It's a guy thing. We love tools and gadgets and gizmos. When it comes to fishing, I think the enjoyment from tinkering with the tools of the trade and gearing up for a trip is as much fun as an actual catch. In recent years I have transformed into an obsessive saltwater fisherman. Included in this transformation was the incorporation of kayak fishing as my primary angling method. As a kayak fisherman, rods and reels top the list of my most essential gear. That's why I'm excited to have recently discovered the Castaway Skeleton and Go2 series of rods. Not only tough and responsive, the Castaways are affordable as well. And the light weight extends my casting endurance through a long day of kayak fishing.

The Skeleton series rods get their name from the split grip design they incorporate. Skeleton rods are indeed performance rods, engineered to be light-weight, durable and efficient. To be honest, the split grip design is something I initially avoided in the marketplace. Those funny looking things were just "silly". Boy was I wrong.

Think about it, how often do you ever really touch the part of your handle a few inches below the reel and above the butt? Castaway wanted as little weight in the rod as possible, so they eliminated unnecessary cladding on the butt as well as disposing of any foregrip. Castaway rods are all-graphite, with a triple-UV and extra guide coating. They use Fuji reel seats and guides, including Titanium Fuji Guides on their higher-end models.

Another great feature of all Castaway rods is the exposed reel seat. This isn't a new concept but Castaway takes it a step further with their patent pending design. Rather than just a single finger laying across the exposed rod like on other brands, Castaway's exposed reel seats allow you to lay several fingers across the exposed rod, providing tremendous sensitivity and feel. Using these rods has helped me dial in my awareness of structure and feeling the bottom I am dragging my lure over. When the bite is only a small tap it becomes more noticeable, which helps me land more fish.

Castaway Skeleton Series casting rods come in lengths ranging from 6'5" up to 7'6" in a variety of actions and power, making available a rod for most fishing applications. The Go2 rods feature the same graphite blanks and Fuji hardware, but employ a conventional grip design, and are priced even more affordably.

My current adventures mostly consist of chasing speckled trout and redfish along the Texas coast. The magic number for rods on my kayak is three. Carrying only three rods I'm not "caged in" by them while trying to shuffle around the kayak for various reasons. At the same time I have enough variety to mix up my presentation while fishing. I might have one rod set up with a top water lure and another with a soft plastic. I can quickly switch from one to the other when needed. The three rods I use while redfishing on my kayak are a 7'6" Go2 medium heavy, a 7' Skeleton medium, and the 7' Skeleton medium light.

Based outside of Houston, Texas, Castaway Rods is a growing competitor in the rod-manufacturing marketplace. Check the Castaway website to see their full line-up and use their handy rod-finder app to assist in proper selection. Castaways include a five-year replacement, and lifetime repair warranties for most of their rods.

http://www.castawayrods.com

Cade Simpson:  Born into a family of outdoorsman, I have been fishing most of my life. Now at 26, I have spent the past couple of years developing a knack for kayak angling. In 2011 I began writing for Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine. My column is titled Cade's Coastal Chronicles in which I travel the Texas coast learning the ins and outs of fishing the coastal water systems. Just recently I have taken to tournament fishing. In the first ever tournament of Texas' Lonestar Kayak Series, I placed 10th out of over 60 competitors. My favorite species is Red Drum aka Redfish. You can follow me in my adventures on Facebook as well as on YouTube under the title "Casting With Cade".