shimanoangler

Last rod was a Kistler Zbone Medium Powered rod. It was stiffer than a board and seem to fish way outside of stated lure rating. Sold almost immediately. Reel, was a Lew's Custom Pro 3000 spinning reel. Just no comparison to the Daiwas and Shimanos I had been fishing.

I am the anomaly, in that I use spinning sets up for all my bass fishing applications. I am just more comfortable with a spinning rod in my hands, and today's spinning reels have tremendous inches per turn capabilities (37 to 40 IPT) and quite honestly the drags on spinning reels (generally speaking) are just better than their bait casting counterparts, so I just keep it simple and have my entire arsenal in spinning rod set ups. I fish several Medium Heavy, and Heavy, powered rods for all my moving bait applications. I have several 7'6" MH Fast Action rods for chatterbaits, swim jigs, heavy topwater (whopper ploppers) and wobble/pivot heads. My heavy powered fast action rods are 7', and I throw spinnerbaits, heavier topwaters (walking baits) and heavier lipless cranks. All the rest of my 1/2 and below baits are fished on medium powered fast action rods. And I have three medium powered moderate action spinning rods I throw all my cranks on (admittedly, I don't do any real deep cranking, just doesn't fit my style of fishing, although it should). Point being, it is all really a matter of personal preference and comfort. For me, spinning rods have been the choice and I catch fish of all sizes, on all applications, without any problem. The only exception to that rule is I do use a casting rod for flipping and punching, which I do very RARELY, but I have that set up for that very specific purpose. There is no one size fits all answers or direction, just go with what works for you.

Anyone have any of the Gen 1 Cumara spinning rods for sale?? I am specifically looking for the 7'6" Med Power Fast Action spinning rod. Thank you!!

Not sure I have found a better rod for senko fishing that the Shimano Expride 7' medium power fast action. $$ for $$ it could be the best rod going.

Pay less attention to # test and pay more attention to line diameter. Not all #10 test braids are equal. One of the lines I like a lot for finesse fishing is Sufix NanoBraid. It's a thin diameter, smooth casting for lighter applications and extremely manageable. And equally as important is that it holds a knot very well. It's become my go to braid for all my finesse applications. For leaders, same is true with respect to line diameter, but the standard for me is 8 lb floro. I lean Seaguar Tatsu and the new Gold Label. And I go long leaders when finesse fishing, 15 to 20 feet to avoid having to retie braid to leader connections on the water.

You raise a good question. I was thinking that the question was centered around the spinning version of that rod, versus the baitcaster. I think the specs of the rods are very similar regardless of fishing rod version, BUT my experience is solely with the Spinning Rod version of that stick...

The Dobyns Champion Extreme is a really good moving bait stick. My favorite application was throwing 3.8 paddle tail swimbaits on that rod. It was awesome for that. That said, I wanted to do the same things you were looking to do, and I upgraded to the Xtasy 753 for the extra/added sensitivity and feel. To answer your specific questions: • Is it stouter than the previous dobyns rods like the champion xp? Yes, I think the XPs are more moderate for the Extremes, but the Extremes still have a GREAT action for moving baits. •Is the tip more moderate? The tip is not more moderate than the XP, but the entire action of the rod is more parabolic than most Fast action rods. •Could I throw jigs and t-rigs on this rod (For the jigs 3/8 oz and t-rigs 1/4 oz)? You absolutely can, but there are better rods for that in the Dobyns line up (and others). •Is it stout in general at all? Extremes, just like the XPs and the Xtasys, all have a very stout rugged feeling. I was catching large green fish in weeds on my 723 and getting them to the boat with no problems. If you read some of the reviews on the Extremes/Xtasys, people say things like they are more rugged feeling than my NRX (nowhere near as sensitive, but much more stout). •Off topic but can’t u call dobyns to help with your decision? Not sure you can call Dobyns to get help with your decision, but Gary Dobyns responded to an email I sent Dobyns about the application I was looking to do with my next rod and he, personally, responded with a ton of great feedback. Trey Kistler does the same thing at Kistler rods, which I think is pretty neat. •If you owned one, did u like it? I did own three and loved them all, but the Xtasy line is just better and I settled on buying 723 and 753 (and I am the process of trying to get my hands on a 722).

Tell that to my wife!! ?

I have a conundrum of sorts, in that I have too many medium power 7' spinning rods and medium to medium light drop shot rods (I went on a buying spree, couldn't help myself). So the decision I am trying to make, without being able to fish the rods as we have snow/ice cover, is do I keep the Alpha Angler rods to fish this spring and sell my Shimano Expride, Dobyns Xtasy 723 and 753, as well as my Megabass Orochi XX Whipsnake, or do I keep the latter and part ways with the Alphas... I have 18 rod and reel combos, and even I know that is TOO many... Trying to sort through the choices of which combos to keep and which ones to let go... Its akin to choosing your favorite child, ie you can't do that right??? ?

Wow, no alpha anglers on this site??? ?

I am a Dobyns "guy", but not for what you are looking for, especially XP line of rods. The Champion Extreme HP line would be a far better choice than the XP, but the Xtasy line of rods is even better for what you are looking for. The Champion Extreme 742 is a decent choice, but the Xtasy 722 and the 752 would be awesome. That said, $$ for $$, the Expride line up is REALLY hard to beat. Sensitive, light and very versatile. I would give that a nod over the Orochi XX whipsnake or the Shakeyhead rods. I, personally, am not a fan of the addermine, too stiff for the length. If you are looking to go up to the Legend X rods, you would be hard pressed to find a better rod at that price. But you are getting up there, and that is where Legend series, the Xtasy series, GLX/NRX series all start creeping into the equation. For where you started, I think you would really appreciate the Shimano Expride. $$ for $$ it fishes WAY above its price point.

I am right there with you A-jay!!! LOL... Good to know. I just bought this very line in 6 lb and 8lb test. I have always used Red Label as a leader and I have never had any issues breaking the line at the hook or in the leader, but I have had a very break offs at the connection knot. I haven't become proficient with the FG knot, so I have tied a few knots from G Swindle and Shaw Grisby, that are pretty good, but I have had a few break offs the past year. I have some gold on the way and I have used Tatsu as a leader, but have always seemed to find my way back to Red Label. Regardless, Seaguar Floro is my go to Floro.

Looking for feedback from anglers who have direct, hands on, experience with the Alpha Angler spinning rod line up on their experience with these rods and how they compare to other spinning rods they have fished from a sensitivity, fishability and durability standpoint. I have learned to ignore all the marketing hype and to instead listen to the feedback of guys just like me who have actually fished the equipment in question. So please, let me know your thoughts and experiences, good and bad, on this line up of rods. Thanks for looking and tight lines!

Great feedback. This is such an interesting topic and I believe that sensitivity is somewhere between your ears (as Tom would suggest) and an exact science (as Tom also suggests there is no measure). I recognize that there is some subjectivity to how a rod feels or which rod is the most sensitive, but there has to be a formula that one can follow to understand the combination of variables that make one rod more sensitive than another, right?? I mean an angler must be able to walk up to a rack of rods and based on certain specs can identify a rod that is more sensitive than others on the rack, right?

Tom, When you say sensitivity is subjective, it's quantifiable right??? There has to be a measurable, objective here, right?? When you hear people say the NRX sets the bar in sensitivity that can't be all subjective, can it ??