Rod Review: Pinnacle Perfecta Dhc5 7'6" Mh Mod-Fast

[.ghoti.]

During this year's RoadTrip, at the Saturday night banquet, we had a raffle to raise money for the Tackle The Storm Foundation. In addition to some baits, jigheads, line and hat, I won this rod. Agter the trip I had very little time to fish, so my review is a little late in coming.

Took a three day trip to Trophy Country, during which I decided to only use three rods which were all new to me. I actually had four in the boat each day. I took two Tatula casting rods, The Pinnacle, and my old standby Daiwa L&T rod.

The Pinnacle was fitted with a Zillion, spooled with 14lb test Trilene XL. The rod is rated for 12-25lb line, 1/4 - 1oz lure weight, and has a moderate fast action rating at medium heavy power.

First impressions: it's very light for a rod of this length and power. The blank is perfectly straight, the guides are aligned perfectly, the wraps and epoxy work are flawless, and everything is fitted together as well as I've ever seen on a production rod. Think St Croix build quality, aand you'll be thinking the correct way. This is a $170 rod, right in the St Croix Avid range. The build quailty and sensitivity are in the LTB range. First impression? Very impressive.

I have a variety of rods. Setyr, three Tactical and three Response series; St Croix, three Avids, three LTB's and one Extreme; Daiwa, two Steez, two Tatulas and a L&T. Also, a Dobyns Champion, a Fenwick Elite Tech, and an Airrus Tradition. Pinnacle is now on my radar when looking at additional rods.

But, how does it fish? Very nicely, thank you very much. I wanted to test the limits of this stick, just to see what it cpoiuld and could be used for.

I started with a 5/16oz Evo Shaky2 jighead and Rage Tail lobster; a bait in the 3/8oz total weight range, on the low end of the rating. Casting and pitching were both easy. The mod-fast action is a plus for both delivery methods. To further test the range, I tied on a 1/8oz jighead, with a rick worm. This is a bit less than 1/4oz total weight. I also tried an unweighted Houdini Shad on a 4/0 light wire EWG hook. These two baits are really outside of this rod's range. It did OK, and would do in a pinch. The lower stated lure weight is a bit of wishful thinking, in my opinion. The rod was good with 3/8oz, but much less than that, and you would want a different stick. Digging through my day bag to find something on the upper end of the weight range, I discovered a couple of Badonk-a-donks. I don't remember putting these in the bag, but there they were, so I tied one on. This is a large, spook type bait weighing 1oz. I made a couple of easy casts, thinking that this would really be too heavy, but it was not at all. I than made several "let it all hang out" casts. The rod handled the 1oz weight like it was built for it. I did not tie on anything heavier, but I think you could easily cast up to 1.5oz baits with no problems.

I did not catch any fish on this trip that would test the power of this rod, but it's there. Two pound fish didn't get past the mod-fast tip section. I did break the 14lb test line using the rod, so you could horse a good fish out of some pretty heavy veggies if the need arose.

For a rod in this price range, sensitivity is excellent. On a later trip I compared it side by side with my LTB 7' MH-XF, and the Pinnacle seems to be at least the equal to the LTB.

I also tried spinnerbaits and crankbaits. This is a really nice rod for a DD22 or a big spinnerbait.

All in all, a very versatile stick. Very good for deep cranks and big spinnerbaits; excellent for plastics and jigs; a fine two-handed caster, and excellent at pitching. For you guys who fish tournaments from the back of the boat, this would be good choice becasue it can handle several tasks.

I only have two minor complaints, and these are problems I have with several rods, not just with this one.

One; the threads in front of the reel seat. If you're going to go with a no foregrip design, trim back the lockdown threads. They serve no purpose, and get to be very uncomfortable after a long day on the water. Either put a small foregrip on there, or cut down the threads.

Two; the hook keeper. If you're going to put a hook keeper in front of the reel seat, do not use an open type. I have several rods built like this, and the line will get hung up in the hook keeper. I like the open type hook keepers for their versatitly, but put the damned thing behind the reel seat; in the split section. This is a split-grip rod, so there is a perfect location for the keeper.

OK, pissin and moanin over.

I gave my ultimate conclusion ealier. Pinnacle is now on my radar. The next time I'm looking for a new rod, this line will be one I'll be lookng at.

[J Francho]

Nice work, Gary. Your findings echo my own, including the reel seat threads. So, here is my own thought on that, and why it's overlooked. On a rod with a fore grip, why is this not an issue? My fingers are in the same place whether there's a grip up there or not. But every time I hold a skeleton split grip build, I automatically complain about the threads, lol.

At any rate, a good example of a best practice would be the knob on the Dobyns. If you like a small padded area, the Okuma TCS has one of the most comfortable arrangements I've used.

[new2BC4bass]

Yup, a nice review.  Thanks.  I cast 2-handed.  Although I have several rods with short handles, a little longer one is preferred most of the time.  I occasionally have the same problem with that type of hook keeper.  I keep wanting to try a Pinnacle rod and reel.  Seems that whenever I get any funds, either a good deal on something else gets in the way, or the money has to go out for everyday things....such as last month when several thousand went into our 2 vehicles.  Talk about not having any money for new toys! 

 

That sounds like a versatile rod.  The best kind.    I have 2-3 other rods I want to get first, but definitely will eventually add a Pinnacle to my arsenal.  Maybe even one of their reels as well. 

[.ghoti.]

Good unbiased personal review on the Pinnacle rod.  I haven't had a chance to fish them yet but they do feel like a great rod. 

Keep me in mind when your ready for the next one.  Maybe match it up with one of their reels.

Thanks for the review.

Ron

Thanks. I will definitely keep you in mind when it's time for a new stick. I hear nothing but good things about you and your operation.

[roadwarrior]

Welcome to the Pinnacle Club!

 

 

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