Pinnacle Review

[roadwarrior]

For more than fifteen years I have been fishing St. Croix and G. Loomis rods almost

exclusively. Some guys refer to me as "The Sheriff" of the Shimano Posse. So, a little

over a year ago I acquired my first Pinnacle rod & reel. http://www.bassresou...dhc-review.html

 

This is a review of my second Pinnacle combo.

 

Designed with the demands of B.A.S.S and FLW touring pros in mind, Pinnacle envisioned

a series of "dream rods" for specific applications. Measuirng 7'6", the Perfecta DHC5-761

CAMHFS is a handsome rod. DHC stands for "Double Helical Construction" which describes

the actual structure of this blank. The Perfecta features Fugi guides with Alconite rings,

diamond polished stainless steel frames, Fuji ACS trigger reel seats and premium cork in a

split grip design. In addition to high quality components, the engineering and craftsmanship

is second to none. Rated Medium Heavy, versatility extends to a variety of techniques, but I

think pitching and flipping is where this rod shines. Suggested lure weights are 1/4 oz. - 1 oz.;

recommended line is 12 lb. - 25 lb.

 

Now on to actually fishing with the rod. As a casting rod, the length of this blank and a fast tip

launches lures. For pitching I found the rod to be crisp and responsive. Perhaps most importantly,

the sensitivity is extreme, comparable to that of my favorite St. Croix Avid rods.. At a MSRP of

$159.99, that's a great value!

http://www.pinnaclef...spx#page=page-1

 

The OPTIMUS XiHS is a compact reel, matte black with gold accents. Weighing in at 7.1 ounces

and featuring a gear ratio of 7.3:1. Ten ball bearings, plus one roller bearing add performance to

beauty. The reel is tight, silky smooth and quiet. Pinnacle has developed a multi-stack drag system

featuring high efficiency carbon fiber drag washers which dissipate heat rapidly with minimum wear.

The carbon fiber handle is complimented with Eva grips This reel matches perfectly with the rod.

Incredible balance creates the illusion of weightlessness.

 

Perfect right out of the box? Pinnacle states:

"We individually hand tune each reel, putting it through a rigorous 8-step manual program covering

every major system inside and out, to ensure it comes pre-calibrated for optimum casting, braking,

retrieving and drag performance. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to start with the best materials and

craftsmanship available, including our rugged X-Bone™ frame, all-Duralumin spool and drive train,

quality double-shielded bearings, and super-tough carbon fiber handle and star drag."

http://www.pinnaclef...timus-xihs.aspx

 

Let me tell you, I'm impressed! Today was my first opportunity to get these bad boys out on the

water. I made no adjustments to the reel settings, I fished the reel "as is," right out of the box.

Spooled up with Kanzen 50 lb. braid mainline and a Tatsu 20 lb. flourocarbon leader, I was set

up for pitching jigs. The equipment worked flawlessly, but the fish were not cooperating. The

"fishing" was great, the "catching" not so much.

 

In comparison to some of the reels I own, the Pinnacle Optimis XiHS is in the same class with

the Shimano Core. After I have fished the gear for awhile, I will update this report. I expect the

performance to improve over time, if that is even possible!

 

Attached Thumbnails

 

 

[iabass8]

last paragraph makes a bold statement. hope it holds true. neat looking reel.

[bait__Monkey]

oooh...dat soud pretty good to me.

 

Wats u tink?

[Glenn]

Love the tie! LOL

[Jaheff]

Thats a perfect pic to have a "caption this pic contest", in Everything Else section.

[roadwarrior]

Caught my first fish on this rig yesterday. Now it's official,

I like it!

 

 

 

[Glenn]

That's awesome!

[The Rooster]

oooh...dat soud pretty good to me.

 

Wats u tink?

This post would be perfect if read in the voice of Adam Sandler's Billy Madison. LOL

[Loop_Dad]

 

 

 

 

 

Nice pic! That's classy. I got a get me picture like that to hang in the living room.

[roadwarrior]

My daughter and I tried to get a good picture of the rod, but It just didn't show up

much for us. The professional pictures on the Pinnacle website are detailed, so

check them out.

[Alpster]

 

 

 

 

 

Godfather of the Memphis "Family"

[Coopdog72]

You know back in the day I had really bad experiences with pinnacle. When I see their stuff at other websites I don't even look that way not even if it was a fire sale. I'm looking for 1 more combo for cranking I'm thinking about spending 300 maybe a little more, after reading your review I....... Might.....look at pinnacle ...can't believe I just said that. But you guys haven't steered me wrong yet thanks for the review

[roadwarrior]

Well, Pinnacle became a sponsor about the same time they joined ranks with several tourning pros

and introduced the new Tournament Series rods and reels. I have been impressed and believe this

is a whole new ballgame!

[MrSwimJig]

I have a couple Pinnacle reels and they are amazing reels. I haven't tried a rod yet but they are awesome reels. I have the Xi-HS Hand Tuned and the Optimus LTE.

[roadwarrior]

I love that picture.  Is that your fishing suit?

 

No. I usually dress up much better to go fishing.