Lighter, mores sensitive, and still the power to move big fish, a guide to Duckett Fishing New Ghost Series
Duckett Fishing is already well renowned for their lineup of premium offerings, anchored by their “Pro-Driven” high end rods at an affordable price philosophy. Just days into the New Year looks like Duckett might just have set another standard in affordable rods for all levels of anglers. Duckett Fishing new series of rods, the “Ghost” Series, are designed to be the lightest and most sensitive series of rods the company has ever brought to market.
“Over the past few years, anglers have had exceptional fishing success with Duckett Fishing rods, such as Micro Magic and White Ice. When the conditions find anglers and bass alike, seeking their comfort levels whether it’s jigs and worms, flipping, or casting Carolina rigs or soft jerkbaits like Senkos are the ticket, the extensive line-up offered in the New Ghost Series can handle it all.” said Boyd Duckett, 2007 BASS Master Classic Champion, and CEO of Duckett Fishing.
The “Ghost” series consists of 10 brand new rods, and Duckett didn't have to look far in their search for a material with the perfect balance of sensitivity and backbone, as all of these new rods are constructed from Duckett Fishing exclusive lightweight Sensi-Touch – Halo Sanded graphite blanks. To further reduce weight Duckett chose to use a proprietary 316 Stainless Steel guides with industrial grade chrome inserts. These 316 SS guides are extremely tough, resilient and provide increased sensitivity, while eliminating ring loss.
All of these new rods are designed with an enhanced taper and the EVA High Impact Grip for comfort, both providing for greater control of casting trajectory. This in turn allows anglers to more cast into tight spots in and around structure, and provides more accuracy and lure control even on windy days. The distinctive separation of the tip and backbone in the taper of these rods are critical for both accuracy and fish fighting control.
The rods are all a Duckett White in color blanks accompanied by gray threading with exceptional attention to detail makes the “Ghost” unmistakable. Like other Duckett rods reduced diameter guides provided for longer cast and control. The true split reel seat provides for a direct feel from the blank to the hand vibration transmittion.
At the core of the new rod series are six casting models designed for pitching/casting jigs, swim baits, worms and everything in between – they range from the 6-foot-eight-inch rods for use with 10-14 pound test line; to the 7-foot-6-inch extra heavy for frog or umbrella rig casting and deeper water use and in line weights up to 25-pound test mono or 65 pound test braid. Below is how I employed the rods over the past month.
Casting Rods
DFGG68MH-C — 6’8” length - 10-14 pound test line - 1/8-5/8 ounce lures - fast action - medium heavy power rating.
Comments: Balances perfectly with 12-pound line and 3/8-ounce jigs, 6” worms and medium-sized topwaters. Moves big fish with surprising ease and still feels like a feather in your hand. May be the best all-around rod of the bunch.
DFGG610M-C — 6’10” length – 8-14 pound test line - 3/16-5/8 ounce lures -fast action – medium power rating
Comments: Smaller worms and jigs, grubs, spinnerbaits and topwater baits. An excellent 10-12 pound line rod for lighter duty, clear water applications. Nice soft tip for casting smaller, light baits, but has surprising power the hook set.
DFGG70MH-C — 7’0” length – 12-17-pound line - 3/16-5/8 ounce lures - fast action - medium-heavy power rating
Comments: A really well balanced worm rod for 10-25 feet of water applications. We used it in open-water situations where the cover isn’t too thick, but this rod will surprise you when you need to put the pressure on even a big bass. The fast action makes this an accurate caster and a good choice for medium sized baits.
DFGG73MH-C — 7’3” length – 12-17-pound line - 3/16-5/8 ounce lures - fast action - medium-heavy power rating
Comments: : A nice, fast tip with a powerful backbone makes this rod a perfect choice for fishing Texas/Carolina rigs and small jigs, especially in clear water when you need longer casts and more leverage for a long range hookset. This is going to be an awesome buzzbait rod.
DFGG73H-C — 7’3” length - 14-20-pound Co-Ploy, Fluorocarbon line - 5/16-3/4 ounce lures - fast action - heavy power rating
Comments: A very effective deep-water jig rod for fishing in relatively heavy cover. Has the power to move a fish out from under a dock or from thick grass to the boat now, yet it won’t wear you out and you can fish with it all day long… no sore muscles, no fatigue, no problem.
DFGG76XH-C — 7’6” length - 14-20-pound Co-Ploy, Fluorocarbon line and 50 pond test braid - 5/16-3/4 ounce lures – extra fast action – extra heavy power rating
Comments: Extremely effective heavy cover rod; also works well with an umbrella rig. We primarily used this rod while flipping “Duck Weed or Primrose” with braid. This rod will snatch the biggest of fish out of the heaviest of cover before it realizes it’s in the boat.
With more and more anglers becoming confident using and finding success with crank baits, the Duckett has addressed this technique with two rods. The Medium power 7-foot-0-inch model is designed to fish smaller lightweight crankbaits and jerk-baits, while the 7-foot-6-inch Medium Heavy model with its extra fast action other crankin’ applications.
Crankin’ Rods
DFGG70M-CC — 7’0” length - 8-12 pound line - 3/16-5/8 ounce lures - moderate action - medium power rating
Comments: Casting a soft jerkbait, weighted only by the size of hook you use, requires a very responsive rod tip; this is the rod for it. Very effective when we used small crankbaits and jerkbaits such as shad raps and flukes.
DFGG76MH-CC — 7’6” length – 8-12 pound line - 5/16-3/4 ounce lures - fast action – medium heavy power rating
Comments: This crankbait rod is the best choice when you fish in the timber or around thicker vegetation. It has plenty of backbone to for handling heavy weights and big bass in deep water. Oh yea… it handles larger baits too!
Spinning reel fans were not left out in the cold, as Duckett introduces two 6-foot-9-inch medium heavy models is intended for lighter lines, clear water and smaller baits, and a 7-foot-0-inch medium rod for deep-water light line/small bait fishing.
Spinning Rods
DFGG69MH-S — 6’9” length - 6-12 pound line - 1/8-5/16 ounce lures - fast action - medium-heavy power rating
Comments: Small worm/jighead combos, 2-5” grubs, small topwaters, little jigs, gin-clear water, just enough wind to make casting tough and finicky bass. Ultra-sensitive spinning rod great for finesse fishing.
DFGG70M-S — 7’0” length - 6-12 pound line - 1/8-3/8 ounce lures -fast action - medium power rating
Comments: The perfect solution for deep-water fishing where small baits and light line are a must to be successful. The fast tip allows you to cast un-weighted worms and soft jerkbaits a long ways with enough power to drive the hook home and pull the fish away from trouble.
In December, I picked up a selection of the “Ghost” rods and started putting them to the test. Not sure anyone could find more brutal conditions than we’ve experienced over the past month or so, snow, ice, rain, sleet, clients and let’s face it I’m not the easiest person on rods. After 26 days on the water with 14 client based trips included; with instructions to my clients be rough with them. At times I cringed, as I watched clients reel lures tight to the tip, hit the side of the boat (unintentionally of course) while working jerk baits and a couple of guys that know only one way to set a hook…ROCK THE BOAT! I have not had one compliant or negative remarks on these rods. I tested these rods using LEW’s reels and Vicious Line (50# Braid, Fluorocarbon and Ultimate ACT Line) techniques included shaky heads, ½ ounce Football Head Jigs, Series 70 and 50 SPRO Little John Crank Baits, ¼ to ¾ ounce Rattle Traps, T-rigged D-Bombs for flipping, 1 ounce and ¾ ounce Carolina Rigs, Jerk baits and shad raps. We caught just about every species of fish in the Mid-South including Smallmouth, Largemouth, Drum, Catfish and Crappie all without issue. All of the rods are still being used to on guide trips.
Duckett Fishing New Ghost Series of rods are designed to meet the needs of every level of angler on the water. These lighter, more sensitive, extremely comfortable grip rods were all designed taking into account years of feedback from consumers and pro-staffers. Kudos to Duckett Fishing for sticking to their guns and building these premium rods at an affordable price! One thing is for certain, Boyd Duckett and his team lead by Sean Schuyler know how to build a mean rod, and with the exceptional performance of their traditional rods, now anglers of all budgets are in for a real treat.
Capt Jake Davis is a USCG Licensed Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Guntersville and Tim’s Ford. Visit www.midsouthbassguide.com or call/email 615-613-2382, msbassguide@comcast.net
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Duckett Fishing is already well renowned for their lineup of premium offerings, anchored by their “Pro-Driven” high end rods at an affordable price philosophy. Just days into the New Year looks like Duckett might just have set another standard in affordable rods for all levels of anglers. Duckett Fishing new series of rods, the “Ghost” Series, are designed to be the lightest and most sensitive series of rods the company has ever brought to market.
“Over the past few years, anglers have had exceptional fishing success with Duckett Fishing rods, such as Micro Magic and White Ice. When the conditions find anglers and bass alike, seeking their comfort levels whether it’s jigs and worms, flipping, or casting Carolina rigs or soft jerkbaits like Senkos are the ticket, the extensive line-up offered in the New Ghost Series can handle it all.” said Boyd Duckett, 2007 BASS Master Classic Champion, and CEO of Duckett Fishing.
The “Ghost” series consists of 10 brand new rods, and Duckett didn't have to look far in their search for a material with the perfect balance of sensitivity and backbone, as all of these new rods are constructed from Duckett Fishing exclusive lightweight Sensi-Touch – Halo Sanded graphite blanks. To further reduce weight Duckett chose to use a proprietary 316 Stainless Steel guides with industrial grade chrome inserts. These 316 SS guides are extremely tough, resilient and provide increased sensitivity, while eliminating ring loss.
All of these new rods are designed with an enhanced taper and the EVA High Impact Grip for comfort, both providing for greater control of casting trajectory. This in turn allows anglers to more cast into tight spots in and around structure, and provides more accuracy and lure control even on windy days. The distinctive separation of the tip and backbone in the taper of these rods are critical for both accuracy and fish fighting control.
The rods are all a Duckett White in color blanks accompanied by gray threading with exceptional attention to detail makes the “Ghost” unmistakable. Like other Duckett rods reduced diameter guides provided for longer cast and control. The true split reel seat provides for a direct feel from the blank to the hand vibration transmittion.
At the core of the new rod series are six casting models designed for pitching/casting jigs, swim baits, worms and everything in between – they range from the 6-foot-eight-inch rods for use with 10-14 pound test line; to the 7-foot-6-inch extra heavy for frog or umbrella rig casting and deeper water use and in line weights up to 25-pound test mono or 65 pound test braid. Below is how I employed the rods over the past month.
Casting Rods
DFGG68MH-C — 6’8” length - 10-14 pound test line - 1/8-5/8 ounce lures - fast action - medium heavy power rating.
Comments: Balances perfectly with 12-pound line and 3/8-ounce jigs, 6” worms and medium-sized topwaters. Moves big fish with surprising ease and still feels like a feather in your hand. May be the best all-around rod of the bunch.
DFGG610M-C — 6’10” length – 8-14 pound test line - 3/16-5/8 ounce lures -fast action – medium power rating
Comments: Smaller worms and jigs, grubs, spinnerbaits and topwater baits. An excellent 10-12 pound line rod for lighter duty, clear water applications. Nice soft tip for casting smaller, light baits, but has surprising power the hook set.
DFGG70MH-C — 7’0” length – 12-17-pound line - 3/16-5/8 ounce lures - fast action - medium-heavy power rating
Comments: A really well balanced worm rod for 10-25 feet of water applications. We used it in open-water situations where the cover isn’t too thick, but this rod will surprise you when you need to put the pressure on even a big bass. The fast action makes this an accurate caster and a good choice for medium sized baits.
DFGG73MH-C — 7’3” length – 12-17-pound line - 3/16-5/8 ounce lures - fast action - medium-heavy power rating
Comments: : A nice, fast tip with a powerful backbone makes this rod a perfect choice for fishing Texas/Carolina rigs and small jigs, especially in clear water when you need longer casts and more leverage for a long range hookset. This is going to be an awesome buzzbait rod.
DFGG73H-C — 7’3” length - 14-20-pound Co-Ploy, Fluorocarbon line - 5/16-3/4 ounce lures - fast action - heavy power rating
Comments: A very effective deep-water jig rod for fishing in relatively heavy cover. Has the power to move a fish out from under a dock or from thick grass to the boat now, yet it won’t wear you out and you can fish with it all day long… no sore muscles, no fatigue, no problem.
DFGG76XH-C — 7’6” length - 14-20-pound Co-Ploy, Fluorocarbon line and 50 pond test braid - 5/16-3/4 ounce lures – extra fast action – extra heavy power rating
Comments: Extremely effective heavy cover rod; also works well with an umbrella rig. We primarily used this rod while flipping “Duck Weed or Primrose” with braid. This rod will snatch the biggest of fish out of the heaviest of cover before it realizes it’s in the boat.
With more and more anglers becoming confident using and finding success with crank baits, the Duckett has addressed this technique with two rods. The Medium power 7-foot-0-inch model is designed to fish smaller lightweight crankbaits and jerk-baits, while the 7-foot-6-inch Medium Heavy model with its extra fast action other crankin’ applications.
Crankin’ Rods
DFGG70M-CC — 7’0” length - 8-12 pound line - 3/16-5/8 ounce lures - moderate action - medium power rating
Comments: Casting a soft jerkbait, weighted only by the size of hook you use, requires a very responsive rod tip; this is the rod for it. Very effective when we used small crankbaits and jerkbaits such as shad raps and flukes.
DFGG76MH-CC — 7’6” length – 8-12 pound line - 5/16-3/4 ounce lures - fast action – medium heavy power rating
Comments: This crankbait rod is the best choice when you fish in the timber or around thicker vegetation. It has plenty of backbone to for handling heavy weights and big bass in deep water. Oh yea… it handles larger baits too!
Spinning reel fans were not left out in the cold, as Duckett introduces two 6-foot-9-inch medium heavy models is intended for lighter lines, clear water and smaller baits, and a 7-foot-0-inch medium rod for deep-water light line/small bait fishing.
Spinning Rods
DFGG69MH-S — 6’9” length - 6-12 pound line - 1/8-5/16 ounce lures - fast action - medium-heavy power rating
Comments: Small worm/jighead combos, 2-5” grubs, small topwaters, little jigs, gin-clear water, just enough wind to make casting tough and finicky bass. Ultra-sensitive spinning rod great for finesse fishing.
DFGG70M-S — 7’0” length - 6-12 pound line - 1/8-3/8 ounce lures -fast action - medium power rating
Comments: The perfect solution for deep-water fishing where small baits and light line are a must to be successful. The fast tip allows you to cast un-weighted worms and soft jerkbaits a long ways with enough power to drive the hook home and pull the fish away from trouble.
In December, I picked up a selection of the “Ghost” rods and started putting them to the test. Not sure anyone could find more brutal conditions than we’ve experienced over the past month or so, snow, ice, rain, sleet, clients and let’s face it I’m not the easiest person on rods. After 26 days on the water with 14 client based trips included; with instructions to my clients be rough with them. At times I cringed, as I watched clients reel lures tight to the tip, hit the side of the boat (unintentionally of course) while working jerk baits and a couple of guys that know only one way to set a hook…ROCK THE BOAT! I have not had one compliant or negative remarks on these rods. I tested these rods using LEW’s reels and Vicious Line (50# Braid, Fluorocarbon and Ultimate ACT Line) techniques included shaky heads, ½ ounce Football Head Jigs, Series 70 and 50 SPRO Little John Crank Baits, ¼ to ¾ ounce Rattle Traps, T-rigged D-Bombs for flipping, 1 ounce and ¾ ounce Carolina Rigs, Jerk baits and shad raps. We caught just about every species of fish in the Mid-South including Smallmouth, Largemouth, Drum, Catfish and Crappie all without issue. All of the rods are still being used to on guide trips.
Duckett Fishing New Ghost Series of rods are designed to meet the needs of every level of angler on the water. These lighter, more sensitive, extremely comfortable grip rods were all designed taking into account years of feedback from consumers and pro-staffers. Kudos to Duckett Fishing for sticking to their guns and building these premium rods at an affordable price! One thing is for certain, Boyd Duckett and his team lead by Sean Schuyler know how to build a mean rod, and with the exceptional performance of their traditional rods, now anglers of all budgets are in for a real treat.
Capt Jake Davis is a USCG Licensed Professional Fishing Guide on Lake Guntersville and Tim’s Ford. Visit www.midsouthbassguide.com or call/email 615-613-2382, msbassguide@comcast.net
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