Slash Vision Blood rod review

What is the Slash Vision Blood?

The Slash Vision Blood range is a specialist fast actioned LRF rod from Japanese manufacturer Slash. It's blood red, hence the name, and looks and feels quite impressive.

All of the Slash Vision Blood rods are designed for casting very small lures in the 0.3-0.5g range. They're thin tipped and extremely sensitive, but they've also got a bit of backbone so they can easily handle bigger fish too.

I bought mine for tackling perch and trout and it's been fine for that. It casts wonderfully and even small fish put a nice bend in it. Larger ones instantly put a smile on your face. It's hard to go back to fishing with a heavier rod after catching a decent fish using LRF gear.

What sort of action does the rod have?

The Slash Vision Blood rods all have an "extra fast" action. The tip is fine and sensitive and has plenty of give in it, but the main section of the rod is quite stiff and has a surprising amount of backbone.

It's a lovely rod with which to fish, even after coming from the joyous parabolic action of my now snapped Savage Gear Troutizimo (now rebadged Parabellum UL).

Thin braid or light mono or fluorocarbon is required to get any good distance on your cast. I'm using 4lb Sunline Siglon main line most of the time, when after smaller fish, but use slightly heavier 8lb braid, when there's a risk of running into the odd larger fish.

What's the tip like?

The tip is solid, rather than tubular and very thin (maybe 1-1.5mm) and is fitted with tiny rings. It's really sensitive.

You can feel a great deal through it, but the fragility does scare me and I'm being extra careful not to knock it against anything, as I think it would be fairly easy to inadvertently snap the end off. It lets you cast a tiny lure quite a considerable distance.

How are the fittings?

The guides are beautiful. They're stainless Fuji K guides and are very small indeed and the spacing feels spot on.

The reel seat screws from the bottom up and the thread is concealed, so it's very comfortable to hold. The handle is made from black EVA which is cut away to give a more ergonomic grip and better bite detection through the blank.

The butt is a mix of cork and EVA, with a ring on the base for protection. On mine, the ring is loose and doesn't look like it will last, which is probably the only flaw in the rod. Personally I'd prefer full cork grips to EVA, which I find gets a bit grey and grubby in a short time. Cork, for me, feels a bit classier and longer lasting.

In what sizes does the Slash Vision Blood come?

There are three sizes available: a 6'8" 0.3-0.4g model, a 7.3" 0.3-0.4g model and a 7'9" 0.5-5g model. The smaller two are designed for lines of 2-4lb, while the largest is designed for 2-5lb line. I'm using the middle one - the 732SRF - which works great with 4lb line.

Model	Length	Weight	Line weight	Braid thickness
Slash Vision Blood 682SRF	6'8"	93g	2-4lb	0.2-0.5
Slash Vision Blood 732SRF	7'3"	100g	2-4lb	0.2-0.5
Slash Vision Blood 792SRF	6'8"	105g	2-5lb	0.3-0.6

Does it come with a bag?

Yes. The Slash Vision Blood comes with a rather garish red bag which has a couple of neoprene straps on it to keep everything together.

How much do they cost?

The Slash Vision Blood rods are kind of "mid-range" in terms of quality and pricing, but that's only because some Japanese LRF rods are the height of bling and tend to cost a few quid.

I picked up mine from the Art of Fishing for just over £110, but it looks and feels like it cost a lot more. It's a superb rod for spinning for trout. It casts lures for huge distances and has shedloads of backbone to fight strong fish. I love it.