In April 2026, Megabass CEO and Chief Designer Yuki Ito achieved something no one in the fishing industry had done before: winning the Red Dot Design Award’s highest distinction, “Best of the Best,” for the LEVANTE bass rod series.
The Red Dot Design Award — administered by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen in Germany — is widely regarded as one of the three most prestigious design awards in the world. Each year it draws more than 11,000 entries from companies and designers across 60+ countries. The “Best of the Best” tier sits above a standard Red Dot win, reserved only for products that demonstrate outstanding innovation in their category.
Yuki Ito is no stranger to recognition. With over 200 Good Design Awards from the Japan Institute of Design Promotion, six iF Design Awards between 2018 and 2025, and two previous Red Dot wins in 2022 (for the DESTROYER and COOKAI rod series — the first fishing rods in history to receive the award), his design legacy is unmatched in the category. The LEVANTE “Best of the Best” win builds on that foundation and takes it to a new level.
“The goal of Project LEVANTE was to enable people to incorporate the deeper appeal of fishing—an activity that connects them with nature—into their lives as a form of adventure and appreciation.”
Yuki Ito, Megabass CEO & Chief Designer
What Makes the New Levante Special?
The LEVANTE was built around a central philosophy: ergonomics first. Ito approached the rod’s design from the perspective of how the human hand actually holds, casts, and retrieves — and engineered every component around that starting point.
At the core is the High Density X-Graphite System. Unlike conventional graphite construction, LEVANTE’s layered approach reduces excess resin and optimizes the layer patterning individually for each rod model. The result is a blank that’s more balanced, recovers faster, and holds up to daily use — without becoming stiff or unforgiving. Anglers get a rod that is both sensitive and stable, improving casting precision and lure control in a way that feels natural rather than engineered.
“The rods deliver a sense of linearity—as if they are an extension of the angler’s arm—combined with intuitive control. The result is a highly refined and satisfying handling experience.”
Yuki Ito
Designed Around the Angler
The reel seats are where the ergonomic thinking becomes most visible. Ito developed three proprietary systems — each patented to serve different fishing applications:
The IES (Ito Ergonomic-Contact Seat) uses a fast-back bridge design that seats deep in the palm, increasing contact points for feel and control in spinning applications. Its sweeping tapered fore-grip puts the angler’s hand in direct contact with the blank, which matters enormously for detecting subtle bites in finesse fishing.
The ITS (Ito Trigger System Ergonomic Casting Seat) is purpose-built for power fishing. Its sculpted shape and extended trigger deliver a secure grip when fishing big baits and heavy cover — whether casting with one or two fingers, or locking in with a full-palm retrieve.
The IAS Type-L (Ito Engineering Airy-Fit Ergonomic Seat) takes a minimalist approach, reducing contact surfaces to cut weight and material while preserving stability, comfort, and sensitivity across both casting and spinning applications.
Rounding out the build are the LEVANTE Original Guide System, an aluminium machine-cut hood, and a carefully shaped butt end — all designed to complement the rod’s overall balance and reduce angler fatigue over long sessions.
The winning LEVANTE series will be exhibited at the Red Dot Design Museum in Essen, Germany — housed in the former boiler house of the Zollverein coal mining complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the largest contemporary design exhibition in the world.
“I also aim to create rods whose design and engineering evoke excitement even before fishing begins—rods that stir anticipation simply by being held in hand.”
Yuki Ito
