Shimano Sellus spinning rods are a line providing awesome choices recognized coast to coast by anglers looking for budget options without sacrificing Shimano’s entire range of signature technologies.
Granted, most of these benefits show up with the rod’s premium components, but multi-species anglers may be asking other questions about gear.
With the beginning angler in mind, Shimano threads the needle by making one of the industry’s favorite budget lines with quality components that can fit your favorite reel sizes.
However, finding amazing options among affordable gear may narrow your definition of choice depending on where you fish and what kind of species you target.
Contents
Pros
- Incredibly low price
- Allows smoother casting
- Solid blank durability
Cons
- Not for braided line
- Not a great warranty
- Only a fast action
Review
Construction (craftsmanship, make quality)
While Shimano often gets praise for its top-notch components, its all-graphite blank composition should get more than a few nods of appreciation too.
Whether using a 2-piece blank construction or a single piece, the 24T carbon fiber provides plenty of strength without having to worry about breaking like with a more brittle rod.
This approach is especially useful for a multi-piece blank that can’t afford to have a weakness in its build.
However, the Shimano Sellus provides premium components all along with the fishing pole’s construction.
A perfect example of this is the rod guides which have been recently upgraded from aluminum to titanium– though the tip is known to come loose.
Because of this, it’s not a bad idea to keep some superglue in your tackle box, but the guides are durable and generally don’t come loose from their fitting.
This spinning casting fishing rod doesn’t stop there, though, as the quality components continue with a properly split-grip handle that provides excellent leverage when fighting a particularly wily fish.
Length
If you have a preferred size for your fishing pole, the Shimano Sellus may become one of your favorite models as it comes in four different popular sizes.
That said, if your preferred size is larger than 7’1″ or shorter than 6′, you’ll be left looking elsewhere. It’s also worth noting that the Sellus comes in 6’6″ and 6’8″ models as well.
Mobile anglers will likely appreciate the ability to choose between a multi-piece blank and a one-piece fishing rod as the 2pc options offer travel-friendly accommodations.
Even better, 2-piece blank construction still benefits from the excellent durability provided by the premium carbon blank without issue.
Material
Shimano makes its money with industry-leading materials, starting with its premium carbon blank, though this pole opts for a 24T graphite.
This choice isn’t bad, but it means that the graphite isn’t as firm as other modulus carbon fiber ratings and doesn’t transfer vibration as well.
Thankfully, this fishing pole uses other materials and advanced technologies to help make sure that the all-graphite blank transfers more than enough vibration.
This focus on top-notch materials continues with the guide, though you’re not going to find the more common aluminum oxide guides.
But don’t worry, because the Shimano Sellus doesn’t use stainless steel for their guides either.
Instead, this pole employs titanium oxide which offers the best of both worlds without the kind of compromises you find with materials used for other parts of the rod.
Finally, rather than premium cork grips, this spinning rod goes with dense EVA foam grips that modern anglers have come to appreciate.
Even competitive anglers can make educated decisions and admit that EVA foam works well for comfort, despite the fact that it can dampen vibrations in the reargrip length of the handle.
Action
One of the more common decisions about rods comes down to what action you need depending on the water you fish and the rest of your equipment.
That said, this fishing pole isn’t known for the most versatile actions and instead provides the ever-popular fast action rod.
While fast action is certainly the most common for every class of fishing equipment, it carries with it some trade-offs.
On the positive side, a fast action taper provides a bit more boost to sensitivity while also increasing your casting accuracy.
This is a great boon to the Sellus whose lightweight carbon blanks use 24-ton graphite which flexes better but doesn’t transfer as much vibration.
That said, the biggest flaw with a fast action is casting distance, making this a questionable choice for more mobile anglers.
Power
With all of the talk surrounding Shimano’s dependable components, basic things like its power can often get looked over.
It’s worth considering that, as an entry-level option, the Sellus focuses far more heavily on the medium power range than anywhere else.
Granted, you can choose more than medium power exclusively, but only one category heavier.
While some fishermen may prefer additional strength, the overwhelming majority of fishermen should be able to work with a medium or medium-heavy option.
Something else to be aware of is that the medium-heavy power rating only comes on the 7’1″ model. As such, this option may limit your favorite size a bit more than some of its competition.
Rod Guides
This aspect requires a bit of explanation as Shimano recently shifted from their ever-popular Seaguide Aluminum Oxide Guides.
However, you won’t find stainless steel or SiC guides in their place with Shimano’s commitment to premium components pushing the company to adopt titanium oxide instead.
This is an important nuance since titanium oxide is more durable than aluminum oxide leading to fewer instances of broken guides ending your fishing day early.
This extra strength shows up in other ways by allowing you to use a braided fishing line without having to worry about it slicing through the guides– something that’s still a problem for Seaguide aluminum oxide guides.
On the flip side, titanium oxide still includes the same level of smoothness as its aluminum cousin, preventing the line from snagging during the cast.
With the angler in mind, this switch means you can spend more time fishing and less time dealing with tangled fishing line knotting up at the end of the rod guides.
Handle (material, shape, etc)
This fishing rod may not use the “superior” cork grips found in many college anglers’ favorite models, but competitive anglers know that a finesse fishing rod is more about consistent fishing.
While we tend to think of this as the purview of the rod, true tournament-grade performance often involves making educated decisions regarding the fisherman in question.
All-day fishing comfort is a must to ensure that your casting and fishing techniques stay at their highest levels.
That is part of the reason Shimano chose to use an Eva Grip over premium cork grips, though the EVA material isn’t as durable as cork. Also, keep in mind that some grip tape may be useful– especially when fishing in rainy conditions.
Uses (Who is this good for)
Comparing all of the Sellus’ features to those of expensive models highlights that this rod is a good choice for beginners.
While Shimano still utilizes top-notch materials, it doesn’t include the wide range of signature technologies that you might expect to find on some of their more expensive options. But, the level of performance still remains high despite the entry-level price.
Granted, this approach to performance doesn’t offer a true tournament-grade performance, but for budget-friendly options, the blend of price and top-notch components still comes out ahead of a lot of other expensive gear.
While this rod may not come with superior cork grips or offer multiple, versatile actions, the dependable components and relative level of performance still make it excellent gear.
Of course, the Sellus may not meet the demands of tournament anglers who often require extreme versatility, but discerning anglers will still recognize an excellent choice with premium components in a reasonable dollar price range.
Still, as a budget bass fishing rod, even versatile anglers can room for this secondary
Reel and Real Seat Compatibility
This spinning rod doesn’t use a particularly unique or special reel seat which may turn off some people who choose reel seats for performance.
That said, at such an outstanding price, a reel seat that doesn’t fail is more than good enough.
One thing to watch out for is the fit, but that can be fixed by being careful when aligning the reel’s front foot first.
Warranty
In 2014, Shimano changed its warranty policy from a “limited-lifetime warranty” to a one-year warranty.
While a one-year warranty sits at the low-end of the market, it shouldn’t be much of an issue given that the warranty only ever covered manufacturing defects.
This means that the Sellus’ warranty never covered normal wear and tear and only replaced a defective item.
So, unless you don’t plan on using the Shimano Sellus Spinning Rod within the first year, you should find out quickly whether the rod qualifies or not.
Conclusion (Wrap Up)
The Shimano Sellus is an affordable and value-oriented fishing rod that’s perfect for river bed fishing or multi-species anglers trying to land a wide array of species.
However, you shouldn’t necessarily look for tournament-caliber performance in a budget-friendly package.
Thankfully, you don’t have to sacrifice quality for cost thanks to the Sellus’ advanced components.
While this model may not come with Seaguide Aluminum Oxide Guides or superior cork grips, the actual guides are some of the strongest and smoothest around.
On top of that, the industry-leading materials find their way into lightweight carbon blanks that provide versatile anglers an emphasis on sensitivity with fine-tuned strength.
