So far, I really like that it doesn't have a regular ring type guide at the base. Nothing to get bent, broken, or have to repair. The slip fit goes together nice, not loose, not sticky.

If this thing actually does catch bait it is well worth the money. I have not tried to catch anything yet but the following may be helpful. Take my measurements with a grain of salt.

The rod supposedly has a 7/16 inch hole. Sabiki hook sizes in the 22 pack assortment I ordered from Amazon, ranged in size and number of packets from two packs of fairly large, for Sabiki rigs, labeled 1/0. The other hooks, from larger to smaller, were 16, 12, 10, and 8. The assortment came with 8 number 16 and 8 number 8's,the smallest hook. The largest, 1/0, will efinitely NOT fit this pole if the hole size given is 7/16". The number 16 hooks seem to actually be 7/16 but my guess is they might not fit. The number 12 will probably fit. The 10 and the 8 most definitely will.
It seems like I read about a number 14 and this might be the largest that will fit well though I may actually eventually test the 16s.

Loading the things seemed to be a pain in the but but I found a fairly effective method. I got a long bamboo skewer like they sell to make shish kabobs for grilling with and, after mounting the reel on the disassembled rod, I scotch taped the end of the line to the end of the skewer and forced it through the hole. After pulling it through the handle part, I put it in the main part of the rod and just tapped it gently on the floor so that the skewer fell through dragging the line with it.

As I understand it, this rod should basically be used by dropping it down and jigging it up and down. I will try casting it but I see no real reason I would want to in the ocean or bay. You might want to in a pond or stream I guess but your tangles will probably be a treat with so many hooks to snag the bottom. I mounted a fairly high grade push button reel on it and see no reason it should not cast. I will attempt a cast by letting most of the hooks out so they will not snag inside the rod. This may be the problem if you just try to cast with just the sinker sticking out. At any rate, I am too vision impaired to untangle bird nests in casting reels. I used to be an ace at this but now I'm 70 and more of an ass.

As for baiting the individual hooks, I think it will be easier just to ladle down some chum or even lower a chicken leg down on a string. I have caught bait fish in crab traps on a piece of raw chicken.

I don't think Amazon lets you write follow up reviews so I will take people's words that these catch fish. They should. I have seen small fish in ponds attach Styrofoam flakes. Crushed up eggshells also attrack fish.

CAST TEST WITH BUTTON REEL: The morning, I enlisted the aid of my stepson and we went out into the street to test cast the Sabiki rod with a spincasting, push button reel. I used him to lift the sinker up when I reeled it back in to keep from dragging the hooks on the asphalt.

The reel I used was a Daiwa Silvercast spincast reel. The sinker was one ounce. I let a fair number of the hooks out of the rod's inner tube and cast it. The thing went a truly impressive distance. My stepson had to run two house down to pick the sinker up before I reeled him in so a spincast reel works just fine though trolling all those hooks in real water on the bottom might NOT work just fine. I plan to jig it up and down from a pier or bridge.

I would use a decent quality reel on the thing since some of those kiddy level button reels aren't worth doodle bug to begin with Good luck fishing.

I will be hauling this in an 8' rod carrier, with the addition of the weight at the end of the sabiki rig, it would fit too tight in my rod carrier, so i heated up the end, and cut it back an inch from the buttstock. wrapped some electric tape around the fiberglass and put the fittings back on. Now it will fit with the addition of the weight in my rod locker.

have not taken it out in the water but i have inspected it for defects as noted in other reviews here and I don't see any problem.

If I do not update this review you may assume I had no further issues down the line. -Sept 5, 2020

I got this for one of my grandsons he will get it Christmas

I love these. So much easier to manage Sabiki rigs. If you want something for catching bait fish. This really is the way to go.