Bass anglers' gear guide: Seeker Fishing Rod Company's Tommy Martin Signature Series and Paul Elias Signature Series

The designers at Seeker Fishing Rods worked with Bobby Feazel of  Shockwave Rods of Hemphill, Texas, and Tommy Martin of Hemphill, Texas, to create the Tommy Martin Signature Series of rods,  as well as additional models branded under the Paul Elias Signature Series.

Like Martin, Elias of Laurel, Mississippi, is a veteran and accomplished tournament angler on the Bassmaster and FLW circuits.

In this series, Seeker manufactures five casting rods constructed of a material called Super-Glass.

There are three crankbait models.  The first is a seven-foot, eleven-inch model for deep-diving crankbaits.  The second is a seven-foot, two inch model set up specifically for rattling baits, such as Bill Lewis Lures' Rat-L-Trap or Cotton Cordell's Super Spot. The third one is a seven-footer for wielding  squarebill crankbaits. The fourth one was designed for employing a spinnerbait or buzzbait, and it is six feet, nine inches long.  The fifth rod is a six-foot, eight-inches model designed from utilizing a jerkbait or topwater bait.

Besides to those five rods, there are two designed for casting and cranking Alabama rigs.  Seeker notes that these two rods are the only ones on the market to be endorsed by Andy Poss, the inventor of the Alabama Rig.  The first of the Alabama Rig rods is a seven-foot, six-inch model designed for Paul Elias. The second one is a seven-foot, 11-inch model for those anglers who prefer a slightly longer rod.  And the folks at Seeker say that ''the longer design has proven deadly for big-fish hunting.''  The Alabama Rig rod is build on a blank that is constructed out of a combination graphite/carbon tape and Super-Glass.

Super-Glass was developed for the United States military. Seeker refers to it as a "military-spec" material that is exceptionally lightweight. Martin describes his rods as being  "egg-shell thin" but incredibly durable, and they weigh only five ounces.  According to Feazel and Martin, the configuration of these Super-Glass rods creates what they call "a slow action," which allows a largemouth, smallmouth or spotted bass to readily engulf a  crankbait, spinnerbait, jerkbait or Alabama rig and that improves the hooking ratio.  In addition, they were designed to help anglers make long and accurate casts and alluring presentations.  Martin calls his rods "the best reaction-bait rods on the market."  At the same time,  they possess the wherewithal in the butt sections of the rod to manhandle scores of lunker-sized bass.  All of Tommy Martin and Paul Elias' Signature Series rods sport the latest innovation from Fuji guides, such as the BK-Series micro guides and a Kigan micro tiptop. The grip is made out of  EVA foam.

The suggested retail price of the squarebill crankbait and spinnerbait rods is $139. The price of the jerkbait, and rattling bait rods are $149, the deep crank rod is $159, and the Alabama-rig rod sells for $229.95.

Martin and Elias' rods are part of Seeker's ReactPRO  series.  For information about these rods, see http://www.seekerrods.com/fishing-rods-view/react-pro/