Any present or past Black hole 701L owners?

Occh639

Occh639

Angler
I’ve gone out a few times togging this season with my TrevalaS Light model 90g spinning, and I realize after a few 5lb fish , that I am probably severely under gunned if I had anything north of 8 lbs . I really enjoy my TrevalaS and have a lot fun with it as I always tend to fish lighter set ups. With that said, I’m looking for something light but with some back bone. Ive heard BH 701Ls have a following with Tog jiggers . I’m looking for some feedback on this rod specifically if your Togging with it. I picked up the factory 701 briefly from J&H but I wasn’t floored so to speak . I also would want it custom so I could make it a bit lighter with a split grip.

any thought from 701 users
 
I cannot speak to the BH 701L having never owned one. But I have seen it many times at various tackle shows and in a few shops. Seems more than powerful enough for inshore tog jigging. Also, as you suggested, there is a solid following for that blank.

As an alternative, a good friend uses a Jigging World Night Ranger and is very happy with its performance. You can buy it as a blank, a factory wrap or a slick custom wrap, all right from Jigging World. The customs can be modded to whatever level you wish. They are assembled in a custom rod shop, right in the store. Some examples of their work:

Jigging World Night Ranger 7'2" Custom Spinning Rods – Tackle World.

Custom_1__24226.1624058200.1280.1280_1024x1024.jpg



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You can also see it in action boating some quality fish in many of EliasV’s more recent YouTube videos. A real nice bend to this rod under heavy pressure. The second and third fish he hooks in this vid (coupla' chunky puppy black drum) are illustrative of this blank's sweet action, not to mention the fat albert at 9:20 mins and that very last fish, impressive little fighters those albies:



I personally have developed a bit of an addiction to Shimano’s Grappler Type J sticks. My new M - power seems to be more than enough for any reasonable tog jigging application. Go to the “Hands On” thread on this board for more detail. If you would consider a factory rod, I can recommend this one, for sure.
 
I haven't seen the 701, but take Lep's recommendations and step up to a medium power rod like he did. Jigs get dull too just by baiting. You need a rod wit enough tip to push that point through those rubber lips and cartilage.
 
Occh639 said:
I’ve gone out a few times togging this season with my TrevalaS Light model 90g spinning, and I realize after a few 5lb fish , that I am probably severely under gunned if I had anything north of 8 lbs . I really enjoy my TrevalaS and have a lot fun with it as I always tend to fish lighter set ups. With that said, I’m looking for something light but with some back bone. Ive heard BH 701Ls have a following with Tog jiggers . I’m looking for some feedback on this rod specifically if your Togging with it. I picked up the factory 701 briefly from J&H but I wasn’t floored so to speak . I also would want it custom so I could make it a bit lighter with a split grip.

any thought from 701 users
Click to expand...
I fished both the L & M the M isnt a jig rod bait yes..The L I only fluke fish it would be afraid to black fish it,,they are very brittle ..

I also fish the shimano grappler over the summer..didnt like anything about it..

the key is correct tip for jigs & the power to lift and land the fish...United Composites has a line of micro jiggers designed just for that type of fishing and made in the USA,,,

CTS is the top of the food chain ..but you need to see the different blanks ..has to be done in person ..

factory get one of the centaur rods ,,cheap & gets the job done
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Capt Richie said:
I fished both the L & M the M isnt a jig rod bait yes..The L I only fluke fish it would be afraid to black fish it,,they are very brittle ..

I also fish the shimano grappler over the summer..didnt like anything about it..

the key is correct tip for jigs & the power to lift and land the fish...United Composites has a line of micro jiggers designed just for that type of fishing and made in the USA,,,

CTS is the top of the food chain ..but you need to see the different blanks ..has to be done in person ..

factory get one of the centaur rods ,,cheap & gets the job done
Click to expand...
I have a Centaur for jigging Tuna , nice rod.
I think I need to treat myself to a custom build though ,stressed from Covid ?
 
Capt Richie said:
I fished both the L & M the M isnt a jig rod bait yes..The L I only fluke fish it would be afraid to black fish it,,they are very brittle ..

I also fish the shimano grappler over the summer..didnt like anything about it..
Click to expand...
The only issue with the TrevalaS Light is that I definitely lost a few big fish . I really enjoy the fight of those 4-6 pound fish that I have routinely caught with it. I don’t go up to R.I. or OCM much anymore lately for the real big boys, but I know there are a few DDs and 8-9 lb fish in my area that I would like to be able to land. I have some rotator cuff issues so I try to keep my outfits as light as possible. At some point I will get out to you and pull on some ,I guess for the remainder of my Tog season I will use what I currently own Unless I get a factory rod to hold me over
 
I certainly did. I can give it the coveted “Five Shamrocks” award for excellence. ?

Same deal for the ML version - my go-to for deep fluke jigging. These Grapplers are turning out to be a home run for Shimano. So happy a bunch of my regular fishing buddies took my advice and put one in their arsenals. In fact from what I’ve seen (and I’ve seen plenty), the only factory jigging sticks I’d consider superior would be Shimano’s own Game Type J rods - but those are yet another $100 over the Grapplers, and in my opinion only slightly better for what we do here on the inshore grounds off LI.
 
Occh639 said:
The only issue with the TrevalaS Light is that I definitely lost a few big fish . I really enjoy the fight of those 4-6 pound fish that I have routinely caught with it. I don’t go up to R.I. or OCM much anymore lately for the real big boys, but I know there are a few DDs and 8-9 lb fish in my area that I would like to be able to land. I have some rotator cuff issues so I try to keep my outfits as light as possible. At some point I will get out to you and pull on some ,I guess for the remainder of my Tog season I will use what I currently own Unless I get a factory rod to hold me over
Click to expand...
good idea save your money on and buy what you really want
 
I pulled out a long forgotten Star Stellar Lite medium from my rod rack and put it to work Sunday. Used up to 1 1/2 oz jigs in a screaming flood tide. The two of us boated 12 keepers between 3 and 7lb's and about 100 shorts. Rod worked beautifully, plenty of power for the bigger fish and fun with the shorts.

BTW... We only boxed 3 males about 17" and released all the females
 
CaptFP said:
I pulled out a long forgotten Star Stellar Lite medium from my rod rack and put it to work Sunday. Used up to 1 1/2 oz jigs in a screaming flood tide. The two of us boated 12 keepers between 3 and 7lb's and about 100 shorts. Rod worked beautifully, plenty of power for the bigger fish and fun with the shorts.

BTW... We only boxed 3 males about 17" and released all the females
Click to expand...
That’s good day right there?
Nice work
 
I have a factory 701L conventional that I have owned for several years now. Fished it for blackfish a few seasons ago and it was fine with jigs. I threw a Shimano Tranx 300 low gear on it. Should handle most fish under 10lbs unless you are fishing a breakwall/jetty situation and need a little more stopping power. The 701M gives you more stopping power but a little less flex in the tip. For spinning I found the Trevala M to be more than enough power to stop a blackfish on a jig in the shallows.
 
I don’t really post much but I thought this would be a good time to start. I’ve had the 701L spinner for three years now and I absolutely love it. I’ve used it for fluke, weakfish, bass, and togs, it never disappoints. Friends that have tried it and can’t believe how far it casts and fishes. I’ve since gotten the 691UL in both spin and the acid wrap. They were all I’ve used since the start of the year. I’ve taken a 12 lb bass, a ton of fluke to 8lbs, weaks to 9 lbs and had a blast doing it. The 701L can definitely handle the black fish, not so sure about the 691UL, but I’m giving it a try this year.
 
I got blackfish to 10# on my 701l. It will do the job. Mine was one of my first builds so I have some things I would have done differently but the blank is up to the task. The brittle ones were early release and they strengthened the walls years ago.
 
Thinner walls and a step below those two manufacturers. No argument from me there. However I put mine to work on seabass, fluke, tog, stripers, blues, and albies without it breaking so I can’t complain. My one north fork snapped in half slowly lifting on a snag and had 2 different lamiglas rods break in the same day. One was a 7030?! Also watched my buddy’s brother break 2 lami blacks the same day. I am not scared to use my bh701l. It does the job.
 
As a middle of the road rod its very nice..as a factory rod even better...better than anything Shimano makes !

every rod or blank breaks ..its just a fact of live ..most times its the angler ..the pull and tug when you get stuck ,,lock down the drag & pull fast & hard ...

But a thin wall brittle rod will tend to break more often..its also the resin systems , the design & the quality of the graphite & person doing the job..
 
Agree with all above thoughts - except this: "As a middle of the road rod its very nice..as a factory rod even better...better than anything Shimano makes !"

Total nonsense!

As probably the only one on this board that has fished EXTENSIVELY with both a BH Challenger Bank AND the new Shimano Grapplers - I can say with authority that those two rod lines are very, very similar in quality, sensitivity and overall satisfying ownership experience. Both are really as nice as any factory stick can be - and both will give long, happy service when used correctly.

I did sell my Challenger Bank to buy one of my Grapplers, if that means something to anyone thinking of shopping in those two lines.

Buy either with confidence. (y)
 

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