Milerod Pitch range

[NAGG]

Over the last couple of decades of lure casting in close quarters (timber / mangroves) I've pretty well been stuck on the use of baitcast gear - shorter rods yet with power . ..... & they pretty well did the job on barra , jacks etc .
When it came to spin gear - I could never find the right balance of sensitivity , length & power ......... I looked at lot of rods over the years. Most of my lighter spin rods have been for bream , bass - 7ft plus .... capable of throwing small lures & a traditional single handed configuration .... but you know it when you hook something decent . For example my Egrell S4 - a great rod which casts well & has some grunt ..... but the short handle ergonomically sux when you are onto something decent .

Anyhow my recent journey back into the freshwater scene has really showed up the shortcomings of my current outfits & I started to look around eventually coming across the new Millerod Design Pitch range . Immediately I thought wow ..... A shorter rod , longer grip but still light in the tip - certainly can cast a Jackall Chubby 25m ..... with the power to stop big fish . The model I bought was the MHS 610 (6'10" 6-15kgs) .

Here is a comparison between the S4 & Miller Pitch ..... Longer gripmaking it more conducive to fighting bigger fish Millerod pitch vs S4.jpg

Anyhow If anyone is after a spin rod that is capable of throwing smaller presentations but is designed to stop fish - this rod should be on your list ...... I see it as a great lure casting jack rod . They retail somewhere between $400-$450 . Oh & there is a 8-15kg rated version

Here is a little piece from Ian Miller on the origin & idea behind such a rod

“These rods have origins in a custom rod project that a friend of mine required recently. This angler wanted to cast a specific lure to cod he was seeing on his Live Scope technology. Because of his particular scenario this needed to be a spin rod, and he wanted to be able to use lures a little smaller than most so the rod needed to be both light lure and Murray cod capable.
“This rod had to suit some pretty specific criteria. It was an interesting project so I made a prototype for myself and went and fished it. Pretty quickly I realised the rod design had a lot of merit and potential for many applications, not just targeting cod.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what species get targeted with the Pitch rods. As well as cod, there will be plenty of situations where barra could be the target, as could mulloway, snapper and others. I’m actually expecting some pretty wild stuff to be tackled with these!”
The blanks were designed from scratch for specific use on the Pitch, and have easy casting ability and plenty of power to turn strong fish away from cover if necessary.
The shorter length means the Pitch rods are ideal for fishing vertically in conjunction with electronics, or from kayaks where a long rod can be a hindrance and in any situation where a relatively light lure might need to be used to tempt big, strong fish.
The rod is very light, balanced and sensitive in the hand. It’s easy casting but turns into a real weapon once a fish is hooked.
The handle incorporates a full Fuji reel seat with carbon locking hood. The slightly longer fore-grip gives added purchase if necessary and is custom-shaped from x-firm EVA in blue Camoufish. A slightly longer butt grip from the same x-firm EVA is finished with the Millerods anti-skid butt cap.
The KR anti-tangle guide train has size #6 as the smallest ceramic so braid/leader clearance is fine by using a low profile connecting knot.^

[stevej]

he just keeps bringing out new models and i wish i had of waited and decided on some allrounders instead of having the 11 or so different rods i have of his

[NAGG]

he just keeps bringing out new models and i wish i had of waited and decided on some allrounders instead of having the 11 or so different rods i have of his

Easy to do ..... Great designer of rods

Chris

[Ducksnutz]

Meh… overrated and over priced.

Just because the name “Ian Miller” is stamped on a rod means shit….

Eric Grell on the other hand…. Bloody brilliant rod builder.

Plenty of legitimate “Aussie rod builders” out there that don’t move manufacturing offshore to boost sales and profit margins…(google is your friend)

All of course in my humble opinion.

[stevej]

Welcome to your opinion

Never seen one of your legendary builders rods in a local shop to compare, i can only buy what’s available

The miller are better then the loomis rods I replaced and am happy with the purchase but hey that’s just my opinion.
I also have a bunch of blade n tails and a handful of venoms also nice rods.

Venoms are kiwi made blanks and rolled here but in the end something being made overseas means little when the big players daiwa Shimano Abu are all overseas manufactured and no one whinges about that

[Ducksnutz]

Thank you for allowing my opinion.👍

Again google is a great tool for finding some outstanding legitimate local Aussie rod builders.

[NAGG]

Meh… overrated and over priced.

Just because the name “Ian Miller” is stamped on a rod means shit….

Eric Grell on the hand…. Bloody brilliant rod builder.

Plenty of legitimate “Aussie rod builders” out there that don’t move manufacturing offshore to boost sales and profit margins…(google is your friend)

All of course in my humble opinion.

I beg to differ sir

Ian Miller is one of the "worlds" leading rod "designers" & builders . ....... Someone who is involved in the blank design from the outset - not just someone who takes an off the shelf blank & rolls a rod ......Even I could do that & did back in the day ( I made quite a few myself. )

My hat goes off to Ian ....... Demand is so high for his rods (around the world) that he decided to go offshore & design / manufacture more modestly priced rods ...... @ 50% of the price of his locally made custom rods (Ulladulla NSW ).

I now have 2 of his - locally made custom rods & 3 of the Miller design (China produced) rods ....... The locally made rods are expensive but exceptional rods - the Chinese produced rods are still excellent utilising fuji components & are designed along the same lines of his custom made rods . - but you wont have to wait 6 months plus or pay $700 + plus for them either.

No disrespect to Eric - he made decent rods ....... ( I own a S1 & S4 ) ...... but I wouldn't go overboard about them .

Chris

[NAGG]

Thank you for allowing my opinion.

Again google is a great tool for finding some outstanding legitimate local Aussie rod builders.

Legitimate ......... you can always call in to Ians factory & have a look - not a back shed or garage .
Ian stands on top of the heap & has been designing / building rods for well over 40 years . ....... you have that kind of success for a reason .

Chris

[Ducksnutz]

I beg to differ sir

Ian Miller is one of the "worlds" leading rod "designers" & builders . ....... Someone who is involved in the blank design from the outset - not just someone who takes an off the shelf blank & rolls a rod ......Even I could do that & did back in the day ( I made quite a few myself. )

My hat goes off to Ian ....... Demand is so high for his rods (around the world) that he decided to go offshore & design / manufacture more modestly priced rods ...... @ 50% of the price of his locally made custom rods (Ulladulla NSW ).

I now have 2 of his - locally made custom rods & 3 of the Miller design (China produced) rods ....... The locally made rods are expensive but exceptional rods - the Chinese produced rods are still excellent utilising fuji components & are designed along the same lines of his custom made rods . - but you wont have to wait 6 months plus or pay $700 + plus for them either.

No disrespect to Eric - he made decent rods ....... ( I own a S1 & S4 ) ...... but I wouldn't go overboard about them .

Chris

Thank you very much much for confirming that “Ian Miller” did in fact move most of his rod manufacturing offshore….. I’m sure he spent time overseeing every rod built in China….

No disrespect to Ian…he has made a terrific name for his business but comparing him to Eric is delusional….

I won’t comment any further as this will no doubt lead into a pissing contest as it usually does with long term members who feel their last word is holy….

Ooh Rooh.👍

[NAGG]

Thank you very much much for confirming that “Ian Miller” did in fact move most of his rod manufacturing offshore….. I’m sure he spent time overseeing every rod built in China….

No disrespect to Ian…he has made a terrific name for his business but comparing him to Eric is delusional….

I won’t comment any further as this will no doubt lead into a pissing contest as it usually does with long term members who feel their last word is holy….

Ooh Rooh.

No pissing contest needed mate

Ian has the reputation of one of the worlds leading rod builders & designers ........ His game rods have been much sought after for 30 years & are regarded as some of the very best . That's not an opinion as you'll find his rods on many of the worlds game boats . In essence Ian is next in line to the late Jack Erskine as Australias very best.

The other thing about Ian is that his designs cover so many applications & many are time proven standards adopted by many tournament anglers ...... something that has been the case for 20 odd years .

As for his Chinese production rods - demand & the lucrative US market was a fantastic business call & entrepreneurship ...... $400 quality fishing rods sell well & I hope he makes a stack out of it . Oh & btw - Ian still designed & built those prototype rods here in OZ .
His custom rods though are still the core of his business - If you want to buy one .... you'll have to stand in line & wait.

Oh & btw ....... making fancy bound rod is not what we are talking about - infact when it comes to rod building the reality is less is more .

As for Egrell ..... as I said nicely built rods ...... The NZ blanks are nothing to rave about though & were not a patch on the "Woomera ?" blanks that he was using.

Chris

[NAGG]

On the subject of the Ian Miller Design (Chinese produced rods) . These rods are much better value for money than Samurai's (Reactions) & Wilson (Venoms) which are now retailing around the $600 mark . That's my opinion & I own several Samurais & a Venom .

Back on the original topic though - If you get a chance to see one of these "Pitch rods" you'll see what a great design it is

Chris

[Lovey80]

Nagg is this rod suited to your new Diawa Exist?

[NAGG]

Nagg is this rod suited to your new Diawa Exist?

That's a bloody good question

& now that you mention it ( I didn't even think about it) - it would be a match made in Heaven

I just threw the reel on the rod & wow ....... nice fit Pitch & Exist.jpg

It would be an exceptional 20lb lure outfit - for targeting fish in the snags or casting topwater around lillies for barra .

I could see myself taking this to a barra dam ....... the trouble is I'd need to buy another Exist Maybe next year when I head to Kinchant in Oct

Chris

[NAGG]

Nagg is this rod suited to your new Diawa Exist?

Just a little more on that

I went & had a cast ....... It threw the chubby 30 m

I then decide to load it up ...... talk about P O W E R

Much more than I could exert single handed & had to bury the rod in my hip to apply full pressure . The rod has a really nice parabolic curve under load with the mid section doing the work . It certainly will have some stopping power . I'm certainly convinced that this would make a great Jack rod & I reckon good for soft vibes on Jew & Threadies .

Chris

[Noelm]

I guess in a funny way, what you use is very personal, the fish has no idea if you're using a handline, or a $1500 outfit, a cheap outfit will/can catch plenty of fish, but, it's kind of the "feel" does a cheap KMart "combo" feel nice? No, not compared to a high quality setup, but then, does a $1,000 outfit feel so much better than a $2,000 outfit? Not too sure! Fishing (in my opinion) is a confidence thing, you use lures, line, bait that you think will give you the maximum chance of catching your target species, whether a high price or brand name gives you that confidence is personal choice (and can be budget choice too) all sports "toys" consume time and money, how much is determined personally by disposable cash, how serious you are about a particular almost single purpose item and how much more confidence will it give you.