HPFC Hall of Fame: iRod Magic Stick
[We started this series in June of 2024 with the AFTCO Tactical Shorts, and I’ve wanted to be careful about adding to it judiciously and sparingly. The only products that should make the cut are those that we gladly purchase with our hard-earned money and that have lasted a long time without failure. This next one clearly fits those qualifications.]
Unlike many other rod companies, I have no direct connections to west coast manufacturer iRod. I think I may have met founder/owner Matt Newman at ICAST around 2007 through my friend Tom Leogrande, but that’s about it. I didn’t even fish one until 2013, when Forrest Wood Cup champ Kevin Hawk joined us at Anglers Inn Lake El Salto and brought a tube full of them. I tried them out and was impressed, but the bite was so good that week that it was the fishing itself that was foremost on my mind.
Then a friend recommended what was then known as “Fred’s Magic Stick” (now just the Magic Stick), a 7’4” heavy action rod from the company’s Genesis series. I’ve paid full price (well, slightly less since I try to purchase only during a Tackle Warehouse sale) for three of them, and should probably buy some more. It’s quite possibly the single model of rod that I use for more casts in the course of a year than any other.
What is the Magic Stick good for?
The Magic Stick (Model IRG-754F) was originally designed as a frog rod. It’s 7’5” and rated for ½ to 2 ounce lures and 50-70 pound test braided line. You can certainly use it for frogs, but I have other rods I prefer for that task – I generally like a little less flex in the tip. The closest that it comes for me is I occasionally use it when I want to make extra-long casts with toad-style lures.
Despite that shortcoming (you may still love it for frogging), it’s perhaps the best moving baits lure that I’ve ever found – incredibly versatile, powerful, with just the right amount of flex so that I don’t pull the lure away from a striking fish, yet also a ton of backbone. I’ve used it with spinnerbaits from 3/16 ounce all the way up to a full ounce. It’s my primary rod for ¼ ounce swim jigs, too, and despite the lure ratings I can still cast them extreme distances and feel every move they make and every piece of cover that they tick. It’s also become one of my two primary Chatterbait rods (the other is a Shimano Expride) as well as a favorite buzzbait stick. I suppose it could be good for a lipless crankbait, too, although it’s a little bit longer than I prefer for that task.
I fish out of my own boat most of the time, so if I wanted to carry a dozen of these rods I could, but if you’re a co-angler who is limited on how much tackle you can bring it’s a great choice because it does multiple things very well and can do several others fairly well in a pinch.
There’s something about the rod’s action that suits me well for moving baits, and I also find their EVA handles and reel seat to be extremely comfortable. At various times I’ve paired them with reels from Lew’s, Daiwa, Shimano and Abu-Garcia and I’ve never had any slippage on the hookset or during the fight. I’ve used both braided line and fluorocarbon on those reels, and the Fuji Alconite guides are no worse for wear. While my originals are still as good as new, I may end up ordering a few more just in case the company changes some aspect of the rod for the worse – I have no expectation that they’ll do so, but the fishing industry if full of examples of such issues.
What are the Magic Stick’s best features?
I hate writing these next few sentences, because they all sound like humblebrags, but they’re true. First, I have over a hundred fishing rods, some of which retail for over $500, and many of which cost well over $200. Second, I get a fair number of rods at substantial discounts or even free each year. Accordingly, I hope that the fact that I’ve paid retail for all of my iRod products speaks volumes. So too should the fact that I have one on my deck virtually every time I launch the boat. Here are three more things that help me recommend them:
Durability – I’ve never had to alter, repair or retire a single iRod product. I’ve put these Magic Sticks through the wringer, poking them into stumps to free lures, bouncing through rough water, and perhaps stepping on one or two on the deck. I also have a couple of their cranking rods in Mexico, where they get even worse treatment slapping the aluminum boats, and they’ve all survived.
Versatility – As noted above, for me the Magic Stick is several rods in one, able to admirably handle various lure classes in a wide variety of weights. It just loads up right on the cast and under the pressure of a fish, and is sensitive without being too stiff.
Budget Friendly – Right now the Genesis III Series (at least one of my Magic Sticks came from a previous generation), retail for $149.99 at Tackle Warehouse. At many times throughout the year you can get them for 10-20% off that price. While there are numerous sub-$100 rods that I like, there are none that I like this much, and there are many rods that cost two or three times as much that I like far less.
Other iRod Products we Use
After fishing with Kevin Hawk in Mexico, I obtained a 6’10” medium light spinning rod from iRod’s Air Series which I still use for dropshotting and Ned Rigs.
I also own their Genesis 7’6” light flipping stick for pitching jigs and fishing Texas Rigs. When it’s time to restock my Mexican rod supply I’ll probably buy another of the latter for down there.
When Hanna needed a dedicated cranking stick for lures like the 6XD and 10XD in Mexico, I bought her a 7’11” Genesis Crank Launcher. She’s since caught hundreds of fish on it. In fact, it performed so well, that when my substantially more expensive cranking stick from another brand suffered a broken tip, I replaced it with a Crank Launcher of my own. The only reason it doesn’t merit “Hall of Fame” status is because we keep them in a rod tube in Mexico and only use them a week or two out of the year.
