Cashion ICON Inshore Casting Series Fishing Rod Review
- By: Justin Ritchey
- on August 11, 2022
We got the chance to speak with Dr. Matthew Cashion and dive deeper into a Cashion ICON Inshore Casting Series review!!
Cashion Rods take the time to think through every single detail of their rod building process to craft the best possible fishing rods for inshore anglers.
In this video, you will hear from Dr. Matthew Cashion first-hand about what makes Cashion rods unique and all of the exciting features that the ICON Inshore Rod Series has to offer!
Take a look!!
Cashion ICON Inshore Rod Review [VIDEO]
Get the Cashion ICON Inshore Casting Rod
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Dr. Matthew Cashion is THE mastermind behind fishing rod design and building at Cashion Rods.
Dr. Cashion has his Ph.D. in Chemistry with a focus on polymer science from Virginia Tech.
The focus of Cashion Rods and their rod building techniques is centered around resins and the materials used to assemble rod blanks.
Dr. Cashion designed a proprietary resin that acts as the binding glue for all of the carbon fiber and graphite rods
These rods are lighter in weight and have stronger bonding.
In graduate school, Dr. Cashion was making epoxies for carbon fiber work.
For those of you that don’t already know, that is basically what a fishing rod is: carbon fiber and epoxy.
Cashion Rods are made here in the U.S.A. in Sanford, NC.
Cashion ICON Inshore Casting Series
The ICON Inshore Series has quickly become one of our favorite fishing rods for inshore applications.
We’ve been hearing for quite a while now that many anglers want to use baitcasting reels for saltwater fishing.
The inshore saltwater space is a niche market because it is very technique specific.
Guides and anglers alike want very specific action and power in their inshore rods.
The Cashion ICON Inshore Casting Series Rod is designed to have a strong backbone with a super fast tip.
This rod is designed to fish around heavy structure.
The strength and fast tip work together to help you pull fish out from structures and bridge pilings.
However, casting is first and foremost when you’re fishing around docks or bridges because you need to get your bait in that specific zone.
Furthermore, the combination of a fast tip and Microguides increases casting accuracy and distance.
Microguides conserve energy in the plane of the blank.
Plus, you get more guides on the rod blank itself.
The more guides on a rod, the more contact points and increase in vibrations throughout the rod.
Rod Blank Details
The rod blank itself is an Unsanded “Raw” Blank which means there is no additional coating.
In turn, this rod is lightweight with increased sensitivity.
The goal is backbone and power transfer for inshore application when fishing around heavy structure.
On a spinning rod, your line feeds onto the spool at a 90-degree angle.
However, with a baitcasting setup, you have more of a true winch.
The higher-modulus graphite and lightweight resin helps reduce the overall weight of the rod blank.
Conclusion
Lightweight, sensitivity, and power.
Those are the 3 main components of a high-quality inshore saltwater fishing rod.
Every fine detail of the Cashion ICON Inshore Casting Series was thought out and constructed with intent.
We are beyond excited to add Cashion Rods to our online tackle shop!
Head on over and pick up a Cashion ICON Inshore Rod while supplies last!!
Do you have any additional questions about Cashion or the ICON Rod Series?
Does this sound like the right fishing rod for you?
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What power rating would you recommend for weedless soft plastics and/or fishing structure with this particular brand.
It’s hard to decide that for someone else, Jude. Every angler’s style of fishing & the way they set the hook is different.
For me, I enjoy the ICON Inshore Series in their 7’6″ Medium “All Purpose” Model. Some might argue that this particular model feels a bit “light” in the tip. But I can promise you that I have had Zero issues with setting the hook using a Gold Digger 3.5″ Paddle Tail and an Owner Weighted Twistlock 3/0 1/8oz on multiple Upper Slot Redfish throughout Mosquito Lagoon.
If you’re more used to fishing heavier structure such as rocks, mangroves, docks, etc., I’d steer you towards their 7’0″ Medium Heavy model. But again, I do think it’s all about personal preference. Feel free to give the Cashion Team a call if you have questions! They are a very Passionate group and are extremely knowledgeable about their rods & intended applications.
Thanks for the help Justin, I’m actually looking to build a custom rod now that mudhole has started to sell cashion blanks.
Justin, great info as always. Now for a question on aesthetics. What reel will match that blue in the handle? SLX DC XT 2022 (JDM) or a Costal TW? Any other suggestions welcomed.
Maaaaaaaan, That’s a tough one! There’s A LOT of Blue in the Coastal SV TW, which is my preferred choice for this rod. But there is a better balance of black & blue in the SLX DC XT, so it will probably blend better with the rod. Both are great, that’s a hard one to choose between!
Nice addition to the shop page guys. I am one of those guys that likes to use a baitcast reel in saltwater. I have been using many of my freshwater rods to do the same techniques in saltwater with great success. That inshore rod looks nice but I’ve never been a fan of micro guides on a rod when using braid. When micro guides first came out, I tried to use several rods form different manufacturers in as many circumstances and applications as I could only to discover that braid was extremely harsh on them. I’d broken so many guides while frogging or punching with straight braid that I kind of gave up using micro guide rods with any of my reels that had braid. With that said, I really do hope to see more casting rods added to the shop page in the future.
Oh no! Sorry to hear that, Elijah. Maybe Micro Guides have changed over the years. So far, Luke has not had any issues with damage or casting using these types of guides, and he’s currently using 30lb. Daiwa J-Braid x8 Grand with this rod and a Daiwa Tatula SV TW baitcaster.
More casting rods will be coming to the shop page soon, that’s for certain!
I’ve had the 7’6″ Cashion Inshore (paired with a BG 3000) for some time now and completely satisfied with it.
Awesome! Glad to hear, James.
Justin
What are your thoughts on using this rod for power fishing with 4” and 5 “ paddle tails. Depending on water depths and if the baits are elaztec or not I will fluctuate weight from 1/4 to 1/2 oz. How does the rod fish in a kayak. Concerned about butt length and how forgiving is the rod tip is I high stick the rod.
Yes, this would be a great option for power fishing with larger soft plastic lures. You can comfortably throw 1/4oz—1/2 with this model. Kayak fishing is personal preference. The length from the bottom of the reel seat down to the end of the rubber gimbal butt is 10″. Most rod butt length sections are between 8-12″ in length. I think the rod is perfectly fine for kayak fishing, but again it will depend on what you are looking for specifically. Cashion does also make their CK Rods (Cashion Kayak) which have a slightly shorter butt section, but again it’s personal preference.
For clarification, “high sticking” leads to rod breakage in the tip section, and is the #1 reason for rod breakage (in any situation and with any type of rod). As an avid kayak angler myself, I can understand the challenges associated with landing a fish yak-side and trying to not raise your tip too high and cause damage to the rod. To date, I have never broken a single graphite or carbon-based fishing rod due to a “high stick” situation in the kayak, and I’ve owned many rods between $80 and upwards of $400. This Cashion Rod will perform just like any other carbon-based fishing rod on the market, and will hold up just as well (if not better) than any other rod out there. But to confirm, every carbon-based rod on the market is subject to “high sticking”, regardless of how well they are made.
Thanks for the reply Justin. I think this rod will pair well with my curado dc.
That’s a beautiful rod! Been looking at one to add to the collection!
Love the looks of this rod. I would be using it as an all around artificial setup so I’m wondering what the best reel pairing would be? I’m torn on both the Tatula and the Coastal in the store, I really like both but I didn’t know which might better pair for throwing plastics and probably the occasional mirror lure and/or topwater?
Honestly, the Tatula and the Coastal are very similar to one another. If you haven’t watched the review I did on the Coastal SV, definitely do so. It will help outline the details between both of those reels so you can better determine which path you should take.
Overall, if you’re just doing general day-to-day fishing, go with the Tatula. If you plan on fishing hardcore around structure, go with the Coastal SV. But all things considered, Luke is rocking the Tatula SV right now on his Cashion Rod and is tearing up Snook!
Thank you for the information. I was thinking either reel would be a good choice but I’ll definitely go back and watch the Tatula review again. Thank you
Do you think this rod would pair well with a Piscifun Torrent bait casting reel?
It looks like that baitcaster would be a good fit on this rod. Just make sure you have a reel that is suited for saltwater and is sealed well.
Thank you. I’ve used it several times in saltwater and seems to hold up so far. I always wash them with hose afterwards.
I bought three Cashion rods (using the Insider Group discount) after seeing the ones that Luke brought (and gave away) at our Insider Painting with a Twist & Knot Contest in Fort Walton Beach.
Cashion rods are indeed lightweight, and they transfer lots of “feel” to my hand, thanks to that single-layer finish. Plus, I really like their rod-seats and handles — super comfortable after a bajillion casts & retrieves! And there are little well-designed details throughout, like the butting alongside the (weedless-compatible) lure keeper to protect the blank when a weighted lure/hook bounces around during transport.
With that said, manufacturing consistency is nowhere near the level of a company like Daiwa. For example, when you sight down my three Cashions, you can see slight misalignments in the guides. Same with the gimbal seats — they’re off angle.
And strangely, the spacing between guides 5-6 is greater than the spacing between 4-5 *and* 6-7. (I’d expect less spacing between guides as you move toward the tip.) Maybe that’s a design decision based on how the rod bends?
Good feedback, Andy. I’ll have to ask Matthew what his thoughts are on the guide placements on that model (probably due to the action of that blank and trying to have guides in specific locations to reinforce where the rod is bending).
I won a Cahsion Inshore spinning rod at a silent auction I was at and it is a solid rod! Still saving up to put a Daiwa Coastal SV on it. I also love the fact that they are literally made 20 minutes down the road from my house! Hope to stop by one day and check out their setup!
Sounds like a perfect combo! Thanks for sharing Lee!