Earlier this year, I found myself discouraged when trying to find a Redington PREDATOR rod for a trip to Central America only discovering that it was sold out. A great rod at a perfect price point, I worried at the time that this was a sign that the rod was going to be discontinued. As it turns out, a relaunch of the series was in the works, and now Redington has a revamped Predator in production that is superior to the former Predator. It was worth the wait.
The Redington PREDATOR is a fast action rod designed, as you might guess, for predatory species in both fresh and saltwater. For anglers taking on a range of such species, from bass to pike to tuna, the rod is designed with the needs of anglers in mind. In the case of these pursuits, anglers generally face the challenges of casting heavy lines and big flies in occasional demanding conditions. Even just throwing a popper or an articulated fly that has more weight than the norm can throw off both casting as well as ability to pick up and control line. For such angling, the action of the rod is critical. And it’s one thing for a rod to perfectly cast a line, but it’s another for the rod to perform on the water. For the new PREDATOR, the rod designers make on-the-water applications the focus of the design, and the considerations they made have paid off.
Shawn Reese of the California Fly Shop was able to spend some time with the PREDATOR on the California Delta. For Shawn, the PREDATOR performed:
“This rod has a lot of strength from the mid to butt sections and has plenty of lifting power. The rod will be up to the challenge of being hooked up to a large fish or throwing a large, heavy fly. Overall it has a pretty smooth performance even when throwing dense sink tips and shooting heads. One of the key things about this rod is the ability to withstand a forceful strip when fishing on or below the surface. You’re not having to work as hard when stripping large flies all day. The rod is very affordably priced for those who are curious to break away from the dead drift and throw something fish can’t ignore.”
The Redington Predator is available now in a range of line weights and length options. In 9′ lengths, anglers have 5-12 weight line options. Additionally, there is a 9’6″ 6 weight, a 10″ 7 weight, and a 7’10” 8 weight. Also, there is a special 10 weight pike rod and an 11 weight musky rod. The Predator retails for $299.95 — a very reasonable price for a high performance saltwater rod with a lifetime warranty.
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– Tim Harden
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