humbleangler

It's been great...paired with a Shimano Curado 70, EXTREMELY light and plenty sensitive...been doing a lot of bank fishing, lots of trees and obstacles, so have been favoring my shorter 6' IMX-Pro which I love, but any time the longer rod makes sense, I choose the Expride. As another user said, excellent T-Rig rod, great feel for the bottom. I had a feeling it was going to be a tad stiff for a MH and I was way wrong...closer to a half step down than a half step up, which is exactly my preference. I hate buying used online...would have no problem buying used in store where I can actually see the condition with my own eyes. Unfortunately, not many retailers with used rods around me. Plus, I love new gear, but hard to justify $200+ tackle purchases as a weekend warrior. My 6' IMX Pro casting, 6'3" Fenwick Techna ML spinning, and the Expride will probably be the best of my arsenal for a while.

The DOBYNSFORTY code isn't working for me from Sportsmans Outfitters...deal over?

I didn't...at the time, the price was fluctuating wildly depending on the model...and the 6'3" spinning was not one of the cheap options (near full price)...plus, was burning Bass Pro gift cards.

Great thread...bringing back lots of fond memories learning to fish with my Dad, Uncle, and Grandpa I had one of those magical hotstreaks over a couple Saturday's last summer and most were on Lindy River Rockers...I got bit on other things, but the River Rocker was producing quality Smallmouth almost every cast. I finally texted my Uncle a pic of a sizable fresh catch with the lure still hanging out of the mouth and his response was "Is that a hellbender?! Those were great lures!"...much more interested in the lure than the catch, even if it's more Lazy Ike than Hellbender. I was looking to stock up on more River Rockers this winter but it looks like THEY have been discontinued too...although I was able to find a small stockpile from various sites. I was originally going to mention the IKE-CON worm...pre-rigged weedless worm that had a spiral action from the stiff rubber and the way they were packaged. My Grandpa had one tied on often and I still have a few from the early 90's. They caught fish. In any event, I was happy to see they are still in business, although I haven't seen them in a tackle shop for some time...maybe just my area. It's killing me that I can't remember the name of this one topwater lure from the mid 90s. It consisted of a plastic or balsa cone, about 3inches long and 2 inches wide at the base and would float, and had "propellers" dug out on either side of the base so it would spin and kick lots of water when pulled over the surface...behind it was a dangling trailer hook with a long twin tailed grub or creature bait thing...I'm picturing a brush hog. Anyway, I don't remember catching many fish on it, but I remember being 10-12 years old and wanting that lure so bad...in Firetiger...it was pricey for the time and took me awhile to part with the $7-10 on a single lure. Anyone remember that thing? I also admit to owning the Banjo Minnow...which did catch me a few fish.

Water still hard here, so haven't fished it yet, but great initial impression. Never handled an AV, but love the feel of this rod. Extremely lightweight and power more "light" vs. "medium light" in the tip, but JUST the tip...plenty of backbone, maybe even rated down half a step when taken as a whole. Balances very nicely with a 1000 size, 7.6 oz. Shimano Syncopate. Handle is extremely comfortable with lots of contact with the blank and reel seat is nice and tight. My ONLY complaint is that the handle is a little long...granted I do like shorter handles on spinning rods in general, but this seems especially excessive...16 inches to the top of the reel seat where cork meets blank and a full 12 inches from the butt to the reel handle. Anyway, I can get used to the long handle considering everything else is spot on.

Bumping this thread...I took a gamble and just placed an order on the 6'3" ML XF spinning model without handling it first. I had some BPS gift cards and while I've been focused on upgrading my Casting arsenal over the last year, I realized my Spinning rod arsenal was lacking in both quality and variety...cheap broomsticks for catfish or UL's for panfish. Long story short, I haven't owned a Fenwick since my very first casting rod from the mid 90's and although there were some safer bets at the price point (St. Croix Avid X, Loomis E6X, Shimano Zodias and Curado), I loved the combination of the full cork handle, exposed blank in the reel seat, the 6'3" length, and MLXF power/speed offerings... I'd love to hear some reviews, good or bad.

Thanks all...pulled the trigger on the EX172MHA.

Well, my PB LM is still just under 5, but caught on a Lindy River Rocker looking for Smallies, lol

OK, endless stellar reviews and the bait monkey wins...I've committed to sucking it up and spending the cash on an Expride sometime before the end of hard water...looking for ultra sensitive while easy casting 1/4-3/4+ ounce T and C rig plastics, spoons, jigs, spinnerbaits, and maybe some shallow squarebills...as multi purpose as possible with a focus on lighter baits, lighter line (8-12lb.), and bottom contact. In my experience, I prefer the fast-mod, more parabolic rods, for just about everything except sensitivity and ripping through grass...It just feels good bending that rod over and grabbing that lip with your hands...but I'm already in love with my Dobyn's cranking rods and considering I've never really ventured over the $200 mark, I'm really looking for a standout in sensitivity. Since this will likely be my ONLY $200+ rod of the season, all things considered, anyone care to nudge me toward or share your experience with either the 6'10"M F, 7'2" ML XF, 7'2"MH MF, or 7'6"MH F?

I would say anything solid NOT made by Shimano, Daiwa, Megabass, or St. Croix, is underrated, lol...I own products from 3 of the 4 and they are all awesome, but it would be hard to argue any brand has the vocal following these have. Full disclaimer, when I'm looking for something "high end," I typically lean toward these brands along with a few others myself. In all seriousness, on the low end, Berkley Cherrywood rods are very underrated...sure, the components are value driven and super basic, but they are rock solid and the rods are surprisingly well balanced and responsive for $25...seriously, $25...If your budget is tight, there really isn't an equivalent option in my opinion. Okuma in general is underrated...I'm sure there are some stinkers in their lineup, but I haven't come across one yet. The Celilo rod (discontinued?) is one of my all time favorite light/ultra-light panfish/trout rods. The Epixor XT (I have the 40 size) blew me away for $50. Hell, even their big box store brand stuff like the Stratus V (I believe exclusive to Dick's) has impressed me at the price point. I picked one up on "sale" (although they never seemed to come OFF sale) for $25? $30? just to throw on an old pond hopper backup rod that needed a reel and I found myself reaching for that setup way more often than I imagined. Pflueger...My favorite reel in my entire arsenal is the Patriarch XT baitcaster (I own 3 now). I love everything about it. It weighs nothing yet somehow manages to take abuse in stride, casts a mile, handles light(ish) lures well, brakes are phenomenal, and on and on...Pflueger does have their following, but most seem focused on their President spinning line. I admit the $250 price tag is steep, but you can find deals often and although I'll probably get heat for this, the honest truth is that I would STILL take the XT over a similarly priced Curado, Revo, or Tatula SV. I find lower end Lew's (anything below the Tournament MB) to be overrated. There are plenty of Shimano/Daiwa guys that scoff at Lew's in general, which I strongly disagree with as I think the MB is one of the best all around reels on the market today under $200. They have plenty other rod and reel offerings above that $120ish price point that are also very good...However, I have been thoroughly unimpressed with anything below that level...I'd take a $70 Abu Black Max combo over the Mach 1 (rod AND reel). St. Croix is overrated in my opinion...they make great products and remain an industry leader for a reason...very strong, very sensitive rods...however, I just don't find they balance as well as some other brands that get much less attention. I've only ever owned a Premier and I like it, but find myself reaching for other offerings more often. Mojo's seemed very heavy when handling in the store and although the Avids felt nice in hand, I just didn't think they were worth the price tag...maybe I would have felt differently fishing them. My 2 cents... Completely agree with the Daiwa RG-AB...love mine.

Fair points...I haven't contacted them yet, but will be tonight. In my defense, it was just delivered Thursday night and with work and kids, this was my first chance to really check it out. Plus, considering it was the last rod in stock and the somewhat mixed/questionable reviews of the retailer, I'm already preparing for an unpleasant experience trying to get info from them or a possible return...I didn't get a return label, so repackaging and paying shipping on the rod alone is going to be a pain in the ass...not to mention, I can't even tell 100% if it's simply cosmetic or there was real damage. Here are a couple pics...let me know what you think.

So in another recent post of mine I mentioned finding what I thought was a steal, a Loomis Classic 6' IMX for $178...I purchased from a "big fish" retailer we don't discuss on this forum. Now, regardless of what you all think of my posts, I can't begin to articulate how invaluable this forum has been for me over the last few years. If I'm wondering about something fishing related, not limited to bass fishing, I throw it in the search bar and sure enough, there is already a discussion available with insights from knowledgeable, approachable people. I say this because I feel like I should have trusted my gut along with the folks running this site and not placed the order. In any event, I found many other sources that provided positive reviews of this retailer and claimed they never had a problem, so I did place the order. The rod was delivered timely, well packaged, make and model was correct...but there was a bit of gunk near the tip. After closer inspection, it almost appears there was a crack just below the tip guide and they repaired it. I did plenty of in-home testing and if it truly was a repair job, it seems it was done well...measured the rod at exactly 6' so I know they didn't crack a few inches off and slap a new tip on...but still concerned and irritated about the whole thing. I guess I have two questions and I'm not sure the first is appropriate on this site, so forgive me...I now agree with the site owners and don't care to give this retailer any publicity, good or bad, but I am very interested in other people's experiences...and second, is it possible that a brand like G. Loomis actually shipped a rod in this condition? I can't confirm a repair has been done, it's possible it's simply a minor defect from the factory...a little extra glue/gloss/resin near the tip, but I am definitely leaning towards this not being factory. Any thoughts?

You guys are killing me...keep repeating to myself "You do not NEED it...you do not NEED it."

Very tough choice between an old Texas rigged 7in. Berkley Power Worm in black blue fleck or a Mann's Baby 1-Minus in bluegill.

Ha, I just ran across them on ebay a couple weeks ago and ended up winning an auction for a brand new Pflueger Patriarch XT casting reel for $78...$91 with tax and shipping. I was so pumped last year getting one for $99 when Pflueger had them on closeout, I didn't think I'd ever beat that deal. Fast shipping too...nothing but positive things to say.