By George Boukis
The HTO company, since it came to our country Greece, has been loved by anglers of lure fishing technique and its branches. The key factor is quality and price for this success. In this article we will deal with the "most complete" series of rods ...
HTO's most complete rod line is called NEBULA and will provoke "cloudy" reactions as it can stand next to rods that cost twice or even three times as much money.
The concept of creating the NEBULA series was the fact that each spinner got the maximum quality in terms of the low amount of money you would have to get it. Indeed, HTO has succeeded and for this reason this particular series of rods has been described by many anglers around the world as "best value for money lure fishing rod ever".
So despite its low cost, the materials used are of high quality. Each blank in this series is made of high quality Japanese carbon. As a result, we have a blank that is quite light, thin, but at the same time very strong.
NEBULA is also equipped with quality guides from Fuji's Stainless Alconite K Spinning Guides. The support base of the reel seat is Fuji VSS Reel Seat for comfortable and safe long time fishing.
Visually, we would say that it will captivate black colour lovers. In all the rods of the NEBULA series, the black is combined with beautiful silver details (letters and threads of the guide ties).
The main feature of the quality blank that has been used for the production of the NEBULA series is the fast tip action, ie Extra Fast Action. This translates into a quick responce of the blank at rest after each Jerk-Twitch. This is a feature we are looking for in most rods for the lure fishing technique, especially when we want to deal more with surfaces and soft lures since it gives us absolute control.
Time to meet all the Nebula rod series.
We will start with the shortest model that is 2.10 meters long and with Casting Weight 5-22 grams. The Power of the rod is Medium Light. It is a fairly short rod with its main feature being its strong blank. Ideal for boat-kayak lure fishing we would say, since due to its length it will suit us in the limited space that a boat has, especially when we are talking about a conventional inflatable boat. Ideal for handling surfaces lures from 8 to 13 cm. Finally, the short butt it will help us to easily handle the lures while it will give us the opportunity for precision throws.
Then we will move on to the slightly longer model with a length of 2.30 meters and Casting Weight 7-28 grams. The POWER of the rod is Medium. This model initially looks ideal for Boat Spinning, due to its length. However it΄s use is not prohibited for fishing inside a port, where we need precise casts of our lures and most of the time the short length of the rod is a one-way street. The range of grams that this particular model can handle enables it to handle extremely "hard" lures such as minnows and surface but also soft baits either with jighead or with the weedless technique.
The next NEBULA model is 2.40 meters long and Casting Weight 7-30 grams. The POWER of the rod is Medium. This model is an ideal choice for lure fishing in estuaries using Soft baits, Top waters and Minnows.
The next model is 2.70 meters long and Casting Weight 7-35 grams. The POWER of the rod is Medium. Based on the sales of rods for lure anglers in our country, we would say that this particular NEBULA model is the most classic choice. This is an all-around rod that can be adapted to most terrains and conditions we encounter in our country. It belongs to the category of Medium Spinning and its main feature is its power.
Then we will move on to the next model since they have the same length but different C.W. which is 12-42 grams. Its main feature is its above power from the previous model, for this reason it belongs to the category of Medium Heavy Spinning. It is an ideal choice if we are looking for a rod that can cast our lures at long distances, with adverse weather conditions and fight with quite strong opponents such as little tunnies.
The next model is 2.90 meters long and Casting Weight 7-35 grams. HTO has given him these features in order to be an ideal choice for fishing in places such as beaches where there are natural obstacles in front of us, such as some rocks that are visible. Also due to its length we can cast in long distances with our relatively light lures that reach up to 35 grams. Finally the POWER of the rod is Medium.
NEBULA's ultimate model is 3.00 meters long and C.W. 12-42 grams. The power of the rod is Medium Heavy. It is a rod made for lure fishing on "open" beaches where the waves that form are large. The goal when choosing this particular model is to cast our lures at really long distances. The company achieved this by creating an almost "rigid" tip of the rod.
Last model with the same length of 3.0 meters but different in C.W. which is 15-56 grams but also in Power which in this case is HEAVY. The purpose of its creation is fishing with the use of large minnows and metal jigs, giving us the opportunity to cast our "heavy" lures at very long distances but also to fish them comfortably.
For the end we left the most special NEBULA model which is the "TRAVEL". It has such features that it adapts to many different "terrains". This was also the purpose of its creation, to have a rod of the series with a small storage volume so that it can even fit in a backpack. It consists of four pieces. Its length is 2.70 meters and it has C.W. 7-35 grams. Ideal choice for "travelers"!
PERSONAL REVIEWS
By George Boukis
HTO NEBULA 2.30m- C.W .: 7-28gr
For about a year now, I have acquired a conventional inflatable boat, as a result of which I have entered the process of searching for the right rod. What I had in mind was a short rod with the idea of a very limited space in the boat. I also wanted to be able to do everything with a rod.!! In other words, I wanted to manage all the different types of lures so that I didn't have to carry a lot of rods in the boat, which, even if I wanted to, wouldn't fit anyway.
So I turned to the NEBULA model with a length of 2.30 meters. Then observing C.W. of the rod that is 7-28 grams, I considered it ideal since most of the lures I use range within these grams. So I wanted to go see it up close to make sure…. "It suits me"!!
Seeing it at first I was thrilled with the black color, I am a fan of the black color in the rods !! The beautiful metallic details as well as the silver threads that the company has chosen for tying the guides and the imprinting of the letters on the Blank of the rod made the ideal contrast. Holding it in my hands, I first checked its handle, which I definitely wanted not to exceed my elbow.
Indeed its handle is really very short. I had also taken my reel the Daiwa Certate 2510pe-h to see how it would set up. It weighed perfectly despite its short handle, which indicates a correct weight distribution by the manufacturers and a correct choice of point for placing the reel seat. So there was no doubt; it was the rod I was looking for !!
Since then, in real conditions, I have been fishing it for a year. I have been very happy especially fishing for surface lures. Fast action is something I'm looking for in this category of lures and NEBULA has it. The sizes he handles best on the surface are from about 8 cm and 9 grams of weight, up to 18 cm and 28 grams of weight.
It responds just as well to fishing with soft baits, while I was particularly impressed by its performance in fishing with the Weedless Fishing technique, ie using soft lures in combination with a weighted or not offset hook. I mostly used a combination of softbait and offset weightless hook, which despite its low weight, only 7 grams, NEBULA handled it perfectly, giving me the ultimate feeling. I attribute this to the fact that the ¼ part of the rod to the tip is sensitive enough to transmit all the information of the lures to my hand. One of the most demanding pieces of the Weedless Fishing technique is "hook up". The experiences I have had so far have proved that NEBULA passed EXCELLENTLY in this test !!!
Finally, he managed the minnows to a satisfactory degree, since he does not need special handling in this category hard lures. Regarding the rod, it responded perfectly to the use of Minnows from 10 cm to 17 cm long. Even the large sizes of Minnows were "came to life" comfortably when I fished them with the Jerking technique.
In general, with the specific NEBULA model, I achieved my original goal. I have fished it with all the different types lures using many different techniques which have many requirements, to which it responded extremely well. So I come to the conclusion that this is an all-around rod that does everything well; but having the upper hand in the two most demanding categories of lures surfaces and softbaits. Finally, I would totally agree that NEBULA is the "Best Value For Money Lure Fishing Rod" I've ever tried.
By Moisis Liaskos
HTO NEBULA 2,70 - C.W .: 7-35
I have owned this version of Nebula for a long time as I was the first buyer when these rods came to Greece. At that time I was looking for a strong rod at a reasonable price, that would cover my needs for rock fishing with the aim of pelagic predators such as tunnies, little amberjacks etc. Looking back on this purchase I can say with confidence that is the most value for money purchase I have ever made on a spinning rod!
What makes Nebula stand out is its very small weight combined with the great power it hides inside. Don't fall into the trap of low C.W. which states. It does not belong to the small- medium category of seabass rod , but to the larger one with C.W. ranging from 10 to 40 grams. This means that it is intended mainly for the use of hard baits and less soft lures. It will manage perfectly large minnows of 15-20 cm, jigs whose weight up to 35 grams while due to his extra fast action it manage perfectly large poppers and pencils.
Another point to be aware of is the reel that we will adapt to it. This should have a size of 3000 to 4000, with the ideal being a light 4000 as it will be able to better set up with the rod.
If anyone uses the above lures, it is certain that Nebula will fully meet its needs. This is a rod with Japanese specifications but at a European price!
By John Kasapoglou
HTO NEBULA 2,10m- C.W.:5-22gr
To begin with, I would like to mention that this particular NEBULA model was not designed for very long casts. It is therefore a specialized rod with the main purpose of fishing by boat or canoe using medium-weight lures, whether they are hard or soft. However, this fact did not stop me, so I fished it from the shore, but first eliminating the mentality of "the farther cast the better"…
Using it with many different types of soft baits, I have come to the conclusion that it can handle both a combination of jighead -softbait with a total weight of 6 grams and a 17 gram one with the same convenience. Personally, I have it as a second set and I use it inshore (inside ports where there are a lot of ropes and remnants) that I need the ultimate sense of my lures and the power to "push" a good fish and get tired more easily without "doing what it wants(the fish)".
Characteristic of this particular rod is its strong blank which always gave me the confidence of hook up during the strike. Even in the hard mouths of barracuda it hook up excelled.
Finally, its rest materials are of high quality since it has Fuji guides, Fuji reel seat which is definitely something that counts when we choose a rod.
You will find the entire NEBULA line by clicking on the image below