Serpent Rising
Japanese-market Whiplash Factory rods — the Serpent Rising lineup.
- Models
- 15
- Market
- Japan
- Length
- 6.6'–7.9'
- Type
- Casting / Spinning
Serpent Rising is Whiplash Factory's snakehead line, and the brand divides it into three generations. The original was a glass composite built to wring out heavy power. The second, Retribution, kept that toughness while concentrating on lighter weight and more sharpness, built around a mid-modulus graphite core chosen for its mix of crispness and give; the company notes that single models sometimes absorbed more than a full season of field testing. The third, Obsidianus, takes its name from obsidian rendered into Latin, and is blacker and plainer than either predecessor.
Whiplash is candid that the gap between the second and third generations is much smaller than the one before it: a more tightly drawn blank, a little more sharpness, better balance in use, small changes to taper design, guide setting, and the shape and length of the end grip. Blanks are a composite of mid- and high-modulus carbon. The stated intent was not to rebuild what already worked but to leave the good parts alone and let the differences be felt in the hand.
The line is positioned as the hardcore option in its category rather than the standard one. Within the third generation the ZSR607RXR2 Hellbound stands out as an unusual irregular two-piece.
Shaded band: the spread of the lineup's 15 models, as percentile rank among same-type rods. Solid line = series median · dashed ring = catalog median.
Deeper Dive
A closer look at notable models.
A 6'7" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Obsidianus models.
A 6'7" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Obsidianus models.
A 6'9" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution models.
A 7'1" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Obsidianus models.
A 7'1" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution models.
A 7'3" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution Task Force models.
A 7'3" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution Task Force models.
A 7'3" spinning rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution Task Force models.
A 7'3" spinning rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution Task Force models.
A 7'5" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Obsidianus models.
A 7'5" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution models.
A 7'7" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Obsidianus models.
A 7'7" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution models.
A 7'7" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution models.
A 7'11" casting rod from Whiplash Factory's Serpent Rising lineup, Retribution models.
Rods in this series
| Save | Model | Length | Power | Price | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obsidianus 5 models Third generation — blacker and plainer, on a tighter mid- and high-modulus carbon blank. | |||||||
| ZSR607RXR2 | 6'7" | — | — | ||||
| ZSR607RXR2-TF | 6'7" | — | — | ||||
| ZSR701FSXR | 7'1" | — | — | ||||
| ZSR705SXR | 7'5" | — | — | ||||
| ZSR707LSXR | 7'7" | — | — | ||||
| Retribution 6 models Second generation — the original's toughness with lighter weight and more sharpness. | |||||||
| XSR609EX | 6'9" | — | — | ||||
| XSR701GX | 7'1" | — | — | ||||
| XSR705SX-R | 7'5" | — | — | ||||
| XSR707LSX | 7'7" | — | — | ||||
| XSR707ZX | 7'7" | XXH | — | ||||
| XSR711XX | 7'11" | XH | — | ||||
| Retribution Task Force 4 models Specialised snakehead models, including the BOUNDLESS large-guide variants intended for shock leaders over 100 lb. | |||||||
| XSR703GX-TF | 7'3" | — | — | ||||
| XSR703GX-TF bds | 7'3" | — | — | ||||
| XSR703GX-TFS bds | 7'3" | — | — | ||||
| XSR703JX-TFS bds | 7'3" | — | — | ||||