I’ve always liked the lightning rods for the combination of comfort, sensitivity, and durability at an affordable price. The 1st one I had went strong for 12 years, and caught everything from steelhead to carp, catfish, pike, and just about every other North American freshwater species. It was only decommissioned after a near drowning incident I had, where I lost all of my fishing gear.

I recently took to spin rods again after a decade of fly fishing, and I figured I’d go back to the tried and true.

The first one snapped on day 2, on my son and I’s Father’s Day kayak trip. The local shop I get all my gear didn’t hesitate to let me exchange it, which I only did because I didn’t have the money for a new one. The replacement broke the 3rd day I used it, getting a catfish (hardly a rod bender) up to shore. It broke the same place the first one did, which is the same place the previous customer reported. I haven’t tried exchanging it, because it’s a little embarrassing, and I don’t know how it works, and don’t want the ma & pa shop having to eat the cost on something that is not their responsibility.

I understand like any buisness you’ve got to make money, and unfortunately a buisness who makes products designed to last will likely end up out of business, especially if they make the product affordable. On the other hand, 2 new rods failing in the same spot, within a week, well within the range of what they’re meant to handle, makes it hard to have confidence in the rods I once…

I work for a large outdoor retail store as a fishing outfitter. I wanted to write and communicate what I’m seeing/hearing from customers, and what I’ve experienced from personal use.

I’ve recommended this rod countless times as the feel (rubberized cork) and aesthetics (black/red/gold) are perfect, and match with a reel we sell (Fuego). When I place the reel on the rod and hand the rig to customer, their response is always, “woah”. I personally use this setup and it delights me from both a grip feel and aesthetic perspective… Berkley hit it outta the park from those two points.

However, the durability of this multi-modulus design is inferior. I’ve snapped 2 rods (stayed within the limits of the ratings), and have multiple customers return to me saying they absolutely loved the rod until it snapped.

I’ve recommended many of the ML power spinning rods for crappie and white bass, as it has backbone and moderate action at the tip to cast smaller jig heads. But 2 lb crappie should not snap this rod, as I don’t high stick.

Recently, I watched Richard Gene The Fishing Machine, on YouTube, use a M power Lightning Rod for bass and thought, “I wonder if that rod will snap while recording…” It did. This is a disaster. There needs to be more resin or even fiberglass in this blank.

I can fish with other high modulus rods with lifetime warranties, but I chose the Berkley because I like the feel and price point. I have several rods (the drawback to working retail in a fishing…