For anglers who love all light games.
Light games, including mebaring and ajing, are a deep form of fishing the more you delve into them.
Genkiman is one of those who are fascinated by that fun.
I dreamed of making a full-fledged light game rod from Finch someday.
It is especially difficult to find a rod that satisfies your needs, especially delicate light game rods.
We hit a wall again and again, to the point where we thought, "Maybe it's just not possible."
The one who pushed the development forward at a rapid pace was our trusted partner, Tomo Shimizu, who worked on the COCO77.
Tomo Shimizu is a partner who has been making rods with us for over 15 years.
Because he understands Genkiman's fishing (from the field, fishing style, and personality), he understands everything we say.
It is because of these two people that this rod was made possible.
After countless trials and errors over the past four years, the dream of a light game rod without compromise, the AZORES, has finally been completed.
What is the Azores?
There are bird lovers all over the world who love canaries.
However, when it comes to wild canaries, their habitat is limited to three islands.
One of these is the Azores, an archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
The wild canaries that live there are not bright yellow, but a sooty yellow-green with a brownish tinge, giving them a wild body color.
At first glance, it may seem like a plain bird, but it has evolved to survive in harsh natural environments, and it continues to do so to this day.
We named this rod "AZORES" after an improved version that allows you to take advantage of the few opportunities you have in a harsh environment and catch everything.
＜Target＞
"If you could only take one rod, which would you take?"
The CANARIA series was created with this concept in mind.
【CANARIA AZORES】is a rod with no set target, aimed at all sorts of "lurking nearby".
While focusing on rockfish and horse mackerel, it also targets all small fish that lurk nearby the user, from saltwater to freshwater, such as bass, silverfish, squid, and barracuda.
It is a versatile rod designed specifically for light games, but has the power to withstand unexpected large fish.
＜Features of Azores 81＞
There are two models of Azores, 77 and 81, and they have completely different characteristics.
These two rods are so reliable that you can assume that almost all light games will work with them.
The 8' 1" rod has a "regular taper (faster)".
It has a mainly "mounting" action, and for rockfish, it is good for floats and plugs.
It can also handle light jigs, but is more suited to reeling fishing.
For floats and plugs, the tip responds so obediently that you can read the wavelength of the waves, and it conveys the ocean conditions to your hand.
It bends obediently from the tip to the belly, but since it is made of a material with high recovery ability, it has power and can safely handle rockfish that dive into the roots or unexpected large fish.
It is a versatile rod that is more suited to power finesse.
The guides used are micro guides.
You may have the impression that micro guides reduce the casting distance, but we reset the guide settings many times and thoroughly pursued a setting that does not affect the casting distance.
I felt that the bigger benefit was that the enemy of light games is the wind. Even in situations where the line is prone to fraying due to wind, the micro guides prevent the line from moving around and allow the line to transmit bites clearly, which is an advantage.
<Magnus Manufacturing Method>
Both AZORES77 and AZORES81 are made using the Magnus manufacturing method.
A sharp blank with firmness that is designed with the ability to sense changes in the tide and subtle bites, and castability in mind.
It is straight, but when casting or fighting, it bends firmly and flexes like a whip.
A blank that has the power to bring the fish closer and float it by simply holding it against the strong fight of the fish.
Lightweight and highly sensitive without necessarily relying on high elasticity.
And a blank that can cast even further.
The "MAGNUS manufacturing method" was born to achieve this.
With the support of Toray, the Magnus manufacturing method was able to derive the optimal solution from tens of thousands of pattern designs.
We make hypotheses, make temporary designs, cut, reel, measure, fold, and collect strength data.
I wonder how many times I repeated this process.
I used the rod design foundations built by my predecessors over decades as a base, and applied them to aim for even greater heights.
Rod development and design are deeper and more interesting than you know. And there is still room for evolution.
I formulate hypotheses, design and develop from multiple angles, and test them in the field.
<From Genkiman>
Who would have thought that a pack rod could evolve to this extent?
He has a lot of experience and loves fishing, so he is extremely particular.
One of the reasons he is obsessed with light games is "diversity".
From ultra-light jig heads under 1g to floats over 20g.
The target range is from the surface to the bottom.
The more you delve into it, the deeper, more difficult, and the more fun it becomes.
I want to create a pack rod that can handle that without compromise.
When I held the completed rod, I realized that "the world of pack rods has changed."
The balance design is very strict, so it doesn't feel heavy, and it's in no way inferior to a 2-piece reel, or even better than that, and I'm proud to say it's even better than that.
In my hometown, rockfish is the main target for light games.
"Catch rockfish in the tide" is an old saying.
When I target rockfish, I capture the ocean in 3D and let the lure drift into the range where the rockfish are.
If you can do this, your catch will improve dramatically.
However, this won't work without sensitivity that clearly conveys subtle changes in the tide.
Sensitivity is the strongest weapon in light games.
To create sensitivity, we focused on extremely small micro guides.
We use the smallest diameter guides currently available.
People tend to think that small guides mean you can't cast the reel far, but that's not true at all.
Small guides make it harder for the line to move around when it comes out of the reel, allowing for a stable cast distance.
In testing, we used leaders up to 12 pounds, and were able to cast without any stress.
The only stress is that with farsightedness it is difficult to thread the line through the guides...
Today's pack rods have seen rapid advances in technology, and thanks to the Magnus manufacturing process they don't feel heavy to hold and bend naturally.
Although it is a four-piece rod, you can enjoy fishing with it as if it were a one-piece rod.
In fact, you might even forget that it's a pack rod when fishing.
We encourage you to try playing with the fish that are close to you with this rod, as we have created a rod that will take you back to the true joy of fishing.
