G-CRAFT Seven-Sense Monster Plugger AR MPB-656-AR

A completely new brand, Seven Sense AR (All Round), has been born—designed to cover all species and all fishing styles. As the name “AR = All Round” suggests, every fish species and every field becomes its stage.
The first release is the MONSTER PLUGGER MPB-656-AR, a big-bait–focused model with a lure max of 6 oz, completed after four full years of development since 2020.

To achieve the first fully blank-through one-piece design in the entire Seven Sense series, G-CRAFT spent four years accumulating and building fundamental data. The result is complete optimization of weight reduction, resilience, durability, and sensitivity.
For a one-piece big-bait rod in the 4-oz class, the blank delivers astonishing slimness and repulsion power. The blank construction uses 30t, 40t, and 46t carbon prepregs.

Minimum lure weight is around 20 g for retrieve-type lures.
The tip is tuned slightly firm, giving exceptional casting performance with 2–4 oz pencils, offering sharp, hard dog-walking and skating action. Jointed baits in the same weight range can be fully cast and operated with ease.
It handles 2–4 oz comfortably, and full casts up to 6 oz can be made with confidence.

Field testing focused on Kohno-shiro seabass, yellowtail topwater, and octopus (double 4.5 egi rigs). With a drag max of 4 kg, the rod targets fish up to around *(2) 8 kg.
Since Seven Sense AR is intended for a wide range of species, the rod uses all titanium-frame SiC guides.

Given the current shipping industry trends, this may well be the last timing at which a rod of this nature—a fully blank-through one-piece—can be developed.
Two-piece rods certainly have advantages, but so do one-piece rods. The true essence of the MPB-656-AR blank-through one-piece big-bait rod lies in its crisp casting feel, combined with the seemingly “obvious” yet rarely achieved performance that “the butt actually bends when loaded by the fish.”
This is a design outcome only G-CRAFT can achieve, and this unique action exists only in the MPB-656-AR.
Please pick it up and feel the development passion poured into this rod. The new brand SEVEN-SENSE AR begins now.

(*1) A few species are excluded.
(*2) Target fish weight and line max are reference values.

Testing Overview

Testing was performed mainly on large sea bass species in Nakaumi and Shinji Lake.
Topwater lures from 40–130 g, jointed baits 42–168 g, vibes 35–56 g, minnows 39–60 g, and swimbaits up to 110 g were handled comfortably.
Minimum workable weights were 20 g (vibe), 25 g (minnow), 28 g (sinking pencil).
Although primarily designed for seabass, it also handled 120 g-class pencil lures for yellowtail in Osaka Bay with ease.
A super-light big-bait rod built with both shore and offshore power.

Tested Reels & Lines

● Shore baitcasting:
’21 TATULA 300 / ’18 ANTARES DC MD XG / ’23 ANTARES DC MD XG

• PE3 + 40 lb leader (1.5 m)

● Offshore (kono-shiro top):
’23 ANTARES DC MD XG / ’21 TATULA TW300 XH / ’21 SCORPION MD300XGLH

• PE5 + 50 lb leader (1.5 m)

Use friction-type knots that do not create a knot bump in the leader.
Leader length should place the knot between the top guide and level-winder; long leaders with the knot inside the level-winder are not recommended.

Lures Used (high-frequency in testing / best results)

• Bluegill 190F/SS, Big Bandit, DowzJerk 190, DowzSwimmer 180/220, Grace 240
• Tiny Klash, Klash9, Balam 245/300
• Stream Demon 160/170J/180, Gustave 160F, Wakey Boo 137/170
• Spank Walker 133F, Grand Soldier 190F, K2F162T3, BKF175R2
• Big Backer 107HW/128/107BURI, Trick Beat 103, Davinci 190/240, Deep Bait 170

FEATURES

FEATURE 01 — G-CRAFT Original Reel Seat

Fuji FBCS flat-back casting seat with lightweight, corrosion-resistant titanium (T2 color) and carbon-reinforced resin hybrid structure.
Barrier-free system eliminates steps between the body and the hood nut.

FEATURE 02 — Titanium Guide System

Equipped with Fuji ultra-light SiC-S guides, all-titanium K-frame layout.

FEATURE 03 — Grip Design

G-CRAFT original laser-engraved anodized rings and high-density EVA separated grip.