Berkley Trout Dough Series Rod

Trout Dough Series

It’s now trout season again around here so we thought we would take a look at a new product from Berkley. They have introduced a new series of rods called the Trout Dough series.

We obtained one for the purpose of throwing very lightweight jigs, split-shotting and drop-shotting small plastics like Berkley micro’s. I have to say at this point that we do not use dough style bait. Personally, I would rather chunk and wind all day with nothing to show for it than bait and wait just to catch a couple of fish. Yeah, I live for the strike!

Rod Size And Specs

We got the 7 foot ultra-light version. This rod is rated for 1 – 6 pound line with lure ratings of 1/32 to 1/4 which is a respectable range for targeting trout. This is a glass rod that uses uni-directional technology combined with a cork split grip handle and stainless steel guides and inserts. You can throw almost anything you would want to without over-stressing the rod. We paired the rod with a ten series spinning reel and have been using it for about six weeks now.

Action

You can’t really judge a rod like this in the store because it doesn’t present itself like a typical bass rod or, for that matter, a graphite rod. I always like to try to figure out where the backbone of a rod really kicks in. Most of the time it is somewhere a couple of feet or so in front of the foregrip. Not so with the new Berkley. You can see by the picture that it is closer to about 6 inches in front of the grip. So what does all this mean when it comes time to fish with it?

First of all, due to the parabolic action of the stick, you can really launch light weight lures. When you’re casting with this rod, it’s as though the whole stick in front of your hands helps to catapult whatever you have tied on as far as it can possibly go. This does take some getting used to if you’re more accustomed to a stiffer action but once you getting dialed in with a bait of a particular size, you can be fairly accurate with your casts.

Another result of this design is that imparting action to something like a small jig is easily done. Due to the action of the Trout Dough series, the rod tip will show you and telegraph to your hands what is going on under the water better than some much more costly rods. Whether you’re using a jig, a small spoon, a tiny in-line spinner or whatever lure you’re throwing, this rod allows you to feel what is happening as it’s happening. Now onto the good stuff!

The backbone of the rod

Setting The Hook And Fighting Fish

So what’s it like when you get bite? As with any rod, it depends on how the fish bit the lure. Some of the strikes are sharp and hard while others are lighter with little more than the sensation of extra weight on the end of the line.

The cool part is when you set the hook. Since we got the 7 footer, it allows you pick up line quickly and even though the rod has an ultra-light action, our hook-sets have been sure with a very good hook-up ratio.

In the fight itself, the Trout Dough series distributes the force from the fish through the length of the rod which gives you a smoother feel as you’re bringing in your catch. Not to say that it dulls things to the point that you don’t feel the head shakes and changes of direction, you do.

Imagine if you will driving two cars that can both really accelerate, corner and brake well.

For our purposes, there are no differences in the raw numbers of our two vehicles. The difference is that car A has a very smooth transmission, suspension and brakes and car B doesn’t. When car A does anything, it feels refined while still being extremely powerful. Car B does everything car A does but jerks you around to the point that you lose all your fillings in the process. The Berkley Trout Dough series is car A.

This rod is comfortable to fish with all day long and certainly won’t set you back much. At $39.95 retail, it’s as easy on your wallet as it is easy to fish. Of course, you’ve gotta get past that wild green color and just focus on how it fishes!