Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD
The Berkley Fishing Company (now known as Pure Fishing) started a line of fishing rods called “Lightning Rods” in 1984. In the ensuing decades, models of rods made by Berkley/Pure Fishing have come and gone but Lightning Rods are still around in spinning, casting, trout and trolling versions. That longevity says something by itself.
When I contacted Abu Garcia (now a part of the Pure Fishing family) about getting an Altum DLC to use in the GLA feature “Reels You Can Count On” for the August/September issue, the rep I was dealing with suggested pairing it with one of their rods and with a little back and forth about how I planned to use it, he suggested the “BTLR902H” which stands for Berkley Trolling Lightning Rod, 9′ 0″ long, two piece, heavy action. (I planned to use it as a Dipsey Diver Rod).
All my diver rods are nine-footers to get the rod tips well out from my outside downriggers. All my diver rods are heavy action since pulling a full-sized diver at speeds occasionally past 3 mph requires a stout rod with something in reserve for when a big salmon slurps the lure behind the diver.
So when I pulled the Lightning Rod out of the delivery tube, I was skeptical. It’s labeled Heavy – for line up to 40 pounds – but compared to all the other diver rods I owned, it felt like a lightweight. Not only was it lighter, it wasn’t even as thick. I gave the rod the ol’ “wiggle up and down test” to see if it felt flimsy, but it seemed pretty stiff. “Maybe,” I thought.
The real test came when I tied on a diver and lure and deployed them over the side. Would the thin, carbon composite blank hold against the pull of a diver and have enough reserve power left to cushion a heavy strike? Yep!
With “normal” size and weight diver rods, when fishing for walleyes, spring cohos or other comparable, smaller fish, a diver set-up is something of a “meat” line. They put more fish in the cooler than smiles on the angler’s face. Paired with the Abu Garcia Altum DLC – 20, a rather small, graphite-bodied reel, spooled with 30 pound braided line, the set-up proved to be a fun outfit with which to catch fish of all sizes. It’s easily tamed king salmon over 20 pounds and made catching walleyes as sporty as possible when fishing with a Dipsey Diver.
Best of all, Lightning Rods are moderately priced – low priced compared with most diver rods – at less than $50. Find them at many retail outlets and online stores or order direct from http://www.berkley-fishing.com.
FISHING TOYS 