The Rooster

Aw that's easy man. You just send them an email asking for permission and put one of those pictures in it. She's so hot, I hardly noticed there's no reel on that rod. But then, she's not out there for the fishing. If I were there I wouldn't be either.

Well time will tell. When I get to use it on the water, that's when I'll know. Just casting it though it felt fairly stiff feeling. My Shimano Compre M/F feels a bit weaker than this St. Croix does.

I can't wait to fish it. I already saddled up a reel on it and went out into the backyard with a spinnerbait tied on to see how it would cast. It casts beautifully and feels light in my hands. Never had a St. Croix rod before so this will also be a learning experience. The rod says it will handle 1/4 to 3/4 baits. I had a 3/8 oz. spinnerbait tied on (actual weight was 3/4 oz. when put on a scale). The rod did not feel maxxed out at all, so I'm sure I could use the 1/2 oz. baits on it too (the ones I weighed in at 7/8 oz. on the scale). It actually feels like it's in between the M/F Compre and the MH/F Compre I have now in terms of power and action, regardless of the M/F rating the rod claims. This is just fine with me.

I posted on here a week or so ago about asking my brother-in-law if he'd sell his Shimano Clarus rod he was not using. I did last night and he said he believed he still had the rod and would sell it to me. I wanted a MH/F but he said he thought it was only a M/F. We got to talking and he said he also has several other rods that he was not using as well. Since he was coming into town today to visit he said he'd make a list of what he has that he is not using and let me know. I told him to let me know also what he wanted for any of them. Well, today he came in and tells me that after he had previously said he would sell that Clarus he then remembered he was already letting his son use it to learn to fish on and didn't want to take it away from him. I don't blame him there at all, although thinking about it it's kind of funny, there's a 6'6" Clarus out there with a Zebco 202 on it ;D. But when he came in today, instead of having a list of his rods he currently was not using, he had brought a 6'6" M/F St. Croix Triumph casting rod and said he'd just GIVE it to me at no cost since he was not using it. I was stunned, this is a nice rod and fairly expensive (to me) at $70 retail. It's not quite the rod I wanted since I originally wanted a MH/F for spinnerbaits, but it is actually stiffer feeling than a Shimano Compre M/F I have now, making the St. Croix Triumph feel more like a MH power so I think it will work fine for my spinnerbait needs. And I can't beat a St. Croix for free so I'm not complaining one bit. It's in excellent condition, just like new, and mine to keep. I offered to pay him for it but he wouldn't have it. He said keep it, he's not using it at all, doesn't plan to ever use it and it's just leaning there in the corner of his garage collecting dust. Naturally I was thrilled. 8-)

Compres are awesome. Sounds like you got a crankbait rod there with that medium/medium fast. If the model is cpcc66mb then that's what it is. And the other one is a short flippin/pitchin rod. This was told to me by Bantam1 who used to post on this board and works for Shimano. Model number cpcx610mhb if that's it. I always thought that one would make an excellent spinnerbait rod also. I love the Compres I have, no question this is easily the best value in fishing for the money it costs compared to what you get in return. Very light weight and sensitive.

Some of Cabela's reels actually state the name Daiwa on the side of them, that's a no brainer there. ;D

I'm impressed. Why did they give it to you for free though??

I will!! I'm one of those guys who would rather buy brand new with a warranty at a lower price than purchase high dollar used gear at a discount. I also want it to function as near to the high dollar stuff as possible. So far I've found a select few reels that to me seem to do this and don't break the bank. What you just described seems as if it will be right up my alley.

Don't forget helicopter lures and flying lures. ;D >

Only thing Cabela's catalog states about it is "chromium SS 304".

I always use the stock hooks on baits but the ones I have bought have just had the bronze hooks on them mostly, except for the newer baits I have from Rapala and XCalibur that have VMC hooks on them. Might start changing some of the "plain" hooks out this season but so far what I've always done is hone them on a diamond stone too, and it has seemed to help. I hone them until they're like a needle. Not just scratching the nail but actually cutting a groove when dragged across my nails. This sharpness doesn't maintain itself just laying in a tacklebox though, seems like oxidation of being exposed to air makes them dull some after a while. I'll typically hit them just prior to using them or maybe do a few the night before a trip.

Chartreuse spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and crankbaits. Those are the baits I've had some solid hits on. As a matter of fact, looking back over the time I've been fishing the largest bass I've caught on each one of these type of baits were on a chartreuse color each time. And my largest bass of all so far of any caught has been on a chartreuse crank as well. Glad I saw this thread. Might never have thought of it in this way. Now I want to try some chartreuse jigs and plastics too. When it comes to plastics I've never given chartreuse a chance.

I gave up on Walmart clearance. The had some Daiwa V rods I really liked that were pretty good for the $50 retail they costed. IM-7 graphite with Fuji aluminum oxide guides and reel seats. Planned to get these for my rod choices for a while but money was tight so I didn't get them then. Then one day I go in and they're all gone. I asked about them and was told they were clearanced out for $25 each. Seems I always miss the deals.

I think it's the improved clinch knot. Here's what I do, and I know it's probably lazy. I run the line through the hook eye, then pull tag end up beside main line and twist the hook several times to essentially wrap the tag around the main line a few times. That's the lazy part. After that I put the tag through the loop above the hook eye and then bring back up and put through the loop created when I took it through the first loop. When I do that last step I put it in from behind (cross over line and come back in from the same direction as when I went in above hook eye) instead of just coming straight up and through. Seems to not unwravel as much when I do that. I notice looking at pictures of how to tie this knot though that they just bring it straight up and through without going in behind like I do but when I tie this way it always falls apart when I pull it tight. Hope this explanation made sense. I can produce pictures if needed using a rope for easy viewing.

I've had this problem for some time on XL when I tie the clinch knot. Just unwravels and falls out after tying. Palomar knot, no problems but I can't really see that knot pulling out anyway. I always wet the line before pulling tight also but it still would come undone on me. Got tired of tying the same knot 3 or 4 times before I could cast and switched to Stren. Occasionally I'll have that happen on that line too.........so maybe the problem is me. ;D Doesn't seem to happen nearly as often using Stren though.

That's the general way of thinking about them I believe, and apparently there's something to it since they put them on every rod model they have on their lower end. Hate to see their higher midrange rods go that way..........but hey I'm a Shimano man anyway when it comes to rods and so far they're still using Fuji's. I just wanted to know about this hialoy thing for my own knowledge and that's it. However the rods I get have hardloy guides and I do use fluorocarbon with those. So far no trouble though. I was also told by Bantam1 on this board that those are fine for braided line as well. He works for Shimano so I think he'd know on that.

I was referring to the color of the rod in the OP. Not long ago, there was a big rush to find an orange or black reel to pair up with the Carrot Stix. Now, other than the old stradics, where have you seen a production white reel? Only white reels I can think of are from Cabela's. The Tournament ZX reel and also the Salt Striker reel. Pflueger used to make a Pro Max that was white also, but as of last year it was discontinued. These are all spinning reels though.

I asked this question once before, about whether or not Pacific Bay guides were any good on a rod and the general answer from quite a few people here seemed to be that they were junk. I looked around on the internet and found several sites claiming that hialoy material is the highest grade of aluminum oxide available on the market. It's supposed to be diamond polished to last for years of use. Seems like the product description reads well enough, but then seeing that this year Bass Pro Shops put Pac Bay Hialoy guides on every single rod they offer from the Extreme rod down to the Graphite Series ($100 rods down to $35 and everything in the middle) then it seems to me that the "general answer" I got before is more likely to be right. So why then am I seeing it being said that it's the highest grade aluminum oxide available today?? Personally I'm sold on Fuji, but I just wanted to know about this. It bugs me that the same guides are on a $35 Graphite Series rod, a $50 Tourney Special, a $80 Bionic Blade, and a $100 Extreme. Cabela's did this too, put them on several of their rods in those same price ranges. All this just serves to make me think they're cheap guides, and yet I keep seeing that it's "the highest grade available". Anybody know for sure??

Sorry, didn't know BPS did that since I don't live near one. 3 1/2 hour drive for me to get to one. Local dealers here are where I get my Shimanos at. I also bought one that had a void in the cork that was filled with another piece of cork glued in place. Not very attractive I have to say, but it doesn't bother me now that I'm used to it. So far this has not came out but if it does I'll deal with that then. I didn't notice it at purchase or I would have gotten a different one. While I like the feel of Shimano rods better than St Croix, I do have to say I've NEVER seen another rod that had as nice of a cork handle as what those do. Even just looking at the Triumph at Dick's Sporting Goods I noticed the handles are completely flawless in design and materials. Cork feels especially soft and comfortable.

As far as I know they've never been over the counter replacements. A year ago when I got my first one the dealer explained to me that you take them back to the store and get an immediate exchange but you pay $15 for "them" to ship it back for you. Saves you waiting on a new one and shipping it back yourself. Somebody has to eat shipping there and dealers wouldn't want to do that repeatedly by paying out of their own pockets for shipping so people can bring rods back they abused and get unlimited free replacements (I'm not saying you abused yours, but a lot of people do this and that would be very costly for dealers if it were a no strings attached warranty). I don't know of any other manufacturer that will let you exchange high dollar rods for $15. After a year you're generally on your own with all other manufacturers, save a very few.

There's nothing I can say. Shimano rods left me speechless after using them. Well, maybe I do have something to say... When I first saw my brother-in-law with 7 Compres, all I could think about was how much money those costed and how many more rods I could have bought for what he paid and even saved money on top of it. Since then he's bought even more. I think he now has about 10. Then I saw how they performed for him and I got tempted to get one. Still took a while to take the plunge (for me a $100 rod was a lot of money, much less the $230 Cumara price). Finally got one of the Compres and WOW was the only thing I could think after that. Then I got another one to go with the first and now have plans for at least 2 more still. Now I compare every single rod I touch to the Compre and if it's inferior I lose interest in it immediately. Lately I've been thinking about the Crucials too. In short, your'e gonna love that Cumara. And as for me, it's gonna take a LONG time before I think about any other rods that don't say Shimano on them. Who needs G-Loomis?? ;D

So you guys think Extra Fast for worming?? I went with just plain Fast so it would be a little softer. Felt it made the rod more versatile to do other things besides just worms and jigs. Although the next one I get will be strictly a worm/jig rod only, might also double as a frog rod too. Don't need much for this since I don't have slop on my lakes. Guess I'll find out this year if a Fast tip was enough. If not it'll be Extra Fast next year.

If you are looking at $100 Carbonlites then the Shimano Compre should be on the list too. $100 is a bargain for a rod of this caliber. $70 for a Shimano Clarus is really good too. For less than this............I'll get back to you on that. Also bargain racks can be good places to shop as well. I once found 2 Quantum Tour rods on sale for $60 each. That was HARD to pass up considering money was tight. I needed 2 rods that day, but held out against my gut instinct to just buy them both, and ended up with 2 Compres instead. I don't regret it though. Best rods I've ever owned EASILY.

Hot Sauce in a Shimano?? :-? That's a Quantum thing and might void the warranty. I'd definitely check first before I did this. I'd return that reel for an exchange first thing, before you try to do anything else to it at all. Then when you get the next one, send it to Reel Mechanic right off the bat and have him strip it down, clean and relube it to remove the factory packed grease. I have no personal experience with this since I have BPS reels which he doesn't work on and I don't own Shimanos (except rods) but I hear he's a master at doing this and they come back feeling better than new when finished. He might could fix the one you have too but it's not worth tampering with since it's so new. Return for exchange on that before it's too late. Even if BPS won't exchange it, you always have Shimano's warranty....but not if you put Hot Sauce in it.

Hmmmm.......I thought these reels might be nice.......but not now. This is another reason I love this site. Good to know these things BEFORE a person buys and finds out the hard way. Thanks for the tip. Sorry about your experience though. At least you found out BEFORE being in waist high weeds and having this happen.