St Croix Mojo Bass vs Abu Garcia Ike Signature Series Spinning Rod s

[JohnnyRebTX]

9 hours ago, d-camarena said:

Dont get me wrong, its a great rod and the build quality is really good. My only complaint is sensitivity but that can be fixed by using braid. Id still prefer it over the abu

I guess I'll find out soon enough. My setup I was using for soft plastics was a Pflueger President combo. It is the actual Pflueger rod instead of the Bass Pro or Cabela's house brand rod when you buy the combo from them. I was only running mono with that, and to me that cheap rod was way more sensitive than anything I had used before and opened up my eyes that spending a little more on a soft plastics setup would be worth the $.

6 hours ago, Burntorangefan said:

Congrats on your new combo!  Like so many others, I'm also a big fan of St Croix.  I own a variety in different shapes and sizes, as well as Loomis (home team, I live in WA) and I believe St Croix is the best large maker of rods in the country.  Only way to beat one is custom, IMO.  Post a pic of your first catch if you have time!

Thank you. I'll be sure and do just that. Dink or not. Lol. I use to have grandparents that lived in Olympia. Beautiful terrain and water. 

[JohnnyRebTX]

Is it bad that I picked up a Veritas as well? Dang tackle junky bug bit me again. I'm putting an Okuma Inspira on it to match the pearl white. Anyways, depending on how I like the Mojo Bass+Shimano Nasci & Abu Garcia Veritas+Okuma Inspira will dictate if I pick up a St Croix Bass X, another model Mojo, or Abu Ike Signature later on down the road.

[CTBassin860]

15 hours ago, JohnnyRebTX said:

Is it bad that I picked up a Veritas as well? Dang tackle junky bug bit me again. I'm putting an Okuma Inspira on it to match the pearl white. Anyways, depending on how I like the Mojo Bass+Shimano Nasci & Abu Garcia Veritas+Okuma Inspira will dictate if I pick up a St Croix Bass X, another model Mojo, or Abu Ike Signature later on down the road.

That rod fishes like a heavy.I just retired my 7'MHF Veritas.I used it as a frog rod.

[JohnnyRebTX]

Precisely what I'm going to use it for. I have a plastics setup, general purpose/crank setup, now a topwater.

I am at 2 setups for live bait only (Ugly Stik GX2+Penn Fierce & Ugly Stik Lite Pro+Penn Pursuit). Then my lure setups so far. Ugly Stik Elite with a Pflueger President Limited Edition. A standard Pflueger President combo. A St Croix Mojo Bass with a Shimano Nasci, and now a Abu Veritas 2.0 with an Okuma Inspira. Not much compared to y'all, but two years ago all I had was the Ugly Stik GX2 combo.

[Boomstick]

On 5/24/2017 at 7:37 PM, JohnnyRebTX said:

I planned on putting a Pflueger President on it, but I'm not as crazy about that reel as most people are. I have a Limited Edition which is the same as the XT internally, and I feel that's a much better reel then the regular President. I own a Penn Fierce and Penn Pursuit I use for live bait. Both of those are great reels for their purpose,  but they aren't super smooth. I know most of y'all are big Shimano and Daiwa fans, but are any of those decent below $100? If not, I'll take a hard look at an Okuma Inspira and High Speed S as well as a few others.

 

Have you tried the Mitchell 300 Pro? My friend bought one so I got a chance to use it, cranks moderately fast (5.8 gear ratio) and incredibly smooth.

 

I'm actually going to get a Daiwa Tatula, but I also considered a Mojo Bass. I like the feel of the Mojo Bass a lot and you certainly can't go wrong with one

[JohnnyRebTX]

3 hours ago, Boomstick said:

 

Have you tried the Mitchell 300 Pro? My friend bought one so I got a chance to use it, cranks moderately fast (5.8 gear ratio) and incredibly smooth.

 

I'm actually going to get a Daiwa Tatula, but I also considered a Mojo Bass. I like the feel of the Mojo Bass a lot and you certainly can't go wrong with one

I haven't used it, but I have played with it at Bass Pro. That one and the Lew's Mach II both feel good on initial inspection and have good reviews. I just didn't personally know anyone that used either to say yay or nay. That's all. They look solid.

I'm actually planning on selling my Pflueger President combo. I'm using that $ to switch all my bass setups to braid. I'll look at the Mitchell, Lews, and others if I'm not satisfied with my president limited edition, okuma inspira, and shimano nasci when I'm ready to upgrade again. Dick's Sporting Goods does $20 off if you spend $100 with free shipping over $25 fairly regularly. That would bring a St Croix Bass X down to $80, or an Abu Garcia Ike Signature down to $110.

[JohnnyRebTX]

Can't beat a Penn+Ugly Stik on the cheap side for live bait though. Those setups are here to stay. The drag is awesome, and the rods are perfect for tossing around without worry around mud or placing in rod holders with bells.

[JohnnyRebTX]

Or I could just call it good with what I have for bass, and pickup an ultra light St. Croix Panfish Rod for throwing my tiny lures. 

[Falkus]

The Monkey Bait got you .....

 

Next thing you know --- you will have a $#!t load of stuff  

 

 

[CTBassin860]

19 hours ago, JohnnyRebTX said:

Precisely what I'm going to use it for. I have a plastics setup, general purpose/crank setup, now a topwater.

I am at 2 setups for live bait only (Ugly Stik GX2+Penn Fierce & Ugly Stik Lite Pro+Penn Pursuit). Then my lure setups so far. Ugly Stik Elite with a Pflueger President Limited Edition. A standard Pflueger President combo. A St Croix Mojo Bass with a Shimano Nasci, and now a Abu Veritas 2.0 with an Okuma Inspira. Not much compared to y'all, but two years ago all I had was the Ugly Stik GX2 combo.

The Veritas was my 1st high priced rod.It only gets worse from here haha.I bought that before I even understood what to do with it.After breaking the tip a couple times and losing a guide I retired it after 4 years of service.Mine was 1st gen.It takes a beating,and believe me I beat the crap out of it. 

[Boomstick]

5 hours ago, JohnnyRebTX said:

Can't beat a Penn+Ugly Stik on the cheap side for live bait though. Those setups are here to stay. The drag is awesome, and the rods are perfect for tossing around without worry around mud or placing in rod holders with bells.

 

Penn's spinning reels do have some serious drag no question, although I'm sold on the Mitchell myself. The abuse the ugly stik's can take does make them a good pairing with Penn reels imo

[JohnnyRebTX]

2 hours ago, Burke said:

The Monkey Bait got you .....

 

Next thing you know --- you will have a $#!t load of stuff  

 

 

I would ask if the monkey bait ever stops, but I already know the answer to that. I never thought I'd enjoy fishing quite as much as I do when I started going out again. I believe everyone has to find that hobby or niche that is chicken soup for the soul, and for a time it was target shooting for myself. I love to be by the water now .

[Subaqua Adinterim]

21 hours ago, Boomstick said:

Have you tried the Mitchell 300 Pro? My friend bought one so I got a chance to use it, cranks moderately fast (5.8 gear ratio) and incredibly smooth.

This reel offers a lot of value for your $.  Has a stout drag - 14# and is quite solid.  Not a fancy looking reel, but very functional.  This is a seldom mentioned gem.  Have one paired with a Veritas that has taken a lot of abuse fished from my kayak for the last few years and works great.  I am considering the 308 size the next time I purchase a reel.

[JohnnyRebTX]

7 hours ago, RichPenNY said:

This reel offers a lot of value for your $.  Has a stout drag - 14# and is quite solid.  Not a fancy looking reel, but very functional.  This is a seldom mentioned gem.  Have one paired with a Veritas that has taken a lot of abuse fished from my kayak for the last few years and works great.  I am considering the 308 size the next time I purchase a reel.

I'll take a closer look at those this week when I bring my reels in to switch to braid at BPS. Always on the hunt for a good blend of performance, durability, and value. I actually wanted one rod with the stiffness of the Veritas. I use to use a Shakespeare Tiger spincast in heavy for my heavier lures (I know...I've come a long way) I caught a big gar on a rat-l-trap with that setup, and it handled him easily. 

[JohnnyRebTX]

I was able to get out just before sunset. I saw a lot of surface activity, so I went with topwater. This is my first catch on the Okuma Inspira & Abu Garcia Veritas, first time using braid, and first topwater catch. Man that was exciting. I'm hooked!

[JohnnyRebTX]

Well, long time coming.

I finally caught a bass on my st croix mojo bass and shimano nasci. I was using a GrandeBass airtail rattler in Smokin Shad color. First fish on the Mojo. It was a blast. 15.5" Just under 2lbs.