These two small spinning rods are a recent addition to the long established and highly successful Norstream Dynamic II Series. Working on the lines of modification of an existing design (Dynamic II Ultra Special), Norstream created a couple of models with completely new look and feeling, the Dynamic CZ 602UL and 662UL.
By the way, CZ means Czechia. Why Czechia? Because the Czech national trout fishing team helped Norstream to design these rods especially for the European trout competition scene. The competition fishing makes you count every second. You cannot afford to waste your precious time struggling to bring in a big hefty trout. Therefore, you need a rod with a special action able to deal with hard fighting fish.
Well, it seems that the Norstream people have found the right action. The quite soft tip of the Dynamic CZ considerably reduces the chances of hook pulls, while the very strong butt section gives you full control over the hooked fish in tight situations and brings it much sooner to the net.
We at Daily Fishing had the opportunity to examine and to test thoroughly both CZ rods. The two-piece rod blank is made of high quality Japanese Mitsubishi prepreg featuring high modulus carbon fibre and low resin ratio (UTC technology), that’s why it is so slim and light.
The butt section is much thicker and stiffer on CZ than on Ultra Special, and the strong backbone is one of the points in favour of the new models. However, the tip is soft enough to cast some lightest trout lures such as micro jigs and spoons.
The sleeve type put-over joint is well made and shows no intention to loosen by itself during fishing. The dimensions are as follows (joint length and diameters):
DYCZ-602UL: 44 mm — 3.7–3.6 mm
DYCZ-662UL: 43 mm — 3.8–3.7 mm
The joint area of the blank is carefully reinforced. The blank is finished in a matt maroon.
The rods are fitted with Fuji Alconite® rings in black stainless frames:
Type-Y guides, size 20, 12, 8,
Type-L guides, size 6, 5, 5,
Type-F tip top, size 5.5.
On the 6’6’’ model, there is a size 7 guide instead of the size 6 on the 6’ model.
The choice of Fuji Alconite® in a stainless steel frame seems to be a quite reasonable one for a small mid-priced rod. The Alconite® rings are light, strong and not too expensive.
The handle is built up from cork rings and shaped. The fore grip and the butt end of the handle are rubberised cork.
The Fuji VSS-16 reel seat holds securely any of the light spinning reels we had at our disposal in the course of the test.
The overall handle construction is well thought-out; it is vastly superior to the old one used on the Ultra Special.
The six-foot CZ is designed to meet the requirements of the small soft-plastics enthusiast. In Czechia, a much-praised lure is the so-called Nymph, which in fact represents a very small, light jig. It is fished in mid-water. On retrieve, you slowly raise the rod with twitching movements. It works!
Basically, this rod is excellent for all small-plastics applications provided there is no need for the jig to touch the bottom and no need for you, respectively, to feel the bottom. We may call it pelagic (or mid-water) jigging. Sometimes, huge hauls of perch can be bagged this way, simply by casting out and then gently retrieving the jig. No irregular movements, just a steady retrieve. No need to strike at the bite to set the hook, the fish hooks by itself. The soft rod tip and a monofilament line with some stretchiness will help you to avoid hook pulls, that major problem with perch.
The recommended lure weight for the 602UL is 0.8 to 4.5 grams; we would say 1 to 4 grams. Some of the smallest jig heads complete with tiny grubs or shads fall in this category.
What we found is that the 602UL handled tiny spoons equally as well. A 1.5-gram spoon proved to be very useful for brown trout fishing on small streams and brooks.
The 662UL is similar to the 602UL, but distinctly stronger. It is a perfect micro-spoon tool, a must for reservoir trout fishing. It comes into its own when the trout avoid the margins and long casts are indicated. Spoons up to 6 grams can be used. The 662UL loads easy and casts far and reasonably accurate.
We liked the new handle very much. With its short, neat fore grip it was a pleasure to hold.
Moreover, with the new grip design you can place your finger right on the blank for a better control.
In the course of our test, both CZ rods performed brilliantly on different waters and were a delight to use. Despite the increased butt power, many anglers will see these rods as their standard choice for ultra-light spinning and jigging.
Both rods should be paired with light spinning reels. Our pictures show them with a Mitchell Mag-Pro Lite 500. Thin monofilament lines, crucial for the right presentation of the miniature lures, can be used without reservation thanks to the very soft and forgiving rod tip.
On the other side, there is enough power in the butt to cope with a big trout or a stray pike.
Specifications
Trade Mark: Norstream
Model: Dynamic CZ DYCZ-602UL (DYCZ-662UL)
Stated Length: 6’ (6’6’’)
Measured Length: 183.5 cm (197.5 cm)
Stated Weight: 85 g (87 g)
Measured Weight: 79 g (83 g)
Top Section Weight: 6.4 g (6.8 g)
Lure Weight: 0.8–4.5 g (1.5–6 g)
Line: 2–5 lbs
Pieces: 2
Transport Length: 94.5 cm (101.5 cm)
Top Dia.: 1.2 mm
Butt Dia.: 7.4 mm (7.8 mm)
Handle: Cork
Fore Grip: Rubberized cork
Handle Length: 230 mm
Handle Dia.: 23–25 mm
Fore Grip Length: 31 mm
Butt Cap: n/a (Rubberized cork)
Joint Type: put-over
Guides & Tip Top: Fuji Alconite (6+1)
Size of Rings: 20, 12, 8, 6, 5, 5 + 5.5 (20, 12, 8, 7, 5, 5 + 5.5)
Reel Seat: Fuji VSS-16
Blank Colour: Maroon
Country of Origin: Korea
Verdict: An excellent trout spinning and mid-water jigging rod. The build quality is fair.
This review I wrote for the online fishing magazine Daily Fishing (now defunct) in 2011. Since then, the handle of Norstream Dynamic rods was changed and shortly afterwards the series was discontinued. The same rod is known as Nordic Stage Dynamic CZ.
Here, again, the handle and the reel seat differ from the original version.
Dmitry Y.Balichev