Tywithay

I've gotten great customer service from JPangler and Digitaka, and saved several hundred dollars. I like Japan Tackle for some items, but it's not worth another $50-$60, when most of the other places care equally as much about the customer.

I don't believe cost necessarily makes a rod high end, it just makes it expensive. For instance, the *** *** has been compared to the performance of an IMX in sensitivity, weight, etc.; one is $300, the other $100....which one is the high end rod if they perform similarly? In some instances you get what you pay for, but it's important to do some homework to insure you're getting the most bang for your buck. There's plenty of rods that cost a little less, but offer the same performance as others that cost far more.

It might be a "selling point," but that doesn't make it true in all cases. Kind of like how fluorocarbon has "no stretch." There are copolymer lines that are more abrasion resistant and stretch less, but there are many monofilament lines that stretch less and are more abrasion resistant than several of the copolymers on the market. CXX does have slightly less stretch than big game, but it's also a little stiffer.

You'll be hard pressed to find a copoly that stretches less than Big Game. It's one of the lowest stretch non-braided lines out there.

I made the mistake. I got a rep sample for $205, thought I'd stole it. It showed up with the sticker on it, brand new rod; still winning. Took it fishing for a few hours, then came home and put it up for sale. It was just not a good rod, even at the discounted price.

I sold my 873CRR shortly after buying it too. Not impressed.

$100 is about right, in my opinion. I thought they were a little tip heavy, probably due to the short skinny handles. I definitely recommend taking a reel to the store and seeing how they feel. The handles aren't the most comfortable for me, because they're so skinny and I don't care for the skeleton seat on them.

4lb Senshi or Super Natural are great on 1000 reels. They're actually 4lb, rather than 8lb labeled as 4lb.

I'm in the same boat. This will likely be my next reel as well. The right handed version is releasing on February 10th. Don't know how long before they're in stock everywhere though. Lefties have to wait until April.

I love it as well. Usually use it for jigs, but I've used it for burning jighead+grubs for spawning walleyes, shallow cranks, and the occasional carolina rig. Like the longer handle better than the other Metaniums.

Those models are all current. The Magnesium only came out a few months ago. They're all imported.

It was in the 70s today, for some reason. So I dusted them off for the winter and spooled up some new toys.

The Magnesium, Pro Series, and Carbon Steel are all imported blanks. Only the ZBone, Helium, and KLX, use American made NFC blanks.

I have been wondering if they're going to be moving to the Gen2 blanks from NFC. Gary has just started rolling them out, from what I understand. It would make sense for Kistler to move any inventory to make way for new stock. I just wish they'd do away with the split grips and get more of the full handle rods in. So much more comfortable to fish.

The guides don't look great. No mention of the blank involved either, so I'm guessing it's an imported blank. I dunno, I just think I'd rather have the KLX over this one, considering the price.

Kistler measures from the bottom of the reel seat. So add 4.5" to that. TW measures to the top of the foregrip. The Avid, for instance, has about a 2.5" foregrip, plus a few inches for the reel seat; means the handle itself is 8-9".

The only rod on your list with a handle longer than the Kistler is the Perfecta.

Unless it says the diameter on the reel or reel box, 12 and 15 are essentially useless numbers. Just venturing a guess, I'd say you can fill both and will have some left over.

I didn't say anything about it being the only reason, or the most important thing. I simply said not having a full spool will affect distance and IPT. Both are facts and relevant to the thread. The other things you mentioned also have an effect.

I don't think it really has any benefits for spinnerbaits, since sensitivity isn't really paramount. That said, 12lb Invizx, Tatsu, or Sniper, would all perform well for throwing a spinnerbait. I've also grown pretty fond of 10lb and 12lb Trilene XL fluorocarbon on my baitcasters. I don't like the 100%, but the XL is pretty nice.

I like the 7'3" MH-F Kistler KLX for those techniques. It's lighter than the Champion, and I feel the KLX are quite a bit more sensitive. That particular rod is $209, but there's coupons out there to get you under $200.

Fluorocarbon is much more dense than braid, so a full spool weighs more. It's pretty wise to up the braking a bit, compared to your braid setting.

The backing isn't so much just in case, as it is to create an arbor to ensure your spool is full; plus it saves you money on your more expensive mainline. If you have 20 yards of backing and 100 yards of mainline, and just skip the backing, your spool will be 20 yards short. Having a short-filled spool will affect casting distance, and it will greatly hurt your IPT as you near the spool. A heavier spool actually equals longer casts, because the extra weight keeps the spool spinning longer. The added weight only hurts startup inertia, which isn't an issue unless you're using lighter baits.

The tips on the elites are still fiberglass, i.e., very whippy and will kill any vibration that would have been transmitted. They're good rods, but a full graphite rod would be better suited for most bass fishing.

I use 4lb Super Natural, or 4lb Tatsu, on my 1000 sized reels. Haven't had any issues yet. Have a spool of 4lb Sniper, but I haven't tried it yet.