For me, Abu Garcia brings three words to mind. Experience, quality, and performance. Having recently had the pleasure of holding the new range of Veritas Tournaments rods and pairing them with the latest range of Abu Garcia reels to see how they perform on the water, I can attest that they have lived up to my highest expectations.

Over the past few months, I have put the Veritas Tournament rods through their paces on some of Central Queensland’s most iconic species. From the elusive barramundi and threadfin salmon that inhabit the coastal creeks & impoundments to sooty grunter that cause havoc to small baitfish and anglers alike in the freshwater rivers and billabongs. The parabolic feeling through the rod blank and reel seat are head and shoulders above Abu’s competitors in the equivalent price range.

I had no trouble feeling my lures touch underwater snags and reeds which in turn allowed me to keep the lure in the strike zone longer which produced more bites and put fish on the deck. The same quality feel has held true for all models of Abu Garcia Veritas Tournament rods.

We all know that some days fish simply don’t play the game. I recently had a session where the barramundi and sooty grunter wouldn’t touch anything other than an unweighted plastic cast gently next to their favourite snag and twitched back to the opposite bank. This is where I made use of the super sensitive tip of the veritas.

Sensitivity is hard to maintain while also having a rod with enough power to stop these freight trains, but on multiple occasions several rods in the range were put to test with nothing but impeccable results. All you can ask for in a tournament rod is sensitivity, strength, and durability – the perfect match for the North Queensland angling scene.

When choosing a rod there are a lot of things I look for, and the Veritas Tournament range ticks all of them for me. Even though I will fish for anything, barramundi is my crux and consume my every woken moment and as everyone knows, they stand true to their reputation of a fish of a thousand casts. This type of fishing requires a rod that is both light and ergonomic to ensure that it feels like your hand is still attached at the end of the day and Abu Garcia has nailed both key points to a tee!

The Abu Garcia tournament rod range has a wide variety of models to choose from. There’s both spin and baitcast options for lighter estuary, river, and impoundment work, to heavy options which are the perfect rod for putting the brakes on trophy fish such as jewfish, Murray cod or impoundment barramundi who are well-known for destroying both tackle and anglers. With 100 years of experience and research behind the brand name these rods are nothing short of top of the line and are well suited in the high-end market at a price point which every angler can justify.

In summary, I stand by Abu Garcia’s latest offering in the form of the Veritas rod range. These rods are available in Australia and deliver impressive tournament calibre performance. Head into your local tackle shop and ask to hold one and if your local tackle shop doesn’t have one, tell them they should!

By Brendan Pollard – Abu Garcia Pro Team

Based in Central Queensland, Brendan like the rest of us has a fishing addiction. Barra being the target species for most parts of the year, you’ll find him on the water during his spare time in both fresh and salt, casting away in search of large silver scales!