Hello everyone from Mother Russia — specifically, from the city of Moscow. Seasoned anglers in our city typically use ultralight, since there's always a body of water within a 10-minute walk where you can relax and escape the daily hustle. As a result, most people here fish with lures weighing up to 3 grams. I own quite a few spinning rods — about 20 in total — covering all my fishing needs. However, this article focuses on a spinning rod from Sakura.
Why did I choose Sakura, specifically the Synesthesia AJ-59ST model? A while ago, I was researching the market, looking for a rod suited for catching "Perccottus glenii" (also known as "bullheads") in the pond near my home. These fish inhabit heavily overgrown, marshy areas, so they're almost always caught vertically — that is, using a vertical jigging technique. That’s when I first came across the Neo Style Vertical Pro rod.
Since these rods aren’t readily available in Russia, I had to search through fishing forums, and eventually got my hands on a rather old model — the EMT 60jr. I really liked this rod for its form factor and blank design. Then, early in 2025, I discovered a new release that was very similar but even better suited to my needs — the Synesthesia! It wasn’t until spring 2025 that I finally managed to get one.
I’ve taken it fishing a couple of times, but I hadn’t had the time to write a proper review until now. So as soon as I had a free moment, I started writing. Let’s get back to the rod itself. After using the EMT, I fell in love with the conical-shaped blank design. This shape helps reduce weight while enhancing sensitivity. Next, the reel seat: it’s obvious that the fishing world is tired of traditional reel mounts, so Sakura seized a timely advantage here (Xesta did the same). Reimagining an old-school design while incorporating modern materials and technology was clearly a winning move — and I fully appreciate it. Combined with high-quality blank materials and advanced adhesive bonding, Sakura has created an outstanding rod. Taking all these factors into account, I simply couldn’t pass up this new model.
A few words about the rod: it’s lightweight, very crisp and responsive (you can clearly feel water and wind vibrations), with a dry, stiff, fast-action blank — these characteristics are primarily responsible for its excellent sensitivity. The tip is lively but not noodle-soft (it reminds me a bit of a titanium tip, though in reality it’s solid carbon). Thanks to this responsive tip, casting performance is quite impressive.
Now, when heading out for a session near home, I know exactly where to go and what to use. I’ve tried my best to convey the rod’s appearance as vividly and accurately as possible in this article.
As for the catch: as I mentioned, most local anglers stick to ultralight setups close to home, so landing a trophy fish usually takes more than just one outing. Unfortunately, no miracles happened this time either. I started fishing near a small stream flowing into the pond. Because it had rained all day the previous day, the stream was very murky.
I therefore opted for a bright-colored lure. With the water depth around 20–30 cm, I used a 0.3-gram jig.
After several casts, I realized there was no fish holding here, so I moved closer to the dam at the pond.
There, I quickly caught my first perch — just three casts in — while fellow anglers nearby were still just sizing me up.
Five more casts later, I landed a second perch, this one noticeably more active. No surprise there — I caught it in a back-eddy, a classic holding spot. Both perch were small, around 30 grams each, but as they say — what you get is what you get.
My walk to the stream took 10 minutes, gear prep 5 minutes, initial observations 15 minutes, the walk to the dam another 15 minutes, fishing there 15 minutes, and the return home with packing up took about 30 minutes. In total, I spent 1.5 hours on this outing — that’s all the time I could spare, as I had other commitments. Still, I’d like to conclude by thanking Sakura for their creation — the Synesthesia! Even though I only caught two small perch, the bites felt absolutely fantastic thanks to the rod’s sensitivity. I wholeheartedly recommend this rod for purchase — though it’s a real shame it’s so hard to find in Russia.
Thank you for reading my article. I hope it’s been helpful in some way and aids you in making the right choice.