FCL Labo UCB-81 Extreme MH

[Steve Li]

Hi there

Are all the FCL Labo UCB series dedicated stick bait rods? Especially the UCB-81 Extreme MH, was thinking the "MH" might be suitable to work poppers to the tune of 150gm-160gm..... Is the rod suitable for that? Looking to pair the rod with a Saltiga 6000GT loaded with PE8.

Thanks in advance! 

[Duncan O'Connell]

Hi Steve,

The UCB in the FCL Range stands for Ultimate Cast Boat
There are a number of rods in the range to suit both poppers and stickbaits.

The original 81 Extreme was a rod we asked him to make to suit our local fishing of SE QLD.
We needed a rod which could work both stickbaits and poppers up to around 150g very well and the rod delivered admirably.

The MH model was brought out around 6 months ago with the needs of Bluefin Tuna fisherman in mind. It actually has a softer tip section than the M model but more down low grunt to lift stubborn circling Tuna. The idea being that Tuna fisherman generally throw smaller lures than the GT guys, but still need that bottom end pulling power.

If you're looking for a 'do everything' rod which will work both Stickbaits and Poppers up to the 150g mark the 81 Extreme M model would be the one i recommend. I took one of these on my last trip out to the Coral sea and worked a variety of lures with it including FCL Ebipop EXT120, CSP S220S stickbaits and Kong 180 poppers and it performed very nice with all the lures.

If you would like anymore information or even a few photos of the rod loaded up just let me know.

Kind Regards
Tom

[Steve Li]

Hi Tom

Thanks for reverting. I saw from your website that the Extreme MH has a higher rating (PE10 / lure weight 200gm) compared to the regular Extreme (PE8-10 / lure weight 190gm) thus assuming it should be more suitable to work poppers.

I actually have a PE8 rod to cover poppers from 100gm to 130gm range and a separate dedicated stick bait rod. Am looking at a PE10 rod to cover poppers between 150gm to 160gm. Am planning to pair it with a Saltiga 6000GT. Is the rod suited to chug 160gm poppers well?

It will be great if you can share whats more suitable as well as some pics!! Will PM you my email if thats better..... Cheers!

Steve 

[Mark Harris]

A key thing to bear in mind Steve is that there are VERY different types of 150-160 gram poppers.  So much of whether a rod is suitable is to do with the cup size of the popper and NOT its weight. In my very humble opinion, this is a common oversight people make.

Using two very well known poppers as examples,  a Patriot Design Master Bomb 155 gram has a truly massive cup size compared to a Craftbait GT2 150 gram (or when compared to just about any 150 gram class popper).  You need a significantly stiffer rod tip to effectively work the Master Bomb than you do the Craftbait example.

Just something for you to think about when selecting a rod.

[Steve Li]

A key thing to bear in mind Steve is that there are VERY different types of 150-160 gram poppers.  So much of whether a rod is suitable is to do with the cup size of the popper and NOT its weight. In my very humble opinion, this is a common oversight people make.

Using two very well known poppers as examples,  a Patriot Design Master Bomb 155 gram has a truly massive cup size compared to a Craftbait GT2 150 gram (or when compared to just about any 150 gram class popper).  You need a significantly stiffer rod tip to effectively work the Master Bomb than you do the Craftbait example.

Just something for you to think about when selecting a rod.

Thanks Mark for your input. I am aware of what factors to note when selecting any rods. But instead of asking something so specific like if the rod can cope with E-cups, G-cups or I-cups etc...... I am making things easier for Tom. Guess it will be easier for him to tell me that the rod can cope with poppers in the 150gm / 160gm range with exceptions to poppers with massive cups (I-cups, as this would be the exception rather than the norm). Cheers!

 

[Mark Harris]

I-cup is not a great example as it is 230 grams! The Hammerhead popper in the 150 gram range is not particularly large faced.

[Steve Li]

Yep, just thinking of chugging an I-cup already sends shivers down my spine every time! Not something I enjoy nor probably ever will. Thats why I mentioned they are the exceptions. You'll likely need a PE12 rated rod for that. For the 130gms to 150gms popper range, I use mainly Craftbaits, Cuberas / El Toros and Sevenseas poppers. So just wanna know from Tom if the Extreme MH can cope with them well. If you have experience with the rod then would love a first hand take on it.

Steve 

[Christoffer Hansen]

Hi Steve,

The UCB in the FCL Range stands for Ultimate Cast Boat
There are a number of rods in the range to suit both poppers and stickbaits.

The original 81 Extreme was a rod we asked him to make to suit our local fishing of SE QLD.
We needed a rod which could work both stickbaits and poppers up to around 150g very well and the rod delivered admirably.

The MH model was brought out around 6 months ago with the needs of Bluefin Tuna fisherman in mind. It actually has a softer tip section than the M model but more down low grunt to lift stubborn circling Tuna. The idea being that Tuna fisherman generally throw smaller lures than the GT guys, but still need that bottom end pulling power.

If you're looking for a 'do everything' rod which will work both Stickbaits and Poppers up to the 150g mark the 81 Extreme M model would be the one i recommend. I took one of these on my last trip out to the Coral sea and worked a variety of lures with it including FCL Ebipop EXT120, CSP S220S stickbaits and Kong 180 poppers and it performed very nice with all the lures.

If you would like anymore information or even a few photos of the rod loaded up just let me know.

Kind Regards
Tom

[Duncan O'Connell]

Hi Steve,

The M model will effectively work lures with cups as large as a mastered bomb.
I have thrown 155 Mastered bombs on our 81M and although probably towards it's limit i was still able to achieve a good pop. It's obviously harder to use with these lures than something dedicated to chugging big cups but you can work them effectively with the 81M. Im a pretty small guy and even i can use this rod for hours at a time with these sorts of lures. Drop down to poppers like the Cuberas/Kongs etc and the rod performs beautifully.


As i said earlier the MH model actually has a softer tip, so if you want to work poppers than you're better off with the M model. Which is still a true PE10 rod and will cope with drags up to 15kg and lures up to 200g.

Cheers
Tom

[Andrew Susani]

I bought the FCL LABO Ultimate Cast MH Model when I was overseas a few months back, a bit of an impulse buy. 



It is beautifully light and very easy to use all day with poppers, but probably a fraction heavy in action for someone with chicken arms like me who can't load up the rod as much as possible without straining the body    For casting, the sweet spot is around 150g but I can throw a 120g dumbell or Adhek Pompon with 65lb braid, around 60m.  The extra length helps a lot and doesn't hinder the process of being able to work the lure from a boat deck which is not too high off the water.  I haven't used it with large action/resistance poppers.



But it is a brilliant rod for using for very long periods and it is a pretty ferrari red colour 

[Steve Li]

Thanks guys for all the useful info! From what I am hearing, I'll be settling for the Extreme M instead of the MH as its more suited to my present needs (chug poppers of around 130gm to 150gm). Cheers to all of ya!!! 

[Duncan O'Connell]

Hi Steve,

I think the M model will be most suited to what you want,

Kind Regards
Tom