ww2farmer

Well I will say yes..........you got a deal, not a great one but an OK one. Heck a $70 for $53 is ok by me. The Triumph is a decent rod. Some people here have had/seen quality control issues with them, but I own one and it has been flawless. What I think some of the problem on this site with the Triumph is #1 some people think just because it's a St Croix, people have unrealistic expectations of how an entry level rod should perform. There are some rods in this range that perfoem better, many that are worse.#2 is that is not really a high "bang for the buck" rod like.........lets say a BPS Extreme, but the trade off for better guides on the BPS IMHO is not enought to condem the Triumph. #3 some people don't like that they are made in China, I don't have much to say about that, if you don't like Chinese made rods don't buy them. I would keep the rod, fish it, you won't find anything else better for $53, and IF there is some problem with it, St Croix will take care of it.

EXACTLY. If it were not for the rebate I would have never bought the Curado 101, but I don't think it's a mistake Shimano has no Citica 101. Maybe they will in the future, I can' thelp but thinkthat with all the people buying the Revo S in LH, Shimano wouldn't want a peice of that market.

In New York for 08: LMB: 7lbs SMB: 6lbs: ( on Erie) In Florida when I visit my mother: LMB:10lbs+ Liftime goals NY: LMB: 9 lbs SMB: next state record would be nice

HAHAHA what a dreamer.................IF and only IF it was warm enough to melt the ice, it's still January, it will be froze over again in a few days.

It is a very nice looking reel...............but my god the weight. Weight is the #1 reason I steer clear of Quantum spinning reels, there casting reels are also on the heavy side but I do like the Accurist and Accurist PT I have.

Personaly...........I wouldn't pick any of those rods. I like a fast action rod for shallow cranks, lipless baits, and spinner baits. Reason is most offten you'll be tossing these baits in/around/over/through cover, I want a rod fast enough to rip the bait free. IMHO and from expierance a moderate rod would load up to much trying to do this. I would suggest the St Croix Avid, or Legend Tourny. 7' Medium, Fast casting rods. Go with the moderate action rod on deeper running cranks.

I am a big Fenwick fan, but I do not like the looks of the reel seats, and grips on any of those.

I found the orginal Beavers to be a little on the firmer side of soft as well. I like the Yum knockoffs, the Wooly Bug, not to be confused with the Wooly Hawg craw (also a great bait) or the wooly Hawg Tail. Yum makes IMHO the best commercial mass market "knock offs" of both the Beaver (Wooly bug) Senko (Dinger)and Paca Craw (Craw papi). I also have used the orginal Reaction Innovation Beavers, and the Berkley Beast knock off. The problem I have with the orginals is availabilty, no one local stocks a big selection of them, and when the beaver bite is on I can go through dozens of them so since the Yum and Berkely ones are more plentyfull around here thats what I use.

I have been wanting to get back into a Shimano for a while now, and was really bummed when they didn't offer the Citica in a 101 size, so i bought a Revo S-L insted. Well with the rebate offer I did buy a Curado 101D and have yet to fish with it, but I am excited to do so. If Shimano makes a Citca 101D I would probably get it. Like you I am NOT impressed with the size and weights of the 201 size Citica's and Curado's. For that size reel I will stay with Diawa or Abu Garcia, both of them affer LH reels with the same capacity or greater than Shimano, and at the same price points that weigh much less.

Count me in as a Pflueger Presidant fan, at $59 you can't go wrong. Also shop around, the Pflueger Supreme can be had $10 or so cheaper on e-bay NIB. IMHO that is THE new benchmark for sub $100 spinning reels. I also like most of Daiwa's reels in this price range. I have a 4 year old Laguna that is built like a tank, an Exceler, and a Capricorn. All solid reels that will last a long time.

Well I plan on it as well, but I am in the Buffalo area.

You got that right, best $19 I have spent on fishing gear last season. Made line stripping and respooling so much easier I do it more often now........................hmmmmmmmmmmm maybe that was Berkleys plan :-?

Some people hate the St Croix Triumphs, some people don't. RW and I got a little heated one day on this, but I honestly have had ZERO ISSUES with mine. I found it to be a nice rod for $60. I will say this.......I have upgraded, I found a few St Croix Avids on sale for $99, and even with out fishing them yet they feel much better than the Triumph. I am going to keep my Triumph, as I like it, and for backup. I have several rods in this price range, most will be sold due to my upgrade, but like I said I will keep the Triumph, plus my BPS Extreme 7' M spinning rod, and my Fenwick HMX's, those IMHO are the best rods you can get for less than $100.

I had a bad expierance with Vanish, but that was when it first came out a few years ago, I guy I know fishes it almost exclusivly and loves it, so I may try it again. I also, and this seems to be a rarity, had a bad time with Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra soft. I used #6 on spinning gear and really had no issues with it there, I used 10# on my crankbait rod and HATED IT. It seemed very VERY stiff, killed the action completly of some of my smaller baits. It was hard to break and very tough, but acted more like steel wire than fishing line IMHO. Maybe a bad spool? But I moved on and found other lines I like so no big deal. I might try the new Trilene 100% flourocarbon.

I like 7' rods (or longer) for just about everything. The exceptions are skipping under docks, I like a 6' or shorter for that. Also I like to use 6'6" or shorter rods for jerkbaits and/or topwater baits that require alot of rod action.

Thats whom I got mine from as well

I have tried these braids, Power Pro, Suffix, Spiderwire Stealth, and the newer Spiderwire ultra cast. The Ultracast is IMHO the best braid yet. Keeps it's color far far longer than Suffix and Power Pro, is quite going through the guides, and with the coating they put on it casts like a dream. Funny, even with the slick coating, ties great knots. I like the 30lb for most of my braid needs, 8lb mono diameter, but unlike Stealth, it is a little stiffer so it does not tip wrap, or wind knot.

The 7' had a soft tip, but was more stout further down the blank. The 6'6" bent like a noodle retreiving a Mann's 1-, I do not care for rods that feel that way.

I had a few BPS Cranking sticks, a 6'6 M and a 7' M, loved the 7', hated the 6'6". They are good cranking rods, but my next cranking rod will be a St Croix.

I voted for the Pfluger Supreme, I have one and love it, will try the Supreme XT next.

+1 8-)

I bought myself, with my xmas bonus from work, 3 St Croix Avids, 4 St Croix Legend Tournaments, and a Shimano Curado. Wife got me 2 Kistler Magnisum TS rods, and 3 Kistler Graphite specials. Wife got a new engagement ring.......the one I bought her when we were 18 and broke looked like a grain of sand compaired to her new one.

Well after my gifts to myself (7 new St Croix rods, and a Shimano Curado) I thought I was done getting fishing related gifts Wife and I just exchanged gifts an hour or so ago and...............WOW she really REALLY surprised me this year. She knew I was looking pretty hard at Kistler rods, and she got me a few. All casting rods: Mag. TS 7' HF "jig-n-toad" Mag. TS 7' MHF "senko special" Graphite Plus 7'6" HF "flipping special" Graphite Plus 7" MM "Crankbait" Graphite Plus 6'9" MHF "Spinnerbait special" Needless to say I was floored I knew the bait monkey had gotten to me...........but now that it has her attention I am DOOMED LOL. I might have to win the lottery this week to afford to upgrade all my reels now..................but YAHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! it will be a fun chase.

Oh I still love my Revo S, and I see a Revo Premier in my future, along with a TD-Zillion, and maybe a Shimano Chronarch 51MG............gotta keep the $$ spread around evenly

Well.........back in the early 90's I had a Shimano baitcaster, not sure of the model, but if I remember correctly, it was a decent one that fell apart on me with little to no use. Still not jaded by Shimano, in the late 90's I bought a green Curado, bad luck perhaps, but it also was a lemon from the get go......AND..........Shimano service at the time gave me alot of grief over it. I swore off Shimano after that, but...........I will give them another shot, odds are I can't get 3 bum reels in a row, and even more so, I am older and wiser now, and perhaps I didn't "know it all" back then either.