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Product Review
Backwoods Fathom Rigger Rods

Fathom Rigger Rods, made by Backwoods Premium Rods, are designed for trolling lures on downriggers.

One of the unique aspects of the rods is the placement of the guides.

The rod is designed for a conventional reel, so of course the reel sits on top of the rod. The first guide also sits on top of the rod. But the next two guides rotate around to the bottom of the rod, and the rest of the guides are placed on the bottom. Therefore the line comes off the reel at the top of the rod but ends up at the bottom. See the photo for an illustration.

The first several guides
spiral around from the top
of the rod to the bottom.

These “spiral guides,” as the company calls them, are intended to evenly distribute pressure throughout the length of the rod, reducing the likelihood of rod failures.

The company claims that the rods are the highest performance downrigger rods on the market.

The reel seat.

The rods are handmade and are built with Rainshadow RX4 HMG High Strain Rod Blanks, specifically designed to take the rigorous abuse of fishing at fixed depths with outriggers.

The blank is made of graphite with a percentage of fiberglass blended in.

The rods come with heavy duty trigger reel seats, Hialoy guides and Gudebrod wrapping.

The rods come in several models:

Model              Action                        Length            Line
BRP860M       Medium                       8’6”                 12-17#
BRP860H        Heavy                          8’6”                 15-15#
BRP960H        Heavy                          9’6”                 15-30#
BRP1060MH   Medium Heavy          10’6”               12-30#
For more info about these rods and other Backwoods rods and products, visit the Backwoods Premium Rods web site.

A closeup of the one of the guides and the wrapping.