Technique specific reels are new. Most reels are built to serve the multitudes and they have to be versatile to do that. Some have higher gear ratios for burning a spinnerbait, some have super sophisticated drag systems and others have features bulit in to be used for various techniques.
Ardent got the best flipper and pitcher in the business in Denny Brauer and wanted to build the best and most durable reel for anglers who flip and pitch and they got it with the new Denny Brauer Signature Series F700 Flip-N-Pitch reel.
This reel is not for pansies. Its not for super long casts. Its designed for flipping and pitching and rest assured if it has Denny’s name on it it has to be durable and do what it says. You can take it to the bank.
“Ardent is fanatical about making things perfect. With the F700 they wanted to take it to the next level. The first thing we did was add a flipping switch. Its out of the road and it works well. There is a perfect amount of tension on it as well that makes it so its no inadvertantly turned on or off. We also added high quality ball bearings. Its much more than cosmetics. This is the best perfoming pitching reel on the market. This is a true winch system and its a finesse system too. You can pitch lighter lures further too. Just think about how much line you can save” said Brauer
He added “I have been through 4 stages. Believe it or not the first stage was super and would have been okay for a majority of the companies but Ardent was not satisfied and made it better. You can cast it fine too. Every reel that Ardent makes is of superior quality.”
Our Tests
We took the F700 out of the box and as we always do we read everything in the box. There is a schematic of every part, there is a card that highlights the background, drag and spooling instructions and of course there is a warranty card. The Ardent Denny Brauer Signature Series F700 has a 3 year warranty.
We took it out of the plastic and held it to see the balance and weight of the reel. It fits most peoples hands well as its a low profile reel and the cosmetics are “branded Denny Brauer”. At first glance it is easy to see that its American made as the blue case is complimented with red, white and blue graphics. The oversized handle shouts power and with no drag system to work with it also shouts simplicity. The less the angler has to fool with the better. How many times have anglers lost fish because the drag was too tight or too loose. No questions here as the drag is set at the factory at 22 pounds of permalock drag. That is plenty of torque to horse any mule out of heavy cover without much slippage. The slippage that does occur is at a perfect level and not too tight to break the reel. As with all of the Ardent products this reel is extra smooth. Just spinning the reel handle tells you it is one precision piece of gear. The F700 does have a cast control knob that allows the weekender or the pro to set the casting control and to fine tune the cast to meet the conditions and anglers preference.
We used this reel with 65 pound Berkley Stealth braid, on a Fenwick Elite Tech rod teamed with a Tru-Tungsten Denny Brauer flipping weight(1/2 ounce), a Reaction Innovations and Youvella 5/0 Keeper Style Hook and a Gene Larew Biffle Bug and a Gene Larew Mega Ring Tube.
The reel worked flawlessly. No backlashes, no overwhines and we were able to flip the bait 25-30 yards and work close in equally well. We really liked the feel of the reel in our hands and the handle is perfect. Its heavy enough not to bend and the paddles are smooth and have an excellent grip system.
The reel engages quickly and has a very sturdy feel on the hook set. We believe that you actually get more torque on the fish than with the other reels we have used. They are much cleaner hook sets, almost like you have a direct line to the fish without any slippage found on other reels even with the drag system cranked down.
We were fishing wood and grass mats and with only 30 yards of line one might think it would not cast well but we were able to cast the F700 when we needed without reservation.
The Inside Scoop
We normally have two rods ready for pitching and it was tough to put this one down to go to the old sytle when we switched baits.
The reel began shipping September 15 and retails for around $199.99.
This is a great reel and every flipper and pitcher should own a couple of them.
As with all Ardent products they are Made in the USA.
If its got Denny Brauer’s name on it it has to be good.
