Century Inshore Rods
Century Rods
Matching technologically-advanced blanks with high-end componentry, Advanced Fishing USA offers some of the finest inshore rods on the planet with their new Century Inshore Stealth and Inshore Slingshot series of rods. Available in 6.5’ to 8’ lengths and casting weight ranges from 1/16 to 1 oz., there’s a Stealth or Slingshot rod available for every inshore target in North Carolina waters.
Unlike the vast majority of fishing products made in Asia these days, the Century rod blanks start life across the Atlantic in Great Britain to the specifications of Ryan White, owner of Advanced Fishing and Hatteras Jack tackle shop. Aside from White, Century’s main clientele are the aerospace and F1 racing industries, and the blanks are manufactured using the same autoclaved carbon process as the parts in F1 cars and spacecraft.
Autoclaving means the blanks are cured in a vacuum kiln, a process that removes air and excess resin from the composite, resulting in the lightest, strongest rod possible, and one that doesn’t “go soft” or lose its action and elasticity after years of rough use.
Years of fishing and running a tackle shop have given White plenty of insight into what works and doesn’t, and the blanks are designed to his specifications to be the best sticks available for red drum, speckled trout, flounder, striped bass, and other inshore gamefish.
Since anglers and techniques differ, each series of rods has a slightly different action (the bend the rod takes under a load while casting, working lures, or fighting a fish). The Slingshots offer a fast action, bending mostly towards the tip and offering maximum sensitivity and feel for working jigs and other lures. A slower action on the Stealth line is ideal for topwater plugs, popping cork rigs, and unweighted soft plastics.
Both are trimmed out by White on Cape Hatteras with Fuji New Concept guides with Alconite rings (both ultra-light and ultra-durable), Fuji K2 reel seats, and EVA or cork grips, depending on angler preference.
“EVA is a little more durable for people who are hard on their stuff,” White explained, “but cork’s got that old school, classic feel and appeal.”
The reel seats and guides are aligned with the rod’s spines, unlike the majority of other rods on the market, which enhances both casting distance and accuracy while reducing the torsional “twisting” load on the blank during casting or fish-fighting.
All these features combine to make the Century Inshore Stealth and Slingshot the ultimate in strength, sensitivity, casting distance, and fish-fighting, and it’s all delivered at an extraordinarily paltry weight.
Anglers can learn more about both lines, including full specs and model listings, at Advanced Fishing’s website at www.adavncedfishing-usa.com, or they can get hands-on with the rods at Kinston’s Neuse Sport Shop or Wilmington’s Intracoastal Angler.
