Alpha Angler Wide Glide rod - thoughts?

[swimjig]

Anyone ever used the Alpha Angler wide glide swimbait rod? Want to hear people’s experience.  

[mconn11]

I've used it a lot, actually. 

I got to know Jake Boomer (Alpha Angler owner) because he actually picked up his phone when I called with questions about his rods, and he took the time to talk rods, but didn't try and sell me on a bunch of them. He'd prefer you use one, and decide you love it, before you buy more. Similar to a lot of swimbait-only rod makers, he's direct-to-consumer, so he doesn't mark up his rods to cover the cost of a Bass Pro selling them, and he gets the feedback straight from the guys using his rods. You'll get a quicker response if you email or facebook him these days, but the customer service is top-notch, pricing is (in my opinion) fair, warranty is solid, and bottom line - the rods are phenomenal. 

Now to the wide glide:

I've fished mine regularly for a year and a half. For reference, I also own a few F5's (2 Departures, and a Custom) and a few dobyns (795, 796, 806).

Love the balance of the wide glide and it's a killer for glidebaits. It was designed around the negotiator and the arashi glide, so around 3 oz is the sweet spot. I'll also throw crankdown's like the wnc's and hoggs on it, wakes, and have tossed a punker (3.5 oz) on it as well - it's stiff enough to walk a bait, but when it loads up with a fish, you see how parabolic it is.  It actually also really fun for a-rigs.  

I've paired it with a few different reels depending on setup - Revo Toro beast 50, Calcutta 300D, and a Lews Superduty 600. All balance well, as you'd expect.

As far as the specs:

The rod is 7'9, more moderate flex than a dobyns 795, and a little less soft than an 806. It's lighter than the 795 in champion series, and I've had zero issues with the rod holding up to wear and tear. Biggest I've boat-flipped with it was a 6. Not a giant, but I'm not worried about the rod quality.

Handle length is 11 in from butt of rod to base of handle (typ. measurement) - this is basically identical to the Dobyns champion 796, if you've used that rod. I can still tuck this under my arm like a lot of guys prefer to do, but the handle length feels more natural for a tournament angler who could be picking up a flipping stick a few casts before. The shorter handle also helps if you're going to use it for a mag topwater.

Rating is 2-6 oz, but I wouldn't recommend you use it for anything over 5 oz. As said above, sweet spot is around 3 oz, and I regularly toss glides up to 4 on it.

*It goes without saying, but I would not buy this rod if you're thinking of using it for big soft baits like an 8 in hudd or Defiant 247's - this is a glidebait rod, and better suited for trebles. It's also going to feel overpowered on your bigger glides like baitsanity explorers/Deps 250's, etc. There are simply better rods out there for those glides.

Hopefully that's helpful. Good luck man.

 

[swimjig]

Wow! This is extremely helpful. Thank you for the insight. The comparisons definitely helped me get a sense of what to expect. Really appreciate it!

[NORTHERN_GLIDER]

Alpha angler rods are legit! I have the jerkbait rod and action and power simply perfect.

[Kevinzap]

How does the rod compare to the gen2 or the gen3 irod jr swim?