Okuma Baidarka Discontinued?

I went to my favorite tackle shop today to see if he could order me an Okuma Baidarka Rod. After a looking through some catalogs and making a phone call, he told me they had been discontinued. It's a Bass oriented shop but I wanted to give him my business. That's why I'm on here asking you guys, I'm second guessing him. Has it really been discontinued?

They aren't listed on the Okuma website anymore, for whatever that's worth. Still, it wouldn't surprise me if they discontinued them. I know there are several folks that are big fans of them, but whether people were high-sticking with them or not, you sure hear a lot more about those rods breaking than any other rod people are using on their yaks. That fact alone kept me from ever purchasing one.

I have a couple I never got around to using yet. I'm liking my Trevalas quite a bit.

Yes it's true,
Nice idea but as stated many premature failures led to the demise.
Had 2 myself - both broke below the 3rd guide - sent first one back and they were great on warranty which I believe I sold to Sailfish. Second broke and is still sitting in my garage if anyone wants it. I have also been using the Travalla which I love and will be trying the Travalla-S this season.
Too bad about the Baidarka though - It was a good idea and I would have liked to see them make it in a little more durable model.

See Ya Soon,
Eric / Yakhopper

Dear Miss Lonely Hearts:
  So where does that leave me, who just the other day was raving about how Okuma replaced the rod whose tip I'd broken off stowing it?  Since I won the original, can I say that I have a good $15 (the postage cost to get the replacement) rod? Or a lousy $100 one?  Or did I just get the last Baidarka in stock and should keep it in the original plastic with tags ("Lifetime Warranty"(Whose lifetime?The model's?)) until the day I can donate it when the NCKA museum is built?  So many questions.  Don't suggest therapy as you do in all the other responses you write - that's why I got into this NCKA madness in the first place!
     Signed, Fuzzy in SC
 

Sell it now before the word gets out Hojo already has the NCKA Museum spots locked up.

Dear Miss Lonely Hearts:
  So where does that leave me, who just the other day was raving about how Okuma replaced the rod whose tip I'd broken off stowing it?  Since I won the original, can I say that I have a good $15 (the postage cost to get the replacement) rod? Or a lousy $100 one?  Or did I just get the last Baidarka in stock and should keep it in the original plastic with tags ("Lifetime Warranty"(Whose lifetime?The model's?)) until the day I can donate it when the NCKA museum is built?  So many questions.  Don't suggest therapy as you do in all the other responses you write - that's why I got into this NCKA madness in the first place!
     Signed, Fuzzy in SC

    That's a good one....

  just use it as though it's already broken....

Then no worries if and when it goes......

  How Zen is that....     

Sell it now before the word gets out Hojo already has the NCKA Museum spots locked up.

Well, I do have a lot of rarely used rods lying around. So I suppose I have a head start on the museum.

Ive hade mine for 8 months or better...not a problem one yet....maybe thats why their not for sale at Bass Pro Shops anymore...

I caught this WSB last Nov on a baidarka and if anyone who has them hates them , well pm me for my adress. I will take them 

Funny story about Baidarka Rods. A good buddy was at one of the local pro shops and the salesman was demonstrating the rod by flexing it on the show room floor when the rod snapped and sent one third of it sailing across the showroom. Maybe they had production problems and only certain rods were suspect?

i got 2 of them and they've both yaked TROPHY fish.....i guess i got lucky! 

      Well, the warranty replacement Baidarka (6.5 or 7') rod broke below the 5th guide from the top, about 14" down, the other day, after only two outings.  I had gotten snagged on kelp and was trying to jig it loose, and wasn't really putting much force on it.
     I called Okuma, they said it's been discontinued, and if they didn't have any in stock they'd replace with a similar rod. I told them I'd actually prefer another model.   A few days later ( and another $15 for shipping) the new Baidarka arrived.  I'll keep you posted on how it performs.  Since I won it, I'm only into it for the cost of gas to pick it up, and 2 x $15.  It looks great, but the $30 WalMart rod I've used during the breakage time has held up better to my abuse, though it needs a longer grip in front of the reel, and the tip guide rotates with the line (maybe not such a bad feature) after it landed a large WSB.

Most of them are graphite, but one is glass. I think its designated 701-m. The glass one is tough, the others snap..just my opinion.

At some point in time it will become cheaper to go buy a calstar or seeker rod than to continue investing in postage.......I'd hit the tackle shop today