Since the Samurai Reaction Rods hit the market last year, I’ve had the pleasure of having a few of these rods in my boat to use offshore for snapper, jewfish and anything else that came along.

The three models I have been using are 302, 402 and 502 all from the Snapper Series (see Fig 1.)

These three rods are great for fishing jighead rigged lures or vibes as they have a fast taper and are not really suited to casting slugs. The same applies to fishing deep water, high speed jigging lures – they just bend too much at the tip for high speed jigging and the angler needs to work too hard.

On the other side of the equation they are great for trolling up a flathead or tailor with the fast taper really making the lure work well. I found the heavier rod in particular (the 502), great for spotty mackerel and tuna trolling offshore. The action is ideal for trolling fast lures and this rod really gets these lures working well and, more importantly, allows the angler to easily see how the lures are working through the rod tip movements.

In the first week using these rods I encountered snapper up to 9kg, kingfish to 10kg, jewfish to 12kg and a GT that came in around 20kg, so these rods really can stack up to the big fish.

I’ve found that some rods I’ve used really start to put pressure on your body after 10-15 minutes of fighting a fish. Your arms start to hurt and your lower back starts to ache. These rods really showed me how well they were designed as fighting sticks when fighting the big GT. Throughout the 40 minute battle using the 502 not a mention about discomfort was made. I was also impressed with my son fighting a good tuna in North Queensland. At 11 years old and not the biggest kid on the block, the fish came up with ease for him. It was at that moment that I really thought these rods worked fantastic and really looked after the angler.

The Samurai Reaction Rods are at the premium end of the market; they sit on the shelf at just over $500 in tackle shops. But because they are fitted with quality Fuji components and Fuji titanium Sic guides they are well worth the spend, and no matter what line you run through them, it’s always quiet and smooth.

The rods are also fitted with the new, soft-feel Fuji reel seats. The grips look classy in camo and set up with the split grip butt they really look the part and are comfortable enough to fish with all day.

The two heavier rods (402 and 502) are two-piece, breaking at the foregrip. With this design the action of the rod isn’t effected at all, plus it makes travel and storage a lot easier. The lighter 302 is a one-piece to keep the action light and rod weight to a minimum.

The blank is a new design of NV-2 graphite blanks. These are ultra lightweight and as Samurai say, “You feel less like a fisher and more like a warrior”. What impressed me most about these rods is the high graphite count in the blank. This usually means the taper is gradual in the snapper end of things, but the taper in the Samurai is so fast you can lock into a fish and have the butt locked with the tip still working away with your fish.

On the bigger fish I really locked the butt section up solid and it never felt like anything was forced or not working properly; it just locked up the tip, bounced the drag ran out smoothly and 90% of the time I landed the fish!

On the three rods I fished with three different line classes, all of which were the lightest weight the rod recommended. As the taper is fast I believe lighter line is better, but I am sure you can load them up with 25lb braid and they would hold it with ease.

Cosmetically the rods look top shelf. They have a gunmetal grey polished blank, the bindings are blue to compliment the silicone guides and the overall finish exudes quality and workmanship.

For anglers using soft or hard lures, these rods will compliment your action and while you do need to move them more than a stiffer rod, your lures look more lifelike.

The range of Samurai Reaction rods are not just stereotyped into snapper rods; they also have world-class bream and bass rods and even some highly sort after barra rods. There are nine rods in the range I am sure there is one for you.

Check them out in your local tackle shop or online at www.frogleyspffshore.com.au.