New in the Catalog: September 2026

St. Croix rebuilt the Triumph line for 2027, Shimano Europe launched nine series, and Japan got a new herabuna pole family. Plus 607 older rods cataloged for the first time.

By A. Anders · Oct 11, 2026

This is the first of a monthly roundup of what entered the catalog. September added 766 rods from 18 brands. 159 of them are new models for 2026 or 2027. The other 607 are older models cataloged for the first time, mostly from a full pass over Nissin's Japanese lineup and ten tenkara and keiryu makers. The new models come first.

Rods added

766

New models

159

Brands

18

Series

148

United States: the 2027 Triumph

St. Croix accounts for 88 of the month's new models, all of them model year 2027 and all priced. The redesigned Triumph line spans five series: the core freshwater range from a 5'0" UL up to 7'6" MH, an inshore range, a salmon and steelhead range that runs to 13 feet and includes two centerpin float rods, and two travel series. Prices run from $115 for the shortest freshwater rod to $210 at the top of the inshore travel series.

Europe: nine Shimano series

Shimano's European launches add 39 rods across nine series. Five belong to the Bassterra XT+ A family, which splits by technique: LRF light game, eging, sea bass, power game and shore jigging. The rest are coarse and surf rods: two Aero feeder series from 10 to 14 feet, the Tribal TX-5B carp rods, and a 13'9" telescopic surf rod. Feeder and carp rods are usually rated by test curve or casting weight rather than a US power letter; the European rods guide explains how to read them.

Japan: a pole family, a full model change and some heavy plugging rods

The Japanese-market additions are smaller but more varied. Daiwa released Hijiri, twelve herabuna poles from 7 to 21 shaku, and Dragger EX, a three-rod shore plugging series that tops out at XXH. Tenryu released a new generation of Lunakia, seven rods from a 5'1" UL up. Shimano's Ocea Plugger Full Throttle added two offshore plugging rods, and Major Craft, Evergreen and Tailwalk each added rods to existing series.

Worth a look

Eight rods that stand out on paper, from the lightest rating of the month to the heaviest.

1. St. Croix 2027 Triumph 27TRS50ULMThe shortest and least expensive rod in the redesigned Triumph line: 5'0" one-piece UL, rated 1.8–7.1 g, $115.
2. Tenryu Lunakia LK512S-ULSThe lightest printed weight among the month's new models: 39 g for a 5'1" UL rated to 3 g.
3. Evergreen Superior SPRS-58SL-SThe lightest lure rating of the month: XUL, 0.1–5 g, for PE 0.1–0.3 line.
4. St. Croix Triumph Inshore Travel 27ITTS70MF3A three-piece 7'0" M inshore rod rated 10.6–21.3 g (3/8–3/4 oz), $205.
5. St. Croix Triumph Salmon & Steelhead 27TSHCP130MLM2A 13'0" centerpin float rod, one of only two among the month's new models. $195.
6. Daiwa Dragger EX 91XXHF-3The heaviest rating of the month: an XXH shore plugging rod for 60–280 g lures on PE 6–10, in three pieces.
7. Daiwa Hijiri 21The longest of Daiwa's new herabuna poles: 21 shaku (6.3 m) in six sections, 158 g.
8. Shimano Tribal TX-5B Carp 12' 3.25 lbShimano's European carp launch, rated by test curve rather than lure weight.

New to the catalog, not new to the market

Most of September's volume came from filling gaps. A full pass over Nissin's Japanese catalog added 524 rods across 116 series that an earlier parse had missed, bringing Nissin to 1,149 rods. They are mostly traditional Japanese rods and poles: iso (175), keiryu (72), ikada (37), tenkara (27), seiryu (21) and tanago (17) among them. That batch also holds the month's extremes: the shortest rod added was a 2'6" tanago rod and the longest was the 32'10" Ingram Rigid Arm.

Ten tenkara and keiryu makers were also onboarded, 83 rods in all, every one with a US price. 27 of them are zoom rods that fish at more than one length; the longest of the batch is Wasatch's 24'4" Open Waters.

How this list is made