Head of the Clan… Pflueger has been in the tackle business longer than any of us have been around. While the ownership of the company has changed over the years, one thing has remained constant: you get value when you buy Pflueger.
That is certainly the case with the new Patriarch XT. It was released about Christmas time, which made it kind of timely if you believed in Santa Claus and dropped enough hints around the household. If that failed and you’re still looking for a new baitcaster, the Patriarch XT may be it.
This is a low-profile reel that is remarkably strong given its light weight. It tips the scales at 5.8 ounces—making it one of the lightest, if not the lightest, baitcaster around that can hold enough line for a big winter-run and has the drag to put the brakes on a chinook.
In fact, pick this reel up and the weight is the first thing you will notice: it seems that a feather might be heavier. Certainly, the XT is a half-ounce lighter than its predecessor, the Patriarch Low Profile. The XT would be an excellent complement to one of the new high-modulus graphite rods.
The weight loss wasn’t done through diet, but rather it was done through engineering and the use of C45 carbon. The use of that carbon fiber is evident in the handle. Not only is the arm of the handle made of graphite fiber (with cutouts to further reduce weight), but also, the EVA foam knobs have ports in them as well being fitted over a carbon-fiber core.
Another example is the carbon reel foot that has a trimmed center portion to get rid of unnecessary fiber.
That doesn’t mean this reel is wimpy—look to the comments about stopping a chinook in its tracks. The drag on this reel is rated at 20 pounds, which is pretty much lock-down mode for most fish. I’ve yet to hook a fish that would test this on this reel, but I can say that the drag is smooth through all the range I’ve tested it.
The frame and spool are both of aircraft-grade aluminum, as is the gear system. The spool, of course, is ported to reduce weight even further.
Other features worth noting include Pflueger’s Ultimate Brake System, with a centrifugal brake to control the first half of the cast and a magnetic brake to control the last half.
The magnetic brakes are adjustable on the fly using the cam-lock opening of the left side plate. For those who have problems dropping things at inopportune moments, the side plate remains attached to the reel, a feature I’m in favor of—not that I will admit to dropping a side plate over the side of the boat in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, mind you.
While I’ve not had the reel long enough to test its durability, I do think the Patriarch XT heralds good things to come from Pflueger.
For more information, go to: www.pfluegerfishing.com