gear guide: the load up
Carrot Stix www.carrotstix.com
What We Tested:
Wild Wild Orange 7’0 Medium Heavy, Fast, Casting
Wild Wild Black 7’0 Medium Light, Fast, Spinning
Gen X Elite 7’0 Medium, Fast, Casting
With a name as bold as their aesthetic, Carrot Stix makes no bones about calling
themselves “the world’s most recognizable rod”. And they’re probably right.
We’ve seen a lot of heads turn at the boat launch when we pull out a 7 foot
rod wrapped tip to tip in the brightest blaze orange you can find outside of the
bush during whitetail season. But underneath all of that flash is some pretty cool
innovation that makes these rods more than just a pretty face.
Carrot Stix get their name from the process they use to build their rod blanks;
namely, their use of “nano-cellulose bio fibers” which, according to the company,
come from actual carrots. These fibers are added to the bonding matrix to make
the rod strong, light and responsive. These rods really are feather-light, and
after a long day of hurling jerkbaits for finicky smallmouth or jigging deep water
structure for walleye your hands and arms will thank you.
The standout in our tests was the Wild Wild Black series spinning rod. For us,
this rod represented the best overall mix of features and value. The blank feels
sturdy yet responsive, which made it a great option for a variety of applications.
We should note that it felt a little heavier than your average medium-light rod,
although it wasn’t detrimental and the rod performed incredibly well. Bass
anglers will find this rod adept at throwing tube jigs around cover while others
will find it perfectly at home in vertical jigging situations or even casting light
cranks and spinnerbaits. It’s a great do-it-all option. The Wild Wild Black comes
equipped with reliable guides from American Tackle Company, with the option
to include the innovative Microwave Line Control System, making this stick a
winner.
We also tested the Carrot Stix flagship Wild Wild Orange rod which performed
quite well as one of the lower priced options in our arsenal. While the blank
performed similarly to the Black series, the key differences were in the fit and
finish. The Wild Orange makes use of PVA foam handles (as opposed to the cork
on the Black) which for some may be an issue, but we found it comfortable and
solid. So for most anglers this likely won’t be a problem. We’ve put it up to some
heavy abuse and it was a champ.
Our last test-drive from Carrot Stix was their top-of-the-line Gen X Elite series.
The Gen X Elite is aimed at the serious tournament angler or professional guide,
and although the price goes up substantially (largerly due to higher quality
components) we found this rod to be worthy of its “elite” name. This may not be
a rod for the average weekend angler, but it is a solid performer nonetheless.
Overall we found the Carrot Stix lineup to have something for everyone. We
did find these rods to have a larger overall blank diameter than many of their
competitors, which may lead some people to believe at first glance that the
rods are clunky or heavy handed. In fact, we found these rods to be incredibly
sensitive and capable in almost any fishing situation. Check them out for yourself
and turn some heads!
Wild Wild Orange
Wild Wild Black
Gen-x elite
ACTION 8.4 8.4 8.3
VERSATILITY 8.1 8.9 8.8
ERGONOMICS 8.0 8.5 8.7
FIT AND FINISH 8.0 8.7 8.5
WEIGHT 9.5 9.5 9.5
VALUE 8.9 9 9
OVERALL 8.5 8.8 8.8
Wild Guide
. Winter 2018 38