Well, I recieved my chosen rod from Pinnacle earlier today and decided to give it a brief workout since we actually had some clear afternoon weather. This is my initial review on the Pinnacle DHC5-762CAMHFS 7'6" flippin/pitchin stick with telescopic handle. More info to come throughout the week as I'll probably have more time to use it.
Pictures:
Telescopic sleeve.
Line size, power, and action.
Butt section has a nice custom look.
Hook keeper is very Kistleresque. Nice knurled foregrip detail at the top of the reel seat.
Fuji ACS reel seat.
Fuji concept guides.
Paired up with a 7.1 Pro Qualifier. Very nicely balanced feel to the rod.
From my limited experience, the rod is quite comfortable to use. I've never really been a fan of rods with telescopic butts, but this one feels very solid to me. The guides are quite small which is always nice. I spooled up with 40lb braid to work in heavier cover. Very sensitive even though it's telescopic. I was able to detect some very subtle bites. This rod has oodles of backbone. I was able to haul a few fish out of very thick grass with ease. Nothing large, but the salad that came out with them sure made for a small battle. I'm not sure how much it weighs as I don't have a scale around here that can measure in ounces. It's not the lightest rod in the world, but it certainly isn't the heaviest. After two or three hours of using it, I felt that I could hold it an entire day and not be bothered in the least.
Hopefully over the weekend I'll be able to give it a good beating. Weather permitting of course. So far though, this seems like a very capable stick. If you've got any questions, please feel free to ask.