Shimano Poison Adrena Review by FishingMad. In Australia, the Poison Adrena is one of Shimono’s flagship JDM rods. I’ve used these rods extensively and will detail their specs, cost, features, best features and areas for improvement. With plenty of on-water usage, these details will hopefully help you with your rod-buying choices. Please note a detailed 40-minute video review of the Shimano Poison Adrena rod can be found in the FishingMad Members area “Tackle Talk section”.
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Shimano Poison Adrena specs
The Shimano Poison Adrena rods have the following options and specs available. Please note that we are aware of a refresh of these rod series coming in Q3 2024. It is understood there will be a more extensive range of models to choose from and welcome improvements. We will keep our eyes on this and detail that when the rods are readily available. The current model however has
- 6 models in the series consisting of 3 Spin and 3 baitcasting. Covering UL, ML, and H.
- The rods feature Shimano’s Spiral X Core wrapping.
- Fuji K SIC guides.
- Full carbon hollow monocoque butt section
- Ci4+ reel seat
What we like about the Shimano Poison Adrena
There is a lot that I like about the Poison Adrena Rod series. They’re stylish, powerful, and perform well. This does seem like a continued love affair that Shimano has for hollow butt section rods with many rod series by Shimano in recent times incorporating this technology. We have seen it already with the Zodias, T-Curve Premiums, Ex-Prides, Dialuna and now the Poison Adrenas too. However, the Poison Adrenas and the Exprides really excel with the hollow butt section which completely matches the rod style and performance. The Zodias and T-Cure premium series resembles a hybrid with a complex mix of EVA, cork, and plastic which can be confusing when you hold it. Plus the finishings on those rods can come across as a little clumsy and uncomfortable. However, The Poison Adrena has a full carbon monocoque hollow butt section all the way to the reel seat, it looks stylish and feels good when fishing. By removing EVA which is commonly used it’s less weight and more sensitivity and you really do feel those bites and inquiries all the way through the rod blank.
The spiral X-core wrapping is excellent. This is where carbon tape wrapping is applied with Toray Nonoalloy making the rod feel rigid, strong, and solid. I have caught many fish way above its weight class, and it handled with ease. well. When battling big fish that go on large runs or even sideways runs the blank stays straight and stiff. The guides and size of the guides are excellent, we’re seeing a mass take-up of micro guides on the market ( don’t get me wrong I love micro guides ) however the guides feel like they match the rod perfectly.
The rod is very light ( the slightest a mere 85 grams and the heaviest at 115 grams ) and pairs perfectly with Shimono’s high-end 2500 spin reels like Stella, Twin Power, Sustain, and even Vanford. I typically used mine with a Stalla FK, Twin Power FD, and Metanium. The action on these rods is excellent. The rod tip is stiff, with a little flex and sensitivity, and because of this, they handle soft plastics and lures well. They have excellent casting distance for rods that are a tad shorter in length than what we are used to on the Australian market. The bait cast options really have hit the mark in terms of size and weight class for our local bass and estuary perch fishing.
Watch this vid as we tangle with some very sizable trevally using the Poison Adrena whilst breaking in a new Hobie Lynx
The rods and reels used in my testing
- 267ML Spin 4-8lb | Shimano Twin Power 2500 ( target trout, redfin, snapper, flathead, trevally & Aust salmon )
- 268UL Spin 2.5-5lb | Stella 1000 ( target bream, bass & estuary perch )
- 2611MHA Spin 6-12lb | Sustain 3000 ( target snapper & mulloway )
- 166M Baitcast 8-16lb | Metanuim 150 ( target bass, estuary perch, redfin & yellowbelly )
- 1610MH2 Baitcast 10-20lb | Curado DC 200 ( target yellowbelly & Murray Cod )
What could be improved with the Shimano Poison Adrena?
The marketing of the Poison Adrena rods is a tad confusing. These rods are marketed as estuary and freshwater rods however the PADRN267ML makes an outstanding fishing rod for inshore waters targeting species like flathead, pinkie snapper, king George whiting, salmon, and trevally. Even though these rods are marketed for estuary and freshwater fishing the images shown on their website have the rod paired with a Twin power XD one of Shimano’s saltwater reels with saltwater proofing technology. Little things like this can be distracting to a local audience and perhaps if these rods were marketed differently the take-up and potential audience would be much greater. Again, I can’t stress enough the 26ML rod is an outstanding rod for kayaks and small boats in inshore waters as well as standard estuary and freshwater fishing applications.
The hollow but section provides increased sensitivity and looks very stylish however at times they are not the most durable. In my extensive time using the Zodias, T-Curve Prem, and Poison Adrena I slowly started to notice scratches and missing paint marks when placing the rods in rod holders and when in transit. Comfort is very much a personal preference some may prefer the full carbon monocoque hollow butt as the grip whilst others may prefer the comfort of cork incorporated like the ExPrides or the more expensive NRX+ rods which feel very comfortable in the hand. It would also be nice to see a basic hook keeper as many rods these days that sell for $500+ include an incorporated rod keeper.
These are quite minor areas of improvement for what is a very nice rod series and as suggested in our opening paragraph we know a refresh is coming in 2024, so hopefully we will see the rod range extended to cover more fishing applications and more sizes that truly match our local fishing systems and species. I believe there will be some positive updates coming available to us in the 2nd half of 2024 ( we really look forward to that ). especially considering in Australia we don’t get the Poison Ultima and Posion Glorious that other markets do.
Shimano Poision Adrena Cost
These rods’ current RRP value is $625 however many retailers are selling them online for $479. At the price point, they are competing with some stiff competition including rod series from Millerods, Samurai and high-end Daiwa gear such as Steez and Battlers. These rods do however hold their own and provide a unique take that’s stylish, lightweight and sensitive.
Shimano poison Adrena Overview
I really do like these rods, they are stylish, have high-quality components, and perform well. The issues I have with these rods have nothing to do with the hardware components, style or action but more than the marketing, sizes and weigh classes could have been taken further to truly match our local waters and species. I like shorter-length rods however it feels like they’re missing some basic sizes for a spin rod the most obvious would be a 1-3kg around 6″10 and a 2-4 kilo rod around 7 feet long which is a staple choice for many anglers.
I rate the PADRN267ML and for now will continue to use it as my go-to spin rod when fishing in inshore waters when targeting pinkie, snapper, flathead, and whiting. Also, when fishing in estuaries targeting big flathead, trevally, and tailor. Also, in freshwater targeting redfin and trout. I have also found myself using the PADRNUL68 ultra-light spin rod as a goto for finesse rod for species like bream. The baitcast options have been excellent in local waters targeting bass and estuary perch. I think some minor tweaks would take these rod series to the next level. Increase models in the spin series to cover more of our local species.
watch as we target giant trout in small metro lakes with the Poison Adrena
Pros
- Spiral-X Wrapping
- Full carbon hollow monocoque butt section
- Look stylish
- Great performance
- Fuji K SIC guides
- Ci4+ reel seat
- Very lightweight
- Very Sensitive
Cons
- Would like to see more models in the range
- Confusing Marketing
- Expensive
- Missing hook keeper
- There may be more comfortable options in the hand
- Butt section prone to scratches
Thanks for reading this Shimano Poison Adrena Review. You can see us on the water using the Shimano Poison Adrena Review on the FishingMad Videos. You can see more details about this rod from the Shimanos website. if you have any questions don’t hesitate to email us at enquiries@fishingmad.com.au
