Cashion Element Inshore Spinning Rod Review (Pros & Cons)
- By: Justin Ritchey
- on
The Cashion Element Inshore Spinning Rod Series recently just hit the market!
Cashion Rods builds some of the highest-quality inshore fishing rods right here in the U.S.A.
Learn more in the review below!!
Cashion Element Inshore Spinning Rod Review [VIDEO]
Get the Cashion Element Inshore Spinning Rod (7-Foot Medium-Light)
Cashion Rods is based in Sanford, North Carolina, and is owned by Dr. Matthew Cashion – who is an active Salt Strong Insider Member!
Cashion Rods uses an innovative, proprietary epoxy resin to fill the gaps and bond the graphite together.
This resin has a direct relationship between strength and weight.
The Cashion Element Inshore Series is the most affordable inshore-focused spinning rod that is also a product of the U.S.A.
Overview Of The Features
There is a 10-inch cork butt section on the bottom of these rods, but the cork is very thin in an effort to reduce overall weight.
Moving along, Cashion makes use of an EVA Foregrip to prevent all the slime and contaminants that get on your hands from shortening the life of your gear.
Also, there is a weedless hook keeper just above the foregrip making it effortless to hold your weedless offerings in place during transport.
The Pros
Overall, this rod has a great strength-to-weight ratio.
The rod has a strong backbone but a soft enough rod tip to achieve balance.
Some fishing rods feel too stiff and others feel like a pool noodle.
The Element Inshore has a soft tip to elevate your lure’s performance while not compromising strength on hook sets.
Not only that, but it also reduces the total weight of the rod.
The Cashion Element Inshore weighs about 4 ounces and comes in at $129.
Lightweight, affordable, and U.S.A.-made are all incredibly important pros to consider with this rod.
The Cons
The Cashion Element Inshore Series does not necessarily come equipped with premium components.
The cork, reel seat, and guides just as examples are not from recognizable, reputable brands that are on other rods in this same price point.
However, the blank on this rod outperforms other rod blanks in this price range.
At the end of the day, rod blank performance is what’s most important to inshore fishing.
The other con about this rod is simply its current availability.
With it being a new product, it can be hard to find in your local tackle shops.
Cashion Element Inshore Rod Series Models
There are FOUR different models for the Cashion Element Inshore Series.
There is the 7-foot Medium-Light, a 7-foot Medium, a 7-foot Medium-Heavy, and a 7-foot 6-inch Medium.
Generally speaking, the 7-foot Medium-Light rod is going to be best suited for fishing with light-soft plastics exposed on jigheads.
Even Mirrolures and Corkys will work well with the Medium-Light option.
The 7-foot Medium-Heavy is best for fishing with popping corks or larger soft plastics around structure like docks or overhanging mangroves.
Cashion considers the 7-foot and 7-foot 6-inch rods to be their All-Purpose with a blend of power and finesse to be used in a variety of situations.
Conclusion
Overall, my first impression of the Cashion Element Inshore Rod Series is positive and this is a great rod for inshore anglers.
I think this is a perfect budget rod that performs higher than its price range while beating out those below it.
Did you find the Cashion Element Inshore Spinning Rod review helpful?
Have you been able to get your hands on a Cashion Element Inshore Rod and fish with it yet?
Let us know in the comments section!!
Get the Cashion Element Inshore Spinning Rod (7-Foot Medium-Light)
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Want to throw #5 shad raps and still have enough power to sweep hook. Was looking at 7ft medium light
Would 7ft med light be strong enough for 5lb bass
Technically, any rod can catch any fish. Ex: There are guys using noodle-y Fly Rods to land Tarpon over 100lbs. The logic doesn’t make sense…and yet, it’s possible.
The bigger question you should ask yourself the following questions in order to determine whether it’s a good fit or not:
1.) Are you fishing around aggressive Structure (lily pads, brush, docks, anything you’d need to pull the fish away from?).
2.) Are you fishing with a Weedless presentation, or a presentation with an exposed hook (Ex: Rat-L-Trap, Crankbait, etc.)
I believe you said #5 Shad Raps, and if that’s the main lure you’re throwing, then Yes this Medium Light Power 7’0″ Cashion Element Inshore would be a good fit.
But if you need something with a stronger backbone for the 2 scenarios listed above, then I would suggest a Medium or Medium Heavy.
I purchased a couple 7 foot Element Inshore multi purpose rods from their showroom recently. Couldn’t be happier with the feel and performance!
Happy to hear that, Barry! I think Cashion Rods are extremely underrated and deserve more recognition. They make great products, and the Team there are top notch!
Several questions: 1) your comments about the premium components worries me. Are the guides premium but not ‘known’ suppliers, or are you suggesting that they may not hold up/bend/scratch line? Do the guides have quality inserts? And 2) thin cork handles are a problem as one of my rods shredding occurred thinking water in rod holders or other sources weakened the cork. Is the cork easily replaced? 3) 7 ft rod seems a little short since hooked fish often want to traverse around the front of my yak. Your thoughts?
Allow me to clarify:
1.) The brand of componentry used is unknown to me, and so far I have not identified it on the market on another brand of rods. That is not to say the guides are not adequate or are more/less prone to any standard wear & tear. This is why we tested each of these rods over a period of a couple of weeks and made a point to catch dozens of fish before we made this review, just in the off-chance something didn’t hold up. So far, the guide frame & inserts have held up perfectly fine using 10lb. braided line.
2.) The thin cork on the rod is unique. My only acknowledgements to the cork were that it was objectively thinner than most other brands, and that was likely an intentional design to maintain the desired weight & feel of the finished rod. I have not personally replaced cork on any rod that I own, but I am also not a custom rod builder, so that skill set is outside my repertoire.
3.) I tend to prefer using 7’6″ spinning rods for 90% of the inshore fishing I do, whether it be from a kayak or a boat. The advantages of a 7’0″ rod are for those that aren’t “going for distance” with their casts, and want a slightly more accurately placed cast (i.e. shorter rods allow for better control of your lure placement at the end of your cast, but this really just depends on the angler’s skill level). I do enjoy using a 7’6″ rod while kayak fishing to clear the front of the kayak while fighting a fish. It has saved me on more than one occasion. I think those that choose to go with a 7’0″ rod in their kayak would do so if they are fishing mangroves or in a marsh creek where they don’t need that additional casting distance.
At the end of the day, I will personally be using the 7’6″ Medium Power Cashion Element Inshore Rod in my lineup, and that’s a huge statement considering I own many $300 rods that I also enjoy fishing with. The rod feels great in hand and is a ton of fun to fish with, and nowadays that’s all I’m looking for in a rod. The finer details & specs are nice, but if you aren’t having fun using the gear, then what’s the point, right? 🙂 Thanks for the questions, Brian! Let me know if you have any more.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply.
No problem, Brian! I love the granularity of things when it comes to Fishing Rods! Let me know if you ever have any more questions.
Hey Justin, thanks for the good rod review, but do have (2) very specific questions. First, what is the exact weight of the 7’6” model, and, what is the full handle inch length from the reel seat down to the butt. (I have the TFO Pro S and absolutely love it and don’t want a rod handle any longer and need to know how it compares before buying.) Big thanks, Paul
I checked my personal 7’6″ Medium and the weight was 3.8oz on my scale (everyone’s scales may be a little different).
In the video review, I state that the cork butt section is 10″ in length from the bottom of the reel seat to the end of the cork butt cap.
Big thanks Justin. I think I need to try one out. Cheers, Paul
Happy to help out, Paul!
Do you have an of their bait casting rods and can you do a review on them? I really prefer a bait casting rod.
Yes we do! I did a review on the Cashion ICON Inshore Baitcasting Model at ICAST 2022 this year with Dr. Matthew Cashion himself. If you haven’t seen it, here is the full write-up: Cashion ICON Inshore Casting Series Rod Review (saltstrong.com)
These are also available in our store, we carry the 7’4″ MH model.
Looking for a med/light fast for a new trout rod. What I want is a fast action but on the slow side of fast if that makes any sense. How would you describe the action on the element. right now I’m torn between a Cashion or the Laguna liquid med/light for about 40$ more plus shipping
You’ve pretty much perfectly described this 7’0″ Medium Light model that they make here! Definitely more of a “moderate-fast”, leaning towards slower-tip action on the ML model. They appropriately named that rod the “Trout Rod”, since it’s perfect for staying connected to those bigger 25″+ Gators that have been known to throw a hook or two. I haven’t personally felt a Laguna Liquid Med/Light before, but they look nice as well!
Just ordered a 7ft med/light from the shop. Can’t beat y’all on the price besides I’ll probably run into the Cashion crew at the fishing expo in Raleigh next month. I’ll put in a good word for ya
This is out of my territory? NC?! What?!?!?….gotta check these out!
Right in your backyard, Dude! The Cashion Crew are top notch, you should definitely swing by & check them out.
Thanks for the information, Jason
Thanks Bobby!
Thanks for the review Jason, great that you have personally used the equipment.
Thank you, Patrick!
Great review Justin. I’ve got two of the icon inshore rods and one of them I bought at Cashion in person and I love them but I still prefer the cork grip that the icon doesn’t have so I’ll have to try one of the new ones at half the price 👍
Thanks Greg! I think you’ll really like these Rods, I’ve been super impressed with them so far.