Offshore Angler Inshore Extreme Spinning Rod Review

The Bass Pro Shops Offshore Angler Inshore Extreme spinning rods are the saltwater fishing setup made and sold by the aforementioned retail chain. While the parent company specializes in selling fishing tackle, that’s a far different task than making it.

However, the Offshore Angler at least meets many of the industry standards you would expect from this class of fishing pole.

It has a decent blank that affords the kind of strength and durability necessary for tackling larger inshore fish species with a mid-tier price in components like the rod handle to prevent it from being too expensive.

Still, this review breaks down the Offshore Angler spin casting rod to figure out if it’s the right pole for your next trip when fishing for snapper.

Pros

• Solid composite blank
• Smooth casting actions
•  Excellent rod handle
  

Cons

• Not a cheap price
• Lacks truly high-end components
• Not many spec configurations

Review

Construction (craftsmanship, make quality)

The Bass Pro Shops Offshore Angler starts its construction off fairly well with a sturdy graphite frame and reinforced fiberglass blank that hits the marks you would expect from a saltwater spinning pole.

The hybrid composite material of the graphite carbon fiber and fiberglass blank imparts an incredible amount of durability.

This blank uses the Bass Pro Shops’ top-quality system Shok Flex Technology which relies on high-modulus graphite fibers to provide a decent amount of sensitivity to the blank.

Of course, many targeted saltwater fish species tend to be bigger and fight harder than most freshwater species which is where the fiberglass comes into play.

Moving along, where you might expect the Offshore Angler to come equipped with a system of stainless steel guides, this rod instead opts for aluminum oxide.

However, depending on the model you find, these guide systems will be made either by Fuji or Sea Guide and employ either a single or double-footed ring, respectively.

While the guides may be somewhat pedestrian as opposed to a top-quality system, the rod handle might buck the trend of a lower price in components.

That’s because this spin caster comes with a rod handle that uses custom-lathed split-grip cork handles at virtually all parts of the grip– each of which is fairly substantial.

However, this spinning pole avoids a common flaw with some of its competitors by still offering plenty of raw rod blank to help transfer vibrations into your hand.

The trick here is that many split-grip fishing rod handles provide very little grip to maximize the raw blank’s exposure, but this pole still affords sizeable grips to improve fighting leverage and all-around comfort.

Material

The Bass Pro Shops Offshore Angler, as mentioned earlier comes with a sturdy graphite frame and reinforced fiberglass blank which imparts a decent blend of strength and sensitivity.

Of course, any composite carbon fiber and fiberglass blank won’t provide the same level of minute and nuanced sensitivity that a pure graphite blank does.

However, this fishing pole avoids some of these issues by using Bass Pro Shop’s proprietary HM-54 carbon graphite fibers.

This fiber is the highest modulus within its specialized class and is both lightweight as well as extremely sensitive.

This is where the pole’s fiberglass backing prevents the high-modulus carbon fiber from making the rod too brittle.

Moving on to the rod handle, some people might prefer a comfortable EVA split-grip handle to avoid having to worry about potential pitting issues with premium cork grips.

That said, if the rod handle were made of EVA foam, it might not be able to stand up to the same rigorous forces and almost certainly wouldn’t be as comfortable– especially since it couldn’t be “custom lathed.”

Normally with an inshore fishing rod, you expect to find stainless steel guides or some other material that is exceptionally durable, even stainless steel inserts on occasion.

However, the aluminum oxide guides are a top-quality system when it comes to casting smoothness which simultaneously increases casting distance and helps limit tangled fishing lines.

Action

The Offshore Angler fishing rod certainly isn’t going to blow anyone away with its wide range of different action ratings and exquisitely crafted tapers.

That’s because this saltwater fishing pole is exclusively a fast-action item, though this doesn’t tend to harm your fishing experience– assuming you target the right species.

Either way, the fast action of this inshore spin casting pole gives the already acceptable sensitivity an additional boost.

On the other hand, the fast action’s impact on casting is a bit of a mixed bag with the action increasing casting accuracy but decreasing the casting distance– thankfully, the aluminum oxide guides help make up for any loss.

Power

Saltwater game fish are often larger and wilier than their freshwater counterparts which means you need excellent hook setting power to catch these powerful fish.

The Offshore Angler is more average in this regard with rod power ratings of only medium and medium-heavy to choose from– though the Shok Flex Technology ensures you get the most out of both.

That said, it would still have been nice to find one of these saltwater spinning rods with a heavy or even an extra-heavy rod power rating to give you the strength necessary to tackle the biggest and toughest fish in the deep blue.

Still, this rod affords plenty of backbone within its class and should be more than enough for a wide variety of inshore fish species.

Taper

Taper tends to be more of an “action” quality, but the Offshore Angler bucks this trend a bit with slightly different action feelings.

Specifically, many fishermen feel that the tip of the spinning pole is a touch softer than the rest of the action.

This can potentially cause an issue when trying to lead a fish away from debris, but it doesn’t seem to cause too many issues.

Rod Guides

As noted, because of the popularity of using braided lines with saltwater fishing, most inshore rods tend to opt for a top-quality system consisting of stainless steel guides.

That said, stainless steel guides can have a big impact on casting distance, especially for less experienced anglers, as well as lead to more tangled lines.

That the Offshore Angler Inshore pole uses Sea Guide aluminum oxide inserts instead means that not only is it much easier to cast with this rod compared to much of the competition, but you’re also likely to see longer casts as well.

Just make sure to keep an eye on your tip-top guide when using a braided fishing line to avoid cutting a groove into the ring.

Handle (material, shape, etc)

The Offshore Angler’s rod handle ditches a comfortable, easy-gripping EVA handle in favor of a custom-lathed, split-grip cork handle.

This rod handle offers numerous advantages over its EVA foam alternatives with the “custom-lathed” quality being the most notable.

This rod handle provides larger premium cork grips than most, making it a great choice for fishermen with larger hands.

Not only does this rod handle feel comfortable to hold in the moment, but it will also help reduce hand fatigue from all-day fishing trips.

It also doesn’t hurt that this rod handle also features a compressed cork butt, providing an excellent fulcrum point to generate lots of leverage with the blank’s impressive backbone– all without the need of a fishing belt.

Uses (Who is this good for)

When offshore fishing, saltwater game fish tend to be powerful fish that require much sterner stuff than what most freshwater fishermen need.

That said, the Offshore Angler is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of raw strength and durability, though it only really shows up in its other top-quality system of aluminum oxide guides

When fishing for snapper or pier fishing Specks, many inshore fishermen like to use braided fishing lines to provide just a little bit more tensile strength when fighting larger fish.

However, this kind of fishing line will often accumulate salt crystals from the water which act as an abrasive material and can cut a groove into the tip-top guide– if not slice through it entirely.

As such, when you combine to entirely reasonable price range of the Offshore Angler with its less durable but easier to use aluminum oxide guides, this is a decent beginner rod for inshore fishing.

With the correct lure weight rating and line used, the Offshore Angler is an extremely fishable setup, even if you might need to change out the tip-top ring from time to time.

Reel and Real Seat Compatibility

There isn’t much specific information on this pole’s custom reel seats outside that they’re made of carbon fiber graphite.

This choice is just another in a long list that skews this rod towards being more sensitive than it otherwise might– though nylon reinforcement would increase its durability.

Conclusion (Wrap Up)

The Bass Pro Shops Offshore Angler spinning rod is a solid saltwater fishing setup for offshore fishing, whether fishing for snapper or pier fishing specks.

This immanently fishable setup provides a great, if somewhat limited, build quality with the use of solid materials and uncommon design choices, all at a decent price.

With Offshore Angler’s Shok Flex Technology and dynamic blend of HM-54 high-modulus graphite and fiberglass, the blank’s durability shouldn’t be an issue.

On top of that, many of the spinning pole’s other features help account for the modest loss in sensitivity caused by fiberglass.

The only potential issue is the guide system, but that shouldn’t be a problem for many fishing trips.

Places to Buy
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/100828789-100828789