I haven’t used a Cashion rod in a long time. It has been many years since I put one in my hands. I believe the last time I fished with one was when they were initially introduced and I was pretty darn impressed back then. The grip was different, it was really well balanced and the weightlessness was something I told my fishing buddies about.
For the last several months, however, I’ve had an opportunity to put the newest Cashion rods to the test on my local lakes. I’ve been testing several different models but I wanted to publish a review on the Cashion ICON Series Multi-Purpose Casting Rod first. My reasoning was fairly simple; as the summer continues, these dang bass become pretty tough to catch and that’s when I do a lot of “junk fishing” as many folks call it. I’ll run down a bank and flip a worm a few times, then lob a buzzbait at a grass line, maybe skip a frog underneath a dock… honestly I’m just doing anything I can to get a bite in this hot water.
This Cashion ICON Series Multi-Purpose Casting Rod is an incredible rod for this type of fishing and I wanted to let everyone know while it’s still junk-fishing season. Hang with me for a minute or two because I want to tell you about my experiences with this very special and versatile bass fishing rod.
The Cashion ICON Series Multi-Purpose Casting Rod is made using a uni-directional manufacturing process that certainly cuts weight. I test a lot of different fishing rods for my job and this is certainly one of the lightest I’ve fished with lately. Some companies tend to focus a bit too much on weightlessness in my opinion because while the rods are super light, they also have a tendency to snap when you’re boat-flipping a 2-pound bass. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars only to break a rod flipping a dink into my boat.
This manufacturing process, however, seems to add a lot of strength to the Cashion ICON Series Multi-Purpose Casting Rod blank because carbon fibers run the entire length of the rod. I’ve boat-flipped some nice fish throughout my testing and had some folks accidentally step on a few and I’ve noticed absolutely zero loss in structural integrity. I’ve been really happy and fairly surprised by the blend of weightlessness and durability throughout my testing.
This is one thing that has taken me a bit to get used to throughout my experience fishing with this rod. Cashion has always had a very unique grip style and while it will certainly feel different when you first put it in your hand, I think you’ll really start to like it after just a few minutes.
As bass anglers, we’re pretty used to cork and EVA foam handles on our fishing rods but these carbon fiber split-grip handles are pretty impressive in my opinion. They feel good in your hand and they also seem to transmit a lot of vibration and sensitivity throughout my testing. They don’t get slippery with wet or fish slime-covered hands with is also a big plus in my book. I’ve also noticed that this rod feels a bit lighter than many others in the grip section of the rod which, to the best of my knowledge, probably has a lot to do with this particular grip style.
I’m a big fan of rods that can be used for a wide variety of techniques. I’m not long removed from being a totally broke college fisherman who could barely afford to put three well-used rods on my front deck with a grocery store sack of a dozen baits or so. So throughout my career I have tried to keep that in mind because after all, bass fishing gear is expensive and if you can find one rod that can do a bunch of different things, I consider that a heckuva find and a real bargain.
This particular rod is a 7-foot, 4-inch, medium-heavy action rod with a moderate-fast taper. If you’re not familiar with that type of terminology, I’ll tell you that you can do essentially whatever you want to do with this rod. I’ve really enjoyed using it for squarebills, spinnerbaits, ChatterBaits, 3/16-ounce Texas rigs, Carolina rigs and heck, it’ll even fish a hollow-body frog in open water and very sparse cover. So whether you’re a bass boat guy on a budget, a kayak guy or you prefer to walk the banks of your local fisheries, I consider this to be a great investment if you’re looking for versatility in a bass fishing rod.
I make a point to support any company that makes its products in the USA and thankfully, Cashion does. Throughout my circle of fishing buddies, I’ve always heard about Cashion’s committment to quality and detail. That’s not some type of word salad to impress you; it’s the truth and they’ve developed quite a reputation for it. If you decide to get one of these rods, you’re not going to have to worry about shoddy construction or snapping rods.
If you’re looking for a rod that can do a lot, I highly recommend looking into these rods. They’ve been outstanding throughout my testing.
The Cashion ICON Series Multi-Purpose Casting Rod is available at TackleWarehouse.com.
