Test Drives: Abu Garcia Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3 Travel Rod
By: The Angler
Travel rods are some of my favourite rods. They are easy to transport especially when travelling overseas for some casual fishing. Some travel rods like the Abu Garcia Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3 travel rod do, fit into one’s luggage bag and need not be checked in as a separate oversized items. This means that waiting time at the luggage conveyor belt is shortened.
[ No power lost and one does not feel any weak points…. ]
Do note that all fishing rods do need to be checked in and are not allowed into the plane, hence the luggage that contains the rod needs to be checked in too. A travel rod is just more convenient. Another point is that you do not have to carry rod tubes into trains, busses, and taxis which can be quite cumbersome. Of course if you’re doing some serious fishing then you’ve got to bring what’s needed. Never bring a tiny blade to a gun fight.
Light action rod that casts and fights like a charm.
That said, I have had this lovely Abu Garcia Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3 Travel Rod sitting in my office waiting to be fished with. When the authorities finally allowed fishing and cross district travels, I took it to one of my favourite fishing holes to out it through the ropes so to speak. But before we go further, here are some information about the rod.
Four piece rods are great when travelling overseas to fish. This Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3 is an awesome rod.
Rod Information
Brand: Abu Garcia
Series: Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3
Model: AAC604L A
Configuration: 4 piece, Casting
Blank Type: Graphite
Blank Rating: 24 Ton
Action: Light
Length: 6′
Line: 3-8lb
Lure: 3-10gm
Handle: EVA
End Cap: Rubber
Guide: Standard O-Ring
Reel Seat: Fuji
Cosmetics General: Orange, black, and white
Thread windings: Black, orange, and silver
Cosmetics Others: Carbon fiber reel seat nut or fastener
From the rod information above you can see that this rod the Abu Garcia Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3 travel rod is a light action rod that comes in four pieces. One piece rods gives the best distribution of power. This is a 4 piece rod. How would it fair; you may question.
Well, to find out I took it to my favorite field testing pond and put it through the test. I fitted a brand new Penn Squall low profile baitcasting reel to it. I spooled the reel up with 20lb Spiderwire Dura-4 Braid lines. As for bait I decided to go with the Berkley Powerbait Pro Grub 3″ that has proven itself over and over again at this pond.
24 Ton Graphite blank; fantastic for a Light action rod.
Casting with the Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3 travel rod was great. It cast out the bait time and time again without effort. The tip of the rod easily flicks the Pro Grub to very good distances (right to the banks at the other side of the pond).
When reeling in the bait, the rod does a good job holding its form (although a light action rod) as the Pro Grub and the jighead “crawled” at the bottom of the pond. The tip does bend a little but is still able to control the movement of the bait without any fuss.
Fish on. Hard fighting groupers… not an issue for this awesome rod.
Playing with these hard fighting groupers are also not issue. When the fish whacked the bait, striking and setting the hook is no issue despite this being a light action rod, and the mouth of grouper being quite hard. The rod also handle every hard fighting battle with ease. I managed to force turn the head of these fishes that were swimming near the snags. Power delivery was great and in no time groupers were up to get their photos taken.
Four Piece Yet Awesome
While it is true that one piece rods give the best distribution of power and has no weak points as in the joints; how good a blank is depends also on how well it is built. Some two piece rods, three piece rods, and four piece rods perform the way one piece rods do. No power lost and one does not feel any weak points. Just like this Abu Garcia Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3 travel rod; the power delivery is consistent. No feeling of a lost in power. It fought really well.
Grouper after grouper; not an issue for the Abu Garcia Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3 travel rod.
The Abu Garcia Super Ascalon Advanced Stage 3 travel rod is well built rod that looks good, is light weight, and is very well balanced. The construction of the blank is also really good; super important when it comes to rods of such configuration (4 piece travel rods). Its power delivery is consistent through the blank’s power range. It is an awesome rod to fish with. It shall be my new favorite travel companion.
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