WHAT IS IT?
Shimano Poison Ultima Spinning Rod
WHAT SETS IT APART?
For the optimal balance of strength and sensitivity, Shimano fortifies the Poison Ultima blanks with Spiral X Core — carbon tape infused with nano resin wrapped up the mandrel at an angle and then back down to form an X pattern with no gaps. Shimano’s Hi-Power X process then wraps another layer of carbon tape at varying angles to affect rod action. Ensuring snappy response through rod tip reinforcement, Shimano uses Hi-Power X Solid — an ultra fine carbon tape that minimizes power loss without impeding the solid tip’s delicate bending.
HOW DO I USE IT?
One of Shimano’s top JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) offerings recently made its North American debut at ICAST — the Poison Ultima spinning rod. Incredibly light and impressively sensitive, the rod features a hollow Carbon Shell Grip with flat sides that create more contact points to transmit the subtlest of vibrations to the angler’s hand. Adding its proprietary X-Guide train (titanium guides with alloy rings), Shimano ensures optimal casting distance and accuracy. Ideal for finesse techniques, the Poison Ultima comes in 7-foot medium and 7-foot medium-light models.
HOW MUCH?
$879.99
MORE INFORMATION:
ANGLER’S INSIGHT:
What differentiates a good angler from a great angler? There’s a handful of pieces to that puzzle, but one of them most certainly is tooling. No one’s suggesting you have to spend nearly $900 on a rod to achieve angling excellence. When budgets allow — maybe someone gives you that once-in-a-lifetime level gift, or perhaps, you decide it’s time for a celebratory splurge — reaching for the top shelf with a rod like the Shimano Poison Ultima will not disappoint. You don’t necessarily need to refinance the house to buy a full set of the high-end stuff, but when supreme sensitivity and precision performance are legitimate difference makers, what’s the real value of knowing your rod’s going to delver every time?
