounce spinnerbaits and soft plastic swimbaits on a 1/2 ounce to 1-ounce jighead.
You can find all the rods on TackleWarehouse.com or check out what each rod is intended for at MegabassUSA.com.
