What Is Your Favorite Rod/ Rod Compay?

[Jon G]

Since there is so many rod companies out there evru one has a favorite. My favorite would either have to be duckett or the Wright and McGill skeet reese signature rod. I just started to use the skeet rods and I will say for 90 bucks it is the best rod I have ever used.

[flyfisher]

For fly rods i am a Sage guy with a smattering in the St. Croix and for conventional i am on a St. Croix kick right now and am starting to like the Kistlers the more I use the one that i own.  

[ww2farmer]

Mine has changed over the years. For a while it was Fenwick, then it was St Croix, now it's Abu Garcia. Each rod has/had it's plus and minus's. The Fenwick's, at the time I was using them a lot, were lighter, and better than every thing else I had previously used. But local availability started getting really iffy with them, so I switched to something that was in just about every store I shopped in, and that was St Croix. After fishing for almost 5 years with mostly all St Croix's....I just got a little bored with them. The new stuff they are putting out keeps getting more and more expensive, and to be honest,  the Rage, and latest generation Legend Tournaments just don't do it for me. I gave Abu rods a try early this season, and liked them enough to start replacing my lower end St Croixs with them, and by the middle of the season, I found my self using them more and more. I decided to run a little "experiment", so I took all my better St Croix's out of the boat (legend tournaments, Avid's, Rage) and just used the Abu Vengeance, Vendetta's, and Veritas rods I had accumulated. My fishing has hardly suffered, and I like the fact I can do the same things with $50-$100 rods that I felt like I "needed" $150-$300 rods for in the past. I have had a big change in my tackle buying ways the last year and a half. With two kids, bills to pay, and NOTHING else in life getting any cheaper, I am all about the most bang for the buck now, and I feel I am getting that with my Abu rods. I have tried many other rods just out of curiosity, like Kistler, BPS, Shimano, Berkley, Gander Mtn., and more I can't remember, and with the exception of the Berkley Lightning rod Shocks, nothing from any of those has stuck with me. Again........that's a bang for the buck thing too. I can fish a frog or swim jig just as effectively on a $40 7' MH LR Shock as I could/have/did on a $200 7' MH Avid.

[Arv]

My favorite based on affordability for my wallet - Powell, Max and Endurance. If I had a bigger wallet, it would be Dobyns Champion (and I'm assuming the Extreme, though I've never used one).

[rippin-lips]

I don't have a favorite. I've tried a good many companies over the years and have no complaints about any of them. Falcon bucoo,cashion,kistler,***,powell max endurance and diesel,

I currently use powell endurance and they're great. I liked my Kistlers too.

[iabass8]

It was st. croix for the longest time until i bit the bullet and tried Dobyns. i've since replaced the majority of my rods with Dobyns.

[Capt.Bob]

With so many different companies this will be a hard decision,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,or well,,,,, with the quality of their blanks,,,,,, world class customer service,,,,,,,, and lifetime warranties and upgrade programs only they have,,,,,,, I would have to say I am leaning towards St. Croix, I am always looking for better though, but in the past 15 or so years I just can't seem to find one that meets my demands????    I have found a couple manufacturers that do this or that as good, but have not been able to satisfy myself with one that offers the total package that St. Croix does! Everything in fishing should be this good!!! 

[curtis9]

I've been a big st croix fan, but recently bought a few dobyns rods. For now any future purchases will be dobyns

[LMB ANGLER]

the best rods i ever used and will continue using is G.LOOMIS.

[Craiger12]

Dobyns

[Bjreg3]

I have favorite rods for different types of fishing. I like Fenwick for jigs and smaller plastics, Abu Garcia for heavier applications like heavy swim baits, heavier jigs and some frogging, a custom made rod for tubes ( J. Miles, uses a Shakura (sp) blank), and TFO G Loomis spinning for crank baits. Don't use St. Croix for freshwater anymore( I own 2 Fw and 3 SW) as I think you can get better or as good rods cheaper ( Sorry Guys) !

[iabass8]

With so many different companies this will be a hard decision,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,or well,,,,, with the quality of their blanks,,,,,, world class customer service,,,,,,,, and lifetime warranties and upgrade programs only they have,,,,,,, I would have to say I am leaning towards St. Croix, I am always looking for better though, but in the past 15 or so years I just can't seem to find one that meets my demands????    I have found a couple manufacturers that do this or that as good, but have not been able to satisfy myself with one that offers the total package that St. Croix does! Everything in fishing should be this good!!! 

St. Croix unfortunately suspended their trade up program for the better part of a year now i guess.   kind of a shame but hopefully they will reinstate it soon.  You would think they would put these "abundance" of used rods in their bargain cave too..

[Grantman83]

Dobyns...no need to change what's already awesome

[tomustang]

Dobyns...no need to change what's already awesome

Are you saying that with a st croix shirt on?

[lmbfisherman]

See my signature.

[Capt.Bob]

St. Croix unfortunately suspended their trade up program for the better part of a year now i guess.   kind of a shame but hopefully they will reinstate it soon.  You would think they would put these "abundance" of used rods in their bargain cave too..

I just traded up to a Legend Elite in June, I am not sure what you were trading up or if it was just recently, the rod I traded up I had broken, and was warranted also?? They supposedly will start the trade up for rods without warranty issues after the first of the year again???  

[Brian Needham]

all Dobyns on my deck.

[MacP]

G. Loomis most likely.

[S Hovanec]

I'm a St. Croix geek.

[mjseverson24]

I like the skeet rods, as well as the st. croix lineups, but for now all of my purchases will be shimano rods. the reel seat on their new set up is the best on the market for sensitivity.

 

Mitch

[SirSnookalot]

10 years of 12 month a year fishing and most of the time it's 7 days a week my rods get a pretty good workout.  I mainly use Star and Hurricane Redbone (both very popular down here), never had one break and never needed customer service.  These rods handle the fish I encounter from smaller fish to some pretty large ones, I'm more than content.  Extreme lightness and sensitivity are not very important issues to me.

[Bluebasser86]

Almost all my rods are St.Croix, mostly LTB's but I have a few Mojos, an Avid, and a couple Premiers. I also have a BPS Extreme, a couple Shimano rods and an Abu Vendetta. 

[Jon G]

I did forget to say that my favorite spinning rod comes from fenwick (it an old eagle gt) My dad got me when i just started to learn how to fish. That rod has caught literaly almost every single species of fish both fresh and saltwater living in Southern California. I caught my First LMB on it which is still my PB 10.5lb (If i can find the picture i will definetley put it up) I have caught on it calico bass, spotted bay bass, sand bass, bonita, halbiut, leopard sharks, and even snagged a 150lb thresher shark (long story) and yet it of course snapped my line the rod still remained in take. So I might have to reconcider what i said to be my favorite rod company and replace it with fenwick.

[aavery2]

I prefer Falcon rods, I use mostly the Cara line with a Gloomis, Dobyns and a St.Croix mixed in here and there. I like the fact that the Falcon rods are made in the USA.

[Trey Harpel]

Been using Dobyns for 8 years now and they have been GREAT rods..

Solid, very balanced, sensitive and they have the best customer service Ive ever delt with..