Ask any fishing freak about the world’s best rods, and 9 times out of 10, they’ll foam over like a simmering saucepan, raving about exotic carbon fiber. Carbons’ light, responsive, and it’s infinitely variable in terms of size, shape, material properties, and strength. It gets all the credit these days. But carbon is like tomato sauce – there’s more to it than the tomatoes and where they were grown. It matters more how you make it and what you put it on.As lifelong anglers (and pasta) addicts, we’re experts at finding the ingredients to make carbon ideal for every venture we can envision. As such, we add a healthy dose of soul to our in-house 46 Ton Japanese Toray fiber recipe. Along with hand selected premium Portuguese 5A Cork in a split grip handle with an Evolve Soft Touch Seamless Reel Seat. To be clear, the Envy Black’s fiber is light enough and stiff enough to satisfy the most selective anglers. Not to mention the Fuji K Frame Guides with SIC inserts (Alconite with SIC tip on Cranking model). We’re not afraid to brag that our anglers have won a fair share of derbies. But these days, “light, strong, and stiff” is easy. What takes more thought and care is getting it to the perfectly tuned taper for technique specific application.