Tuned up fusion "feel"

Alright guys ive been using the fusion extensively this season and found that i dont really “feel” the bites while fishing panfish. I feel like my bullwhip and pn has more “feel” even with the super soft tip. On the fusion it feels super dull when fish hit my jig. My bullwhip and pn on the other hand when a fish hits i can actually “feel” a really sharp tick as the fish bites. Is anyone else experiencing this or is it just me?

Personally I have not. The fusion for me is my feel panfish rod. But depends on lure size and jig range and just your preferences too. I tend to using small spoons with my fusion so that could be why I feel more with it.

I run 4lb with 5mm tungsten and 1/6 spoon on the fusion. I dont know.. to me its just not really sensitive to the feel. I have to watch my tip more than i like to. Btw im not talking in any way bad about the rod its just my experience with it. My arsenal only consists of tucr and i love them all

Dao, I will agree with you to an extent. I have found the feel with the fusion is a similar feel as my commander rod when fishing walleye. If I could buy the fusion again I would get it with a split grip. I think that would solve a lot of the “feel” issues.
I will say that when fish are in a positive bite the fusion does great. When they are negative to neutral I only fish the bullwhip and PN.

That

I have a Fusion with a split grip. I agree with sentiment. It’s among the least sensitive TUCR rods I own, which includes the Precision Noodle split, Bullwhip split, Quick Tip split, Precision split and full, and Commander split and full. It’s a nice 1/16-1/8oz spoon rod or heavy tungsten rod, but I still wish it was more sensitive like the others. I was thinking of trying some 4-6lb braid on it. Right now I use 4lb Sufix Elite. Caught a 27” walleye yesterday on it.

I have used my Fusion for smaller baits (1/16oz Rippin Raps) up to 1/8oz spoons. To me is seems like I can visually see and feel the bite about the same time. The transistion to the back bone is much different than a Commander or BW, the transistion from the tip to the backbone is further back on the rod but I dont think that is a bad thing, its just different

I can see what you are saying now because the rod is a slower action than like a QT or Bullwhip.

Bigstorm has is spot on.

I guess for me, it has a lot to do with what bait i’m using and the attitude of the fish towards that bait. It’s tough for me to use anything other than a Bullwhip or PN when using jigs and plastics, or jigs and live bait.

When I have used the fusion, i’m typically using larger baits and more aggressive presentations. I haven’t had any issues feeling or seeing the bites.

I think the fusion is a lot more sensitive of a rod than a bullwhip, but if the fish is barely leaning on a tungsten jig, you’re going to be better off fishing a bullwhip to actually “see” the strike.

I can see what you are saying, when I have my Fusion rigged with a small spoon and spikes on the treble hooks, if I let the bait sit still and the fish nibble on the spikes I will see the tip flinch without feeling it. But when the fish actually “hit” the spoon, the feel is there. It really is a case of it being a slower action carbon rod, vs the super fast carbon of the quick tip. BTW I tend to “feel” bite more on my PN than on my Bullwhip, but that’s always when the fish really smack the jig.
Dan

I wouldn’t be too surprised to hear that the Fusion isn’t terribly sensitive. I handled one at Scheels recently and I was surprised how slow it was. Probably not the best recipe for a super sensitive feel rod compared to a fast rod with a light tip.

Fiberglass itself isn’t usually very sensitive but I think the noodle rods are more sensitive to feeling a tick than we think they should be because they generally have a very light thin tip that quickly transitions into a firm backbone. Most noodle rods overall are very fast actions.

The Fusion isn’t like most high end graphite rods but if you were using braid and baits that usually generated a harder reaction strike it would probably pair well with that.

Tucker

To be honest ive owned a qt and put it to work as hard as i did the fusion and even with the super fast tip i feel it was a really dull hit. Its advertised as a “feel” rod as well being a carbon blank for pan fish but even with the recommended lure weight im only able to “feel” those super aggressive hits but its still feels really dull and im watching the tip for any movement as i would on a pn or bw.

It feels similar to a ht ice

Bearcat89 wrote:

It feels similar to a ht ice

The ice Blue superflex is pretty decent

Seems like the theme here is that if the fish comes up and just whacks the bait when using aggressive presentations, the angler can feel the strike. That sounds about right. I would 100% agree. Same goes for just about any rod.

I was fishing 1/16-1/8oz Tingler and Tumbler spoons for perch tonight. I brought a 30” Bullwhip split, a 32” Fusion split, and a 32” Precision full. This exact method of fishing is what the Fusion is marketed for. It was the least sensitive of the three using this presentation. I read this post initially while on the lake, so I tested the three rods with the same lures.

Truth is, I’m really trying to like this new Fusion because it feels so nice in the hand, but I’m struggling.

Truth is, I’m really trying to like this new Fusion because it feels so nice in the hand, but I’m struggling.
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I love the Fusion for what I use it for, which is aggressive spoons for crappie, and subtle spoons for walleye. It fits that niche well. But if I’m crappie fishing, I much prefer my Bullwhip for the majority use, and if I’m walleye fishing, I much prefer my Precision for the majority use of aggressive rattle spoons. I always advise the Bullwhip and the Precision first. With those to rods, you can really do anything. Once you have your bases covered, you can get more niche. That’s where the Fusion shines, IMO.
Dan

If you’re using the Fusion for crappies that are “up-biting” up-bites are a visual “noodle bite” not a feel bite. “5mm tungsten and 1/6 spoon” are fairly heavy lures and unless it’s a REALLY aggressive bite the fish during ice season aren’t going to be sucking those lures in that fast to get a hard “tick” sensation. Carbon ice rods have a combination of feel and visual bite detection and the stiffer tip allows more precise control of your lures. It’s a matter of adjusting to each style rod.

I love my fusion! When I’m out chasing crappies I always have 3 rods rigged up my fusion which usually has a #3,4 rippin rap or the small slab rap, a QT which currently has the smallest jigging rap and then my PN which has a small tungsten like vmc fly or a maggot drop. Every time I drop a line in a new hole the slab rap is in 1st I call it my “fish call” normally if fish are there they’ll likely come and investigate and a lot of times they smack it which I have zero issue feel or seeing but if they don’t like that on to the QT then PN. And when it comes to “see” vs “feel” when there’s a fish on the flasher looking at my lure I’m ALWAYS looking at the tip and will slowly slowly keep raising the rod up to detect the up bites. Whenever I here “see vs feel” it tends to go in one ear and out the other with me because I watch the tip and the 1st time I stopped at the TUCR shop I had every intention on coming home with a whip but ended up with QT because I found tip on that “feel” rod to be just as delicate as the whip. And the fusion I liked because it was on the complete opposite end of the qt and I find it easier to “calm down” the more aggressive lures like slab and rippin raps could call it a slow dance vs the tango.

McCrappie wrote:

I love my fusion! When I’m out chasing <strong class=”ido-tag-strong”>crappies I always have 3 rods rigged up my fusion which usually has a #3,4 rippin rap or the small slab rap, a QT which currently has the smallest jigging rap and then my PN which has a small tungsten like vmc fly or a maggot drop. Every time I drop a line in a new hole the slab rap is in 1st I call it my “fish call” normally if fish are there they’ll likely come and investigate and a lot of times they smack it which I have zero issue feel or seeing but if they don’t like that on to the QT then PN. And when it comes to “see” vs “feel” when there’s a fish on the flasher looking at my lure I’m ALWAYS looking at the tip and will slowly slowly keep raising the rod up to detect the up bites. Whenever I here “see vs feel” it tends to go in one ear and out the other with me because I watch the tip and the 1st time I stopped at the TUCR shop I had every intention on coming home with a whip but ended up with QT because I found tip on that “feel” rod to be just as delicate as the whip. And the fusion I liked because it was on the complete opposite end of the qt and I find it easier to “calm down” the more aggressive lures like slab and rippin raps could call it a slow dance vs the tango.

This Exactly!

I ended up rigging up my Fusion set-up with 6# braid and a 4# fluorocarbon leader and taking it on a walleye and a panfish trip. It has a lot better handling and sensitivity compared to the 4# mono I was using

I use 8lb Sufix 832 with a 6lb mono leader, so Im sure the braid helps with the “feel” part of it

I have ZERO experience with the Fusion but a lot of experience with the QT. The QT is probably my favorite rod from the TUCR line up. I generally fish the small tingler spoon, tumbler spoon, rippin rap, and jiggin rap on it for bluegill, perch, crappie, and walleye. The light tip transitions even the slightest bights and the transition to backbone is perfect. I can see how a slower transition would work better for the lipless baits but so often I do a short quick strokes and let the bait fall. If I need to go heavier on a bait I go to the Precision. Regarding the Fusion I do not think I have a place for it unless I decided to not take my QT on a Walleye trip.