Duckett Rods was formed in 2009 by Boyd Duckett, a former professional bass fisherman after he broke with a former sponsor of his, Carrot Stix Rods, owned by Canadian company E21. After this split, Boyd had to take a long, hard look at where he wanted to go from there, and he decided that he should use his 30 years of fishing expertise, along with the influence and business experience that he had gained over time, to create his own rod company.
And so Duckett Rods was born. And Duckett, along with master rodbuilder Ken Whiting, began to hatch a plan not just to create a new line of rods, but to revolutionize western rodbuilding technology by bringing Microguide technology into the mainstream.
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Microguides
Microguides are exactly what they sound like. Instead of the standard guides found on most rods that range from 12-6mm, larger at the bottom and tapering towards the tip, microguides are much smaller, and are a consistent size, usually around 4mm in diameter.
Microguides have a number of advantages compared to traditional guides. First, there is an overall weight reduction - smaller guides require less material to make and install, and add less weight to the rods overall. In some cases, this is up to a half ounce of weight savings.
Weight savings
That may not sound like much, but when you think of how often you have to cast your rod, and the pound-for-pound energy savings, it all adds up to less work for a longer, smoother cast.
These weight savings also mean that, if desired, the additional weight can be channeled into other parts of the rod, such as a more robust rod blank or handle, while still maintaining the desired weight and balance.
These weight savings also mean that you can have more guides on your rod, and still maintain a lower weight. This leads to smoother casting, fewer tangles, and better accuracy with less angler fatigue.
This technology wasn’t exactly new - custom rod builders and Japanese and some European anglers had been using it for quite some time, but no rod builder had yet made this technology commonplace on inexpensive, mainstream rods.
That’s what Boyd Duckett set out to do, and that's what Duckett rods has done. Their flagship rod model, the MicroMagic, was the first widespread, commercially manufactured rod that employed microguide technology, and the results speak for themselves.
Check out some of Duckett Rod’s offerings below, and see for yourself.
1. Duckett Fishing MicroMagic
The Duckett Fishing Micro Magic ProCast is Duckett’s flagship product. This rod, seen here in a medium-heavy action, utilizes proprietary 0.7mm Artus high gauge 316ss ring lock guides along with heavy duty hyper-lite braid proof inserts to create a microguide rod that casts smoothly, for increased distance with less effort.
This microgauge technology also offers superior line control, as the small guides straighten the line automatically during the cast, after exiting the first guide. This straightened line virtually eliminates inconveniences such as wind knots, and increases line speed, as all of your power on your cast is directed right to the tip of the line, without the side-to-side motion that causes power loss on other rods.
The same microguide technology allows for a sturdy and durable, yet delicately balanced rod that can provide incredible sensitivity with enough backbone to take on heavy fish.
Fuji reel seats pair with cork grips to allow for a sensitive, easy-to-grasp rod that provides all day comfort, making this rod ideal for extended sessions.
What You Should Consider:
Duckett makes plenty of traditional casting rods as well, but if you’re looking for the true Duckett experience, you’ve got to try a MicroMagic. There’s a reason it’s their flagship product, and the one that they are the proudest of. Classic styling with modern technology creates an entirely unique fishing experience, and you won’t want to miss it.
2. Duckett Ghost - Medium Action
This Duckett Ghost is a medium-action, lightweight casting rod. The Ghost series was created by Duckett as a way to create a low price, traditionally guided rod, yet maintain the high-quality design standards and lessons that Duckett learned while creating its other rods, such as the MicroMagic series.
Made from the same Sensi-Touch™ blanks - high quality, multi-modulus pre-preg fiberglass blanks that are both lightweight and durable - and crafted with the proprietary Halo-Sanded™ technique to reduce weight and maintain durability and sensitivity, The Ghost packs tons of high quality features into a low price offering sure to satisfy traditional casting anglers.
A true split reel seat allows for blank-to-hand vibration transmission, increasing sensitivity and giving a great linefeel, while the design of the rod separates the tip and backbone, allowing both plenty of flex, casting distance, and control.
Coming standard with a EVA comfort grip that’s both high impact and cut resistant, the Ghost is a great rod for anyone looking for a fiberglass casting rod that’s both high quality and inexpensive.
3. Duckett Ghost - Extra-Fast Action
This is the same Ghost rod featured above and maintains all of that rod’s features and capabilities, but this version is designed with durability and size in mind.
This 7’ 6” rod is extra heavy, and incorporates an extra-fast action, yet retains its lightweight and sensitive qualities, making it an excellent choice if you want an inexpensive rod that can take on big fish, such as in very large lakes and rivers.
4. Duckett Terex
The Terex line is another one of Duckett Rod’s traditional offerings that do not incorporate their proprietary micro guides. Instead, Duckett teamed up with Dean Rojas, another professional bassmaster and angler, to create what they call “The perfect set of conventional guided rods.”
These rods incorporate the same design structure and methodologies as Duckett Rod’s flagship MicroMagic line, along with design input and input from Dean Rojas’s personal expertise.
The result is a high-quality rod crafted to perfection with a strong fiberglass blank, a carbon fiber scrim for greater durability and weight reduction, comfort-grip Fuji reel seats, and a AAA-rated cork grip that is comfortable and lightweight, along with an EVA comfort grip butt for great durability.
This rod incorporates the same tapers, power, and actions from the MicroMagic series, and its unique two stage slope frame decreases line tangles, while its 316SS industrial grade guides allow for superior strength and tremendous corrosion resistance, and the reverse deep drawn frame is built specifically to protect the ceramic ring of this rod to increase impact resistance. All of these features together ensure a long life for this top-notch rod.
What You Should Consider:
If you want to experience a top notch rod from Duckett, but are either disinterested or skeptical about the performance benefits that the MicroMagic line claims to have, this is a perfect rod for you. Traditional design meets modern technology created a wonderful casting experience, and an extremely comfortable and durable rod.
5. Duckett Inshore
Duckett isn’t just focused on freshwater fishing. In fact, after observing, consulting, and traveling with some of the best coast-to-coast inshore fishermen in the country, Duckett Rods developed the Inshore series - a top-quality casting rod developed specifically for saltwater shorefishing.
These rods are crafted with Duckett’s quality fiberglass blanks, and incorporate a low-res carbon combination built to reduce weight, increase strength, and help these rods endure the stress of inshore fishing while still providing an excellent casting experience.
The thread wraps are triple-coated to help prevent saltwater corrosion, and the proprietary carbon reel seat has a titanium coated hood to help protect it from the elements.
And the guides are plasma ion coated with Zirconia inserts, which create a combination that is both incredibly strong and very salt water resistant, ensuring a long life for this rod. Titanium plated tips finish off this rod’s feature set, giving it tons of strength and added anti-corrosion capabilities.
What You Should Consider:
Using the rod itself is also a pleasure - it incorporates a true parabolic bend which gives you lightweight presentations while not sacrificing power, and it is crafted with a durable, comfortable cork grip that’s lightweight and sizeable, giving you all of the power and control you need.
Conclusion
Duckett rods is certainly a company to keep an eye on. Their pioneering work on microguide manufacturing is only the beginning, and they’re sure to keep on innovating, with Boyd Duckett constantly seeking out other fishing luminaries and experts to help him design the next big thing.
That’s a bonus of being one of the best bass fishermen in the world - Boyd’s always got experts and friends he can talk to, to help him get a feel for the market, professional world, and state of the industry, and his business savvy means he’s quick to innovate and quick to change, unlike many other rod manufacturers working today.
And if their history is any indicator, we wouldn’t be surprised if Duckett is the company responsible for the next big rod breakthrough. Their reputation for quality, innovation, and respect for traditional techniques means they’re both great innovators and have an in-depth knowledge of the history of fishing, allowing them to keep their feet firmly on the ground while still keeping their head in the clouds, looking for the next innovation in casting rods.
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I need to speak with someone about 6 white ice rods that I own. The reels pop out of the rods when I set the hook to hard on fish. I have tightened these things down as tight as they will go without using pliers. I still have the same issue. Please give me some insight into why tis is happening as I have never had this problem with any other rod manufacturer.
What kind of rods and reels are they? Perhaps the reels are too small for the rods.