Short And Sweet Shimano Sellus Review

[TorqueConverter]

I picked up a cheap spinning MH worm/jig rod for my non boater, AKA father, during the classic sale at BPS and I'm very impressed with the rod thus far.  Dollar for dollar I haven't been this impressed with a rod in a while.

 

Key talking points:

 

A.)  It is technique specific meaning that it has a proper XF worm and jig blank.  What this means is that the rod has a soft ultra fast tip that very quickly transitions into a long and powerful backbone

 

B.) The length of the rod and reel seat location reflect it's technique specific application..  What is means is that while being a 7'2'' XF rod it also features a shorter rod handle length that both exaggerates the blank length (and back bone leverage) while allowing for a handle that is not too long yet not too short.  It fishes with a longness in its blank that is more reminiscent of a 7'6'' flippin stick than a  7'2'' MH rod placing it at perfection for a worm/jig rod.  It fishes longer than it's length would indicate given traditional MH non technique specific tapers.

 

C.) The rod features nice touches.  I didn't expect much of anything in the niceness department from a $59 rod but boy am I impressed.  The EVA foam is rock hard and the nicest I've seen by miles.  I've got rods that cost much more and might as well have black kitchen sponge for handle material.  Even the butt end of the rod features a decorative metal cap with an image of a jig imprinted into it.

 

It features tapers, actions, powers and seat locations that I thought were exclusive to much, much higher end rods.  It truly excels and beats up on many a rod in this department while still being offered in a spinning rod. At the end of the day it is a $60 rod and it does show.

 

The negatives:

 

A.) It;s not a very high modulus graphite but at this price point the material is appropriate.  IM6 is just fine for this rod at this price point but is not blowing anybody's mind..

 

B.) While not a heavy rod the balance is less than ideal but still adequate for a rod of it's price point and features.  Not clumsy and not crisp either.  It's not going to wow anyone.

 

Conclusion:

 

I got him a MH 6'6'' Veritas Micro the previous classic sale @$65 with rod trade in to use as a a worm/jig rod and this Shimano Sellus @ $50 blows it out of the water in every department other than balance and sensitivity with the latter being made moot by braid.  Long story short, I'd go Sellus over Veritas If I was looking for a budget worm/jig rod and I'm a Veritas guy.  I'm not a Shimano guy but I really like length, taper and power of this rod and if this is indicative of Shimano rods at higher price points, then I may have to give Shimano a look in the future. 

 

lt:dr: Shimano brand rods are more awesome than I thought they could ever be. 

[Teal]

Good review

[kikstand454]

Thank you for the review. I'm thinking of buying three mh/f sellus rods for my inshore kayak adventures. Its hard to find any real world experience about these rods. So your recommendations are useful. Having handled them extensively in the store, I have to admit they feel pretty nice for the price point. Its hard though to pull the trigger on these when there is such amazing competition at that price point nowadays! H2o, field and stream, pinnacle, etc.

Thanks!

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

The balance you don't like is directly related to the shorter butt / longer "effective rod length" that you do like. It will fish just fine. 

[Jaderose]

I picked up a Medium Fast Sellus Spinning rod from Wally World for $50 to pair with my Pfleuger President.  Not a huge spinning guy but need it for finesse and lighter stuff.  I really, really like this combo.  For less than $120 I got a combo that fishes nice and I think will last me a long time.

[buzzed bait]

my buddy has at least 10 of these rods and i've used a couple on occasion and really liked them.  for $50 they're fantastic rods. 

[lmbfisherman]

I have the crankbait version (MH/MF), definitely agree overall.  This ain't a pretty rod, but it does it's job and balances ok with my BPS PQ.