New Fenwick Rods???

[Goby]

I see online that several retailers are selling the Fenwick rods at a steep discount, assuming they are being discontinued?

 

Any insight on their replacements?

 

I have a three World Class baitcasting rods that I really like, the cork on them can be a crapshoot, had to send a couple back due to this which was sort of a debacle, but the ones I have are primo and been very happy with them. Was thinking of getting one more, but not sure if they are about to be discontinued. 

[Peacedivision]

Doubt they are being discontinued, they were just introduced last year. When ALF first put the world class rods on blowout they said in the add they weren't selling, probably the same story with other retailers. Feels like they priced themselves into a corner a bit.

 

[ABU is overpriced]

Got into fishing using Fenwick, but there's no reason to buy them now.

[webertime]

I think the lack of sales compounded with "meh" reviews on the new redesign aren't helping.  I for one was super excited to see the NRX guys designed the tapers and powers and that we'd get an affordabler (just made that up) 873 type rod.  Maybe we did, but the reviews and quick sell off mentioned, I'm now doubting it.

[rangerjockey]

I've had one of each of the '24 series. I think the World class and Elite are really good. 

Maybe it was the ties to Pure fishing that kept them from selling. 

Fenwick was a part of bass fishing history much like Lew's but both are just a name to use for marketing now.

[PBBrandon]

1 hour ago, webertime said:

I think the lack of sales compounded with "meh" reviews on the new redesign aren't helping.  I for one was super excited to see the NRX guys designed the tapers and powers and that we'd get an affordabler (just made that up) 873 type rod.  Maybe we did, but the reviews and quick sell off mentioned, I'm now doubting it.

If you are looking for an “affordabler” 873 NRX, the St Croix 7’3” HXF is very close from what I’ve read. Never used an NRX but I have the 7’3” HXF LTB and it’s a sweet rod for T-rigs and jigs.

[webertime]

32 minutes ago, PBBrandon said:

If you are looking for an “affordabler” 873 NRX, the St Croix 7’3” HXF is very close from what I’ve read. Never used an NRX but I have the 7’3” HXF LTB and it’s a sweet rod for T-rigs and jigs.

It is 100% on the wishlist at TW.

[Goby]

I own the 7'2" Medium Heavy/Moderate Fast, the 7'1" Medium/Moderate Fast and the 7'3" Medium Heavy/Extra Fast baitcaster models in the World Class series.

 

Like I said there were a couple I received where the cork had obviously came off in a large chunk during the manufacturing process and they just glued it back on, which me being me, was not OK, but the replacements they sent were, great and the cork was inline with what you would get on a Loomis Conquest at twice the price. 

 

Probably going to pick up the 7'1" Medium/Extra Fast model for small jigs, unfortunately NOT one of the models for sale on the cheap at ALF lol 

 

 

 

 

[WRB]

Pure Fishing owns Fenwick and the rights to 3M Nano resin used in high end rod blanks. The World Class series Fenwick rod are made with the 3M Nano resign so the blanks are every, the overall rod build 

is questionable.

Tom.

 

[Goby]

17 hours ago, WRB said:

Pure Fishing owns Fenwick and the rights to 3M Nano resin used in high end rod blanks. The World Class series Fenwick rod are made with the 3M Nano resign so the blanks are every, the overall rod build 

is questionable.

Tom.

 

 

Regarding the baitcaster models...

 

I was throwing spinnerbaits last Fall for Bass on a local lake, about a 20" Pike ate my Spinnerbait, followed by a much much larger Muskie grabbing hold of the Pike, immediately corking one of my World Class rods, that Muskie held on for several minutes before finally letting go. Couldn't do a darn thing with it or control it in any way, but that rod took a beating when the Muskie hit that Pike and still works like new. The blanks are definitely super tough...

 

If you were to just hold these rods in a tackle shop, they are light, but maybe not take your breath away, but when you fish them and hook nice fish on them, which I am fortunate to have fisheries around me where say a 5 pound Smallie isn't all that big of a deal, they just feel very solid in hand and very well built. They feel much more solid and higher quality than say a Loomis NRX+ while actually fishing with them. I also prefer that cork fore-grip over say the metal fore-grip on my MegaBass rods. 

 

The thread wraps, epoxy work, etc... is just as high end as MegaBass, which is obviously better craftsmanship than Loomis or St. Croix. 

 

I buy a lot of fishing crap because I like to try new things, I would consider these rods made for fisherman more so than what feels great standing in a tackle shop if that makes sense. I only have one season on them so far, but all three were used a lot and never flinched. 

 

The way they blended the cork with the EVA was likely tough to do and is why the two rods I sent back to be replaced had the issues they did, frankly most guys likely wouldn't have even noticed what I did, I am just particularly picky, I don't break rods or treat them like shop tools so I tend to care about initial quality more than most. The cork on the models I have is definitely better quality than say what MegaBass uses on their P5 rods and these rods are about a $100 less. I am kind of a stickler about cheap cork, I don't use cork sealer or any of that non-sense, just want a high density of cork as it's more durable in the long run. 

 

I think where Fenwick has failed is the marketing, they have not done any decent marketing to back up their dealers, seemingly trying to rely on a name that isn't what it once was. Let's be honest, most tackle shops don't employ marketing geniuses so you aren't going to get it from them. Before I bought these rods I scoured the internet and there is nothing out there, no decent YouTube reviews, etc... 

 

If I owned a rod company in 2025, I would have detailed YouTube videos of each model going into detail what they are designed for, etc... I used to help design and sell boats for a living, you would sell more boats by putting up a simple YouTube video than you ever would travelling all over the country going to trade-shows, etc... and the YouTube video was free... 

 

Fenwick has an automated system to return rods purchased direct from them, it did not work properly when I tried to use it so trying to deal with their customer service was not all that impressive, which is odd as Abu Garcia has great customer service, the people you speak to may not know anything about fishing, but they answer the phone, accomplish what you need them to do, etc... Fenwick was always leaving a voicemail and a couple days later they would call you back sort of thing... 

 

I think Fenwick should just use the same call center as Abu Garcia does and invest some time in marketing and they would see sales increase... I am assuming their automated return system is fixed by now so maybe the call center is unnecessary, but they definitely need to invest in marketing. It's a different World now and simply having your rods in racks at tackle shops isn't enough to sell them, especially when you are trying to rebuild a brand. Just my thoughts...

[Hulkster]

They put a top down spinning reel seat lock nut ugh.

[new2BC4bass]

IMHO a rod of that price with the name 'Fenwick' on it isn't going to sell well no matter how good the rod is.  Put 'Megabass' or 'GLoomis' on the Fenwick rod and I think it would sell well and be praised.

 

I own several older Fenwick rods in a few models and have always felt I got good value for my money.

[NoFroFishing]

Wanted to chime in on my experience with these new Fenwick Rods as I now own 5 of them. 1 WC, 3 Elites, 1 Eagle. I love every single one of them and I still plan to get more. I actually have one arriving today. I have been a Dobyns fan boy for a while but I cannot tell you the last time I have used one of my Dobyns since picking these up. All of my favorite technique specific Dobyns rods have been replaced with a Fenwick. 

 

 

The new grips on the Elite and WC do take a little getting used to, maybe an hour if that. For me they became the most comfortable rod I have personally ever used. I LOVE the soft touch reel seats. The ergonomics and comfort of these things are amazing. 

I did also have an issue with the cork on a brand new elite that had a pretty significant chip in it. The vendor gave me a small refund and I hit it with some wood filler. So wasn't a huge deal for me. This is the only issue I have had though. I do seal all my cork rods. 

 

 

I would agree that Fenwick/Pure did a pretty bad job at marketing these things. I pretty much never hear anyone talk about them at all and my biggest complaint is that none of the rods list specific techniques. Some may not care but for me it's really helpful. They only use Bottom Contact, Finesse, and reaction. Obviously there is a wide variety of what a reaction bait is so that naming scheme isn't very helpful.. Most of their rods use the same rating system as the Loomis NRX so I just cross compare them to get a better idea of what each rod may be ideal for. 

 

 

What I have learned though is that the reaction rods are very very similar to something like a Dobyns Sierra or Champion in terms of action and power. A 7' MHMF reaction rod from Fenwick can pretty much do everything. I have used it for spinnerbaits, swim jigs and the Shadtron. Has excelled at it all. 

 

With this current TW trade in deal I might even get more. 

[Brian11719]

Thanks for sharing that @NoFroFishing. I actually looked into these a bit after ALF mentioned them in one of their videos a while back. The warranty seems a little iffy since the policy basically says if they determine it's your fault they'll 'give you options' but don't specifically list out what those would be...but honestly that's not a complete deal breaker for me and at least they are willing to offer some kind of discount in that situation.

 

Having said that what actually put me off about these more than anything else was the rod lengths and actions. I actually really liked the grip design on the spinning rod and it was cool to see something unique get introduced for a change, but to your point about what techniques go with what rod I generally do not like extra fast spinning rods and could not (and still can't) figure out why I'd want a 6'10 medium fast spinning rod but then a 7' medium light spinning rod. The only other fast option in the Elite spinning series is a 7'6 and in my case I fish out of a kayak and only have 1 rod that's even that long and that's my heaviest casting rod that I use for swimbaits...the lure weights also seemed a bit off and in my case that was enough to get me to write them off the last time I looked at them.

 

Just out of curiosity did you end up getting any of the spinning models? If so what which one(s) and what for?

[Dan N]

I must contribute. 
I just recently ordered a fenwick crank bait rod, because it was on a huge discount. I returned it. The only time I have done that. It had a clearly visible wierd bend in it . Maybe just a Lemon? But I was not impressed.

[woolleyfooley]

On 3/11/2025 at 2:28 PM, NoFroFishing said:

Wanted to chime in on my experience with these new Fenwick Rods as I now own 5 of them. 1 WC, 3 Elites, 1 Eagle. I love every single one of them and I still plan to get more. I actually have one arriving today. I have been a Dobyns fan boy for a while but I cannot tell you the last time I have used one of my Dobyns since picking these up. All of my favorite technique specific Dobyns rods have been replaced with a Fenwick. 

 

 

The new grips on the Elite and WC do take a little getting used to, maybe an hour if that. For me they became the most comfortable rod I have personally ever used. I LOVE the soft touch reel seats. The ergonomics and comfort of these things are amazing. 

I did also have an issue with the cork on a brand new elite that had a pretty significant chip in it. The vendor gave me a small refund and I hit it with some wood filler. So wasn't a huge deal for me. This is the only issue I have had though. I do seal all my cork rods. 

 

 

I would agree that Fenwick/Pure did a pretty bad job at marketing these things. I pretty much never hear anyone talk about them at all and my biggest complaint is that none of the rods list specific techniques. Some may not care but for me it's really helpful. They only use Bottom Contact, Finesse, and reaction. Obviously there is a wide variety of what a reaction bait is so that naming scheme isn't very helpful.. Most of their rods use the same rating system as the Loomis NRX so I just cross compare them to get a better idea of what each rod may be ideal for. 

 

 

What I have learned though is that the reaction rods are very very similar to something like a Dobyns Sierra or Champion in terms of action and power. A 7' MHMF reaction rod from Fenwick can pretty much do everything. I have used it for spinnerbaits, swim jigs and the Shadtron. Has excelled at it all. 

 

With this current TW trade in deal I might even get more. 

Do you have any champion extreme hp? Which model fenwick compares and how do they compare?

[NoFroFishing]

@Brian11719

 

The lure rating system confused the hell out of me which is why I had issues figuring out which rod should be used for what.  It feels like they can all fish heavier than what's listed. I also fish out of a Yak so most of my rods stay under 7'3. 

Here is what I currently have and the techniques I use them for. 

 

Spinning: 
6'8 MMXF Elite - Ned Rigs 
Rod is like a feather paired with a 2500 Vanford. The XF action hasn't caused me any issues. 
1/8oz with usually a RoboNed or crush city BLT 

 

Casting Reaction:
6'8 MMF Elite - Jerkbaits 
7'1 MHMF Eagle - 3/8oz Chatterbaits, Spinnerbaits, small Swimbaits, small swim jigs

($99 is an insane value on this rod imo)
7'1 MHMF WC - ^Same stuff. Got on a massive discount.  

 

Casting Bottom Contact:
7'1 MHXF Elite - Haven't got a chance to use this one yet. Just got it Tuesday

 

[Hulkster]

Fenwick came out with some great USA made rods in the late 90s (mainly the Techna AV and the CoFi 57 rods) then promptly switched all their manufacturing to China and made crappy rods for about the next 20 years. 

 

The damage has been done. Even if these rods are great (they have a long time loomis employee Dave Binkerhoff working with them) its going to be hard to get people to spend a good buck on these given the last 20 years of easy to break Fenwick rods. 

[Jar11591]

I have a dozen Fenwicks sticks from Eagles to Aetos to Methods and haven’t broken a single one. I guess I’m lucky I haven’t experience any of the breaking issues. I’ll continue to buy Fenwicks with confidence until I have some anecdotal instances. 

[NoFroFishing]

20 hours ago, Hulkster said:

Fenwick came out with some great USA made rods in the late 90s (mainly the Techna AV and the CoFi 57 rods) then promptly switched all their manufacturing to China and made crappy rods for about the next 20 years. 

 

The damage has been done. Even if these rods are great (they have a long time loomis employee Dave Binkerhoff working with them) its going to be hard to get people to spend a good buck on these given the last 20 years of easy to break Fenwick rods. 

The brand has definitley taken a huge hit and I feel like they really need to push how Dave & Justin are in charge of this rebrand and their previous work. Like I see advertisements for Abu all the time. Don't  think ive ever seen one for Fenwick.  The Eagle and HMG are priced so well and are really nice rods