Shimano’s new GLF series rods are aimed at Gulf Coast inshore anglers, and they appear to be well fitted to the venue.

I admit I’m a bit of a snob when it comes to inshore spinning rods. I’ve been using them (and building some of my own, too) for more decades than I care to count, and I’ve gradually homed in on exactly what works for the type of fishing I do most often in saltwater, throwing an assortment of artificial lures as redfish, snook and trout, with an occasional side of flounder and Spanish mackerel.

My longtime favorite stick for this action was the Shimano Crucial CRS 70 MH, which had just the right combination of flex and action for heaving inshore lures long distances, as well as the power to occasionally stop a 10-pound snook from getting into the mangroves. It also was one of the few spinning rods with a full cork handle, a feature I’ve always appreciated during long days on the water.

That rod, however, is no longer available from the company, and I’ve gone through a bunch of other rods, both from Shimano and other companies, trying to find a few more that fit my style of fishing just right.

The new GLF 70 MHB from Shimano may be the stick to fill the gap left by the Crucial. The GLF rod in MH (medium heavy) is one of those that doesn’t have good “store feel”, which means it’s not very whippy in the hand—it feels more like a saber than a willow, if you get the drift, and that usually means a rod that’s too stiff for good casting of light inshore lures.

But this rod does the job through some sort of graphite magic. It actually cast further than my Crucial with the same lures, same 2500-size reels and same 10-pound-test Berkley Forward Braid, a new thermally-fused braid that is a story in itself, with the spools loaded equally to within 1/8” of the lip. (I used the 10 even though the GLF rod is rated for 15 to 30 pound braid—the 10 casts considerably further than heavier line, and since there are few snook in Pensacola Bay (maybe none after the cold snaps they had this year) the 10-pound-test is easily strong enough to handle the resident reds and trout with the drag set right.

Equipped with a matching spinning reel, the Shimano GLF rods have both the flex needed for long casts and the power to battle heavier fish like big reds and the occasional snook.

The rod will throw the 3” LIVETARGET Scaled Sardine suspending version, which weighs just under a  half-ounce, about 10 to 15 feet farther than I could heave it with the Crucial. Note this rod is rated for lures from ¾ to 1 ounce, but does fine with the lighter lures. (It also throws a 1 ounce Yo-Zuri Hydro-Pencil into next week.) I couldn’t believe it the first couple times, so I tried throwing the lures on the beach, side by side, with the competing rods. The GLF always won.

And, the stiffer tip section gives the lure a sharper twitching action on retrieve. The butt and shaft up to the first guide is wrapped with carbon reinforcing tape, which the company says adds power—I wouldn’t disagree after whipping a couple of over-slot reds and a bunch of good trout on the rod.

I also like the slightly shorter handle (14.5” vs. 15” for most inshore rods”) which makes it a bit easier to manipulate when wadefishing, which I do a lot, as well as kayak fishing. (Shimano lists the grip as 9.5” but that’s only the forward cork portion of the grip—nearly all coastal anglers are two-hand casters, so the length of the bottom grip is important.)

I don’t like the exposed blank section of the rod below the reel seat, on this or any spinning rod, because I frequently seem to grab the blank instead of the grip, but I realize the missing grip section helps to keep the rod light as well as make it affordable.  

Reds are a favorite target for inshore Gulf Coast anglers, and they can be real tackle testers as they grow to larger sizes.

The single-foot guides are titanium oxide, slick, light, durable and corrosion proof. There are eight of them (as opposed to nine on my comparable Crucial). Fewer guides help keep the price on the rod down (it’s only $99), and don’t seem to have a negative effect on either casting or fighting fish. 

The company’s premium Terramar series rods have full cork grips and upgraded line guides, but cost twice as much, and similar models from other makers are priced at 3 times more. If you’re all about getting value for money and most of your fishing is inshore salt, the GLS line looks like a winner. See details on them here: https://fish.shimano.com/en-US/product/rods/inshore/glf_spinning_b.html.

— Frank Sargeant
Frankmako1@gmail.com