At first I was rather sceptical of this rod as it was a free bee. Could there really be such thing as a free lunch? I was rather sceptical, after some bad purchases in the past. But lets have a look at what I got.

The rod features a trigger. Only natural as it came with my new Ambassadeur 7000i C3 reel. But I plan to use this one for casting lead lures while waiting for something huge to bite on the bait rods.

The Reel Seat
Unfortunately the reel seat has quite a plasticy feel to it. But then again, I had the same feeling with my 20 year old and trusty Tjøstheim 600N rod. And that one is still in use on every trip. So ok, I’ll give that the benefit of the doubt.

The Line Guides
The line guides where pure metal of some kind. No porcelain to be seen here. Well, when they go bad I can always change them for something better. Abu Garcia lists this rods as “a specialist rod to made to perform using super lines”. So maybe that is the reason for the cheap line guides?

I think I prefer  porcelain line guides. But it could be my own blatant ignorance talking. Who knows?

The Tip
The tip is white. will be handy in the winter dark, if I use it as a bait rod. Else the tip is supposed to me made from e-glass. But can’t seem to dig out the reference for that. So don’t take my word for it.

Casting
It was when I took this rod out fishing that it surprised me. I set it up with my old and trusted 6500 CS Rocket multiplier reel, loaded with 0.25mm 17.5kg test Fireline braid. The lure was a Stingsilda 40gr lead lure.

So it was just to launch it. And what a launch. It must be a new distance record for me. Cod knows how far it really was, but that pice of lead and treble hooks disappeared into the horizon…and cam back with a small green saith.

Conclusion
I have taken the rod on 3 fishing trips so far. And I am quite happy with it. I have not gotten anything big on it yet. But I feel confident that it will do the job. Despite the plasticy feel from the reel seet and the surprising line guides at a time where the cheapest of rods have porcelain guide lines.

Would I recomend the rod…yes, with the reservations in this review I would.

Thats it.

See also: Hunting down the Ambassadeur 7000

I was looking for a new and heavier reel for my shore bait fishing. Already owning a near vintage Ambassadeur 6500 CS Rocket, the choice of another Ambassadeur for my surf rod was pretty much self evident. And it would have to be a 7000 size.

But the choice of models was mind blowing. And not made better when in every online discussion forum, the Chinese made reels from Ambassadeur was blown off as inferior to the “Swedish made” models.

But my budget was very limited. So it would be a question of getting what I can get for my money. And I found some very good offers on both the 7000i Pro Rocket, and the 7000i C3. Continuing my research I found that the two reels are virtually identical, with only cosmetic differences…it was the cosmetics that decided for me. A week or so later my 7000i C3 multiplier reel arrived in the mail.

The specs for this reel should allone blow the “Made in China”  sceptics out of the water:

• chemical nickel-coated level wind

• aluminum spool

• Carbon Matrix Drag™

• 2+1 stainless steel bearing system with instant anti-reverse

• 4-pin centrifugal brake
• Power handle

• Bite clicker

And when I can’t find a single negative comment on this reel, other than that it’s made in China. Well, then it was not so hard to dismiss it all.

But one thing is to read about it. Another is to get it home and hold it in my hand. Never having owned such a reel it was massive. Well, with my lady hands it looks ridiculous. Just look at that picture. But the reel itself is a pice of jewelry.

But this was not jewelry. The plan is to use it trough an arctic winter. So off I went to one of my favourite marks around my hometown to test my new purchase.

I was soon baited up and ready to cast. Adjusting the mechanical spool brake was a breeze. Just open the spool release lever, and yes it’s a lever, and let the tackle fall while turning the adjustment know until it almost stops. Ready to cast. Easy, and exactly the same system as on my 15 year old Ambassadeur 6500 CS Rocket reel.

Then it was simply a question of casting out, set the clicker, and wait for the fish to bite. 5 minutes later and RRRR…RR…RRRRR. I grab the rod and start reeling in. A breeze with the power handle. And what I hauled in was a smallish coddling of about 1 kilo. Not much of a fish, but the reel had seen it’s baptizing.

All in all I have just logged 3 fishing trips on this reel. But I am increasingly more impressed with it. The drag performs flawlessly. The 4 pin centrifugal brake is definitely doing it’s job of preventing the worst of the birds nests. And best of all…it still looks like a piece of jewelery it did when it came out of the box.

I will be back with more on this reel in my regulars fishing reports.

Thats’ it

Rune