Mike Iaconelli is a gritty, hard-working, well-rounded angler with a little bit of an attitude. And I’d say his signature series of rods from Abu Garcia exude those same characteristics. The Abu Garcia IKE Power Series 3.0 Casting Rod has been a lot of fun to test out, and it’s proven to be quite the rod for $150.
Abu Garcia IKE Power Series 3.0 Casting Rod: Features
- 30 Ton graphite blanks with Powerlux 200 resin
- ROCS guide train (Robotically Optimized Casting System)
- Custom Abu-designed reel seat
- Stainless steel guides/Zirconium inserts
- Limited 3 year warranty
First Impressions
Around 10 years ago, I actually had a couple of rods from the first batch that Ike designed with Abu Garcia, and I really like those first-gen rods a lot. So, I was excited to hear about the latest version being released. When I first got my hands on one, the look and feel of it brought back a lot of sweet memories.
A greenish-purple color covers this rod blank from butt to tip, with a little bit of a brass sheen coming through; this color is reminiscent of the first round of greenish-purple rods of Ike’s that I had, for sure.
The little studded trim piece just above the reel seat and the molded EVA grip with finger grooves combine with the color of the rod to give the overall package an edginess. It’s a cool rod for sure, but how would it perform on the water? It didn’t take long for me to find out.
On The Water
Abu also sent out Iaconelli’s new reel to pair with this rod for testing, and I must say that the Abu Garcia IKE Signature 3.0 Casting Reel is a beast.
I believe I like it as much as the rod, maybe even more. I spooled the combo up with 40-pound Sufix 832 Braid and hit the water.
A couple unsuccessful outings near the house spurred me to load up and take the rod down to Lake Seminole in early March, where I knew the bass would be big and should be bedding. Since I went with the 7-foot, 2-inch, medium-heavy version for testing, I decided to rig it up with a soft plastic swimbait for this trip.
I fished both a Berkley Unrigged CullShad and a Zoom Uni-Toad on this setup over the course of a couple of days and was able to put a few good fish in the boat. The most memorable was around 4 1/2 pounds; it bit over behind a patch of lily pads and buried up in them immediately.
The rod (and reel) did a fine job fighting the fish, and I hauled it out of the mess and up to the boat. I was also able to get three more bites from fish in the 3-pound range and boat flipped them with no trouble.
Action and Power
This rod was the perfect size for fishing a swimbait over and through the kind of vegetation I encountered.
On paper, you might look at the 7’2” medium-heavy/fast rod and think it would be too light for fighting big fish out of dense cover, but as soon as I put my hands on it and gave it the old rod-tip-against-the-carpet test to see how it would bend, I was surprised to see how beefy it was.
This rod is in Ike’s “Power Series,”so it makes sense that it would be a little stiffer. There’s also a Finesse, a Travel and a Delay Series in these rods. I can tell you first-hand that “medium-heavy/fast” on this Power Series rod is a good bit stiffer and more capable than rods from other companies labeled with that power and action, and it still has enough tip to be able to fish a frog on it. I’d say, it’s closer to what most brands would label a 7’ 2” heavy/fast.
EVA Foam Split Grip
The contoured EVA foam grips on this rod are a nice touch. When you take the handle in your hand, your fingers fall right into the grooves on the main grip, and then the grooves on the butt portion of the grip grab your fingers when you load up the rod for a bomb cast. It’s really a nice design for a comfortable and sure grip.
Other Trimmings
The reel seat itself is also ergonomic, further contributing to a seemingly custom feel in your hand. The stainless steel guides and zirconia inserts are becoming standard fare among rods at and above this price point, but I’m still a big fan of them and I’m always impressed by how clean and capable they are.
My only criticism is that the fairly basic bait keeper above the reel seat does get in the way a bit and hangs my line occasionally, and I have to unhook my soft plastics to stow them away, since the bait keeper is closed. But, it’s better than no bait keeper, for sure.
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In the Power Series, there are 6 options ranging from 7’ to 7’ 10’. All of the rods are medium heavy/fast, with the exception of 7’ medium and a 7’ medium heavy plus.
At the $150 price point, I haven’t found a rod I like more than this one in a while. The Lew’s Custom Lite comes to mind that I tested a couple years ago; those rods were priced between $150 and $180. I’d say that’s the last rod I’ve tested around the $150 price that I like as much as this one, and the Abu Garcia IKE Power Series 3.0 Casting Rod might still beat it out in time.
