By Brian Pentecost

The Airrus Micropuls series of rods are designed for elite angling and tournament settings. Although I’d like to consider myself an elite angler, I still have some work to do and these rods are going to help me get there. Attractive styling and ergonomic design immediately catch the eye. It is a comfortable and lightweight rod to throw all day and it has the backbone to land the largest fish. A full line of sizes and styles are available.

• Retail price as tested: $240
• Category: High Priced ($240-$600)
• Specs: Casting
• Length: 6’6”
• Model: Micropuls X
• Power: Medium Heavy
• Action: Extra-Fast
• Lure Weight: 1/8oz-3/8oz
• Line Weight: 4-10
• Guides: Kigan 3D ZDH Airrus System
• Reel seat: 3rd Generation improved alignment with hand position and line flow
• Special Features: Kigan Line guide system, Multi-modulus technology, Bucky Paper, carbon fiber components to reduce weight

Applications

• All around fishing.
• Excels with vibrating baits such as lipless cranks, chatterbaits, flat sided crankbaits.
• Excels with plastics.
• Unbelievable in tight quarters.

Observations:

The is a very Lamborghini styled rod with elite anglers in mind. Airrus likes to say they didn’t create these rods for amateur anglers. I would have to agree with them. The line guides are a newer style, which I have never seen before, and the split grip is very minimalistic to cut down on unnecessary weight. The Revo Mgx and Lews BB1 reels I fish with both look fantastic mounted on the rod. Comparable to holding a conductor’s wand, I pointed the rod and everything around me reacted harmoniously.

Performance:

I can’t explain how well this rod performs, but I will try. Over this testing period I have landed Illinois personal best 8 lb largemouth bass and 12 lb northern pike. I have also landed those same fish at less than a pound each. This rod is reactive and its sensitivity is amazing. The bucky paper (a nano layered carbon fiber) that wraps the blank is the truest strength without giving up sensitivity. The bucky paper is considered an indestructible military grade material that is developed and produced in the United States. When you fish as hard as most tournament anglers do, this feature immediately presents itself. These rods can take a high stress load and perform flawlessly. But what about those less than a pound fish I mentioned? Fortunately they feel much bigger than they are because of the sensitivity. It reacts according to the stress level applied and that was a new concept for me.

Casting:

This rod loves to be whipped in a side arm cast. The tip has a fantastic flex and whipping action that makes it an absolute joy to throw. It’s like a pistol in an old Western film, never missing its target in trained hands. The 6 foot 6 inch model I tested was a perfect utility rod. I was able to throw a gambit of baits including spinnerbaits, plastics, crankbaits, topwaters, and even some finesse baits like jerkbaits and micro-jigs. This shorter length also allowed me as a co-angler to underhand and backhand flip in tight quarters in different boat lengths to achieve my first tournament win of this season. The lack of line wrapped around the tips also pleased me. I have owned plenty of expensive rods with micro guides but this rod had been modified from it’s original template that won the Bassmaster Classic in 2007. The Kigan Guides are elevated off of the rod slightly alleviating constant line twists at the tip of the rod. These twists cause abrasions and sometimes knot failure on casts. No lures were lost during the test from twists and hard casting.

Conclusion:

Buy this rod if you tournament fish or are serious about your angling. I cannot tell you how fantastic these rods perform in sticky situations or tight quarters. High stress loads are handled adeptly and efficiently. It is like driving a Lambo. It looks like a Lambo. And it has the attitude of one as well. I horsed an 8.3 lb bass on shore with this rod, which is a very important thing to be able to do in a tournament setting because less fight on that fish means less stress in the livewell and lower mortality rates due purely on the fact that you can muscle the fish into the boat or shore faster because of the power of this serious rod. This is not a toy rod. Neither is it not a starter kit. This rod is only for those without compromise.

Scores:   0-10

Looks: 9
Balance: 10…most important category IMO
Feel: 9.5
Weight: 9.5
Power: 9.75
Sensitivity: 9.7
Deductions: none
Total Score: 9.7

Brian Pentecost

Online Contributor

Brian Pentecost, 35, a native Floridian, has had some stellar successes in the Midwest, but these exploits did not come easy. It took about 2 full years of re-education and learning new techniques for him to figure out the Midwest bite. Since 2013 he has been fishing competitively and attempting to conquer the many waterways of Illinois and Wisconsin. Brian uses hand crafted lures and smaller boutique craftsmen to create lures and soft plastics that mimic nature in the best possible ways. We look forward to see what Brian will do during his double tournament series and personal fishing exploits this year. You can visit Brian on Facebook at his FishingForFishy page.