Riptide Rod

High Tide is the mode that matters on the Riptide Rod. Per its in-game text, each Perfect Cast fills the Tide Meter by 20%, and at max it enters High Tide for 5 casts, boosting rarity chance by 30% and bite speed by 25%. Five perfect casts fill the meter, so the rod rewards players who are consistent at casting. You craft it at Ancient Archives from crafting ingredients, with the level requirement.

Without the buff, the stats sit in the middle. Luck of 100 ranks 104th of 184 obtainable rods, Lure Speed of 60 is 112th, Control of 0.05 is 112th of 185, and Resilience of 20 is 77th. The weight cap of 3,500 kg is 80th of 117 rods that list one. That is exactly average, so the passive is the reason to use it.

In practice the cycle is: aim for perfect casts, wait for High Tide, then use those five casts on the fish you most want. Skipping the casting skill makes it a middling rod.

Anchor n' Chain, Elder Mossripper, Dead Man's Rod, Cupid's Embrace and Lucid Rod are the other rods at Ancient Archives.

Verdict: worth crafting if your timing is reliable and you like short bursts of boosted fishing. If you cast carelessly, another rod will serve you better.