Its been more than a year since I've added anything of real note to my tackle arsenal (of course in “Lep Tackle-Ho Time,” that's close to a decade), and so I've been saving up my tackle "mad money" just in case something special catches my eye - or should I say the Tackle Monkey's eye. That little guy is one persistent bugger.
Anyway, with that in mind, I headed to the New Jersey Fishing Expo yesterday, with good friends Eddie/Savvy18, Frankie/NY Sharpie (a.k.a.: the "Cast Net King") , and Darryll - no NYAngler handle, just "Darryll." All of these guys are accomplished fluke jiggers and toggers, and so we do enjoy each other's company (and ball-breaking - usually, anyways) on these tackle-centric excursions.
We did give the show a good once-over and what really caught my eye was the Palmarius Tackle booth - at which Dan Harley (the main man, proprietor and rod designer) was offering his special "cork edition" slow pitch series for $250. This is a spectacular value, as a quick check of his website www.tacklenow.com shows these rods retailing at $420.00.
Here, take a quick peek - the color coded thread above the handle is to let you know which version you've selected out of your rocket launcher, just in case you bought the entire set. Clever move, as in "I have the White and Red, but I need the rest of them so that I can cover all depths." Hey, does a golfer buy just a single club? Now THAT'S marketing, my friends. Hey, I ain't the only Tackle-Ho out there Dan's selling to, that's fo' sho'.
So what's so special about these rods? How about a Japan-manufactured full nano-resin and high-sensitivity Toray graphite blank, Fuji seat, 10 chrome Fuji premium SIC guides, with a titanium Fuji Torzite "Arowana" tiptop (you don't see an $90+ set of guides on many factory rods, right?), a removeable EVA "Blank Saver" to keep the base of the naked blank from getting banged up in the rod holder as you roam around offshore, high-quality cork handles, a really nice "tip-saver" rod storage bag - and a limited lifetime warrantee from Dan.
In the world of very high-end SPJ rods, this rod at the $420 list price is a good value, but at $250, it is a serious score.
Believe me, I've looked at many, many of the true super-duper high-end slow pitch rods out there, Daiwa Saltiga, Shimano Game Type J, Evergreen, Temple Reef (two or three different series), Centaur, Sea Floor Control, Hanta, plus a bunch of others who's names I cannot even recall, all carrying $375-$600+ price tags. But for my purposes, in my area of operations, none of them offer more value than the Palmarius SP jiggers.
Dan sells them four ways - Spinning, conventional, Acid-wrapped and as a nekkid blank - for custom build work. I went with the Acid wrapped version in a 3-power, which seems appropriate for the 2-4oz bucktails that I use 90% of the time. They are offered in powers 0 thru 5, so there's something for everyone's favorite method of fishing.
Though the blank itself is no thicker than a lead pencil, the tests that I saw, with the rod fully loaded to the first guide, showed it having the slow/mod taper I prefer, with it pretty much completely shutting off at that first guide. This is unlike many of the other high-end SPJ rods out there, which bend past the reel seat. I do not care for that, as its kind of eerie to feel the entire rod flexing that deep into its length. I find that a deep bend forward of the first guide as this rod offers, is perfecto to cushion a flukasaurus' hook-throwing head shakes that cost us so many plus-sized fish over our fishing lives.
The style of Acid-wrap Dan chose is kind of unique, in that the first guide is straight up, then the second guide is rotated about 45-degrees to the right, while the third guide goes the other way, at approx. 30-degrees. The next couple of guides continue the leftward rotation, 'til the final small running guides are all fully under the blank.
This wrapping method I have heard of but have never actually seen - until now. My understanding is that Acid-wrapping in this fashion - though kind of weird-looking, actually has been proven to aid in the even laying of line across the reel spool. Apparently this is an issue that needs addressing when using reels like the Daiwa Saltigas and Shimano Ocea Jiggers, which do not have a level wind mechanism. How much it helps with a little LW-ing bait casing reel - that I have no idea. But I'll find out soon enough. Ehh, I doubt it can hurt, anyway.
Take a look at this "unconventional" guide layout:
Let's not forget that these rods are actually engineered to fish VERY heavy jigs in deep water for all sorts of hard-fighting fish, Benthic as well as Pelagic. So mine should be more than good enough to pull my next double-digit fluke to the boat. 🙏
Here are a few more shots of the complete outfit - which include my hot-rodded Abu Revo Gen-4 Winch, carrying 20lb Daiwa J-Braid.
And of course, tradition demanded that we have our annual "After Show" meal at Gino's in Howard Beach. OMG, probably the best Italian dinner I've had in a looong time - and that includes some darn good restaurants, and my own kitchen as well. The apps - Fried Calamari, Seafood Salad and a big steaming plate of garlicy Broccoli Rabe were outstanding. My entrée of Shrimp Oreganata, with a side half-order of white clam sauce over linguini was just scrumptious. No doggie bag needed, I ate every bit. The dessert of home-made cannolis were about the freshest I've had in ages. Overall, the perfect way to end a looong Winter and begin what we all hope will be a terrific season.
Here's the boys after downing about 5,000 calories each:
A nicer group you will not find. Except maybe for the guy on the right, that is. He can be a "handful" at times.
Anyway, I'll be giving this new Palmarius stick a good workout this coming season. My reporting will follow, as always.
Anyway, with that in mind, I headed to the New Jersey Fishing Expo yesterday, with good friends Eddie/Savvy18, Frankie/NY Sharpie (a.k.a.: the "Cast Net King") , and Darryll - no NYAngler handle, just "Darryll." All of these guys are accomplished fluke jiggers and toggers, and so we do enjoy each other's company (and ball-breaking - usually, anyways) on these tackle-centric excursions.
We did give the show a good once-over and what really caught my eye was the Palmarius Tackle booth - at which Dan Harley (the main man, proprietor and rod designer) was offering his special "cork edition" slow pitch series for $250. This is a spectacular value, as a quick check of his website www.tacklenow.com shows these rods retailing at $420.00.
Here, take a quick peek - the color coded thread above the handle is to let you know which version you've selected out of your rocket launcher, just in case you bought the entire set. Clever move, as in "I have the White and Red, but I need the rest of them so that I can cover all depths." Hey, does a golfer buy just a single club? Now THAT'S marketing, my friends. Hey, I ain't the only Tackle-Ho out there Dan's selling to, that's fo' sho'.
So what's so special about these rods? How about a Japan-manufactured full nano-resin and high-sensitivity Toray graphite blank, Fuji seat, 10 chrome Fuji premium SIC guides, with a titanium Fuji Torzite "Arowana" tiptop (you don't see an $90+ set of guides on many factory rods, right?), a removeable EVA "Blank Saver" to keep the base of the naked blank from getting banged up in the rod holder as you roam around offshore, high-quality cork handles, a really nice "tip-saver" rod storage bag - and a limited lifetime warrantee from Dan.
In the world of very high-end SPJ rods, this rod at the $420 list price is a good value, but at $250, it is a serious score.
Believe me, I've looked at many, many of the true super-duper high-end slow pitch rods out there, Daiwa Saltiga, Shimano Game Type J, Evergreen, Temple Reef (two or three different series), Centaur, Sea Floor Control, Hanta, plus a bunch of others who's names I cannot even recall, all carrying $375-$600+ price tags. But for my purposes, in my area of operations, none of them offer more value than the Palmarius SP jiggers.
Dan sells them four ways - Spinning, conventional, Acid-wrapped and as a nekkid blank - for custom build work. I went with the Acid wrapped version in a 3-power, which seems appropriate for the 2-4oz bucktails that I use 90% of the time. They are offered in powers 0 thru 5, so there's something for everyone's favorite method of fishing.
Though the blank itself is no thicker than a lead pencil, the tests that I saw, with the rod fully loaded to the first guide, showed it having the slow/mod taper I prefer, with it pretty much completely shutting off at that first guide. This is unlike many of the other high-end SPJ rods out there, which bend past the reel seat. I do not care for that, as its kind of eerie to feel the entire rod flexing that deep into its length. I find that a deep bend forward of the first guide as this rod offers, is perfecto to cushion a flukasaurus' hook-throwing head shakes that cost us so many plus-sized fish over our fishing lives.
The style of Acid-wrap Dan chose is kind of unique, in that the first guide is straight up, then the second guide is rotated about 45-degrees to the right, while the third guide goes the other way, at approx. 30-degrees. The next couple of guides continue the leftward rotation, 'til the final small running guides are all fully under the blank.
This wrapping method I have heard of but have never actually seen - until now. My understanding is that Acid-wrapping in this fashion - though kind of weird-looking, actually has been proven to aid in the even laying of line across the reel spool. Apparently this is an issue that needs addressing when using reels like the Daiwa Saltigas and Shimano Ocea Jiggers, which do not have a level wind mechanism. How much it helps with a little LW-ing bait casing reel - that I have no idea. But I'll find out soon enough. Ehh, I doubt it can hurt, anyway.
Take a look at this "unconventional" guide layout:
Let's not forget that these rods are actually engineered to fish VERY heavy jigs in deep water for all sorts of hard-fighting fish, Benthic as well as Pelagic. So mine should be more than good enough to pull my next double-digit fluke to the boat. 🙏
Here are a few more shots of the complete outfit - which include my hot-rodded Abu Revo Gen-4 Winch, carrying 20lb Daiwa J-Braid.
And of course, tradition demanded that we have our annual "After Show" meal at Gino's in Howard Beach. OMG, probably the best Italian dinner I've had in a looong time - and that includes some darn good restaurants, and my own kitchen as well. The apps - Fried Calamari, Seafood Salad and a big steaming plate of garlicy Broccoli Rabe were outstanding. My entrée of Shrimp Oreganata, with a side half-order of white clam sauce over linguini was just scrumptious. No doggie bag needed, I ate every bit. The dessert of home-made cannolis were about the freshest I've had in ages. Overall, the perfect way to end a looong Winter and begin what we all hope will be a terrific season.
Here's the boys after downing about 5,000 calories each:
A nicer group you will not find. Except maybe for the guy on the right, that is. He can be a "handful" at times.
Anyway, I'll be giving this new Palmarius stick a good workout this coming season. My reporting will follow, as always.
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