Has any one used the Shimano SLX-A Heavy Swimbait Rod yet?

[Triton180DC]

I see that they are available at TW:

Shimano SLX A Swimbait Casting Rods

Does anyone have any favorable feedback on this rod yet?

I'm really curious as to whether its decent for a budget rod and whether its capable of throwing what its rated?

 

 

[Hrenthegreat]

Put in an order for one in MH….figured at 7’3 it would make a good kayak swimbait rod. If no one answers by Nov. 1st I’ll give you my opinion for what it’s worth 

[larkin]

 

On 9/21/2022 at 10:42 PM, Hrenthegreat said:

Put in an order for one in MH….figured at 7’3 it would make a good kayak swimbait rod. If no one answers by Nov. 1st I’ll give you my opinion for what it’s worth 

Did you ever get your rod in? I'm looking for a smaller swimbait rod thats soft enough  to throw small to medium sized glide baits. 

[RobRamos]

I just got mine in also, curious to hear others opinions as I’m just getting into throwing bigger baits 

[danthefisherman]

Bump! Any feedback on this rod yet? Caught my eye after watching a Tactical Bassin video… I really like that 23” handle length, 2-8oz lure rating, and shorter 7’8” overall length.

[Kennedy1055]

I've had a chance to fish both the 7'3" and the 7'8". Both are great Entry Level rods. For the price I don't think you can beat it. 

7'3" MH

• Very versatile. Excels in the 1.5-3oz range.
• Great for fishing baits close quarter. especially for making short, accurate casts with glides around trees and docks.
• Great for skipping Soft baits up under Docks as well. 

7'8" H

• Very Versatile.
• Length is good if you prefer to work your bait more with your rod rather than reel.
• Great Budget option. Especially someone new to Swimbait fishing.
• Parabolic enough for glides and throwing some Soft baits too.

[Triton180DC]

Thanks for your insight 

[dtxJ]

On 11/27/2022 at 9:30 PM, danthefisherman said:

Bump! Any feedback on this rod yet? Caught my eye after watching a Tactical Bassin video… I really like that 23” handle length, 2-8oz lure rating, and shorter 7’8” overall length.

I really wish Tacklewarehouse would stop measuring from the top of the foregrip to the butt and just measure the rear handle length so we could actually compare it to our other rods. There are so many rods that, by the TW measurements, appear to have a long handle when they really just have like a 12" handle and really long foregrip that most of us never use. Luckily Shimano actually puts the handle length on their website so that is helpful on their rods.

 

The actual reargrip length is only 11" on the 7'3" rod 14.5" on the 7'8" rod. Definitely respectable lengths for these shorter rods.

[jbernaeyge]

i picked on up. really nice rod, the handle length and feel are super comfortable. definitely a versatile rod that can handle a big range of baits.

[danthefisherman]

I gave in and pulled the trigger on the 7’8” during the Black Friday sales. It came out to less than $95 after tax shipped from Tackle Warehouse. Hoping to break it in this Saturday (arrived on Monday). Here are some of my first impressions:

The rod is lighter in action and weight than I was expecting…which is a good thing if the lure rating is accurate. Side by side with my Fury 795, the two rods are very similar. The SLX is slightly shorter in overall length but with a longer handle (a plus for slinging the bigger baits). I really like this length of rod for fishing the river from a kayak and am hoping it will handle baits up to 5-6oz without issues.

Action-wise the two rods seem nearly identical, but the Fury maybe has a slightly more parabolic behavior to it. This is what surprised me the most given that the SLX is advertised to be able to handle much heavier baits than the Fury. I am a little skeptical that the rating is accurate, but I guess we’ll find out this weekend.

Whereas the SLX has a more modern look than the Fury (which I personally don’t care too much for) it does feel slightly less refined component-wise. Both rods have the same number of guides, but the Fury’s guides seem better quality and are swept forward to minimize line fouling. The Fury’s blank also seems of slightly better make, but I don’t exactly have a trained eye for these things. Also I’ve been using my Fury for a number of years almost non stop, so I may be slightly biased here 

Regardless the SLX already seems to be of pretty good value for what I paid for it, and I’m excited to try it out.

[danthefisherman]

Took the 7’8” SLX out for the first time today and was pretty impressed by it for the price. I had it paired with a Curado 300K to throw my 8.75” 5oz glide all day without issues. The rod is a great length for close quarter kayak fishing, and that longer handle really helps with casting bigger baits while sitting down (without being so long that it catches on my clothing or life jacket). I hooked (and lost) my pb striper and the rod had plenty of power to fight the fish. Overall I am pleased with the rod and look forward to slinging more of the big stuff on it in the years to come.

[Triton180DC]

Great review thank you

[bpm2000]

Rescurrecting this - looking at the 7'8" model specifically for throwing hudds and other soft jighook baits out of a yak. Can you confirm that this is actually a good hudd rod or is this merely a rod that will "get it done"?          

 

Thanks!

[danthefisherman]

4 hours ago, bpm2000 said:

Rescurrecting this - looking at the 7'8" model specifically for throwing hudds and other soft jighook baits out of a yak. Can you confirm that this is actually a good hudd rod or is this merely a rod that will "get it done"?          

 

Thanks!

I’m not a very big soft bait guy, but Tactical Bassin vouches for it:

They have a few other videos which touch on the 7’8” as well.

[DEPS_250]

Resurrecting this thread.

@danthefisherman I need some input on the SLX 7'8" and the Fury 795SB. I am in a pickle between picking the SLX 7'8" or the Fury 795SB as a dedicated small to medium 1-4oz glide bait rod. 

1. Is the action on the SLX 7'8" soft enough and parabolic enough for fishing glide baits with braid to leader? I am a braid to leader guy and I need a rod that is soft/slow enough to handle braid since braid has no stretch. I was able to track down a SLX 7'8" in a local tackle shop. I spent a good 15 mins bending it and trying out all kinds of reels on it, in order to get a feel for the rod and if it would work for me. My initial impression was that the action was somewhat still too fast and stiff for my applications/baits. Do you think the rod's action can handle braid to leader applications pretty well for treble hook baits? 
2. You said that the Fury 795SB felt 'more' parabolic. Would the Fury 795SB be a better choice for me since I am looking for a rod that is pretty soft/parabolic? Based on your experiences so far, would you probably steer me towards the Fury vs the SLX? How much softer/parabolic would you say the Fury 795SB is compared to the SLX 7'8"? 
3. Can the Fury 795SB handle a 4oz bait? I have heard that 1-3oz is the sweet spot. DRT Klash 9 at 4oz is the heaviest bait I would be willing to push the rod. 
4. Does the SLX 7'8" bend enough on the back cast with lighter baits around 3/4 to 1oz and therefore can it handle light baits well too? 1oz Ima glide fluke is the lightest I throw. I like my rods on the lighter side and do not like rods that feel they are 'too much rod' and therefore 'stiffen' and hinder the action on my glide baits. 

I am leaning more towards the SLX purely for price, aesthetics and the slightly longer handle. 

I am currently using an Irod Kaimana 794c Poe's Mag Stick for fishing 1-4oz glide baits. It gets the job done but I feel like the action is a little too fast and stiff for glide bait fishing. I like my glide bait rods to feel more like a big crankbait rod, if that makes any sense. Any help would be greatly appreciated.