The Abu Villain Rods

[Johnny A]

I had the opportunity to fish many of the Villain rods over the past season and all performed extremely well. There were a few that stood out because they really fit my fishing style and others that really changed my mind, for the better. about presentations.


In no particular order:


Spinning - VLS69-4 6' 9", ML/MF, drop shot, FlickShake and mini-jig(1/32-3/16). This rod had great sensitivity to detect strikes. Good backbone for hook sets and power to control fish but not too stiff to worry about line breaks. Had this one matched with the Pflueger Patriarch XT 9535.

Casting - VLC71-6 7' 1", MH/F, pitchin'. I used this with the Revo Premier until the MGX became available. The Villain with the Premier was a pitchin' machine. The Villain with the MGX was unbelievable, I would put it up against the Steez 7'1"/Steez 103 without a second thought.

Casting - VLC73-7 7' 3", H/F, heavy pitchin', frogs, light soft plastic swim baits. Casted well, pitched well, no compromise. I used it in heavy pads and veg. Excellent power in the butt, I set the hook into one bass through a 5" Ripple Shad, through and through.

Casting - VLC80-7 8', H/MF, it worked well for swim baits and flippin'. I was a bit unsure about the taper and sensitivity as I'm used to fast taper rods. By the end of a 4 hour session I was converted, pulling 2 4lb LMB out of some heavy veg helped.

Those 4 rods stood out but that's not to minimize the others. If there are any questions about these rods or any others that I've tested please feel free to contact me.

[NYBASSIN]

Hey johnny thanks for offering your advice. I was wondering two things. Do you think the 7'1 MH/f would be good for dragging 1/2 oz football heads? Are the rods counter weighted to accommodate the light reel? How's the balance?

Second would be your general thoughts on the guides. Are the inserts metal or ceramic? I was highly anticipating these rods until I noticed the guides appear to be metal.

Right now I have my mgx on a cumara and i like it a lot but its really screaming for a villain.

[cornmuse]

Johnny A - thanks for the update! Great info. What are your thoughts on the VLC66-5 for casting 1/4 ounce shallow cranks - in particular the LC RC 0.5? I'm considering a light rod for small reaction baits with a total package weight of 1/4 ounce (RC 0.5, LC P65sp, maybe Rap CNC53 etc).

[Johnny A]

Hey johnny thanks for offering your advice. I was wondering two things. Do you think the 7'1 MH/f would be good for dragging 1/2 oz football heads? Are the rods counter weighted to accommodate the light reel? How's the balance?

Second would be your general thoughts on the guides. Are the inserts metal or ceramic? I was highly anticipating these rods until I noticed the guides appear to be metal.

Right now I have my mgx on a cumara and i like it a lot but its really screaming for a villain.

1. If you're in a clear water situation, like you aren't going through veg to get to the bottom, the 7'1" would be fine. If you're going through veg, or over 1/2 oz, I'd go with the 7'3". I don't know if the rods counterweighted. I don't know that it would be necessary with the weight of the reel, reel seat (skeleton type), handle, etc.
The balance point is between 4" and 5" forward of the reel seat. I think the 7'3" and 8' might get the impression of tip-heaviness in certain positions and depending upon how you hold the rod. But the rods w/reel are so light, it's not an overwhelming sensation and based upon some of the fish I caught, it had zero impact on performance.

2. I looked at the inserts and I couldn't tell you if they were ceramic or metal. I used lines between 6lb flour and 50lb braid and I didn't have a problem with any of it. I looked at the website and it just stated "Titanium". I contacted customer service and according to the rep, the inserts are metal.

[Johnny A]

Johnny A - thanks for the update! Great info. What are your thoughts on the VLC66-5 for casting 1/4 ounce shallow cranks - in particular the LC RC 0.5? I'm considering a light rod for small reaction baits with a total package weight of 1/4 ounce (RC 0.5, LC P65sp, maybe Rap CNC53 etc).

That was one of the rods I didn't get to test. The others were the 6'6" H casting rods, the 7'6" flipping rod and the 6'10" spinning rod (I received the 6'10" for testing this season though). I used the 6'9" ML/MF for light cranks like the OSP HPF Spec II (flat side, about 3/8 oz) and the 6'9" MH/F for the OSP Blitz Max (1/2 oz). I'm sorry I can't be of more assistance.

[NYBASSIN]

Thanks for the reply johnny, its much appreciated.

[1600tf]

Thank you for the review Johnny A. Much appreciated.

[CALL ME RIFLE]

I had the opportunity to fish many of the Villain rods over the past season and all performed extremely well. There were a few that stood out because they really fit my fishing style and others that really changed my mind, for the better. about presentations.


In no particular order:


Spinning - VLS69-4 6' 9", ML/MF, drop shot, FlickShake and mini-jig(1/32-3/16). This rod had great sensitivity to detect strikes. Good backbone for hook sets and power to control fish but not too stiff to worry about line breaks. Had this one matched with the Pflueger Patriarch XT 9535.

Gotta ask...is that simply a typo,when saying Patriarch XT in regards to spinning reels? Or is it that Pure has now made an XT version of the spinning Patriarch for 2012,that you have had access to,that isnt out there for the populace as of yet? I hope so,I have been waiting for that anxiously..

[Johnny A]

I had the opportunity to fish many of the Villain rods over the past season and all performed extremely well. There were a few that stood out because they really fit my fishing style and others that really changed my mind, for the better. about presentations.


In no particular order:


Spinning - VLS69-4 6' 9", ML/MF, drop shot, FlickShake and mini-jig(1/32-3/16). This rod had great sensitivity to detect strikes. Good backbone for hook sets and power to control fish but not too stiff to worry about line breaks. Had this one matched with the Pflueger Patriarch XT 9535.

Gotta ask...is that simply a typo,when saying Patriarch XT in regards to spinning reels? Or is it that Pure has now made an XT version of the spinning Patriarch for 2012,that you have had access to,that isnt out there for the populace as of yet? I hope so,I have been waiting for that anxiously..

It's a typo ... sorry ... it's just the Patriarch without the XT. Did your eyes go like this ?

[CALL ME RIFLE]

LMAO,Johnny,they dont have the proper emoticon for what my eyes did...ah well,what's one more hope or dream flushed down the john.....~

[KCL655321]

Sweet. The 7'1" MH/F is what I'm looking to get for t-rigs & jigs for the upcoming season, sounds like it's a winner.

[Snidley]

Is the Villan the prototype rod that the boys from Tackle Tour saw 2 ICAST's ago in some back room? I remember them saying it was hush hush but their impressions were that it was a high end product for small $$ (a combination near and dear to my heart )

[Johnny A]

Is the Villan the prototype rod that the boys from Tackle Tour saw 2 ICAST's ago in some back room? I remember them saying it was hush hush but their impressions were that it was a high end product for small $$ (a combination near and dear to my heart )

There are some minor cosmetic differences between those I tested between June to November and the production models I got a couple weeks ago. I don't know if there are structural changes between them though. I'll take a few photos of the rods tomorrow. I'm still suffering under some sort of nasty virus that's hanging on.

[LPFC]

Is the Villan the prototype rod that the boys from Tackle Tour saw 2 ICAST's ago in some back room? I remember them saying it was hush hush but their impressions were that it was a high end product for small $$ (a combination near and dear to my heart )

There are some minor cosmetic differences between those I tested between June to November and the production models I got a couple weeks ago. I don't know if there are structural changes between them though. I'll take a few photos of the rods tomorrow. I'm still suffering under some sort of nasty virus that's hanging on.

The virus came from fishing the raritan,

Can't you get Abu to move back to Fairfield,

[jonahsdad]

I held some of these rods, very light and Beautiful!!! I may succomb to the temptation and buy one!!