Doomsday Tackle Company is one of the newer fishing tackle manufacturers to introduce a line of bass fishing rods to the market. The company was bought and relaunched a couple years ago by Will Stewart, who cut his teeth for years designing tackle for Pure Fishing in the ultra competitive Korean fishing market. Since taking over DTC, he’s been working feverishly to introduce new soft baits and now technique-specific rods to the bass fishing market relying heavily on his experience in the Korean market, whose anglers demand Japanese quality fishing tackle but at very affordable prices.
His new line of Doomsday Tackle Company “The47” rods impress from first glance with the classic look and styling, but after fishing with them for 6 months now, I can say they offer much more in development and design at affordable prices than eye-catching cosmetics. They have become some of my favorite new rods of 2018. If you’re in the market for a new bass fishing stick with a budget of $140, then you should read through some of the experiences with these rods.
The first thing people notice about the Doomsday Tackle Company The 47 rods obviously is their distinct antique white color with red accents. While there are certainly “other” white rods on the market, this one has a deeper meaning with a retro throwback look. Stewart’s father had a special fly rod in the garage that the younger Stewart was not allowed to touch as a child. So that classic antique white rod with red accents was sort of a trophy on a pedestal, and a look Stewart came to admire over the years. So it was only natural that his first line of rods would honor with a throwback to that special rod of his father’s.
The coloring and accents are beautifully matched and compliment the finely sanded cork handles and antique red wraps, and rings along the guides all the way up the rods.
Their S.M.R. Tech blanks have a 30/40-ton Japanese Toray carbon fiber blank mix. The proprietary combination of the two tonnages in the blanks provides not only a light, sensitive rod but a rod that can take the abuse of fishing in thick cover and lifting bass over a gunwale.
The Doomsday Tackle Company “The 47” rods feature 8 bait casting combinations and 2 spinning combinations. From 6-foot, 10-inch medium power, moderate-fast action up to a 7-foot, 8-inch extra heavy rod for swimbaits and flipping or 7-foot, 11-inch deep diving crankbait launcher, The 47 rods covers most bass fishing scenarios well with a nice blend of power, taper and action to give you really good load on the back cast as well as lifting power for swinging fish into the boat.
I have used the 6-foot, 10-inch rod to fish spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and even small swimbaits. I used the 7-foot medium light to throw square bills and flat side crankbaits around rocks and wood cover. I’ve used the 7-foot, 3-inch heavy and the 7-foot, 8-inch extra heavy rods to flip and pitch when the lake got flooded this year. I even spent some time walking the bank and flipping during high water flood conditions this winter and caught a bunch of big prespawn bass doing that. Catching big ones from the bank often takes a lot more horsing when the lake is flooded in the trees as there is so much cover and debris to fight the fish around and through. So that extra power was nice to really lean on fish and pull them through the cover.
The 7-foot, 11-inch medium-heavy, moderate-fast power cranking rod will launch a Strike King 6xd or 10xd equally well. It really loads and unloads fluidly giving you a ton of distance on flowing transfer cast when trying to cover big expanses of water like deep ledges offshore
While there are 8 action-power combinations, the rod blanks varied only slightly in diameter. Sometimes when you go from drastically different action and power rods, it can be like fishing with a whip switch one minute and then a lead pipe the next. I liked that it really didn’t feel like a drastic difference because the blanks were similarly designed. The range of powers and actions is nice. On one of my trips, I was throwing both a little 1/4-ounce swimbait on one rod and 2-ounce swimbait on another rod on the same group of fish. So I would pick up the 6-foot, 10-inch The 47 rod and throw the little bait and get a few more bites after I had been throwing a bigger 6-inch swimbait on the extra heavy 7-foot, 8-inch rod.
I have been really impressed at how sensitive the rods are through all the models and how balanced they have been with such a wide array of presentation and tackle choices on them.
The guides are really well wrapped and balanced along the tapers of the rods. I’ve not had any issues with line slap, angle tension or wind knots with any of the rods I’ve fished. The double foot stripper guides are rock solid and well spaced from the reel to give you a smooth long cast. The smaller mini guides handle line well on both the cast and under tension while fighting heavier bass, even in current.
I took the rods down to the river a couple of times to just play with fighting fish in current to get a well rounded assessment on how they fished. From light 8-pound line all the way up to 65-pound braid, I’ve not had the first issue with line management or the guides on these rods.
The 47 rods use high quality Fuji Stainless Steel Tangle Free K guides with Alconite inserts that are placed on each blank using the KR Concept guide spacing to maximize blank performance and reduce weight, while also increasing casting distance and sensitivity.
All up and down the rod you will find intricate detailing like laser-etched butt caps, accent rings, spacers, custom laser etched logos on the fore grip as well as accents along guides and in between cork handles. I love that there is so much attention to little details throughout the rods while still being well under $150.
The rods are very comfortable. The AAA cork grips are smooth and very fine. They are lightweight and grip well even in wet conditions. There are no hook hangers on the rods but that was by design to keep from scuffing the blanks. Even the biggest rods fish well all day not wearing you out or fatiguing your grip.
The handle lengths are pretty standard. Most of the rods are 10-inch handles with the 7-foot, 8-inch XH and 7-foot, 10-inch MH cranking rod having 12-inch handles. I did find at times I wished the 7-foot, 8-inch had just a little longer handle for throwing swimbaits but it was still a very comfortable rod to fish all day.
The through blank construction on the Fuji ECS reel seat is an industry standard that reduces rod weight and increases sensitivity.
I’ve used the rods a lot this year. I flipped a lot with them in the spring. Threw swimbaits, crankbaits, and jigs offshore this summer and I’m looking forward to heaving some topwaters around this fall on the rods. But overall this has been one of my favorite new rod lines launched in 2018. I think they are doing things right so far at Doomsday Tackle Company. They put a lot of thought into the rods from the styling, to the components to the action and power combinations. They are taking a lot of input from their prostaff and relying on a unique knowledge base in tackle manufacturing. I’m already looking forward to their next line of rods.
This was one of the bigger bass I caught this winter when the lake got too high for a few days to launch a boat at most ramps. I walked the bank and stuck this prespawn beauty with the 7-foot, 8-inch extra-heavy Doomsday Tackle Company rod with a Lew’s Inshore reel and 20-pound Seaguar AbrazXfluorocarbon with a Strike King Rage Bug.
This smallmouth came out of some swift moving current on a 1/4-ounce swimbait and the lighter 6-foot, 10-inch medium Doomsday Tackle Company The 47 rod. To learn more about The 47 rods or to order, visit doomsdaytackle.com.
