new2BC4bass

I can put up with a little tip heavy. I bought a 7'7" composite crankbait casting rod. Was on closeout and hard to pass up such a deal. At that time I didn't have a 'crankbait' rod (used MF rods). I've used it once. If I want to work out, I'll go to the gym and exercise most of my muscles instead of only the wrist of my rod arm.

Dobyns rods are similar. Often a little heavier than like models, but better balanced making them feel lighter. Wish I needed another couple rods. Excellent price. Enjoy. And, yeah, it sucks that a $329 rod doesn't feel as nice as an $88 rod. That shouldn't happen.

BPS website calls it a spinnerbait rod.......so yeah.

I see the Revros has been mentioned a few times. No personal experience, but I bought one a few years ago as a birthday present for a B-I-L. I seriously doubt the reel has ever been cleaned or lubed. He's still using it and hasn't mentioned any problems with it.

Anyone who says fluorocarbon lines have little to no stretch has 1) never read TT's fluorocarbon line comparison reviews, and 2) never had to break fluorocarbon line from a snag. I tried 10# P-Line Fluoroclear on a baitcast reel for a day (while visiting Florida). Put the reel away and changed the line when I got back home. It was breaking way too easy. Maybe a bad spool? I've successfully use 8# mono and co-polymer in several brands with no such problem. I've read excellent things about CCX and Izorline Platinum for having great abrasion resistance. I have some of each to test, but it will be on casting reels. I have doubts that 10# would handle very well on a spinning reel. I also have some Izorline XXX Super Co-Polymer to test in hopes it will be the best of both worlds...handle well and have good abrasion.

Don't mean any disrespect, but I've always figured that anyone spending that kind of money on rods has already done his research and needs no help from anyone. By the time you've researched what rods to buy, you already know what techniques they do well. As far as redundancy is concerned...what is wrong with that? I've got plenty of them.

Thoughts? Video is too dark. My 10 year old grandson could do better. Probably pick better music too, although I wouldn't bet my life on that.

I have an odd number of spinning reels and an even number of casting reels....I think. Will have to recount the casting reels. I'm sure most will realize from my first post that I enjoy trying different gear. It is the only thing that kept me from quitting fishing again. I continued fishing for 2 years after moving to the ABE area, but then quit for 23 years because fishing sucked so bad. Especially when compared to where I moved from. Sometimes a reel can surprise you. I'd be surprise if more than 2-3 people on here have a Primmus HS Xi. It was a factory tuned reel. Liked the first one enough to buy two more on closeout. The reel is not the least bit finicky. Casting distance is great. Looks very nice. Pretty light. Whats not to like? My first thought after making my first cast with the Helios Air was, "Man. This reel can cast!" I remain very pleased with this reel. Looks are so-so, light, not finicky. The BPS Prolite was their 'finesse' reel. However, I used two older Carbonlites when learning to cast #5 Shad Raps (3/16 oz.). Dual brake. Not pretty (to me), but they are a pleasure to use. The old blue Patriarch XT, dual brake, light, nice looking. Can run brakes set lower than almost any other of my reels without backlashing. My old aluminum framed Trion is not light, not small, and not pretty (put nicely), but is a fine casting reel with the right line/rod combo. Thank you DVT for the suggestion. Chronarch 100B is like the Trion. It's not light, not small, and not pretty, but is a great caster with the setup I am using. A backlash is hard to get.

I always use as purchased with the exception of 2 reels. So far I've not had a problem. Well....except for a 'blem' I bought. I assumed a 'blem' was cosmetic. In this case it's the internals. Haven't sent it for repair (I don't bother with Daiwa) since I have an over abundance of reels. It will eventually get sent out and most likely be upgraded because I am looking for maximum distance with this reel.

Sufix 832 is listed as having a .008 diameter. Who knows what it actually is. Many 6# lines are listed with a .009 diameter with a very few being .008 diameter. The reel is listed as holding 230 yards of 6# mono. If not fishing for Marlin or Tarpon, you might want to consider using cheap mono backing unless money is of no concern to you.

Welcome to the forum, spencer. I think the majority consider finesse to be light lures. Not everyone, tho. I've read that finesse is more a method than a weight. I adhere to the first, but have no problem with someone using a 3/8 oz. jig plus trailer and calling it finesse because I don't feel like I know the true meaning of finesse. Am I finesse fishing with a 3/8 oz. jig, or am I just bass fishing? What's the difference? I don't know. What weights will you be using? I don't recall anyone ever suggesting over a medium power rod with many suggesting a ML for finesse. I only have one MH spinning rod, and I definitely don't use it for finesse. It has straight 30# braid spooled. Have no problem casting into thick stuff, but have to admit that it hasn't been used in some time because I prefer casting reels for the weights I would use on this rod. The 30# braid has straightened a 3/8 oz. jig hook more than once. What brand/size reel are you using? I lean towards being frugal most of the time. I wouldn't want to spool more than 100 yards on a reel as I would consider it a waste of money and line. EDIT: Normally I use a mono or co-polymer on spinning reels, but have tried some pretty light braid on one. I definitely will be using a leader with this line because I found out that abrasion resistance is about zero with the braid I have on the reel.

I feel the same as you except I haven't been able to force myself to fork out $200 on a rod. (Except for a used Sage fly rod.) Would love a Cara. I have a few rods that are from $200 plus to $300 plus new, but all were purchased used for less than $200. Well...used except for two ALX rods when I caught the Zolo sale for $175 a few years ago. My most expensive rod is a used custom build casting rod for $185.

Bazoo, you said: "I tried a Berkley Lightning rod in medium 7' and I didn't like it. It was way too stiff in the tip to cast anything lighter than 3/8 and preferred 1/2 oz lures. Like casting with a broomstick. I rarely fish heavy lures, and rarely heavy cover." Which is why I said what I did. According to the Berkley website this rod has a Moderate Fast action. It's hard for me to image it casts like a broomstick. Even if the action is more 'Fast', a MF rod should have no problem casting 3/8 oz. a fair distance. I assumed you meant it would cast 3/8 oz., but preferred 1/2 oz. for any kind of distance since 3/8 oz. was the lightest you would use on the rod. Normally mid-range weight lures handle best. The rod's lure rating is 1/4-5/8 oz. from what I was able to find. I honestly don't know what to think about your results with the rod. My 40+ year old Lightning 6' F spinning rod rated 1/8-3/8 oz, seems more Medium action to me. Will cast 1/8 oz. Roostertails great and lighter ones far enough to use this rod. On a side note...I've cast weightless 10" ribbontail worms on 3/0 to 5/0 hooks with several MHF rods without a problem. Total weight should be around 3/8 oz. I'm thinking from what you said that the reel is cleaned and lubed just fine. What reel is it? Although some people have no problem casting light lures with the old Trion casting reel, it gave me nightmares on a MF rod with the before mentioned worm/hook using 30# braid. It's a casting machine with 17# mono and using a 1/2 oz. jig with trailer. That's why I originally asked what reel you were using. Some are better with 3/8 oz. and below than others.

This post must be about ready to disintegrate it's so old. J.Wood, I don't know about the new ones but when I handled the Eagles a few years ago I liked how they felt in hand. Seemed light to me given their price (or even higher priced rods). I have HMG, Smallmouth, Techna AV, and Aetos models. Have always felt I got good value for my money. Especially since I bought new on closeouts or used.

I'm right handed. Don't know you, but I can hit those tiny little letters/numbers better with my right finger (even with the middle one). So, yeah, I hold the phone in my left hand the majority of the time.

I was going to mention what two other posters have already said. I can't get to the file on my laptop (hasn't worked in 2 years), but I have the weights of a number of rods listed in a file. Dobyns are known for their balance, but are heavier than many comparable rods. If you really want to know what tip heavy is, try an old Daiwa Ballistic 7'7" MR casting rod. Hope you've been working out at the gym. It's a wrist beater.

Same here, but I prefer my dominate hand (right) for techniques requiring delicately working the lure. However, I quickly learned while sitting in front of the TV that my non-dominate hand was able to feather a spool much better than my dominate hand. It took a lot of practice to train my right thumb. I've never checked since then to see if my right thumb caught up with the left. Originally learned to cast with my left side so I could take advantage of purchasing right hand reels offered at a great price. Plus some reels back then weren't offered in left hand. Cranking either hand has never been a problem. All you have to do is move your hand in a circle. How hard is that?

I don't own an Expride, but reviewers often say they compare well to $400 rods.

Nice rods, but way above his budget. Can OP find them at basspro/cabelas, walmart, or academy?

Almost 15 for me, and I am trying to stop. If I was as young as you, I'd probably still be looking. I did but 2 rods and reels within the last year.

🤣 We might be in the same boat. I use 10 brands of reels and 23 brands of rods plus 3 custom built rods I bought used. It's taken a few years to get to this point.

Undecided. I've picked up a few expensive (for me) used rods and reels over the past few years. I'd like to combine them and get some use out of them before passing away or getting too old to go fishing. Reels: Steez, Exsence DC, Zillion, Pixy, Bantam MGL, Helios Air, SuperDuty G, Alphas, SV103, Patriarch XT, TD-Z 105H plus some less costly, well liked reels such as TD Fuego, Primmus, etc. Rods: Zolo, Helium 3, Witch Doctor Shaman, Diablo Spec R, Expert Amistad and Headturner, Techna AV, Hammer Elite, Champion 704CB Glass, plus a couple handfuls of lesser price, but well liked rods such as OG Tatula and Smallmouth.

IMHO a rod of that price with the name 'Fenwick' on it isn't going to sell well no matter how good the rod is. Put 'Megabass' or 'GLoomis' on the Fenwick rod and I think it would sell well and be praised. I own several older Fenwick rods in a few models and have always felt I got good value for my money.

Can't help with suggesting a 2-piece (or more) rod to be found locally. I did want to ask about your Berkley Lightning rod. My only Lightning is a very old spinning rod, so it can't be compared with today's rods. I looked up the 7' Medium rod and it has a Moderate Fast tip. This makes it hard for me to believe that a 3/8 oz. lure won't cast a mile. I've never used a MF rod that wouldn't handle 3/8 oz. fine, and I have that power/action in 10 different brands. A Moderate Fast tip should handle that weight even better. I even use MHF for 3/8 oz. in vegetation with several brands of rods. What reel are you using on that rod? Is the reel properly cleaned and lubed? It's possible that the reel is some of the problem. Some older reels such as the Zillion do better with 3/8 oz. and up. At least according to a TT review. Thus I put my Zillions on MH or H rods since I have plenty of reels that handle 3/8 oz. very well.

The TD-X HSDF is one of several reels I've yet to fish with. I just happen to have a spare Zillion spool. Is it an improvement over the standard spool? Can't remember if mine is the 100 or the 103. Still need to sort through all my boxes after the move to Florida.