This is an interesting one. Sakari for years has been experimenting with fibreglass butt sections (carbon tips) for true lifting power, quite literally picking up 10kg buckets from the top floor of a house. When we got together at the Worlds in Cumbria I was very surprised when I cast his rods to find out a) how well the cast and b) how well they fought! In fact I was convinced straight away and told him so – thanks Sakke!
Mikael Blomberg managed to crack the experimental HT12 picking up 100ft of line in a carry competition – so that was a good test! Alejandro has since strengthened that section in Spain with some cross weave carbon. We have it back in action now.
Here in England, Lee Martell (Sexyloops Rod Artist) had a couple of old Shakespeare Ugly Stik rods laying around, one of which he stripped and rebuilt for the lower section of the HT12 and so now we have the new prototype HT12 and HT12u to test. Exciting stuff – it might be a bit over-gunned for Snakehead but I shall give it a go, and then pass it on to someone who has GTs in his backyard.
