This past weekend I participated in the Backwoods Ft Worth Kayak Bass Tournament on The Brazos River below Lake Whitney. Prior to heading down I visited TFO and picked up one of the “NEW” 7wt Clouser Series Rods to fish the tournament with.

The first thing I noticed about the rod was how light it is compared to my Series 1 Clouser 7wt. I also noticed the beautiful midnight blue blank with the gold accents and lettering (being a cop that was very appealing to me). The rod is topped with TFO’s Tactical Series Stripping Guides, ultra-lightweight chromium-impregnated stainless snake guides, and a beautiful new style cork grip. The rod is just beautiful. Oh, did I mention that they are now nine-foot in length?

I loaded up the rod with my Echo Ion reel and 7WF Float line and tied on an orange #6 bead chain eye Clouser, jumped in my kayak and headed down river.

Shortly after leaving the launch I stopped by a high bluff where I observed some guys catching a lot of fish. I eased down river from them about 15 or 20 yards and began casting at that same high bluff. The very first cast I hooked up with a magnum sand bass. I was very impressed with how well the rod performed while I was fighting and landing the fish. The next cast blessed me with what turned out to be a 22 inch striped bass. It was then that I realized the strength and amount of backbone that the Clouser rod had. I landed that striper with little to no effort.

The tournament was 10 hours and 8.5 miles long so I had the opportunity to catch many fish that day. I caught close to 200 fish during the tournament. They included striped bass, sand bass, largemouth bass, crappie, and a variety of sunfish. 

At the end of the day I have to say that the New Clouser Rod is a win for TFO. It is perfect for every species for a 22 inch striped bass to a 2 inch bluegill.

They come in 9 foot, four-piece configurations in 5 through 10 weights.

The NEW Clouser Series retails for $199.95 - $219.95 and comes with TFO’s Limited Lifetime Warranty.