With this simple bend test, we checked the action in the rod tip and the strength of the butt section’s backbone.

Offshore, inshore, fly, freshwater—all are broad categories of fishing. Within these categories are literally dozens of specialty techniques and styles of angling. For each technique, numerous rod makers market rods designed for those specifics. This leaves us at PBR in a quandary. We want to review fishing rods, but with the huge number—literally thousands—on the market, we had to narrow the field.

We decided to look for an all-around rod. It had to cast well enough to chase bonefish on the flats, be stout enough to land a big striper, and still be able to catch a bass or two on a freshwater lake. That’s a tall order, but we found…