KastKing Blackhawk II Telescopic Fishing Rods, Casting 7ft 3in-Fast-MH Power

Update 6/3/20: I ordered another of these, this time in a 7'1 model from amazon warehouse. The listing said "like new" and I paid about $48 altogether. The package just arrived with a broken, badly scratched and dinged 7'1 rod packed in 2 separate pieces in such a way that it could not have possibly happened during shipping. The flimsy box hardly had a wrinkle in it. These rods are great, but never trust Amazon warehouse. This is twice I've ordered from them now and twice I've received defective or broken goods. Amazon warehouse is my worst experience on amazon so far. I've had this rod (7'3 casting) out for several fishing trips now. It has performed well. It feels great in hand, casts well, and has given me no real problems in using it. The rod is nice and small when collapsed, and the protective cover protects it well enough, but could be a little better and less bulky. The rod itself is a bit heavy. It does not feel as agile or whippy as my 7'6 mh kastking resolute. It feels better geared toward wide-swinging, slower casts of heavy, bulky rigs like popping corks with jigs underneath, etc than quick, roll-casts of Texas rigs. It can still work for roll casting, but feels like you have to work harder than with an "ideal" rod to do it. The butt of the rod is longer than average and provides tons of leverage for fighting big fish. And I do believe this rod could handle big fish. I caught a little keeper redfish with it and it was no struggle at all. I have not caught any Lunkers with it yet, but I have put on a large popping cork and used it to play fetch and tug of war with a fully grown Pitt bull in my yard, which stresses the rod plenty for a test. The rod can take a heavy load and some vicious head-shakes and can turn a large running dog if you really pull on it. I've had no issues with parts getting stuck or not staying put while using the rod, but it is still fairly new. Everything works as advertised and it breaks down well. Just be gentle while extending/collapsing it. The tip feels too flimsy to be called "fast". I would call it medium. Anything less than a fast tip on these would be a a wet spaghetti noodle on the end. The tip works well for spinnerbaits, etc, and is less ideal for situations where you want an extra solid tip, like maybe Texas rigs or big swimbaits. But I've thrown Texas rigs with it and haven't shed any tears due to any lack of functionality. It does the job fine, just takes a lil getting used to. The rod has a smooth bend transition through the joints and plenty of backbone. While the tip bends a lot with any tiny bump, the middle is very solid and holds weight like a champ. And even my big dog trying to steal my corks couldn't convince the lower areas of this rod to flex. I've paired this with an Abu Garcia Revo 4 X inshore, and it makes an epic, tiny, semi-expensive combo which performs well above its price tag. It casts the larger beetle spins like a champ. I tied on a 1-oz spoon-like shad thing at one point and was able to cast over half of the spool off my Abu Garcia 5500-c3 just horsing around at the docks one day. Anything 1/4 oz or less will struggle to cast if you don't have a really nice reel and some technique. The eye setup is very nice. It can be a bit fiddly to get them all sorted when setting up, but I have not had to readjust them, even when spending multiple hours using spinnerbaits and constantly casting during trips. On my last trip, I noted that I should have adjusted the eyes when I was leaving if I were planning to stay longer, but they lasted hours before being knocked out of place even a little. There should be more detailed instructions for opening/closing the rod. If you start jamming it in from the handle and make your way up, the resin bumps over the line guide wraps will slam into the lower section and damage them. You have to start extending the rod from the largest section and collapse the rod from the tiny tip section backward to prevent damage. It isn't hard to figure out if you pay attention. I wish there were more color options, but the black and gold isn't terrible, just a little garish. The eyes are a bit delicate, only being attached from one side, so they bend like the guides on cheapo rods and will fail if you are too rough with them. They will eventually wear out and snap off from repeated bending/straightening, but I've had rods last over a decade like this with a little care. This is the tradeoff for a collapsible rod. Wrapping the eyes on both sides would make it about 4" longer when stored, so I can accept it as is. Just be careful. It's a travel rod, not an indestructible tank. I don't particularly like the trigger grip's shape. It feels flat, not curved enough to cradle my finger while I use the rod. This is very minor, but I notice it from time to time. It fatigues my finger a little worse after long hours of fishing, but no huge deal. This is the first time I've seen the trigger grip hollowed out to save weight, and that made me chuckle. Neat idea. Overall, it's great. There are tradeoffs to make a rod so portable, but I believe it is worth it. If you are gentle with your gear and want something you can rely on to catch big fish in remote places, this is your rod. If you are abusive and want gear that will not break easily, look for a tougher rod. If you have to have a stiff tip, look elsewhere. But in general, this rod is amazing and I will probably buy another soon. It is definitely worth the money. Will update if I have any issues going forward.

Bought the 7'3" MH. It's a good travel rod, especially with the protection the cover gives. Taken it on a couple of flights and being 5"10', I was able to sit okay on flights, with it under the seat in front of me. I put it in my backpack, no room in my carry-on luggage. It did limit movement in-flight, but not unbearable. The sensitivity of the rod tip is really good. Flexes maybe a foot to foot and a half into the blank, then the strength of the backbone let's you set hard, to keep the fish pinned. I use it for medium diving cranks, upwards of 1/2 oz swim jigs, chatterbaits, and Texas rig. Landed a few fish to 6 lbs with ease. Don't suggest boat flipping anything over 3lbs with this rod. The free sliding guides seem okay, but can see it not lasting more than a couple of seasons, due to the amount of pressure you have to put so it doesn't rotate out f alignment from fixed guides. Also, the tip is sensitive, so be careful with adjustments. Overall a good buy! Tight lines!

This is a great rod! I had previously purchased 2 other bait casting telescoping rods before buying this one. The first was a box brand rod I bought at academy, while it was short and compact and easy to use it only had 4 eyes and string/rod control while trying to land a big fish was problematic. This Blackhawk II has a lot of eyes, some floating and others fixed, which can be a little confusing, but watch the video on how it is expanded and contracted back down and you will easily understand. I have my Rod paired with the KastKing Sparticus reel and it is a great combo. If your on the line wondering if you should buy this for 50.00 bucks or buy a lower priced one only or at a box store, do yourself a favor and just buy this rod. This Rod is well worth the 50.00. It is as sensitive as my 2 piece casting rods, still has a good back bone (depends on model you buy). I could see this rod easily selling for 100.00! I fished this rod on the lake this past weekend and happened to find a large school of white and hybrid bass, landed over 40 fish all on top water, and this rod did great!! it is light weight and hardy, and very sensitive. I will buy this rod in a different length for pitching smaller jigs. KastKing is just steadily going to take my money every pay check.

First impression, pretty sweet. Seems solid when extended. Didn't know it came with a hard plastic cover transporting, pleasant surprise. I'll be trying it out in the next week, update if needed... Well, went to set the hook on a bass, rod snapped in half 2 sections above the base. I've had some great kastking rods in the past. I'm sure this one was some kind of manufacturers defect. I'll be contacting them for warranty.

It’s very handy for putting it in the trunk for fishing anytime. The quality is beyond my expectation and I actually bought two rods with different styles. The cover is a bit of no use and very hard to thread the rod rings. Want to know why the cover is designed like that. Overall, nice product.