Foojin’RS Art Magic 90ML+

I never knew until we started developing this rod just how much consideration goes in to handle lengths and layouts at Apia. For comfort they have always been the best anyway, but the maths and technical understanding that goes in to deciding how long the grip on any rod will be is amazing. My initial request was that we added a few inches over the normal “Japan spec”. I know many anglers here question the shorter grips on many Japanese rods, so wanted something that would be more universally approved. I also wanted to add this little bit of length to bring a few more grams of weight in behind the reel seat. The positive knock-on effect of this is that it would also improve the rod balance. My initial requests were actually critiqued and compromised upon – which I was actually really happy about as we had some great conversations about the topic. We eventually settled on a grip that is actually the same length as the Foojin’RS Vivogue 96ML+. Given that the 90 is 6″ shorter, this was a lovely result and the finished rod feels every bit as good as I wanted it to be.

The put-in joint was actually Utsuki’s suggestion. I knew what we wanted to achieve with regards the rods action, power and feel, but hadn’t considered this option. We see it on some of the European Tenryu rods, and mostly on the long-tip, short butt models where the joint is by definition much closer to the handle. But it’s rarely seen on any of our “normal” two-piece bass rods. I love it – and what it achieves.

What the put-in joint does is allow for a bigger contrast of tip and butt power. It’s a smooth step thanks to the quality of the Apia blank, but it enables the 90 to be both precise in the tip and powerful in the butt – something not normally easy to do with lesser quality builds.

The 90 features all quality Fuji components, using SiC guides and stainless steel frames. There are two ways to go when building rods, and you see it done differently between brands. I had some tricky decisions to make with our guide sets…

In the £400 price-range (as we are here) you either have a high-spec blank or highest spec guides. Apia have always favoured blank quality and equipped many quality rods with exactly the guides and frames we are using. I had the option to build the AOF custom rods with titanium frames and even use the highest-spec Torzite inserts. However, retail price due to the increased guide spec would have pushed them well over £500 or even £600 and put the range out of reach of many. Given that I do not see this as our one-and-only custom rod for the future, I am very happy with the SiCs. It is the blank and build of this and all Apia rods that makes them so special. We still have scope for a balls-out highest spec model in future. This one though is plenty good enough for me.

In 2023 we had the pleasure of first experiencing the Foojin’RS Vivogue. That rod is so unique in action that it has admittedly provided a rough foundation for the Art Magic 90. Having felt the benefits of the rod’s design – especially the tip – we looked to do something similar in the tip section with the 90.

While the Art Magic is a different rod, I wanted a similar responsive-yet-light style. When out on the coast this tip works so well. Line tension is easy to judge (my own definition of “feeling”) and the elasticity combined with fast recovery makes pinging lures in to tight spots or along edges really easy.

At the bum end of the 90 I wanted something that would handle the UK’s changeable conditions. While the tip was the first consideration with designs, the power I wanted really comes from the butt.

Wind, swell, big fish, extra distance. There are loads of reasons why having a touch more power (without going overboard – I hate a stiff rod!) is a useful thing. Creating the extra power without compromising on the tip action was the challenge.

Luckily the Art Magic is a great success in this area. I know that the rod will tick the boxes of so many anglers looking for one rod to be as versatile as possible – especially those who fish a lot of soft plastics. Thanks to the way the power kicks in and how well the butt handles the pressure, the 36g rating is genuine. You can have as much faith blasting a 35g Seeker as you do in twitching an unweighted plastic. The tip is light but not soft. The butt is powerful but not stiff.