Lake Fork Lures Co. recently released its new line of casting and spinning rods: the Lake Fork Rod Co. Gold Series. It’s a line the company designed in collaboration with decorated pro angler Jeff Sprague.
I had the pleasure of testing one of these casting rods recently, and the 7’3” ChatterBait/Crankbait rod performed quite well. But I do want to offer up one word of caution. Let’s dive in.
At First Glance
There are seven rods in the Gold Series’ casting lineup, ranging from a 6’10” medium/extra-fast to a 7’4” heavy/extra-fast. With a full cork handle and more traditionally sized larger guides (like the ChatterBait/Crankbait rod I tested), these elements give the rods an overall classic look and feel.
Like any good tester, the first thing I did with this rod was put its tip against something soft on the floor and give it a bend. To me, this rod had the perfect flex for a ChatterBait rod but felt a little stiff for a crankbait. So I rigged it up with 40-pound braid and hit the lake to find out what it can do.
On the Water
I tested this rod for a few weeks during the pre-spawn, when vibrating jigs are notoriously effective. I caught a few chunks on it, nothing that big.
But I got to know the rod really well by casting it several different ways around various types of cover. On a lake near the house, I fished a vibrating jig in stained water around isolated wood. In this setting, I often used a little roll cast to skip the bait under overhanging cover one minute and then bomb it down the bank at a laydown the next. In each instance, the 7’3” length of this rod proved to be the perfect compromise. It wasn’t too long for the roll casts while still being long enough to bomb the bait when needed.
Lake Eufaula gave me the opportunity to test this rod around both dense and sparse vegetation. The length again served the purpose well, making long and accurate casts possible. The strength of the rod showed through there: I was able to wrestle a couple fish through cover and rip the bait out of vegetation over and over again.
I like the bend of this rod quite a bit for a ChatterBait; it reminds me a lot of another ChatterBait rod that I really like — one that costs more than twice the $250 price tag of this one. There’s a lot of backbone in this rod, yet a fairly soft tip for the last two and a half feet. This makes those roll casts possible while also allowing bass to get the bait well before either I can feel them or they can feel me. The rod loads up really well and has plenty of power to rip the bait from cover.
The only remotely critical thing I have to say about the specific rod I tested is that I don’t really see using it for many cranking situations. Even though this model is labeled ChatterBait/Cranking, it’s a little stiff for my crankbait fishing preferences. I will concede, though, that it could make for a good lipless crankbait rod when fishing submerged vegetation.
Features of the Gold Series
The AA-grade cork handle is a nice touch, especially for any angler favoring a more old-school look and feel. Again, the non-micro-size Kigan Tangle-Free K-Guides add to the aesthetics and pair well with the cork handle.
There’s a closed bait keeper on the face of the rod just above the reel, and the reel seat has an exposed section of the rod blank for added sensitivity. The High Modulus Toray Graphite Blank is also light, sensitive, and strong, just as advertised.
Final Thoughts
I was pretty pleased with this one overall. I could see keeping the Lake Fork Lure Co. ChatterBait rod in the rotation as a technique-specific rod for quite a while.
The components and quality stack up well against far more expensive rods. And the bend is spot-on for what I like with a ChatterBait, having a good flex at the tip but not super bendy throughout. This is a solid rod for Lake Fork Lure Co.’s first rod offering.
