I recently had the opportunity to try out one of the custom NW Rods for Next Adventure. These fishing rods were designed specifically for kayak fishing and those fine details show up when you’re putting it to the test. They come in sizes ranging from light—perfect for high mountain trout and panfish, to heavy—a great option for big baits and bigger fish. I opted for the medium heavy, I wanted to go after some Columbia River Walleye and thought it would be a great option for that style of fishing. Knowing I would be fishing a minimum of 50 feet of water, I opted to pair the rod up with a Daiwa Legalis 2500 reel and 30-pound Daiwa J-Braid line. The reel is slightly oversized for the rod, but it balanced the rod well and made for an easy day of vertical jigging.

By some stroke of luck, we picked the ideal day to give the rod the test it deserves. The full composite blank paired with the braided line allowed me to feel every detail, down to the smallest nibble or when my lure wasn’t quite acting right, even when fishing 90+ feet down. The action of the rod allowed for a sensitive and flexible tip, while maintaining a ton of backbone in case I hooked a much larger fish. I feel confident if I accidentally hooked something much larger, like a salmon, I would be able to bring the fish to the kayak. I found the 6’6” length to be very manageable on a kayak, easy to clear the bow of the boat, but not too long to make landing a fish difficult. At first glance, one bit of apprehension I had about the rod were the line guides. They looked like some I’ve ruined in the past. However, looks can be deceiving and these held up exceptionally well to both the braided line and the creative storage I had going on in my garage.

One aspect of the rod I should bring up is the grip. It’s designed in such a way that the rod is easier to handle in the tight quarters of a kayak, i.e., short butt section. The shorter butt section of the rod did exactly what it was supposed to! I found it quite easy to move the rod around within the kayak. That said, I’m not sure how I would brace the back of the rod if I hooked into a larger fish, I didn’t run into that situation on the test day.

All things considered; the Next Adventure Kayak Fishing Rod from NW Rods is a great addition to any quiver. The rod blanks themselves are all made in Washington and the rods are assembled in Kalama, Washington. Finding a very high quality custom rod at a reasonable price tag is no easy feat, and the people at NW Rods did a great job pulling it off.