New Cumara A Casting Rod - Initial And On-The-Water Reviews - Updated 2025
Goose52 reply :
Today I received a new Cumara A casting rod - CUC-72MA - 7'2" medium-fast. This is in the worm & jig series and will be used as a light t-rig rod.
The color of the blank is...interesting; a sorta maroon color but a bit lighter than maroon. I'm no color expert so I guess I don't really know what to call it. I can't say it floats my boat...but then it doesn't bother me too much either. The brown truck came after dark tonight so I haven't seen it in the daylight yet - perhaps the color will "pop" in sunlight... 
On the earlier thread about the Cumara A, one board member said the color reminded him of a BPS Bionic Blade. As the photo below shows, they are not the same color (and I prefer the color of the Blade actually!).
Also mentioned in the other thread was a concern being expressed by some about the truncation of the grip behind the reel seat. Well, it's true, it's a short little bugger - only 1 3/4" in length. Not a problem during retrieve - with my palming method (one finger behind the trigger), my entire hand fits on the grip. However, with my casting grip (one finger in front of the trigger), one finger and most of the heel of my hand are off the grip and on the blank. I'm not liking that at all right now but will reserve judgement on that until I get it on the water and make a number of casts.
The reel seat is the new Shimano seat with rear locking. This works great for me and gives me three fingers on the blank during a retrieve.
The power of the rod feels (here in the house) lighter than most mediums, perhaps a bit heavier than a medium-light. Shimano recommends the fast action for worms, extra-fast for jigs. Had I handled this rod in a store, I think I would have bought the medium extra-fast, or an MH fast. I have a whole bunch of medium-light rods now and this rod seems a bit too close to them in power and action. Still, have to get on the water to see how it feels.
The rod is fairly light - 103.6 grams / 3.65 ounces. With a Core 50 mounted, the combo weighs 261.4 grams / 9.2 ounces (without line). The rod has micro-guides, so this will be a fair-weather rod for me - no fishing in sub-freezing temps in the winter.
Tomorrow, I'll spool up some line and get it wet. Catching is poor here right now, but at least I've got soft water so I can make some casts with it.
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
A Berkley Cherrywood rod color to me. I have a LTB and think the handle on that is a bit too small this Cumara grip does looks short. If the edge isnt all that firm hard might be ok.
Crappiebasser reply :
Thanks for the review. I can't wait to hear how it performs. I have added one to my TW cart twice but haven't pulled the trigger waiting for a review.
The one that got away reply :
Nice initial review, Goose. Looks like a nice rod.
Out of curiosity, I measured the handle of my new Crucial that Shimano sent me (I broke an older cork Crucial late this season, sent it to them, and they sent me one of the newer models).
The foam grip behind the reel is about 3 ". I usually have two fingers ahead of the trigger while casting and retrieving. On the Crucial, my hand is in contact with the foam grip the entire time.
Goose52 reply :
Yeah - the 3" grip length used on the new Crucial and Compre would have been a better length (for me) than this little grip on the Cumara. Shimano's web site is even wrong - they even say the Cumara A has a 3" grip....'taint so at all...
Since it's a worm rod, you would typically not be making as many casts as a rod used for a fast moving bait, but still, I think this short grip might be bugging me for a while...
kickerfish1 reply :
Thanks for the feedback! Would love to hear your thoughts once you fish it. I know it is cold there but if you log any time on the water I would be interested to hear your thoughts. The only minor issue I would potentially have is how comfortable a handle like that would be over a few hours of usage.
Great looking outfit!!!
LgMouthGambler reply :
looks good with that Core on it.
21farms reply :
good post goose. thanks...i'm very interested in the new cumaras. it cracks me up that you say it is only "fairly light" at 3.65 ounces...my goodness man, what would you consider "very light" for a 7'2" rod? 
the color is okay with me...what i don't like so far is the bottom placement of the hook hanger.
Goose52 reply :
I guess I should have said "pretty dang light" ! I was somewhat reserved on the weight since I have a 7' M-F BPS Carbonlite that is only .8 grams heavier than this Cumara (it weighs 3.68oz)...
I like the open hook-keeper (and prefer that design), and haven't personally had any problems with the bottom placement on my other rods with the keeper at that location. It seems that at times I can foul my line on the keeper no matter where it's located.
I just got back from fishing the Cumara and will type-up my on-the-water impressions report.
bass1980 reply :
Sweet combo there. I am currently saving up for that exact combo but medium heavy.
.ghoti. reply :
Nice report Goose. I'm sort of in the market for a new rod, and was considering one of these. I got to spend most of a day last year fishing with a Cumulus rod, and found it to be excellent.
I recently sold a Cumara; the first generation, because of the tiny grip. A nice rod, but not nice enough to put up with the grip.
I think you've convinced me to look elsewhere. Thanks.
motodmast reply :
how is this rod balance wise? ive read some reviews saying its tip heavy, is it?
Goose52 reply :
I can't speak for the entire Cumara A series, but this particular rod is not tip heavy at all - the balance is excellent. With the Core 50 and spooled with line, the entire combo weight is 9.6oz so it's very light as well.
I have fished this rod quite a bit now, caught 40 bass up to 4 pounds with it and it is a terrific rod........................except for the tiny grips which I a now getting "used to". When switching back and forth between rods, it takes a couple casts to "adjust" to the grip spacing on the Cumara but after that, it's also somewhat of a non-issue. As I mentioned in the earlier post, perhaps it's this extended grip spacing that gives the excellent balance.
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