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[RocBass]

Went out Monday afternoon in the kayak fighting the wind to test out my Kaden 711SF.  Finesse fishing with 1/16oz jig and small plastic, also, diawa exceler 1000 reel, 15# braid, 12# floro leader.
All I can say is wow.  I can launch a light presentation a long, long way; which is great for the way I fish outside the weed line or inside the weed line parallel to shore.  Also super sensitive and I can feel every little touch to the bait.  Caught 1 SMB and 5 LMB before things got too rough.
Attached pics of the biggest SMB and the biggest LMB. Pics may be a little blurry as I was getting rocked by waves.
Let me say that this rod is not something for hauling fish out of the thick slop; but for sparse weeds and open water finesse fishing it is outstanding.
You may also recall that a few months ago, I cut this rod down and made it shorter to make it more usable in tight quarters.  Well that experiment ended, as I found the short handle to be uncomfortable. So I went to a golf shop near my house and they gave me a section of a broken club shaft that fit into my rod handle perfectly.  Attached is a pic.  I cut the golf club shaft down so there was about 2.5" inside the each end of the handle, and epoxied it in.  I then epoxied around the outside of the connection and sanded smooth.  After that, I used some black epoxy spray paint and painted several light coats over the course of a week.  After using auto rubbing compound on the dry paint to buff it to a shine; it looks almost like new, although about a tenth of an oz. heavier.   I'm glad that I got it back to nearly original and will be using it much more in the future.

[Mike Cork]

Thanks for the review, these light power rods always worry me as to if they are strong enough. That smallie  certainly it to the test

[RocBass]

I would never boat flip a fish with this rod or any other rod for that matter, even if it was a 5 power rod.  Certainly do not tighten the drag down tight with this set up. The key is to have drag set properly and let reel and rod work together. The SMB in the pic is a good one, stripped drag and put up a good fight.  The 711 was bent right in half and the tip was in the water as i sat in my kayak; but I was never really concerned, as everything felt solid.  Keep in mind that in the northeast, 5# is a big bass.  Also, where there are bigger bass on the SL River and Lake Erie; those fish are found mostly in open water and the 711 would work well there.

[dunnuckt]

I love my Kaden 711.  Paired with an Abu Garcia Revo SX-20. Use it for finesse, mostly Ned Rigs with 1/10 oz mushroom heads.  It casts very light rigs a mile and is incredibly sensitive.  And it's just fun to fish!  I noticed that the 711 is not a model currently offered on the new website.  So I'm really happy I got in on the prototype offer!

[RocBass]

Yes, dunnuckt, it's a blast for finesse fishing - casts a mile and extremely sensitive.  I have the 700SF Kaden that I intend to try out on panfish later this year or next spring.
In the kayak, the Sierra 692 is my favorite for finesse, as it's better in tight quarters and has more power to pull a fish out of weeds.  I have the Sierra 693 as well for t rigged plastics.  The 662 Fury is nothing special, just o.k.; but works good in the kayak.

Went out yesterday again for more testing - caught 1 SMB and 7 LMB on the Kaden 711.  Used the Sierra 692 near the weeds before dark and hooked into a monster 4.80# LMB; and was glad to use the 692 vs. the 711 for that fish.  Pics of one of the Kaden bass and the big LMB from the Sierra attached.

[dunnuckt]

I also fish out of a kayak and while I haven't had a problems with the length, I can see how a slightly shorter rod might be good. I also have a Sierra 702 SF that I know a lot of folks love for Ned Rigs.  I just prefer the 1 power more. Before I got the Kaden, I was actually using a light action 5'6" Ugly Stick Elite so the change to the Kaden was just a bit of a step up.   

I'm curious about the Kaden 700.  I actually considered it too when I bought the 711.