Black Pelican Custom Spinning Rod Review [Top Pros & Cons]
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
Have you ever considered getting a custom fishing rod?
I recently got my first custom rod from Black Pelican Custom Rods, and in this video, I’m going to do a review of it.
And not only will I share my thoughts on this particular rod, but also custom rods in general.
If you’ve been considering getting a custom rod, or want to know more about the advantages of getting one, this video is for you.
And by the way, we are not affiliated with Black Pelican Custom Rods or any other company, so you can be sure that this review is totally unbiased.
Enjoy!
Black Pelican Custom Rods Review [VIDEO]
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Here are the specifics of this rod:
- Century Blank
- Autoclave processed carbon with anti-twist technology
- Graphene impregnated resin
- TexTreme outer armor
- 7′ 6″ in length
- Fast action
- Lure rating of 1/4 – 1 3/4 oz
- Performance Winn grips
- Alps reel seat with the double locking mechanism
- Fuji Titanium Guides with Torzite inserts
Custom Rod Pros
The biggest pros of getting a custom rod are:
- They’re usually made with lots of care by one person, so you can be sure you’re getting a high-quality rod
- You can choose the specs and components of your rod (I very purposefully chose all of the specs mentioned above because they are best for my fishing style)
- You can get a custom design (pictured below)
Custom Rod Cons
The biggest cons of getting a custom rod are pricing and time for delivery.
You get what you pay for, and high-quality rods take time and money to be made well.
Conclusion
I’ve enjoyed using this rod and it has passed the test of handling big fish like the red pictured above.
Brandon, the owner of Black Pelican Custom Rods was recently featured on our podcast, and you can listen to that here:
And if you want to keep up with Brandon, or get your own custom rod, you can check him out here:
- BlackPelicanCustomRods.com
- Black Pelican Custom Rods on Instagram
- Black Pelican Custom Rods on Facebook
Have any questions about having a custom rod made?
Have you had one made for yourself?
Let me know in the comments below!
And if you know someone who is thinking about getting a custom rod made, please TAG or SHARE this with them!
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Tony…Good review but one of the main downsides of any custom rod is their warranty. The Century warranty is “one year” and the importer of the blanks sticks to it. I know of two Century customs sitting in Nags Head with the tips broken due to no fault of the user. Because they were both more than one year old there was no response under warranty. I had two St. Croix custom trout rods break and while St. Croix stepped up in both instances, it cost me over $200 to transfer components and build the new blank. So my $450 customs became $650 customs. The same would apply to any custom; the builder is going to charge to build the new rod even if the blank is covered. Had I spent the $450 on a high end St. Croix, TFO, G. Loomis, etc. they would have all sent me new rods for the cost of shipping. To me this is the major down-side to custom rods and the reason I’ll never buy another. PS: The Century rods are not mine but sit in a tackle shop in Nags Head and to say the owners are not fans of Century would be an understatement!
Century makes standard rods, and then there are companies that use their blanks and make them custom. When that’s the case it can really depend on the person making the rod as they will deal with the warranty side of things (or they may not). I haven’t had one break yet but I know some people that have and Black Pelican takes care of it for them.
Hey Tony – Great Rod Review and one that certainly has my attention. Given more time on the water since your original post, can you add some experience insight on strengths/weakness between the Weapon Jr. and Weapon Jr. Magnum please? I got the top level physical aspects – Fast vs Extra Fast taper and 1 3/4 oz vs 2 oz top end power. I prefer 7’6″ rod length and focus on inshore Trout/Redfish/Snook/Tripletail in the Sanibel/Pine Island region. Keep up the great videos! I’m always learning new fine points or realizing that I have another bad habit formed over my many decades of fishing that I need to correct.
Tony, I took your lead with Black Pelican and had a blast for 2 weeks exploring, researching and thoroughly comparing custom rods from 6-8 competing brands. Brandon’s rods are positioned far above the other offerings and his detailed communication during the creation of my rod was intriguingly educational… still amazed as how my Weapon can throw .5 all then way to 2.5 ounces with ease.
Awesome! Glad you are enjoying it Sean!
He definitely knows his stuff!
Hi Tony, the Black Pelican website describes the Weapon and the Weapon, Jr as freshwater rods even though it describes catching seatrout, redfish, snook, snapper, grouper, etc. So, if the Weapon Jr you have is designated freshwater then what makes a rod saltwater? What is the difference? Trying to learn before I spend that kind of money.
Also, are you still quite happy with that rod?
Hey James!
The way they are listed is as “inshore/freshwater” because they can be used for both. It really comes down to which components you put on them since some components will hold up better in the salt than others.
I am still very happy with these rods. All I currently use are the Weapon, Weapon Jr. and Weapon Jr. Mag. The Weapon Jr. is going to be you best all around inshore rod.
Tony what rod do you use that you consider the best value?
For $50 I feel you can’t beat an All Star Classic Inshore rod from Academy Sports & Outdoors. I have a couple 7’6 Medium Power rods and they are awesome for the price.
What’s the price point on a custom rod like that?
Hey George!
This rod as seen in the video goes for 529. Price will vary based on the components you want to use (guides, reel seat, grips, custom logos, etc)
Once you fish one of these rods, you’ll find it hard to go back to what you were using before. The increased casting distance and performance will completely exceed your expectations. The quality is exceptional.
They are out of stock at the moment. Can you recommend any alternatives?
Thank you,
Chris
1/4oz to 1 3/4oz? really? how is that possible?
There’s a bit of technical info that comes into play. Has to do with the material that the rod is made of and the fact that the rod is also wrapped with a very strong material that increases its strength.
Hey James I’m the builder and can help you with your question.
Century has a very technologically advanced way of processing the carbon. Autoclave curing results in a very resin lean composite compared to traditional curing. Make the carbon very dense.
Graphene (a super material) impregnated resin bonds the carbon almost structurally and allows the carbon to stretch and stay strong. It basically eliminates the brittleness of traditional carbon composites.
Double helical anti-twist tech greatly reduces torsional load. So when the energy is released on the cast the energy goes in a linear plane and not side to side
TexTreme is added as an outer armor wrap, adds protection to the carbon matrix and creates a lot of compression while casting. Speeds tip recovery dramatically. It also makes the rod feel very “punchy”
I personally throw anywhere from 1/4 Oz paddle tails to 1 1/2 kastmaster or spoons in the surf with this model.
Any other questions feel free to contact me
I’m jealous man! So it’s a fast action rod but it looks like it loads up like a moderate action. How u like the wynn grips?
Yep they call it “parabolic release”. It has the stiffness of a fast action, but loads up like a moderate. The grips are awesome, especially if you’re handling slimy trout all day haha.
do you set the hook differently?