22RangerZ520R Posted December 10, 2017 Posted December 10, 2017 Finally got out on the water with the Conquests this week.... I got 14 of them in the following models: 905C, 904C, 903C, 842C and 842S. On the casting rods I have Aldebaran 50's on them all and the spinning models I have Exsence 3000's on them. Got to fish with all models except the 905C, which arrived at my house while I was at the lake... I will say with the 905C just feeling it in my hand it balances WAY better than my NRX 895C did, the 905C is not tip heavy at all... I owned all NRX's prior to upgrading and the Conquests have a more "solid" feel, hard to explain but the NRX's felt "hollow"/brittle in comparison. I noticed the casting was more "fluid" with the Conquests and the guides were quiet, sometimes on my NRX's I could hear the line go through the recoil guides during a cast or when fighting a fish. I do like the full cork grip on the Conquests and its a very smooth cork feel in hand, no pits/rough spots like a couple of my NRX's had. I can't "with the naked eye" tell a weight difference between the Conquest and NRX, but they do feel stronger/more "solid" than the NRX. I caught several 3lb-4lb class fish on them including a 6lb and they all handled the fight of the fish great, I even caught a 5lb on the 842S Conquest paired with an Exsence 3000 with 8lb line. And I don't know if it's the reel or the rod or a combination of both, but the 842S Conquest with the Exsence 3000 casted like a dream! Farther and with less effort than with my NRX 852S w/Sustain 2500. I was a little worried at first with the "fast" action of the Conquests vs the "extra fast" of the NRX's but it wasn't an issue. I fished the same baits on the Conquests that I did with the NRX's and the rods handled the baits fine. I met the lure weight limits on each model I fished with, zero issues. Sensitivity is slightly better vs NRX, not as noticeable as say from a E6X to a GLX. Now, is "slightly better" worth the roughly 20% higher cost of the Conquest vs NRX? That's up to you... I'm a gear junkie so it was worth it to me... Fishing is my "beer", so having top of the line equipment makes fishing that much more enjoyable for me. In my line of work I need lots of "beer".... If you can swing the coin, I highly recommend them! 6 Quote
Super User Darren. Posted December 10, 2017 Super User Posted December 10, 2017 Welcome to the forums! There's a few gear junkies here to keep you company . Wait, I see you joined back in 2013! But your first posts are almost 4 years after! You been mighty busy with your "beer" gear, eh . Quote
22RangerZ520R Posted December 10, 2017 Author Posted December 10, 2017 42 minutes ago, Darren. said: Welcome to the forums! There's a few gear junkies here to keep you company . Wait, I see you joined back in 2013! But your first posts are almost 4 years after! You been mighty busy with your "beer" gear, eh . 1 Quote
Stephen B Posted December 10, 2017 Posted December 10, 2017 Originally, I was a split grip guy, but the full handles are now my preference. That is why I am interested in the rods. Is the more solid feel attributed to the Sprial X technology versus the NRX ? Is that what you are referring to? Also, how do you like the real seats? Are they comfy? I am glad to hear you enjoy the Conquest rods, but I am skeptical as a buyer because NRX has an MBR lineup that is more affordable. My skepticism is mainly from some Tackle Warehouse reviews. But ultimately, everyone has different preferences. Keep us informed as you continue to spend time on the water with them! Quote
22RangerZ520R Posted December 11, 2017 Author Posted December 11, 2017 16 hours ago, Stephen B said: Originally, I was a split grip guy, but the full handles are now my preference. That is why I am interested in the rods. Is the more solid feel attributed to the Sprial X technology versus the NRX ? Is that what you are referring to? Also, how do you like the real seats? Are they comfy? I am glad to hear you enjoy the Conquest rods, but I am skeptical as a buyer because NRX has an MBR lineup that is more affordable. My skepticism is mainly from some Tackle Warehouse reviews. But ultimately, everyone has different preferences. Keep us informed as you continue to spend time on the water with them! Yes, I'm assuming the reason for the "more solid" feel I felt is due to the Spiral X and Hi Power X technology in the Conquest. The reel seats are very similar to the NRX, very comfortable. 10 hours ago, fishballer06 said: Quote
22RangerZ520R Posted December 11, 2017 Author Posted December 11, 2017 10 hours ago, THE_Vue's said: No picture or it never happened You want a pic of my rods...? I'll take a pic of my (10) Shimano Aldebaran 50's and (4) Shimano Excense 3000's while I'm at it I guess... Quote
Super User QUAKEnSHAKE Posted December 11, 2017 Super User Posted December 11, 2017 5 hours ago, 18RangerZ520L said: You want a pic of my rods...? I'll take a pic of my (10) Shimano Aldebaran 50's and (4) Shimano Excense 3000's while I'm at it I guess... There is a specific thread for showing equipment Quote
Fishin' Fool Posted December 12, 2017 Posted December 12, 2017 20 hours ago, fishballer06 said: When I first read his post that was my response. I was calculating 14 Conquests + 14 fancy reels = more than my car Quote
22RangerZ520R Posted December 12, 2017 Author Posted December 12, 2017 1 hour ago, Fishin' Fool said: When I first read his post that was my response. I was calculating 14 Conquests + 14 fancy reels = more than my car That's not counting my other 4 big bait combos: (4) Calcutta 400D's (2) G. Loomis IMX Pro swimbait 966C's (1) G. Loomis IMX Pro swimbait 965C (1) G. Loomis CBR 959C DD About $18,700 retail in 18 combos... (Granted, I didn't pay retail! ) The truck & boat (2017 F250 Platinum & 2018 Ranger Z520L) are where most of my fishing "expenses" are....! You only live once, right?!?!? 6 Quote
Fishin' Fool Posted December 12, 2017 Posted December 12, 2017 10 hours ago, 18RangerZ520L said: That's not counting my other 4 big bait combos: (4) Calcutta 400D's (2) G. Loomis IMX Pro swimbait 966C's (1) G. Loomis IMX Pro swimbait 965C (1) G. Loomis CBR 959C DD About $18,700 retail in 18 combos... (Granted, I didn't pay retail! ) The truck & boat (2017 F250 Platinum & 2018 Ranger Z520L) are where most of my fishing "expenses" are....! You only live once, right?!?!? And brother, you're living right! Quote
22RangerZ520R Posted December 12, 2017 Author Posted December 12, 2017 The_Vue's & islandbass, I added pics to the "Show off your stuff" pinned thread for ya'll... Quote
Fishin' Fool Posted December 12, 2017 Posted December 12, 2017 Are you fishing a professional or semi-pro series? That seems like overkill for fun fishing. Quote
RichF Posted December 13, 2017 Posted December 13, 2017 1 hour ago, kschultz76 said: Are you secretly Mark Zona? Can't be, Zona's with Daiwa now..haha Quote
kschultz76 Posted December 13, 2017 Posted December 13, 2017 11 minutes ago, RichF said: Can't be, Zona's with Daiwa now..haha Wow how’d I miss that? 1 Quote
22RangerZ520R Posted December 13, 2017 Author Posted December 13, 2017 On 12/12/2017 at 7:58 AM, Fishin' Fool said: And brother, you're living right! Quote
RichF Posted December 13, 2017 Posted December 13, 2017 On 12/11/2017 at 9:19 PM, 18RangerZ520L said: The truck & boat (2017 F250 Platinum & 2018 Ranger Z520L) are where most of my fishing "expenses" are....! Shoulda waited for a Vexus! Quote
22RangerZ520R Posted December 13, 2017 Author Posted December 13, 2017 14 hours ago, Fishin' Fool said: Are you fishing a professional or semi-pro series? That seems like overkill for fun fishing. Heck no! I did tournament fish a long time ago, but quit. I fish Monday-Thursday to avoid the weekend warriors and googans!!! Nothin' like getting to the boat ramp and being the first one there, then having the lake to yourself! Or at most seeing 1 or 2 other boats all day vs 100 boats! As far as overkill..... There's no such thing! Like I said earlier, the nice equipment makes the fishing experience for me that much more enjoyable! 1 minute ago, RichF said: Shoulda waited for a Vexus! Nah, not right now. It's going to take a while for them to "prove" themselves, but I'm not closed minded to switching to a Vexus for my next boat in the future. There's no question that all boats right now are compared to Ranger's as being the top of the line, but that may change with Morris buying them and everyone else out... Vexus may become the new "top of the line" brand bass boat, time will tell..... I'm curious to see what they look like when they show the models off at the 2018 Classic. Definitely a lot of buzz going on about Vexus right now and I will be watching them closely.... 14 hours ago, kschultz76 said: Are you secretly Mark Zona? I wish. If so, I would have got all my combos for free! I only could swing getting the 14 Conquests by selling all of my NRX's and putting that money towards the new ones. It wasn't that much money out of pocket to upgrade... 1 1 Quote
RichF Posted December 13, 2017 Posted December 13, 2017 20 minutes ago, 18RangerZ520L said: I'm curious to see what they look like when they show the models off at the 2018 Classic. Definitely a lot of buzz going on about Vexus right now and I will be watching them closely.... I'm sure they will be nice. That name though... Quote
22RangerZ520R Posted December 14, 2017 Author Posted December 14, 2017 22 hours ago, RichF said: I'm sure they will be nice. That name though... We shall see...... And yeah, kind of a weird name Quote
Super User QUAKEnSHAKE Posted December 24, 2017 Super User Posted December 24, 2017 How would the Conquest 903 do throwing Fat Ikas? I see its rated a Medium Heavy Fast 1/4-3/4oz. Would the Ika at around .384 oz load the rod well? I have a Fenwick World Class 7'6" MH/F 3/8-1 oz and its too powerful does not load well with Ikas. Also been thinking about the NRX893 could you compare the 903 to the 893 please? Quote
22RangerZ520R Posted December 25, 2017 Author Posted December 25, 2017 13 hours ago, QUAKEnSHAKE said: How would the Conquest 903 do throwing Fat Ikas? I see its rated a Medium Heavy Fast 1/4-3/4oz. Would the Ika at around .384 oz load the rod well? I have a Fenwick World Class 7'6" MH/F 3/8-1 oz and its too powerful does not load well with Ikas. Also been thinking about the NRX893 could you compare the 903 to the 893 please? I think the 903C would handle the Ikas just fine. How are your rigging the Ikas? Weightless, bullet weight, etc.? It's going to depend on your reel and line weight also on casting distance, etc. On my 903C Conquest paired with my Aldebaran 50 and 12# Tatsu, the Ika would cast a mile. I also had (4) of the NRX 893C's and I think that rod is the most versatile NRX casting model. I can't comment on the Fenwick, I've been strictly high end G. Loomis & Shimano for a very long time now... 1 Quote
Super User fishwizzard Posted December 25, 2017 Super User Posted December 25, 2017 I am not sold on a Loomis 3 power rod, or atleast the MBR line, being powerful enough for a Fat Ika. Or rather, I have never found a hook that will both fit the Ika and be made of thin enough wire that I could get good hooksets with a 3 power. It's frustrating as they cast/pitch an Ika very well, but I was having real issues this past summer with hooksets that went away once I moved to a more powerful rod. This was with it rigged "backwards" using an 4/0 Beast and 5/0 Riggin as my main two hooks, but I did try a few standard wire EWGs and they we not much better and gave far far worse plastic life. I will freely admit it might just be me being bad at hooksets Quote
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