Berkley Lightning Rod Review – Budget Priced Spinning Fishing Pole
Budget Spinning Rod
It seems that the Berkley Lightning Rod Spinning model tends to go out of stock often. If it’s currently out of stock, be sure to check out our list of the 11 best spinning fishing rods.
We appreciate your time checking out our Berkley Lightning Rod Spinning review.
If you’ve been fishing for a while, chances are you’re familiar with the Berkley brand. Apart from being outstanding designers and manufacturers of quality freshwater fishing rods, they are also exceptional producers of quality fluorocarbon fishing lines.
One of the main reasons that make Berkley an outstanding company is its clear resolve in creating new and quality products at discounted prices. Over the years, the term Berkley has been associated with excellent fishing rods.
In this article, we are going to delve more into the Berkley Lightning Rod Spinning to understand the features and benefits it has to offer to us.
Berkley Lightning Rod Overview
There are a lot of high-end fishing rods being sold in the market. Still, the total comfort in fishing highly depends on a few combinations of some criteria such as grip, lightweight, durability, easy moving, control, and fatigue, among others.
The Berkley Lightning Rod Spinning provides you with a nice combination of all these features while maintaining a low price tag.
Features and Benefits
There are a number of high-end spinning rods that are exceptional. We have put together a list of the top 11 spinning fishing poles that you can read here. However, many of these rods may be out of your budget range and you’re looking for something that’s more pocket friendly.
This is where the Berkley Lightning Spinning Rod comes in.
For the price, it’s one of the best finesse rods I’ve used. It feels and performs just as good as many of the more expensive rods I’ve tried.
For the price tag, you would be hard-pressed to find another well-rounded spinning rod like it.
I will briefly share what I enjoyed most about this fishing rod.
All-Day Comfort
The Berkley Lightning Rod Spinning features a rubberized cork handle, which feels perfect in your hands. The rubberized cork increases the rod’s longevity as it ensures it does not chip or crack. Unlike other cheaper rods, the cork does not have those deep pits.
However, I did notice while using the rod, that the cork tends to get dirty pretty quickly. It’s not hard to clean so it’s not something that should discourage you from getting this rod, but it is something that stuck out to me.
Unbelievably Sensitive
When I first used this fishing rod, I was blown away by its unique sensitivity. After using it for a summer bass fishing, it left a positive mark on me.
During the summertime, water frequently flirts with high degree temperatures making bass fishing difficult for most fishing rods. When you finally get a bite, it is extremely hard and subtle to detect.
However, the Berkley Lightning Rod is designed to detect bites easily. During my fishing trips, I could feel fish nip at my wacky rig on the tip before they fell for the hook.
This high sensitivity assisted me a lot to prevent premature hook sets that could have cost me great chances of catching some nice fish.
Lightweight
Durability
For those who have gone fishing with me will tell you that I never go easy on my fishing rod.
From frequent evening fishing expeditions to typical guides, I give my equipment all it can take, and after more than six months of usage, I can confidently say the Berkley Lightning Rod is a workhorse.
It is outfitted with stainless steel guides with aluminum oxide inserts that help it to hold up well.
So far it’s held up to being accidentally stepped on, transferred from truck to boat multiple times, and dropped on a gravel road, but despite the abuse, the fishing rod has managed to hold up beautifully.
Benefits
If you’re in the market for an all-purpose spinning rod that can handle what most people can throw at it, I’d definitely suggest taking a look at the Berkley Lightning Spinning Rod.
I tested the fishing rod, and I did not find much that it cannot do. Whether you want to drag a big worm in the water, sling a spinnerbait, pitch a jig, or skip ChatterBaits, this fishing rod does it all.
Plus, with a price this low, even if you decided you’d rather stick with one of your higher-end rods, you’re not being put out much money for a rod that should work great as a backup.
Pros and Cons List
- Unbeatable quality for the price range
- Good sensitivity
- Lightweight with rods measuring 5'6", 6'0", and 7'0"
- Solid build quality
- Has plenty of backbone, eight guides, and a rubberized cork handle for additional comfort
- Balances well with a 2500 series reel
- Not really designed to catch big fish
- A bit stiff
- There have been reports of the rod breaking during shipment. Though I didn't experience this problem.
Top FAQs
What Are the Benefits of Buying a Berkley Lightning Rod?
The main benefit of the Berkley Lightning Rod Spinning is getting a versatile, spinning rod, that won’t break the bank.
This rod doesn’t have any unique features or material that you can’t find in another rod; however, it’ll be difficult to find what this rod does have in the same price range.
Most of the other rods priced comparably to the Berkley Lightning Rod end up being far inferior when it comes to the rod holding up over time.
What is the Line Weight Range for the Berkley Lightning Rod?
Both spinning and casting models of the Berkley Lightning Rod comes in a wide range of lines and lengths weights that ensure you meet your requirements.
For instance, the 5’6″ light version comes with a line weight range of 4 to 8 pounds while a medium-light action spinning rod comes with a line weight range of 6 to 12 pounds.
Is the 6'6" Medium Heavy a Faster Action?
Yes, the Berkley Lightning Spinning Rod is a fast action due to its rigid material. Typically, when a fishing rod is made from a rigid material, it pulls back faster when you exert pressure on it.
According to most anglers, a stiff graphite rod makes the perfect tool for reeling in large fish, but it is a bit problematic when you are trying to catcher smaller fish.
What is the Difference Between Spinning, Bait Casting, and Spin Casting?
Most people who are new to the venture start with a spinning rod making their way up to other types of rods after mastering the basics of fishing.
In comparison to other rods, spinning rods are lighter, equipped with a spinning reel that makes it easy to cast.
Bait Casting Rods: They are ideal for catching large fish because their fishing line is thicker and does not break easily. Moreover, the rod is sturdier and more prolonged, making it easy to make a long-distance cast with the baitcasting rod accurately.
The ability to reach a longer distance during casting makes it possible to catch some types of fish that are sensitive to noise and vibrations caused by boat movement.
Spin Casting Rod: These rods are more comfortable to use while fishing as compared to spinning rods. However, due to their comparatively low gear ratio, you will find it hard to reel in anything except smaller fish.
Larger catches tend to get away due to the lack of gear systems on spin casting rods.
What's the History of Berkley?
Grounded to a simple objective since its conception in 1937, Berkley strives to make fishing fun while helping anglers across the globe catch more fish.
It is this resolve that has assisted Berkley to grow from humble beginnings to be one of the most important fishing tackle businesses in the world. As a brand built on innovation and passion, Berkley is a real example of the American Dream coming true.
The journey of Berkley begins with Berkley Bedell, a teenager from Iowa who was making and selling hand-tied flies to visiting anglers and local fishers.
Although the fliers cannot be considered as state of the art, they were most famous at the time as they were made from hair clipped from their family dog and feathers from the local chicken.
What Are Some Ways to Extend the Life of Your Spinning Rod?
We want to leave you with a few simple steps you can utilize to extend the life of your fishing rod.
- Always wash your fishing rod with vinegar after fishing.
- Always ensure your fishing rod is safe and secure when you load it onto your boat.
- Always remove the fishing line before safeguarding your rod.
- If your rod is portable, always ensure the joints are well lubricated.
- Do not forget to wear gloves if your rod is build using cork.
Closing and Final Thoughts
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