Out of the countless rods available on the market, we’ve noticed a particularly high and interest for so-called distance rods. However, it’s not particularly easy to say what exactly a “distance rod” is. Conventionally, rods with a fast taper have been considered as “distance rods” and they have indeed produced the longest recorded casts. That’s the theory and to a certain degree it matches reality. Yet, more often than not, we’ve found that the best “distance rod” is one that fits the particular casting style and technique level of every individual angler. We’ve seen many an angler who casts farther with a progressive- or middle-taper action rod than with a purely fast-action one. 

Why is this so? To paint a vivid picture, a fast rod is like a sports car. The potential is there obviously, but you have to be a skilled driver to safely get the maximum out of it. What follows is that fast rods are also demanding - they need to be “wielded” by an angler who has mastered at least the basics of long distance casting, which in recent times has become its own sub-discipline of angling, with its own rules and lessons. Extreme range fishing is its own “beast” so to say and other than sharing a rod, a reel, line and lead it’s quite different from actual angling.

If we haven’t lost you so far, it means you really want a true fast-action rod, and we at Select Baits try to deliver exactly that with our Elite-D.

We have a good sense of what you’re looking for: a light rod with a lightning-fast tip recovery and a weight distribution tilted towards the handle. Other typical demands from such a rod are reel-seat positioning and spacing of the rings, but here we know each one has their own preferences, and nothing can ever be genuinely “perfect” in these regards.

We firmly believe Elite D ticks all of these boxes. We’ve been laboriously working for over two years on this rod and it really is the crowning jewel of our range. What came of out of these two years of trials and tribulations is a very light rod, with an ultra fast action and a nice overall weight-power balance. We are confident that even the most demanding angler who really wants to cast over the Moon will be satisfied with Elite-D.

From a technical point of view, the rod is built from high quality 40T and 1K Japanese carbon fibers supplied by Toray and Mitsubishi. By weaving the two together and trying to keep additional resin layers to a minimum we’ve created a very light rod, with a slim blank that is rigid, holds great power and can withstand the torque and compression that go into extreme range casting. It may sound simple enough, but achieving the right balance between these requires time and careful testing.

Our Elite D rods have also received that extra little aesthetic finishing to really make them stand out in a crowd. Particularly noteworthy is the Fuji reel-seat milled from the same carbon as the blank itself, covered in a superficial layer of anti-slip dye. The purple-metallic Gudebrod weaving, the stainless steel collars of the reel-seat and butt cap will not go unnoticed by even the most demanding tackle tart.

The rod comes equipped with SiC rings, with steel frames, because they are lightweight and very resilient. The top ring is an anti-tangle one just to give you that extra security during casting.

All logos and technical details are embroidered with artistic fonts that really capture what we want: power and elegance.

We have strived to create a rod that casts at range without using very heavy leads. Simple physics dictate natural balances between the weight of the lead and the length of the cast. Naturally, a stronger angler will accelerate a heavier lead faster and at the end of the day will cast farther even if his/her technique is not perfect. That’s the real secret to casting: the acceleration imprinted on the lead as it is going above your head. Put differently, a comparatively lighter lead can be more easily propelled by an angler who does not rely just on strength, but rather on speed of execution during the cast. This is why we started out saying that Elite D is first and foremost built for anglers who have mastered the basics of extreme range casting, not just for those who rely on natural strength.

The leads we recommend should not exceed 4.5 oz (126gr). It’s quite likely that the majority of anglers will find a casting comfort zone with leads around 4 oz (112gr). During testing, we’ve constantly hit the 200m mark with a 4 oz lead.

Select Baits Elite D’ 13’ (3.9m) is available in two butt ring configurations:

40mm – 30mm – 25mm – 20mm – 16mm – 16mm antitangle tip
50mm – 30mm – 25mm – 20mm – 16mm – 16mm antitangle tip

The weights of the two 13’ (3.9m) versions are:

Elite-D 13’ 40mm first ring 388 gr

Elite-D 13’ 50mm first ring 395 gr

The length of the handle on the 13’ (3.9) rods is 520mm, and the diameter of the grip is 17mm.