Berkley Lightning Rod Spinning Fishing Rod

Box after UPS delivered it was destroyed, but my new Lightning Rod was intact and undamaged.I have been using Berkley Lightning rods since the mid 1980's, and will be adding this to the collection. These rods have put many fillets on the table over the years. Great rod at any price. Great value, sensitivity, and backbone. Poor packaging or mishandling/rough handling during shipping is not an issue with the rod quality. Not sure what everyone is doing to break the rods while fishing, but I have never had issue in the last 40 years with them breaking when I get hung up on a brush pile. Maybe try pointing the rod at the snag rather than trying to break off pulling against the rod as if you have a fish on. I find myself reaching for these roďs more times than my others. I have ACC, B&M, Pro Angler, Allstar, Gloomis, old American Rodsmith, and these compete quality wise with any, but the price has climbed quite a bit.

I like these rods because they seem like a good bargain. Good quality, all-around rods in different sizes and weights. I use them in the salt for Reds, Specs, and Flounder, and in the fresh for Bass and pan fish. I've purchased a few over the years and they have all held up except for one. I high-sticked a bass with it and the tip snapped off. Maybe another rod would have held up better. I've read other reviews from people that had the same problem. But I still buy them because you are not supposed to high-stick fish with your rods. I bought the very light 6' pan-fish rod and a 1000 Penn reel after I broke the Bass rod. It's been a great setup for my kayak while fishing ponds and rivers for Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, and even Bowfin.

Bought this rod early 2021. Really liked it and used it regularly. May 2022 the tip broke while casting a 1/4oz jig. I just trimmed it back a couple inches and added a new tip guide and kept using it. September 2022 the rod breaks again about 2/3 of the way up the blank landing a fish. The warranty only says 30 days but I emailed Berkley customer service anyway. They requested pictures and the receipt and 3 weeks later a brand new one arrived at my house. Awesome!! right ? Used it a couple time and 3rd time out the new replacement breaks between the 4th and 5th guides while casting a 3/8 oz carolina rig. I'm not going to bother contacting Berkely again. Even if they sent me another free replacement rod I have so little confidence in the product I would never use it. Customer service was great but the reviews on this rod proved to be correct. Very prone to breakage which is a shame because I liked the rod and the price was affordable. UPDATE: after the 1st replacement rod broke I did send customer service another email telling them of my utter disappointment. They asked for more pics etc which I never bothered to send but 3 weeks later out of the blue another replacement rod showed at my front door. Although the customer service has been unexpectedly good... the rods just can't be trusted. The brand new 2nd replacement rod will eventually be given away or sold on a garage sale.

The media could not be loaded. Honestly, I have zero complaints. This thing has been great. Everything feels like a monster. Haha. Just took it Snook fishing to laugh at myself while getting smoked but it handled them incredibly well. Even caught a 4.5lb bass with it… I use a 500 sized Kastking zephyr (my go too reel I have 7 from 500-4000) with 6lb braid. If you are looking for a great ultralight I would definitely recommend this one. The 8ft can cast light lures FAR. It’s a little whippy but certainly not a noodle.

Got this rod to replace a couple glass composite rods that were relatively new but didn't have the sensitivity or backbone I decided I wanted. This rod is supposed to be a 24 ton carbon composite blank, same as another rod I have from a different manufacturer, but this one has way more flexibility. Not sure if that's a deal breaker yet. This was a warehouse deal and the box showed up bent but the rod blank seems ok so maybe it has some durability. Love the guide quality and quantity, the blank finish, the double lock reel seat. The rubberized cork handle will wait to see if the greater flexibility this has over my other lightning rods lacks the sensitivity and backbone of the others..

Another awesome Berkeley Lightning fishing rod for under $60. These are my favorite budget fishing rods. They cast and bring fish in just like a $600 Mega pass custom rod. They have great sensitivity they have very nice action especially with braided line. I have some of these on my Cabin boat that are 10 years old and get used by everybody and everybody likes them. They're very lightweight they have an awesome core candle nice stainless guides.

This is a lightweight rod that balances perfectly with a 2500 series reel, has plenty of backbone, and fishes like a one piece rod. My first time out, I caught 15 largemouth bass fishing plastic worms in thick weedy cover; this rod had no problem at all holding up to the fish - as I would expect - but to the extra pound or two of weeds that often came in with the fish. And to getting them out of the thick weedy cover they burrowed into once hooked. I was using 8# line and 4" or 5" worms, no weight, and this rod casts very well whether close or far.The rod is well finished, has 8 guides, comfortable rubberized cork handles, and a bit of exposed rod blank to improve sensitivity. The reel seat is well designed too; I don't like exposed threads on some rods that do their best to rub your hand raw by the end of the day. This one does not. My only quibble is that I wish they had put the hook keeper on the left side of the rod instead of the bottom.I wanted a quality medium power 2-piece spinning rod for road trip use that didn't cost a fortune, and this rod is perfect for that. I also bought a Shimano Stimula 6'6" 2-piece rod when I bought this Lightning Rod, and the Shimano will be going back for another LR.

I have several Berkley Rods in my arsenal. They all perform very well. The LIghtning is the newest is is very nice, fast taper , very responsive and has a great action. I have caught a couple of black bass and several sandies already. Love it !!