A few days ago, I bought the Johnny Morris “Patriot” spinning fishing rod. The rod itself as a product, action, weight and quality of craftsmanship is absolutely perfect, but….I do believe that the person who designed this rod has no knowledge about fishing with a spinning rod at all.On the description of the rod the manufacturer is “singing the praises” of the rod handle which is built:
“…..Split-grip handles boast weather-resistant Winn® custom grips for ultimate comfort. Our extra-light 2-piece minimalist reel seat puts your fingers directly on the blank, for lightning-quick vibration transmission….”
But, please be real. What is this handle for, if it is behind your grip and your hand is holding bare plastic, and the rod itself where is so thin in this section? Your hand is gripping the mounting nest, the foot of the reel, and the tightening knot, which is built with plastic and has hard and angular edges. This handle seems like more of a decorative feature rather than enhancing the use of this rod for practical reasons. The reel, which is between the small and ring finger, does not even touch the rod handle, and with 600-700 casts per day, blistering on your fingers will occur. When you compare the other Johnny Morris rods, the Patriot rod is missing the practical “final touch”. If you analyze the Patriot casting and Patriot spinning rod you can definitely see that is the same rod without any changes on the handle just the mounting reel nest and the rod guides. Nothing else. But, to me as a fishermen with 40 years experience the spinning rods has totally different handle compare the casting rods. Here is a hook on you. The manufacturer “cut the corners” and change just 2 items worth a couple of dollars. Before you buy , just take the rod to your hand and check how you feel this rod in your hand with a reel. Terrible !!!!( see picture )
The rod is not comfortable to use for all day fishing, especially for this amount of money. I believe that another version of this rod should be totally redesigned, especially the handle section. Additionally, the handle should be built with cork if it is a professional rod. The handle material on the “Patriot” rod might be exposed to the Sun on your boat deck for a couple of hours at a time rendering it impossible to pick up and use due to the temperature from the Sun. The grip will be too hot to take it to the hand
