By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor
Douglas Outdoors, a new company founded in 2014, has branched out from its fly fishing roots with the introduction of its XMATRIX DXS and DXC conventional rods.
With the help of rod designer and former FLW Tour pro Fred Contaoi, formerly of Redington and Lamiglas, Douglas designed the XMATRIX series from the ground up at its headquarters in Phoenix, N.Y., near Syracuse.
The XMATRIX material used in the blank construction is proprietary and allowed Contaoi to create eye-opening strength-to-weight ratios throughout the casting and spinning rods in the new series.
“I don’t want to be just another rod,” Contaoi said. “There are a lot of rods that would fall into the commodity category. With a smaller company like Douglas it was an easier way to create a really good product.”
At ICAST this year, Douglas unveiled 13 spinning rods, including eight with bass anglers in mind. From three-piece packable rods to two-piece and one-piece rods ranging in length from 6 feet, 8 inches to 7 feet, 10 inches, Douglas has all the technique-specific actions to compete with other rod manufacturers.
Douglas also has 14 casting rods on the way with 10 designed for the bass market. From 6’8” models to 7’11” flipping sticks and swimbait rods, all tactics were considered when building the series.
Contaoi brings a vast understanding of rod design to Douglas. For Contaoi, when an angler has a rod in his or hands for up to 10 hours a day, he wants to make sure it’s as comfortable and well-balanced as possible.
“Light and strong is a tough combination to come by,” he said. “I wanted to bring some innovation that I didn’t think I was going to be able to do with some of the other companies. I just felt like this was a better fit for me for now. (Rod design) is more of a passion for me. When you go fishing, I want to put a smile on your face.”
’Light’ Heavyweight
After being able to test and use five different rods from the XMATRIX series over the past several months, Contaoi’s vision and talent shines through.
The deep green finish along with pewter silver lettering and logo stamp are striking right out of the bag and the black EVA foam grips and knobs offer a good contrast while keeping the overall balance and weight of the rod in line.
Contaoi’s ability to create strong, sensitive rods while keeping the whole package extremely light was evident in each model I tested. The 7-foot, 11-inch extra-heavy punching/swimbait rod weighs just 6.4 ounces and can handle baits that weigh up to 6 ounces. The rod is built with a full EVA grip and handle along with an inshore Fuji reel seat with custom-built spacers to give it the right balance.
Each rod is built with Fuji alkaline guides and Kigan hook keepers above the fore grip.
One of the more unique rods in the XMATRIX lineup is the 7-10 medium-fast split-grip spinning rod that weighs just 4 ounces. While some could view it as a trout rod, Contaoi likes to rig a small swimbait on a 1/4-ounce jighead and make monster casts for bass with it.
The 7-5 heavy-action casting model, weighing a mere 4 ounces, has been a trusty flipping and jig rod while the 7-2 medium-action rod is a great utility option that can handle most reaction baits. The 7-2 medium-action spinning rod with an extra-fast tip has quickly become a go-to option when pulling tubes or other bottom-running baits around the Great Lakes.
Contaio’s thinking all along was how these rods would hold up under the stress of being on a tournament angler’s front deck.
“When you do fish like that, you get to see so much and get to see everything that’s asked of a piece of equipment,” he said. “People are tough on stuff and guys are hypercritical. I’m not saying they’re unbreakable, but the strength-to-weight ratio is very high. It’s not achievable without the mad skills of a team and we have a good one here.”
The Douglas Outdoors XMATRIX rods aren’t going to be near the bottom of the pricing spectrum – they range from $250 to $375 – but for the sensitivity and quality and durability, they should prove to be a solid investment in your future fishing success.
To learn more about Douglas Outdoors, click here. To see more of the XMATRIX rods up close, check out the gallery below.
