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Fiiish Master Shad: the 2025 revelation
It's been a long time since I've seen such a revolution in sea lure fishing. The arrival of the Master Shad in the spring of 2025 was a real revelation, and I'm far from the only one to share this discovery.
I'll admit it: it took me a while to get the hang of this new lure. At first, I mistakenly thought it was just another shad. Not so.
Its main strength lies in its exceptional efficiency during the descent phase, where it easily outperforms many other shads. During animations, I usually block the lure briefly at the top before letting it sink. It's very often during this phase that the strike occurs.
The Master Shad is also a formidable lure for prospecting an area and covering ground quickly. In fast linear action, its efficiency is simply outstanding. Its strength is excellent and allows several fish to be stung without tearing.
Rodbuilders republic statement 724
Among my favorite blanks, the Statement 724 from Rodbuilders Republic, distributed by Rodhouse, is without doubt the one that impressed me the most.
Admittedly, this is nothing new, and many rodbuilders will tell me: "But how could you not mount it sooner?". It's true that once I had it in my hands, I regretted not having ridden it earlier.
This little foil, measuring 2.18 m with a real power of 5 to 25 and weighing just 44 grams bare, is a real monster of resonance. I've never had such a sensitive rod before.
At ease on the fly or for scratching, it can be used to animate my favourite lures, such as the Master Shads or Crazy Sand Eel from Fiiish. Equally at home with hard lures, this is an exceptional blank that I recommend without the slightest hesitation to anyone looking for a top-of-the-range, ultra-responsive rod.
Prodigy X8 braid: the 2025 novelty that keeps its promises
This time, it's a real 2025 novelty from Rodhouse: the release of the Republic of rodmakers' Prodigy X8 braid.
This exceptionally round braid is available in diameters ranging from PE 0.6 to PE 10.
After a year of intensive fishing, I can assure you that it lives up to all its promises.
The advertised resistance is a real resistance, which differentiates it from many braids on the market where, unfortunately, the values indicated on the coils are often overestimated.
Discoloration remains low. A blue braid will tend to whiten over time, but this is perfectly acceptable.
In terms of abrasion resistance, this is a top-of-the-range product that allows you to fish safely in congested areas. Its perfect glide makes long-distance casting easy.
For bluefin tuna fishing on the hunt, I fell in love with the PE 8. It offers a real resistance of 100 lbs, which is really excellent for this diameter. The difference in strength with PE10 remains relatively small for a diameter difference that's not insignificant. This is precisely why I chose PE8.
Coupled with a 170-pound leader, I didn't suffer a single breakage in combat during the season.
