The truth

Abu Garcia introduced a new line of fishing rods this year at ICAST. They're named Veritas, after the Latin word for "truth." The name was chosen because we wanted to cut through all the hype and the bull and offer a rod that actually performed at or above its advertising. We wanted to tell the truth.

Abu Garcia introduced a new line of fishing rods this year at ICAST. They’re named Veritas, after the Latin word for “truth.” The name was chosen because we wanted to cut through all the hype and the bull and offer a rod that actually performed at or above its advertising. We wanted to tell the truth.

I’m going to use my time in this blog to talk a little about them because I think they’re truly one of the great new products available to us. They’re going to help all of us catch more fish.

These rods — there are at least 13 models available in a wide variety of actions — are made from 30-ton graphite and are fused with nano technology, which means the rod has greater compression strength. As a practical matter that translates into toughness.

That’s a big deal with me. I’m not the best at very many things, but I might be the best at being tough on my tackle. I use it hard, and I do not tolerate weakness. If a rod can’t handle nicks, cuts and being banged around, I’m not interested. Sissies need not apply. The Veritas is no sissy by any definition of the word.

I used them in last year’s Bassmaster Classic and all year during the Elite Series tournaments. They did the job, pure and simple. I can honestly say that I have never used a better rod in my fishing career.

Another thing I like about this line of rods is the price. They retail for just under $100. That’s affordable for most anglers, which means we can buy a number of them for the same amount of money we’d spend on one rod from another company. This is about more than saving money. It’s about fishing efficiency.

Fishing with the correct rod length and action makes a world of difference when it comes to efficiency. It’s tough to throw a crankbait properly with a flipping stick, and it’s darn near impossible to flip and pitch with a crankbait rod. The more you can afford to specialize, the more efficiently you’ll fish. The more efficiently you fish, the more bass you’ll catch. The more bass you catch, the more fun you’ll have and the more checks you’ll cash.

While we’re on the subject of catching more fish The Bass University is up and going for this fall and winter. We have seminars scheduled for Kissimmee, Fla., Chicago, Ill., Nashville, Tenn., Shreveport, La., and Framingham, Mass.

We’ll have the top pros from all over the country talking about their specialty techniques and their favorite tackle. And, unlike some other seminars you’ve been to, they’ll always be available to answer your questions. It’s a great way to get the answers to specific questions you have about your local waters and your local conditions.

You can check everything out at www.thebassuniversity.com. It’ll be updated often, so keep in touch.