As a self-professed power fisherman, I was pretty excited to get to test out a SixGill Fenrir Rod, especially when I learned this particular model rod is designed specifically for flipping, not even available in anything under 7 feet, 2 inches long. My kind of deal.
DOUBLE DUTY AS A GREAT FROG ROD
Though this rod series is designed for flipping, I was optimistic that the 7-foot, 2-inch medium-heavy power rod would be a good option for frogging. I like to flip alright. And I love to punch. But I really love to frog, and have more opportunity to fish this way locally than I do either of the others. So, SixGill sent over one of their Fenrir 7-foot, 2-inch medium heavy rods for me to test out, and I’ve been doing just that for the last couple months.
We’ll get into the specifics in a moment, but as for using this rod for frogging in particular, I’ve be very pleased. I’m pretty snobbish on my frog rods. This is a bait that I like to fish a lot, so I need a rod I can count on that is short enough, with a soft enough tip that I can skip a bait well under cover. But it also needs to be stiff and strong enough to pull bass out of sometimes thick and nasty cover.
I’ve only found two rods in the last 15 years that I’d confidently tie a frog on and take into a tournament situation. That is, until I tried this rod, and now there are three.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE FENRIR RODS
When I first pulled the Fenrir Rod out of the rod tube, I was immediately impressed by how light this rod is, especially for a flipping stick. The rod isn’t feather light by any means, and I don’t really like rods that are. I still want there to be some substance to a rod I’m flipping or frogging with. But having a well balanced, fairly light rod is extremely helpful with fatigue when power fishing all day.
This 7-foot, 2-inch medium heavy is listed on SixGill’s site at 5.3 ounces. This is impressive for any frog rod, but when you take into account this dense cork handle and larger rod guides (as opposed to EVA foam grips and micro guides that are used to lighten the weight of other rods), it becomes an even more impressive and unique rod build.
RUBBERIZED CORK GRIPS COMPLIMENT
The grip on this rod warrants a little more discussion. I’m not sure if I’ve ever seen a rod with this exact kind of grip. It’s described on their site as “rubberized cork composite grip.” I don’t really know of a better way to describe it than that. It’s not like a traditional cork grip, that can be really dry feeling and slick when wet.
It’s more like they took cork material, cut it up into chunks, mixed some bits of rubber in and then molded all of that into a handle. I have no idea if this is actually what the process looks like, but the result creates a nice grip and a little bit of cushion. Really nice for whipping a frog around and working it for hours on end.
BUILD SPECS ON THE FENRIR
SixGill also notes on their site that they used 24/30 Japanese Toray carbon construction to create this rod. Again, the science of all of this escapes me. But the apparent result I can see clearly. This is one of the best power fishing rods I’ve come by in quite some time. The 7-foot, 2-inch medium heavy specifically is probably closer to a 7-foot, 2-inch heavy in many other rods.
This is understandable when you take into account that this series of rods is specifically described as a Flipping Series. As flipping sticks go, this rod is a medium heavy and aptly named so. For you to know what you’re getting though, the rod has a good bit of tip, meaning the last 18 inches of so of the rod loads up well on the cast and gives on the hookset. The other 4 and a half feet or so of the rod, between this tip section and the top of the handle, bends very little and thus constitutes for quite a bit of backbone.
FOUR MODELS OF FENRIR
This makes the 7-foot, 2-inch Fenrir again ideal for frog fishing, but would also means it would make for a great pitching/flipping rod for 3/8- to 1/2- ounce baits around wood and sparse vegetation. And, though I haven’t used these two models, I feel confident you could step up to the 7-foot, 6-inch Medium Heavy and 7-foot, 6-inch Heavy and go off in some pretty nasty stuff with heavy braided line.
There’s also a 7-foot, 2-inch medium action Fenrir rod. I haven’t used this rod either, but judging by the feel of the 7-foot, 2-inch medium heavy, I believe the medium action rod would be a great selection for moving power-fishing baits, like spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and toads. I would likely even throw a lipless crankbait and vibrating jig on it, as I often prefer slightly stouter rods for these techniques compared to other anglers.
GREAT PRICE POINT ON FENRIR
For $150, this is an easy rod for me to recommend to any angler that’s looking for a good power fishing rod. I really like the old school vibes, with the cork handle and bigger eyes. Somehow, SixGill was able to incorporate these features, and really spice the handle up, without adding weight to the rod.
The rod has a great action with a plenty of backbone and light an easy to fish with for extended periods of time. This combination is what puts it right up there with my favorite frog rods of all time. Which is write a feat, in my eyes anyway.
Buy the SixGill Fenrir at these online retailers:
