$250 M/F casting rod

[I.rar]

I'm shopping for a 6'6 - 6'8 medium fast rod that'll work for a bit of everything. It'll be paired with a scorpion 1001xt and I don't want something that'll clash with the red color. I'll be fishing lighter t rigs like 6-7" straight tails, 4" senkos, 4" Keitechs with some Spook and jerkbait action thrown in. 

I keep coming back to the avid and avid x series based on my experience with them but the dobyns 682 caught my eye as well. I'm not sure this rod can handle what I want it to though. 

I'd like to stay between $200-$250.

 

[lmbfisherman]

What about a Shimano Cumara.  Course I'm part Color blind on red hues.  ?

[IndianaFinesse]

Get the avid x, it is the best rod in that price range period.  Besides making some all around awesome rods, st. Croix has great customer service. If, God forebid, your rod breaks they will take care of you.

[Oklahoma Mike]

St Croix AXS66MF or AXS68MXF

G Loomis IMX802C JWR

 

 

 

[Fishin' Fool]

https://www.*.com/G-Loomis-IMX-MBR-Rods-p/g-loomis-imxmbr.htm

This rod. Sign up for the mailing list and save another $25. You'll get the IMX for under $200.

Click on the email me best price link.

[I.rar]

I have a 2 piece ml/f avid x spinning rod that I think is amazing even for its msrp so that's definitely on the short list. 

I'm not familiar with g Loomis. Do they fish heavier similar to Croix? That 802c looks nice. 

[Fishin' Fool]

Someone on this site said G Loomis is the standard for power. I do believe St Croix fishes a little on the heavy side.

[offsidewing]

For St Croix casting rods, the 66MF and 68MXF are a tradtional medium power or blank diameter at the reel seat. The 70MF is more Stout than most medium casting rods. The 70MF and 70MHF Avid X are some of the smoothest and versitile casting rods I own.  I keep going back to those two rods for most applications with plastics and jigs.

[Hogsticker]

So many good choices at that price. I like Kistlers offerings in the Klx and Helium 3 line up. The Shimano Zodias is solid as well. Personally, I feel these choices are better than the Avid X, both blank and component wise. Different strokes - 

[roadwarrior]

 

[I.rar]

If Kistler had a rod that meets my requirements, I'd probably go with the helium. Same thing with the zodias. 

How do the dobyns champion stack up against the others? 

http://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2290

[Mike2841]

I like my kistler helium 3 6'8 light mh. It's rated up to 7/8 but I think that's pretty generous, and it would throw what you want nicely. 

 

I mostly use mine for top water and spinnerbaits, but have also used it for senkos. 

[buzzed bait]

i have a dobyns champion 682c and really love the rod.  It handles well, has a nice tip to help with the casting and enough power for topwater/jerkbaits which is what i bought it for.  have also used it for some shakyheads and worked well for that.

i was not a fan of the avid (have not used an avid x, but they felt much better than the original).  i felt it was tip heavy and overpowered (mine was a MH that felt like a strong H to me)

[Oklahoma Mike]

4 hours ago, I.rar said:

If Kistler had a rod that meets my requirements, I'd probably go with the helium. Same thing with the zodias. 

How do the dobyns champion stack up against the others? 

http://tackletrap.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=2290

Kistler makes nice rods, but I refuse to buy them because they come with only a 1 year warranty (non-transferable).

[I.rar]

1 hour ago, buzzed bait said:

i have a dobyns champion 682c and really love the rod.  It handles well, has a nice tip to help with the casting and enough power for topwater/jerkbaits which is what i bought it for.  have also used it for some shakyheads and worked well for that.

i was not a fan of the avid (have not used an avid x, but they felt much better than the original).  i felt it was tip heavy and overpowered (mine was a MH that felt like a strong H to me)

I have an avid x spinning and it's  on too underrated like the premier Croix I had in the past. 

How would that dobyns work with 4"senkos? Those would probably be the heaviest bait I throw along with the trigged fat impacts. 

[buzzed bait]

52 minutes ago, Oklahoma Mike said:

Kistler makes nice rods, but I refuse to buy them because they come with only a 1 year warranty (non-transferable).

if a rod is defective you're going to find out in the first year....  the artificial lifetime warranty thing drives up the cost of the rods for people like me who use them properly yet allows people who abuse their gear to claim it was a warranty issue.

i've had 2 rods break on me within the first 3 days of use and those were warranty issues, after a dozen times of fishing a rod if it hasn't broken, i feel mostly confident it never will.

2 minutes ago, I.rar said:

I have an avid x spinning and it's  on too underrated like the premier Croix I had in the past. 

How would that dobyns work with 4"senkos? Those would probably be the heaviest bait I throw along with the trigged fat impacts. 

4 inch weightless senkos?  if so, that's about 7 or 8 grams with the worm and hook.  so right at 1/4 oz which it handles quite well.  if you're fishing it wacky with hook exposed no problem, if you're fishing it "texas style" with the hook in the worm i still think it would work.

[I.rar]

OK, I don't have a total weight of the fat impacts rigged up but itll probably a few grams more but still under a half Oz. Too much for that rod? 

[Raider Nation Fisher]

20 hours ago, I.rar said:

I'm shopping for a 6'6 - 6'8 medium fast rod that'll work for a bit of everything. It'll be paired with a scorpion 1001xt and I don't want something that'll clash with the red color. I'll be fishing lighter t rigs like 6-7" straight tails, 4" senkos, 4" Keitechs with some Spook and jerkbait action thrown in. 

I keep coming back to the avid and avid x series based on my experience with them but the dobyns 682 caught my eye as well. I'm not sure this rod can handle what I want it to though. 

I'd like to stay between $200-$250.

 

Don't want the rod and reel to clash, colorwise. Wow I thought I was the only one that matched the colors of my fishing rods and reels. I'm proud of ya.

[I.rar]

Lol

Well depending on what reel sells, either the curado or scorpion, color matching may not be that big of an issue. 

[Oklahoma Mike]

4 hours ago, buzzed bait said:

if a rod is defective you're going to find out in the first year....  the artificial lifetime warranty thing drives up the cost of the rods for people like me who use them properly yet allows people who abuse their gear to claim it was a warranty issue.

i've had 2 rods break on me within the first 3 days of use and those were warranty issues, after a dozen times of fishing a rod if it hasn't broken, i feel mostly confident it never will.

That's largely true of a defective blank. However, if I'm a year and one day into a $250 rod and the insert falls out of a guide or the guide wrap starts to come loose, I don't want to be SOL. Also, I may buy rod and barely use it until midway into the next season and would like to have a warranty.

[buzzed bait]

7 minutes ago, Oklahoma Mike said:

That's largely true of a defective blank. However, if I'm a year and one day into a $250 rod and the insert falls out of a guide or the guide wrap starts to come loose, I don't want to be SOL. Also, I may buy rod and barely use it until midway into the next season and would like to have a warranty.

I hear ya man, but even the top companies are very likely to just mail you said tip or guide and tell you to fix it yourself or locally due to shipping costs and potential for damage during shipping. I could see the reel seat or nut or something being an issue after a year for sure. I was mostly referring to the blank like you said. Trust me, I'd still be upset though either way!! $250 ain't chump change!

[Fishin' Fool]

I'll have to say the G Loomis Xpeditor-program warranty is worth the cost of buying G Loomis. I broke off the tip of a $300 rod, completely my fault and for $100 it's replaced shipped to my door granted you have to send the old model back. No receipt needed, no hassels.