G. Loomis GL2 Trout Jig Series Rod

[Dan360]

I picked up the 1-piece 7'2 Ultralight 2-6# rated spinning rod for general trout/panfish fishing. My immediate impression is this is unlike any other GL2 I've ever owned. It was light, sensitive, had slim and plentiful guides, a great feeling handle and the trim details were excellent. After a couple of days fishing with it, it could be the sweetest rod I've ever owned.

The blank used for this rod has the best combination of flex and power in the butt. I matched the rod with a Shimano Sahara 1000FD with 4# Maxima. I went out on the lake decided to troll to one of my regular spots on the other side of the lake. I set the rod up for long-line trolling with nothing but a weighted chain swivel, 3 feet of fluorocarbon leader and a #6 Gamikatsu Baitholder with 2 inches of crawler.

A nice 13 inch rainbow grabbed on first and I noticed the rod lets you really feel the fish. The tip had plenty of give, allowing the fish to take the bait and hook itself. Some rods are too fast in the tip and the rebound from the strike keeps the fishing from taking the bait into its mouth. Not the case with this rod. BUT, it wasn't as floppy as normal long-line rods which tend to be pretty parabolic.

A few minutes later, I had another take and knew right away the fish was pretty decent. It took several runs toward deeper water and bull-dogged the whole way in. This is what I really wanted to see, is how the rod would handle a bigger fish with some shoulders on it. Just like a good steelhead rod, the rod gave in the right places but still let you turn the head when you need to. I landed the 17 to 18 inch rainbow, popped the hook out and sent it back on its way.

I positioned the boat to drift along a productive stretch. I set up a light float rig consisting of nothing but a barrel swivel, #6 hook and a mini foam cigar float. No weight. I was able to cast this light rig farther than I could with my other rods, which I had with me for comparison. I would say I got 15 to 20 percent more on each cast. The rod loads beautifully. I picked up a nice 14 inch brown trout right away and once again, I loved how the rod felt.

I compared this rod with the G. Loomis Trout Series 7'2 4-8# rod and I definitely like it better. I think the Trout Series and Steelhead Series rods have funny shaped grips and prefer a more standard grip. Also, the price difference was noticeable. The GL2 Trout/Jig rod was $185 and the Trout Series rod was $325. So, it cost less, felt better all the way around, and handled bigger fish just as well. I see no drawbacks besides it being 1-piece. There are 2-piece versions for another $60.