Great deal on a combo, talk me out of it.

[Bass fishing is best]

I picked up a Pflueger President XT 9525 last fall for trout fishing, I've fallen in love.  My only experience with them was an old Trion a friend used..and still does occasionally.  My master plan was to buy a Fenwick 6'6-7ft medium-medium light rod so it would be more appropriate for bass, mostly plastics and lighter lures.  It's currently on a UL 5'6, too light IMO for anything but trout.  Upon searching for a deal on a new rod I came across a combo deal for the President XT 9530/Fenwick HMG for about $115. The reel retails for $79, and the rod for $99.  Was about to click the 'purchase' button when I spied another combo.  Pflueger Patriarch 9530/Fenwick Aetos for $246.  Retail on rod and reel is both $199 each.  

 

Now I have experience with both rod and reel on the lesser priced combo and love the performance of each.  My question to you all is how much of a step up is the Patriarch, and more importantly the Aetos from the HMG.  I loved my old HMG, it was ahead of it's time when it was new.  I don't mind spending the extra cash on such a great deal but want to know for sure I'm getting a significant improvement.  I'm going to see if my local BPS has a Patriarch and Aetos that I can put in my hands before buying, but lately they have not been stocking up on the higher end reels.

 

Part of me wants to just buy 2 of the lesser combos and leave one in my FL house, another part wants me to buy the higher end one.  Help me because the bait monkey has me this time.

 

Any input is greatly appreciated.

[CroakHunter]

Although I have no experience with the combos mentioned, I regret having 10 nice combos instead of 6-7 bad to the bone combos. Just my opinion. I feel that nice equipment makes fishing even that much more enjoyable. 

[Bass fishing is best]

 

Although I have no experience with the combos mentioned, I regret having 10 nice combos instead of 6-7 bad to the bone combos. Just my opinion. I feel that nice equipment makes fishing even that much more enjoyable. 

 

I think the exact same way, only to me the first combo is perfection IMO.  The sad truth is I'll probably end up buying both.

[Basseditor]

 

 The sad truth is I'll probably end up buying both.

 

That's the spirit. I'm with you. LOL. My sons are going to inherit a lot of nice equipment.

[frosty]

Shoot, just buy both! I love my president LE and my hmg, I know I'd definitely grab that deal up, but I don't have any experience with the patriarch or aetos. I would assume it would be a really nice combo given previous experience with both companies. 

Edited May 10, 2017 by frosty

[NHBull]

I think you will run out of money before running out of good deals.

 

After trying some great equipment, I decided that I wanted quality over quantity.  That said there are certain techniques that don't require the best of the best.

[fishnkamp]

My wife and I fish with a bunch of Pflueger spinning reels.  Her favorite is a Supreme 35. It is on her Dobyns Sierra 705SF, which is a 7 foot heavy power rod she uses for fishing frogs.  This is our 3rd Dobyns rod and we love them. In total, we fish with around 20 rods and the Dobyns are some of the nicest.

 

For your use, I would consider the Pflueger Supreme 30 or 35 ( I prefer the 35 for line capacity and better balance with the rod).

For a rod I would go with a Dobyns Sierra SA 703SF.  That combo would cost $100 for the reel and $169.99.

We have used Pflueger Presidents, this Supreme, a Shimano Symetre and several others,  but the Presidents and the Supreme have been the most reliable.

[lmbfisherman]

The previous Aetos was the bomb, in my opinion fished above its price point.  No experience with the new one.  I'm sure it is still quality.  They Fenwicks are under the radar rods.

[Yudo1]

Is this an online deal?  If so, where may I ask?

[smalljaw67]

The Patriarch is really good and if you get that reel on a deal then grab it. The rod is going to be a lot better than your old HMG, the only thing is you have to make sure the Aetos is in the power and action you want, I'd imaging the 30 size Patriarch, which is like other manufacturers 2500 size, is going to be on a medium power Aetos and that will work for you but it will be a good deal more stout than your UL you are use to. At $246 for both I'd buy it and if you don't mind telling me where I may find a deal like that I would really appreciate it!!

[Bass fishing is best]

@fishnkamp I've checked out the Supreme, held it and fished with it.  TBH I can't feel the difference between the President XT.  Weight and all the specs are almost exactly the same in the9525-9530.  The cynic in me is convinced the extra $20 is the nicer paint job and magnesium body.  Am I missing any other major differences?  Not putting the Supreme down, rather expressing how nice the Pres XT is.  The Supreme XT is clearly a cut above though, I really like that reel as well as the baitcaster version. 

 

I'll check out the Dobyn's, I've heard great things about the Fury.  I really am partial for Fenwick partly due to sentimental value but I love how the reel seat feels in my hand on the Aetos.  Do you use the Dobyn's casting rods as well?  I'm in the market for a rod to pair a Chronarch MGL with.

 

Thank you for your input, it is greatly appreciated and exactly what I was looking for.

 

@Yudo1  

@smalljaw67 Ebay, not too hard to find I don't know if links are allowed here.  From Fenwick's website the newer version of the Aetos has more backbone, I take that as a bit stiffer which is just what I want.  I'd be using it for ligher lures and plastics.  The combo's are available in 6ft ML, 6'3ML, 6'6 M, 6'9 ML' and 7 ML.

 

Thanks for your input.

[fishnkamp]

I have to agree with you, I think I might like the Pres XT better if I was chasing a 30 series reel.  Linda ( my wife) and I only use a 30 series reel on our medium lite rods. On all of our other rods we like a 35. All of our Pfluegers are regular  Presidents except for this 1 Supreme.

 

It is interesting if you are looking at a 30 series, the President XT is lighter and has 1 more bearing.  If you are looking at a 35 series then the upreme is lighter.  I do believe the President XT offers a great value.

 

Yes we own rods from lots of manufacturers. If you look in my rod box, there are 15 of my rods and 7 of hers inside. We both own rods from Irod, Powell, G Loomis, Falcon, Dobyns, Abu and more.

I fish a Dobyns Champion XP DC705C.  I was looking for the best 7 foot frog rod I could find.  We have owned 11 boats over 40 years.  About 7 years ago we downsized from a big 20 foot fiberglass bass boat and the 1 thing I regret is not being able to fit rods over 7 foot in a rod box! Oh well.  The 705C works extremely nice as does our two Sierra rods. Linda uses a Dobyns Sierra SA 705SF as her frog rod also.  It is hard to find a great frog rod let alone a spinning version.  Our other Dobyns rod is a SA 693SF.

 

 

If you were looking for the casting rod what would you be looking to do with it and what would your budget be?  That is a great reel.  What ratio is it?

 

[Jeff H]

I like having lots of nice mid-grade junk instead of fewer snooty combos.?

[Bass fishing is best]

11 hours ago, fishnkamp said:

Yes we own rods from lots of manufacturers. If you lookin my rod box there are 15 of my rods and 7 of hers inside. We both own rods from Irod, Powell, G Loomis, Falcon, Dobyns, Aby and more.

I fish a Dobyns Champion XP Dc705C.  I was looking for the best 7 foot frog rod I could find.  We have owned 11 boats over 40 years.  About 7 years ago we downsized from a big 20 foot fiberglass bass boat and the 1 thing I regret is not being able to fit rods over 7 foot in a robox! Oh well.  The 705C works extremely nice as does our two Sierra rods. Linda uses a Dobyns Sierra SA 705SF as her frog rod also.  It is hard to find a great frog rod let alone a spinning version.  Our other Dobyns rod is a SA 693SF.

 

 

If you were looking for the casting rod what would you be looking to do with it and what would your budget be?  That is a great reel.  What ratio is it?

 

 

If the Stradic 2500/3000 came in a lower IPT I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

 

It's a 7:1.1 and it is the best reel I've ever held.  It casts effortlessly but what really impressed me is how easy it is to pitch accurately with this thing.  I'll admit it's my weakest so therefore least used technique but I felt like a pro messing around with this thing.

 

I plan on primarily using it for crank baits and small swim baits.  I already own a curado 201 on 6'6 M Cabela's FE II(another under rated older rod) an older Lew's bb1 round reel on 7ft BLS MH for limited pitching and throwing the Whopper plopper.  I do not throw a frog.  I'd want something for bombing lipless and smaller swimbaits at a reservoir that allows no boats.  I'm sure I'd swap it on the 6'6 FE for skipping on the kayak, but for now I want to enjoy firing this thing out there from shore and reach where others cannot.

 

Budget is around $100 but as you already read I do not stick to budgets too well.  I'll spend a bit more for finesse gear but I'm hesitant to get a top shelf rod for cranking, generally I don't think I miss nearly as many hits power fishing than I do slow throwing soft plastics. At first glance of the Dobyn's line up the Fury 7'9" MH swimbait rod FR 795sb or the 705cb stands out.  I've certainly read nothing but good things about Dobyns time to take a serious look, and I do like their no hassle warranty.  Another quick question, what are the guides made of?  I'll never buy one with ceramic guides.

 

I'm kind of jealous, I'd love to have a boat but I have the weakest sea legs anyone has ever seen.  I'm fine until look down to retie or read an email, then the spins come.  For some reason I can kayak all day and not get seasick, but a calm lake makes me nauseous on a boat.

 

Thanks again!

[fishnkamp]

 

On 5/12/2017 at 2:26 AM, fatmaple said:

 For some reason I can kayak all day and not get seasick, but a calm lake makes me nauseous on a boat.

 Now that is funny!

 

I have a friend and fellow member on here, Kris, he sold off a bunch of equipment this winter and added 4 Fury rods. One of them is a 705cb and loves it.  We are very lucky to have a fantastic local tackle dealer that stocks and sell Dobyns, Powell, Irod, Duckett and many more brands.  He stocks maybe 25 of each brand, so I get to go put my paws on them before I buy one.