HTO Aikido

Aikido is a modern Japanese martial art, one where the practitioners use its various moves to defeat their opponent while also protecting their opponent from injury. Our Aikido rod concept brings this philosophy to the lure angler, a range of rods designed with actions to cater for the increasing numbers of anglers who practice catch and release fishing.

We invested a lot of time and energy in the blank, giving the modern lure angler a big bang for their buck. Built from super lightweight 40-ton carbon, it feels featherweight in the hand while giving you great feel and lure control. Each rod is finished to a high standard with modern SiC guides with fetching black and red whippings fixed to a dark blank. A VSS reel seat completes the rod with a metallic red collar adding to this rod’s stunning looks. A rod that has gained a lot of admirers from the HTO team during field testing.

There is one solid tip rod and two tubular tip rods in the range, with the solid tipped rod ideal for flicking out light lures, close quarters LRF fishing and for improving hook-up rates with finicky fish. The two tubular tipped rods give you the ultimate in lure control and casting abilities when fishing with crankbaits, jig head and metals.

6’0 0.2-6g solid tip
The baby of the Aikido range. At 6ft and a rating of up to 6g, this rod is a lot of fun. Whether poking around boulders and rock pools with LRF tackle or flicking light lures at freshwater fish without much room to manoeuvre, this little rod ticks all the boxes. The solid tip improves the hook-up rate with finicky fish.

6’6 1-5g tube tip
The rod's statistics make it a great choice for ultralight lure fishing for Perch in our canal systems as well as up-and-down style LRF around harbours, piers and jetties. The tubular tip offers ultimate lure control, increased feel and good casting characteristics. A versatile rod that is happy throwing everything from small crankbaits and jig heads to metals.

7’6 1-11g tube tip
If casting distance is important to your style of light lure fishing, then this is the rod to choose. The longer blank and tubular tip delivers comfortable casting with lures up to 11 grams. This blank allows you to feel even shy fish at range as you easily control your lure. Masters all modern lure methods and excels at fishing metal jigs for a range of species.