mreservices

12lb Suffix Nanobraid / 6lb FC Sniper here. FG knot between them. Casts a mile.

I have a few of the rods you are looking at so I thought I would chime in. Please keep in mind that I am no professional. Just your weekend fisherman for the past 25 or so years. I have the following rods that I have used and can speak to (my impressions): Dobyns Champion Extreme DX701 Light Fast Dobyns Champion Extreme DX702 Med/Light Fast Dobyns Champion Extreme DX703 Medium Fast St. Croix Legend Xtreme LXS68MXF Med Ex Fast St. Croix Legend Xtreme LXS70MLF Med/Light Fast St. Croix Legend Xtreme LXS70MF Med Fast St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass TBS68MXF Med Ex Fast GLoomis IMX Mag-Lt 820S DSR Mag-Lt *** Envy EBS71M Med Fast One you didn't list but high end Kistler Z-Bone LE LE-2MS-73 Med Fast I have lower end rods, but from a sensitivity standpoint, these are my best. Of all of my rods, the Kistler is the most sensitive for me, but it is a $500 rod. After that, the Legend Xtreme would follow, and fairly close I feel (literally). I really like the Legend Xtreme rods. I think some people are put off by the handles, but I like them. They are comfortable and are really nice sticks. After that I would say the Dobyns Champion Extreme, then the Envy and the St. Croix Legend Tournament rods. Of all of my rods, the I like fishing the Dobyns the best. The main reason is the balance of the rod. I can use a lighter reel and make it balance well (i.e. I'm not tired at the end of the day). All of the St. Croix rods that I have fished are a bit more tip heavy. The Xtremes are better than the LTB by a ton, but still not as good as the Xtremes. I do hear good things about the new Elites but have not tried one. The Envy also balances very well with lighter reels. I have a few GLoomis IMX rods and they are nice, but they are older models and likely not as good as the new PRO models. I have been fishing the IMX line since the early 90's and have always been happy with them. I just didn't like the fact they sold off to Shimano so I moved on. Still great sticks with great warranties. Just a few of my thoughts to throw in the mix. I do agree with most people that after $250, there are not huge jumps in performance. With that said, there are some great sticks above $250. Are they worth it? Only you can decide. As for reels, I mainly use the Diawa Ballistic EX and Quantum Smoke. I also have a Pflueger President and Supreme XT for my wife and I would never buy another one. Both reels click when reeling and they don't have much time on the water. Moving forward, all of my reels will be Diawa. Just an FYI, I am selling my Kistler Z-Bone LE LE-2MS-73 Med Fast rod. I will have it in the Flea Market later today. Good luck with your quest!!

I used to use the Alberto knot and am now using the FG knot. With both, I have never had a break and I do pass the know through my guides. I typically don't have to re-tie unless I need a longer leader. I use Suffix Nanobraid to Sunline Super FC Sniper. This is for spinning gear. Hope that helps some.

Yes, it is tricky sometimes getting them into the house. I have about 6 tubes here at the office where I have brought the sticks home. Of course I get "when did you get all of these?"...Oh I had those...lol.

This is great info. I tried for a wile with KVD conditioner but just to much memory so went to braid with a leader. Much happier now.

That is one hell of an idea. I am going to have to use that excuse. I have just been shipping them to my work but now my co-workers are getting annoyed with me because they have to keep signing for my fishing stuff. I vote for the furbished one. Dobyns won't sell anything that is junk. I have no doubt they inspected it very well. Who cares if it has a tiny defect. Good luck!!

I checked again with Phenix and they can't give me an answer but tell me again that it is a "finesse" rod. It is a 7'2" Medium/Fast rod with a line weight of 6-12lb and lure rating is 3/8-1/2. Regardless of the lure rating, if the tip is on the softer side as Phenix has indicated, should I be able to throw lighter weights without much issue? I presume worst case I won't be able to have the same distance as a lighter rod. Want a higher end/senstive travel rod that I can use Ned Rig, Neko Rig, Wacky Rig, Shakey Head, etc. Will this rod suffice or should I look elsewhere. I can get this one for $250 shipped. The other option would be the GLoomis Escape, but now I am up to $350. I just don't think I can justify an additional $100 for a travel rod. I appreciate everyone's input. Thank you.

I had a question for everyone. I am interested in purchasing a Phenix Redeye Spinning (BR3-S-720M) to use for business travels. I am looking for something that is more of a finesse rod. I called Phenix and spoke to them about the rod and they said it would be a great finesse rod and had a soft tip. However when I read the specs, it says the line rating is 6-12 and the lure rating is 3/8-1/2. I asked them about that as you are telling me that there is only a 1/8 difference in the rating which makes no sense to me. I know it doesn't matter if I throw something lighter, but it just doesn't make sense to me (or the guy at Phenix). He thought it was a typo on the website and went back and checked one of the rods and that's whats printed on it. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Or any experience with this rod? I also placed this question on Tackle Tour with no response so I thought I would try here as well. I appreciate any input.