Bass Fishing Apr 2018 | Page 54

GEAR PRODUCT REVIEW 13 FISHING CONCEPT Z F 52 or years fishing reel manufacturers have relied on stainless- steel and ceramic ball bear- ings to help promote smooth, quiet operation at critical rotation points such as the spool, gears and handles. Take these little jewels away and just about every aspect of perform- ance would be sure to take a grinding, squealing dive, right? Not necessarily. Florida-based 13 Fishing claims its all-new Concept Z baitcaster breaks all the rules in that respect. The reel has bearings, just not the conventional spherical kind. It has what 13 Fishing calls Concept Zero Bearings (CZB), which are disc-like and fashioned from a proprietary polymer material intended to reduce friction and promote longer, smoother and quieter casts with less effort while elimi- nating the corrosion and wear that can cause con- ventional bearings to break down or fail over time. First Impression With its racy-looking orange finish and black accents, this reel won’t be tough to spot in the rod locker. Low in profile and ergonomically correct, the reel isn’t the lightest in my collection, but at 6.4 ounces it’s certainly not the heaviest, either. Another cool design feature is the rapid-access side plate; click the release le ver and the plate pops right open, providing access to the six- way centrifugal brake adjustment knob. In Action I played around with the reel for more than two months, and in the end I hated to ship it back. There is plenty to like about this baitcaster, but I was partic- ularly impressed by its abili- ty to handle baits as light as a 3/16-ounce shaky head or drop-shot rig, and the con- sistently good control it provided when casting in By Matt Williams windy conditions, pitching around bushes and skip- ping under docks. Once in tune with the reel, you rarely get the feel- ing that it’s about to get squirrelly on you. It’s smooth, quiet and feels the same on every cast. As casting distance and overall performance go, the Z performed just as well or better than any ball-bear- ing reel I own. I put it up against two of my best (and more expensive) bait- casters and consistently achieved equal or slightly better distance with the same or a little less effort using the same line, rod and bait. My test bait was a 5-inch Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper matched with a 3/16-ounce swimbait hook. The maximum cast- ing distance achieved using 15-pound-test Seaguar Red Label fluoro and a 7-3, medium-heavy Team Lew’s Custom Pro Speed Stick rod was around 45 yards. Final Thoughts I’m always somewhat apprehensive when a new “game-changing” technolo- gy comes on board, partic- ularly one that receives the amount of hype this one did in the wake of its intro- duction at ICAST 2017. But make no mistake, the Concept Z lives up to its billing as a sweet little bait- caster. It was truly a pleas- ure to fish with. While 13 Fishing didn’t reinvent the wheel here as far as baitcasters go, the company appears to be on to something very unique with its high-performance CZB bearing technology, which provides smooth, easy casting and overall operation. Only time will tell whether the reel will even- tually start showing signs of diminished performance, or how long it might take for it to happen, if it does at all. Regardless, I’m convinced that it’s worth a $200 investment to find out. FLWFISHING.COM I APRIL 2018