Led by Yuki Ito, Megabass’s next-generation rod development team—Project “Zero”—set out to redefine expectations. Their goal was deceptively simple: to make a foundational bass rod that could be the first—and final—choice of discerning anglers.
Drawing from the technologies and functional concepts proven through years of tournament experience with the US-Spec OROCHI XX and DESTROYER series, Project Zero reimagines the LEVANTE through the lens of Japan’s most demanding fisheries. The result is a rod series for bass anglers around the world, inspiring confidence wherever the next cast takes you.
LEVANTE was developed to deliver consistent, high-level performance, providing balance, feel and reliability in real-world fishing. Its design prioritizes responsiveness and control, giving anglers a rod that feels intuitively trustworthy from the first cast.
Years of competitive feedback informed design and manufacturing refinements, resulting in improved balance and lightness without sacrificing strength and durability. The new High-Density X-Graphite System emphasizes crisp recovery and controlled absorption, improving lure control and cast accuracy while remaining approachable and forgiving across a wide range of applications.
Designed for optimal reel-mounted balance, LEVANTE feel exceedingly light in-hand, allowing anglers to focus on lure behavior and presentation. This contributes to a clear and direct sense of control—supporting confident rod work without fatigue. Each model exhibits ergonomics tuned specifically to its intended method, ensuring comfort and consistency throughout long sessions on the water.
LEVANTE is meant to be a long-term companion—capable enough to grow with the angler, versatile enough to remain relevant, and refined enough to inspire confidence across changing techniques and fisheries. For those seeking foundational performance within the Megabass lineup, LEVANTE is the answer.
LEVANTE P3 Technologies
- Levante High Density X-Graphite System: LEVANTE’s proprietary high-density layered graphite construction focuses on material efficiency and action consistency. By reducing excess resin and optimizing layer patterning for each model, the blank delivers improved balance and recovery while maintaining the durability required for daily use. The result is a responsive yet stable feel that enhances casting precision and lure control without sacrificing forgiveness.
- Levante Original Guide System: Matched to each rod’s taper and intended application, Megabass’s original guide layout prioritizes smooth energy transfer and feel. This system supports LEVANTE’s strong casting performance and controlled load distribution, allowing anglers to cover water efficiently while maintaining accuracy and feel.
- Levante Machine Cut Hood: Precision-machined from solid aluminum, this lightweight hood provides secure reel mounting and consistent rigidity while contributing to overall balance and durability.
- ITO Engineering Airy-Fit Ergonomic Seat Type-L (D.PAT.P): LEVANTE incorporates ITO-designed ergonomic reel seats developed to support natural hand positioning and intuitive control. Minimalist contact surfaces reduce unnecessary material while preserving stability, comfort, and sensitivity across both casting and spinning applications.
- ITS (ITO Trigger System Ergonomic Casting Seat), (D.PAT.): Built for power fishing, the sculpted design and long trigger provide overwhelming grip for big bait and heavy cover applications. Whether one or two-finger casting or utilizing a full-palm retrieve, ITS is designed to accommodate various grip styles with confidence.
- IES (ITO Ergonomic Contact Seat), (D.PAT.P): The fast-back design of the reel seat bridge fits deep in the palm of the hand, providing increased contact points to improve feel and control in spinning applications. The IES’s sweeping, tapered fore-grip allows direct contact with the exposed blank, enhancing the kind of delicate bite-detection that is required in deep finesse fishing.
F1.1/2-610LVS SUPER FINESSE
Length : 6’10” | Lure capacity: 1/32 – 1/4oz | Line capacity: 3-8lb | Taper: Medium Fast | Power: Ultra-Light
The LEVANTE SUPER FINESSE spinning rod is designed for technical long-distance finesse fishing. It excels at working small hardbaits, subtly shaking light rigs, and pinpoint presentations of insect-style lures.
Despite its light action, the midsection is engineered with higher tension characteristics, enabling advanced finesse angling and technical control of small and light lures. X-Graphite engineering provides smooth load transition, delivering a deep and intuitive bend to keep small trebles pinned and cast small lures with confidence.
Refined to target clever, pressured fish under tough conditions, the SUPER FINESSE is built for professional-level finesse techniques and small hardbaits like the KARASHI, BABY POPX, and SIGLETT.
F3-611LVS WHIPSNAKE
Length: 6’11” | Lure capacity: 1/16 – 3/8oz | Line capacity: 5-12lb | Taper: Fast | Power: Light
The reengineered LEVANTE WHIPSNAKE expands versatility and performance through refined blank engineering and fine-tuning, resulting in a more sensitive tip, superior load transfer, greater low-end power, and improved balance. Ideally suited for delicate dropshot presentations with the HAZE-ST and subtle drop-swimming approaches with the HAZEDONG SHAD, the new WHIPSNAKE brings the beloved original to new heights.
The WHIPSNAKE is designed to handle the full range of light-rig applications, including drop shots, Neko rigs, Ned rigs, and jighead rigs. The X-Graphite blank’s finely tuned tip section delivers exceptional precision and versatile control across finesse presentations, effortlessly shifting load to the high-tension midsection for decisive hooksets. Finished with a powerful lower section with upgraded torque to lift and control big bass, the entire blank has been elevated to the next performance tier. The result is a confidence-inspiring spinning platform that redefines the global standard for competitive finesse spinning techniques.
F3-75LVS ZANGETSU-LV
Length: 7’5″ | Lure capacity: 1/16 – 3/8oz | Line capacity: 5-12lb | Taper: Medium Fast | Power: Light
Named after the legendary katana, the LEVANTE ZANGETSU-LV is a precision mid-strolling, finesse swimbait, and deep-water model engineered for exceptional long-range performance. Built for situations where anglers must offer baits with refined subtlety, ZANGETSU-LV delivers exacting control and the sharp, decisive feedback required to convert distant bites into landed fish.
ZANGETSU-LV excels in mid-strolling and long-distance minnow presentations, allowing anglers to find that bite-inducing tip cadence that keeps lures like the SLING SHAD irresistibly trembling in the strike zone. ZANGETSU-LV is also purpose-built for finesse jigheads and small swimbaits like the OKASHIRA SCREWHEAD and SPARK SHAD 3in, enabling extreme cast distance and quick line pick-up to deliver sure hooksets. It also confidently handles light Carolina rigs, drop-swimming approaches with the HAZEDONG SHAD, and other finesse dragging presentations in deeper waters.
Refined for spinning snipers who demand absolute control, the blank’s X-Graphite construction provides a crisp, balanced feel and highly linear rig control. ZANGETSU-LV’s torque-rich action maintains tension yet flexes smoothly under load to power long-distance casts and confidently absorb multi-round fights with hard-charging targets.
F3.1/2-70LVS SHAKYHEAD
Length: 7’0″ | Lure capacity: 1/8 – 1/2oz | Line capacity: 5-16lb | Taper: Fast | Power: Medium Light
The SHAKYHEAD, a veteran of the U.S. tournament scene, has been refined and updated with the latest X-Graphite engineering technology for a new generation of anglers. Preserving the unyielding ethos and fast-action heritage of its predecessor, the new SHAKYHEAD is a master rig manipulator built to coax even the wariest of feeders.
The SHAKYHEAD delivers the precise control, strong hooksets, and unyielding power required to excel in its namesake shaky head application, in addition to light Texas rigs, and neko rigs. The powerful blank also supports light cover finesse fishing, confidently pitching finesse rigs and small jigs for high-percentage bites, providing a trusted weapon to serious anglers.
F4-69LVS SHAMSHIR
Length: 6’9″ | Lure capacity: 1/4 – 3/4oz | Line capacity: 8-20lb | Taper: Medium Fast | Power: Medium Light
The SHAMSHIR is a competition-grade jerkbait spinning rod designed to meet the exacting needs of professionals and secure fickle bites in brutal conditions. Built to confidently work small- to medium-sized jerkbaits such as the VISION ONETEN, ONETEN Jr., and X-80 Trick Darter, the rod’s X-Graphite System and taper refinement achieve an ideal balance of absorption and spring-back blank recovery to enliven your jerkbait game.
The SHAMSHIR’s specialized damping characteristics reduce unwanted blank shake to amplify jerkbait darting range while enabling fatigue-free rod work. The rod’s mild tip section absorbs aggressive strikes to improve hookup ratios, while the reinforced midsection delivers deep and consistent power.
SHAMSHIR’s intuitive and deep-bending 6’9″ blank also pairs well with walking lures and poppers requiring consistent angler input, such as the GIANT DOG-X and POPMAX.
F4.1/2-74LVS ENFORCER
Length: 7’4″ | Lure capacity: ¼ – 3/4oz | Line capacity: 8-20lb | Taper: Fast | Power: Medium
The ENFORCER is the LEVANTE’s flagship deep-water spinning rod developed through decades of U.S. and Canadian tournament experience.
Born to explore the unknown depths through long-distance approaches or vertical drops, the ENFORCER is engineered to handle everything from traditional tubes to swing-heads, heavy drop shots, free rigs, high-density soft plastics, and next-generation bottom swimmers like the DARK SLEEPER. The rod’s heightened feedback detects tentative bites and its wellspring of power drives thicker-gauge hooks home to own the fight.
Powered by an X-Graphite blank, the ENFORCER delivers crisply responsive performance, overwhelming torque, and fatigue-free handling, making it an essential spinning platform for serious deep-water anglers.
F1-65LV BFS spec-UL
Length: 6’5″ | Lure capacity: 1/16 – 3/8oz | Line capacity: 4-12lb | Taper: Slow | Power: Ultra-Light
The BFS spec-UL is a high-performance bait finesse rod designed to bring ultralight bank fishing and crossover trout techniques to life with delightful precision, sensitivity and control.
Tuned specifically for Megabass’ BFS lure lineup and select Great Hunting trout lures, it delivers crisp, rhythmic action that enlivens angler-activated plugs like the KARASHI, BABY POPX, and GH-51 (FS), while exhibiting the graceful absorption that makes small cranks like the SR-X GRIFFON (BFS) a joy to fish. Its slow-taper design enables aggressive walking actions, expanded darting range, and smooth cranking performance, while offering the kind of sensitivity that transmits first shimmy of an X-80 Jr. straight into the angler’s hands.
The BFS spec-UL’s smooth and intuitive load characteristics empower low-trajectory casting of small jigs and weightless soft plastics into tight windows. This allows anglers to accurately target overhanging cover with ease and efficiency, traditionally reserved for ultralight spinning gear.
Built on the LEVANTE X-Graphite System, the BFS spec-UL delivers Megabass performance and ample low-end power to handle unexpected big fish and light cover. Delivering a refined, ultralight bait finesse experience that is equally at home chasing bass from the bank or wading for trout in small rivers and streams, the BFS spec-UL is a true joy in hand.
F3.1/2-610LV RUN&GUNNING spec-L
Length: 6’10” | Lure capacity: ¼ – 5/8oz | Line capacity: 6-14lb | Taper: Medium Fast | Power: Medium Light
The RUN&GUNNING spec-L is designed for high octane approaches with treble baits like the KARASHI 80, POPX, and GIANT DOG-X.
Featuring a 6’10” X-Graphite blank, its medium-fast taper is tuned to impart the precise tip action and recovery required to enliven jerkbaits and topwaters. Under increasing load, it delivers an impossibly smooth transition to a midsection that behaves like a regular taper, making this a great choice for lighter cranks like the SUPER-Z series. Its maneuverable length enables tight, technical casts, allowing close-quarters approaches along narrow cast lanes.
Designed for Japanese-style power fishing with fast-moving lures, the RUN&GUNNING spec-L handles everything from lighter jerkbaits like the ¼ oz. X-NANAHAN and 3/8 oz. X-80 Trick Darter, to topwater staples like the POPX and GIANT DOG-X.
Built for anglers who favor an active run-and-gun style, this rod delivers comfort, control, and adaptability across a wide range of moving bait applications to cover water efficiently.
F4-610LV JERKBAIT SPECIAL
Length: 6’10” | Lure capacity: ¼ – 3/4oz | Line capacity: 8-20lb | Taper: Regular | Power: Medium Light
Born from decades of tournament competition in the US and Japan, the JERKBAIT SPECIAL is engineered to take Megabass’ legendary jerkbait series to new heights. The rod’s taper is slower than the previous generation and painstakingly fine-tuned to provide that elusive balance of forgiving cushion and responsive spring-back that enhances jerkbait rhythm and control.
Designed to bring jerkbaits like the VISION ONETEN to erratic-darting life, it converts slack line rod work into crisp, controlled movement. Careful guide sizing and placement enable dynamic adjustments to line tension to quickly adapt jerkbait action to changing bite conditions.
The JERKBAIT SPECIAL’s torque-rich blank and forgiving bend is purpose-built for the VISION ONETEN Jr. all the way up to the VISION ONETEN+1. While it can handle more delicate action with the ONETEN+2 as well, aggressive action is better suited to the F5-72LV DIABLO-LV. The JERKBAIT SPECIAL is also well-suited to 3/8 oz to ½ oz treble-hook lures such as topwaters and crankbaits, adding versatility to an otherwise specialized performer.
F4.1/2-71LV RUN&GUNNING
Length: 7’1″ | Lure capacity: ¼ – 3/4oz | Line capacity: 8-20lb | Taper: Medium Fast | Power: Medium
A foundational model in the LEVANTE lineup, the RUN&GUNNING is designed for long-distance rapid-fire approaches with fast-moving lures.
Designed with the ideal tip stiffness to pop lures free from submerged vegetation and an unexpectedly deep and yielding bend under load, RUN&GUNNING is the modern answer to highly pressured weed and transition areas. Ideally suited to ¼ oz – 3/8 oz bladed jigs and swim jigs like the UOZE SWIMMER, 3/8 oz – ½ oz spinnerbaits like the SV-3, and shallow cranks like the S-CRANK 1.5, the RUN&GUNNING’s ability to absorb wild headshakes and seamlessly shift load keep hard-won bites pinned.
The X-Graphite’s improved recovery rate and extended casting range deliver a major advantage in long-distance approaches, allowing anglers to extract bites from large areas quickly and effectively. By eliminating the sluggishness often associated with longer rods, the RUN&GUNNING offers an intuitive blend of responsiveness, forgiveness, and control, making it ideal for aggressive run-and-gun strategies to dominate open water.
F5-72LV DIABLO-LV
Length: 7’2″ | Lure capacity: 3/8 – 3/4oz | Line capacity: 8-20lb | Taper: Medium Fast | Power: Medium
The DIABLO-LV is one of the most versatile rods in the LEVANTE lineup, with a dynamic X-Graphite blank that loads deeply for intuitive cast placement and ample torque to power fish around vegetation such as weeds and reeds. The DIABLO-LV is equally at home working topwaters like the DIAMANTE SONICSLIDE and POPMAX, pumping swim jigs like the UOZE SWIMMER, roll-casting spinnerbaits like the SV-3, ripping bladed jigs through vegetation, and deploying Texas rigs with exacting precision.
The blank’s medium fast taper has enough tip to impart bite-inducing action while maintaining the “give” required to safely secure trebles. This unique combination makes the DIABLO-LV an ideal companion to the JERKBAIT SPECIAL, stepping in when upgrading jerkbait hooks and line size around cover, working larger jerkbaits like the ITO SHINER or ONETEN MAX LBO, or when a more aggressive approach is needed with the VISION ONETEN+2.
The X-Graphite blank enhances sensitivity, comfort and performance during cover and bottom contact, while the 7’2” length enables long-distance casting and precise depth control. Heightened sensitivity allows anglers to detect bites instantly and unleash the DIABLO’s power, delivering fearsome hooksets and hauling fish from cover with ease.
F5.1/2-74LV SLEEPER CONTACT
Length: 7’4″ | Lure capacity: 3/8 – 1oz | Line capacity: 8-20lb | Taper: Fast | Power: Medium Heavy
The SLEEPER CONTACT is a bottom contact specialist built to maximize bite-inducing performance in the depths. Designed to crawl and delicately work lures such as the DARK SLEEPER and SLEEPER CRAW, rubber jigs, Texas rigs, free rigs, and high-density worms, it enhances precise navigation of underwater obstacles and heightens sensitivity.
The LEVANTE’s advanced X-Graphite System minimizes blank twist and enhances both cast distance and accuracy, allowing pinpoint power and precision. When faced with gnarly bottom structure, the SLEEPER CONTACT acts as an intuitive extension of the angler, delivering crisp handling and exacting control to coax the most challenging bites from the deep.
Its 7’4” length delivers exceptional long-distance casting, expanding effective coverage beyond standard competition rods. The blank’s smooth load-transfer ability eliminates the abrupt shutoff of conventional fast tapers, revealing a surprisingly intuitive midpoint bend under full cast load and high retrieve resistances that is perfect for Japanese-style deep cranking. This unexpected ability is ideally suited to the iPX series, DEEP-X 300, and DEEP-SIX, where the faster tip comes into play to pop free of submerged vegetation without losing the deep, absorptive bend required in deep cranking situations.
F7-73LV PERFECT PITCH
Length: 7’3″ | Lure capacity: 3/8 – 1 1/4oz | Line capacity: 12-25lb | Taper: Fast | Power: Heavy | Reel Seat: ITS
A bottom contact powerhouse focused on techniques that demand uncompromising hookset performance, the PERFECT PITCH roams heavy cover in pursuit of lurking monsters. From football jigs and Texas rigs to bladed jigs, swim jigs like the UOZE SWIMMER, and frogs like BIG GABOT and GABARIN Jr, the F7-73LV excels in high-power, thick cover, and tournament pressure scenarios.
The responsive tip section and high-tension belly enabled by the blank’s X-Graphite construction deliver exquisite tip control and sensitivity, imparting surprisingly delicate action to frogs and jigs alike, and detecting even light bites. That feedback is immediately translated into decisive hooksets, driven home by a powerful butt section capable of taking the fight to big targets and dragging trophies from cover.
Despite its formidable power, PERFECT PITCH maintains superb reel-mounted balance, delivering light, agile handling for precision casting and knockout hooksets. Further, the rod’s silky load transfer avoids the jarring shut-off of conventional fast action rods, unlocking the unique combination of a deep, forgiving bend and an action-imparting tip to bring big walking topwaters like the 1.1/8 oz DOGMAX to life.
F7.1/2-76LV MAGDRAFT SPECIAL
Length: 7’6″ | Lure capacity: ¾ – 3oz | Line capacity: 12-30lb | Taper: Medium Fast | Power: Extra Heavy | Reel Seat: ITS
A swimbait rod with incredible versatility, the F7.1/2-76LV is purpose-built for the MAGDRAFT series. From the everyday 5 and 6-inch sizes to the trophy-targeting 7 and 8-inch models, the blank’s proprietary X-Graphite construction adapts to load and brings forth a seemingly endless reservoir of torque and power. This translates into stratospheric cast distance, unforgiving hooksets, and one-sided fights. The blank’s high torsional rigidity limits energy loss and blank wobble, also supporting crisp, high-precision rod work to deploy hollow-bodied frogs to the farthest reaches of thick mats or stir up a commotion in open water with big topwaters like the MEGADOG-X.
The MAGDRAFT SPECIAL fully exploits its massive torque to excel in power applications, including slow-rolling oversized spinnerbaits, super-deep cranking with the BIG-M 7.5, and technical manipulation of glide baits. Its smooth and supple blank absorbs unexpected, aggressive strikes, while its formidable lifting power overwhelms hard-won bites to bring trophies to the scales.
F9-711LV MEGALATHAN
Length: 7’11” | Lure capacity: 2-6oz | Line capacity: 20-40lb | Taper: Regular | Power: XX Heavy | Section: 2pc Grip Joint
MEGALATHAN is a formidable monster-hunter that delivers world-class torque and crushing power to dominate big bait applications.
Designed to cover the full spectrum of technical big-game applications—including glide baits like the iSLIDE 265R; oversized swimbaits like the MAGDRAFT 8in and 10in; pitching, flipping, and punching into heavy cover; and magnum bait games up to 6 oz— MEGALATHAN meets the demands of tomorrow’s trophy anglers. The X-Graphite blank is engineered with a regular taper to provide the right tip to impart glide action, and a linear and intuitive wellspring of power under load. These elements combine to deliver confident control across the trophy hunting arsenal to challenge kaiju-class targets. MEGALATHAN is equipped with robust double-footed and double-wrapped guides for maximum durability.
Despite its immense power, MEGALATHAN exhibits an exquisite balance that minimizes fatigue during consecutive days of relentless big-game fishing. A new-generation weapon that delivers monster-class power with surprising comfort and control.
