I bought one of these earlier this year after TW dropped the price from $350 to $150. After I got mine they dropped the price to $125. Timing is everything, ain't it?

I got the 6'10" ML XXF version with the titanium tip. The last 9 or 10 inches of the rod is titanium, not graphite.

First off, the rod is very, very light in weight. I've heard people say that the blank is the same as the Steez rods. Don't know about that. These rods were on the market well before the Steez. It says it's made with a SVF (super volume fiber) graphite, as are some of the Steez rods. I would speculate that this is an earlier version of this technology, and that the Steez rods are a refinement of that process. Who knows? I don't.Don't really care either.

I know this one is light and super sensitive. The grip and handle are comfortable, but just a bit on the small side for my hands. Not as bad as the Avid spinning rods I have. I don't even use those things anymore. The grip is just too small. The Cielo grip is better, for me. The back of the reel seat, where the palm hits the handle, is cork covered. Much better than the open style. The cork is very good. Smooth with no pitting in evidence.

It has SiC guides and an odd finish that appears to change color depending on how the light hits it. Kind of neat, but not truly significant.

The tip is strange. Solid titanium, fused to the graphite blank. The transition from titanium to graphite as the rods flexes is seamless. I can't feel it, and I can see no kink in the curve when the rod is being loaded or unloaded.

I wonder how may they broke during R&D, trying to get the transition right? Probably a bunch of "em, but they did get it right. It is seamless.

The tip is the softest I've ever seen on a rod. I have a 3wt fly rod that has a stiffer tip that this thing. It takes some getting used to. I've bent it almost in a circle.

I think that if I weren't worried about damaging some guide wraps, I could almost tie the tip section in a knot.

This unique tip bonded to the SVF blank makes for a very odd rod. The tip transitions into a fairly stiff graphite mid-section, with surprising backbone for a rod this light. So, what's it good for? I have a Pfleuger Supreme 8030 reel mounted on this rod. 6lb test mono on one spool and #8 on the other. I mostly use the #6.

I made two trips this to the White River, fishing for native browns, cutthroats and stocker rainbow. We went with top guide Tim 'Hotdawg" Curtis. If you want a truly outstanding guided experience, Hotdawg is da man.

The fishing is easy. We run upstream, stop, wait until Tim gets the boat positioned and drifting right, then cast out to the side of the boat. Using a three-way rig with dropper weight and a "carpet" fly, we drift the bait along the bottom.

Trout are light biters. The super fast tip on this rod allows the fish to take the bait without feeling the fisherman on the other end of the line. Once I got used to the feel of it, I missed very few fish. The Cielo is the perfect rod for this application.

I also use this rod for wacky jigging. I use a Gamakatsu wacky jig, 1/32oz and 1/16oz sizes with a variety a small plastics. Zoom finesse worms, GYCB shad shaped worms, centipedes, flukes, etc.

The rod is pretty good for this app. Casting is weird. The super fast, very soft tip takes some getting used to. But once I got past the idea that I was over-powering the rod, I relaxed and forgot about it. It does take a little different stroke to be accurate, but that's an easy adjustment to make.

I've tried a few other apps with this rod, but I have a setup I like better for tubes. I have another setup I like better for flukes. Ditto shakey heads.

Now the drop-shot. That's what this rod is supposed to be for. It is a sweet drop-shot rod. Once again, the tip makes it easy to see, and feel the bite before the fish knows you're there. It also makes it easy to impart a very subtle action to the bait. If light line, small light wire hooks, small baits and light weights are your idea of a drop-shot rig; this is your rod.

I tried an upsized drop-shot rig, with 3/0 hook, power worm, 1/2oz weight and 10lb test once. All the advantages of the titanium tip were lost using heavier gear. This ain't the rod for that.

So, what I got was a very nice, very light, super sensitive rod, of limited application.

These disappeared fairly quickly once they went on sale. I'm going to guess that a lot of folks bought these rods thinking they just might get an excellent all around finesse stick. And, it just ain't that.

I'm betting we're going to start seeing these up for sale soon as people discover that.

If you see one in the flea market, and you need a light weight drop-shot or drift rod, jump on it. Other wise, I'd suggest passing on one.

Cheers,

GK

An excellent review , thank you.

Great review.

Thanks.

Great review. I just purchased a Cielo 6'6" MH casting rod without the titanium tip and it is incredibly light and sensitive. Also has the backbone to pull fish out of heavy cover, I am very satisfied with it. I also bought it from TW for $120. And to answer your question about the blank, it is not the same blank as the Steez. I talked to a Daiwa rep and he said that the technology used to build the blanks are the same, but the Steez has higher quality graphite.