Looking for a light rod...

[Nattyboh74]

This isnt directly related to Bass, but more-so smaller fish in general. I want to get a light rod in fast. I was thinking about getting the St.Croix Avid line in L and F for smallerfish/panfish. Any suggestions? Im a bank buster, so Id assume 6'6"-7" MAX. Im afraid of it being too whippy. Although for smaller fish Id guess you'd want that?

[Bluebasser86]

If it were me, I'd keep it more around 6' for shoreline fishing for panfish and small fish. Longer rods get to be difficult if there's any overhanging trees and casting accuracy is more difficult with longer rods. The Avids are great rods but you don't need to spend that much to get a good rod for smaller sized fish unless you just want to. 

[DaveT63]

I agree with Bluebasser.  You don't have to spend that much.  There are plenty of decent rods out there that will fit what you are looking for.   BUT, if you do want the Avid, it is a fantastic rod.  I also agree with his suggestion of sticking to about 6 feet long, although 6'6" probably wouldn't be too bad either.

[Fried Lemons]

If you're in the avid price range for the kind of rod you're talking about consider a jdm ajing rod. Major craft/daiwa should have some models in your price range and they will blow the avid out of the water in performance.

[Nattyboh74]

edited

[Nattyboh74]

7 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

If it were me, I'd keep it more around 6' for shoreline fishing for panfish and small fish. Longer rods get to be difficult if there's any overhanging trees and casting accuracy is more difficult with longer rods. The Avids are great rods but you don't need to spend that much to get a good rod for smaller sized fish unless you just want to. 

Appreciate it guys. Reason I went with the avid was because I heard the lighter rods could break more easily and it come with a lifetime warranty. 

 

I also went with 6'6", but maybe I should've went with 6'?

 

What else would be a good suggestion? The other one I was watching was the  BPS microlite, the black one with cork handle

[Bluebasser86]

5 minutes ago, Nattyboh74 said:

Appreciate it guys. Reason I went with the avid was because I heard the lighter rods could break more easily and it come with a lifetime warranty. 

 

I also went with 6'6", but maybe I should've went with 6'?

 

What else would be a good suggestion? The other one I was watching was the  BPS microlite, the black one with cork handle

Higher modulus graphite rods do break easier, but there's no reason one should break without being damaged or having a defect that will cause it to break within the first few trips. 

 

The length is personal preference. If you're not fishing around a lot of overhanging trees or shoreline obstacles, the shorter rod is nicer for casting, but also limits your ability to steer your retrieve around snags. 

 

I have 2 main rods I use for panfish/trout/small fish. One is a 6' Avid, the other is a custom built rod. I have another that is a 5' 6" Daiwa I use messing around our pond sometimes, can't remember the model but it works decent and I only spent $20 on it. 

[Nattyboh74]

Alright, maybe I'll just switch out the 6'6" I bought to the 6'

 

Is your Avid a light power?

4 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Higher modulus graphite rods do break easier, but there's no reason one should break without being damaged or having a defect that will cause it to break within the first few trips. 

 

The length is personal preference. If you're not fishing around a lot of overhanging trees or shoreline obstacles, the shorter rod is nicer for casting, but also limits your ability to steer your retrieve around snags. 

 

I have 2 main rods I use for panfish/trout/small fish. One is a 6' Avid, the other is a custom built rod. I have another that is a 5' 6" Daiwa I use messing around our pond sometimes, can't remember the model but it works decent and I only spent $20 on it. 

Alright, maybe I'll just switch out the 6'6" I bought to the 6'

 

Is your Avid a light power?

[Bluebasser86]

9 minutes ago, Nattyboh74 said:

Alright, maybe I'll just switch out the 6'6" I bought to the 6'

 

Is your Avid a light power?

Alright, maybe I'll just switch out the 6'6" I bought to the 6'

 

Is your Avid a light power?

No, it's an UL. I use baits down to 1/80th oz with 3.5lb test for bluegill, sunfish, creek chubs, trout, any smaller fish really. It's extremely light and whippy, a lot of fun to catch anything on. 

[Nattyboh74]

1 minute ago, Bluebasser86 said:

No, it's an UL. I use baits down to 1/80th oz with 3.5lb test for bluegill, sunfish, creek chubs, trout, any smaller fish really. It's extremely light and whippy, a lot of fun to catch anything on. 

Hmm... Maybe I should've went UL lol. Too many variables here. Sometimes we fish just a small hair jig  and then we will use the fly and float method, but use weighted floats... I would think that would be over the weight limit though on an UL.

[Bluebasser86]

My UL Avid does not fish anything but the smallest floats. Anything bigger is too much drag to get a good hookset with it. 

[Nattyboh74]

5 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

My UL Avid does not fish anything but the smallest floats. Anything bigger is too much drag to get a good hookset with it. 

Good to know. So then the L variant would work best for me, Id assume.

 

All in all I'll tell you lol Its pretty d**n hard to choose a rod. Its one of those things where you dont want to mess up, spend money twice etc.

[Bluebasser86]

Always best to handle in person if possible, but if not, just one more reason this forum is so awesome, chances are that someone has handled the rods you're looking for and can at least give you an idea of what it's like. 

[Nattyboh74]

1 minute ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Always best to handle in person if possible, but if not, just one more reason this forum is so awesome, chances are that someone has handled the rods you're looking for and can at least give you an idea of what it's like. 

yep. I live IN MD but honestly not many places carry St.Croix, well they do but its usually NOT what Im looking for.

 

Darren helped me a lot with the choice of my Avid-Xs I bought last time.

[fishwizzard]

I too have been hunting around for a UL or L spinning rod with a Fast or XFast action.  I ended up winning an ebay auction for a Loomis SJR 6400.  It's a 5'4" rod listed as "Mag-Light" with a range of 1/64 - 1/8.  I have no idea what is going on with it as I cannot get it to load with anything much under 1/8oz and it seems fine with lure up to around 1/4oz or more.  It does have a nice tip and a ton of backbone, but it does not feel at all like the other, heavier XF rods I have handled.  

 

I honestly have no idea how I feel about it.  It seems way too heavy for the little panfish jigs I wanted to throw with it, but it is so weird I want to figure out what it's good for.  It feels like it will be a great little rod for small stream fishing with small t-rigged plastics, so I am going to give it a try for that once it warms up, but the experence has made me leery of blind-buying another UL/XF rod.  

[Nattyboh74]

Interesting. Thanks for your input... THats what Im afraid of, getting something and then regretting it.

[fishwizzard]

Just now, Nattyboh74 said:

Interesting. Thanks for your input... THats what Im afraid of, getting something and then regretting it.

Oh, you know what, I have an St Ctrox Premier in L/F that I bought a few years ago but is too soft for what I want it for.  I keep meaning to sell it, but it's not worth shipping.  If you want to give it and the weird-o Loomis a spin, shoot me a PM.  If you like the St Croix I would sell it for a very decent price.  If you end up loving the Loomis we could work something out, but that little turd of a rod is so compelling to me for some reason, I really want to like it.  

[Nattyboh74]

1 minute ago, fishwizzard said:

Oh, you know what, I have an St Ctrox Premier in L/F that I bought a few years ago but is too soft for what I want it for.  I keep meaning to sell it, but it's not worth shipping.  If you want to give it and the weird-o Loomis a spin, shoot me a PM.  If you like the St Croix I would sell it for a very decent price.  If you end up loving the Loomis we could work something out, but that little turd of a rod is so compelling to me for some reason, I really want to like it.  

I already bought an Avid last night... This is typical of me lol. I buy something and then a day or two later, something else comes along. lol...

 

If you dont mind me asking, what did you use the St.Croix L/F setup for?

[fishwizzard]

I used it for throwing 1/8 to 3/16 spinnerbaits/inline spinners at white perch and pickerel in the tidal rivers around here.  It is a great rod for that, but I got hit with the BFS bug and how have a casting combo that does the same job, but is more fun to fish with.  I want a UL/L spinning rod for tiny plastics like a 1/32oz Trout Slayer up to like a 3" senko (~3/16).  The Premier was not great for that in my experience.  

[Nattyboh74]

Thanks for the explanation. Im having buyers remorse now and thinking about going to the BPS Microlite. In the end, Im not catching monsters and pretty much any rod could do that as BlueBasser already stated.

[Bluebasser86]

26 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

I too have been hunting around for a UL or L spinning rod with a Fast or XFast action.  I ended up winning an ebay auction for a Loomis SJR 6400.  It's a 5'4" rod listed as "Mag-Light" with a range of 1/64 - 1/8.  I have no idea what is going on with it as I cannot get it to load with anything much under 1/8oz and it seems fine with lure up to around 1/4oz or more.  It does have a nice tip and a ton of backbone, but it does not feel at all like the other, heavier XF rods I have handled.  

 

I honestly have no idea how I feel about it.  It seems way too heavy for the little panfish jigs I wanted to throw with it, but it is so weird I want to figure out what it's good for.  It feels like it will be a great little rod for small stream fishing with small t-rigged plastics, so I am going to give it a try for that once it warms up, but the experence has made me leery of blind-buying another UL/XF rod.  

My dad has a very similar rod from All-Star. 5' 4" L/F but it fishes more like  ML/F. He loves it for 1/8oz jigheads for walleye, but it's too much for smaller stuff for panfish. It's a nice rod, just seems like the ratings are way off for it. 

[Nattyboh74]

I bought a BPS Micro lite in 6' to try it out. I guess if I can save $120 bucks, why not... I'll most likely return the AVID.

 

Plus the Bass Pro Micro Lite graphite series is $10.00 off also, making it 49.99

[fishwizzard]

18 minutes ago, Nattyboh74 said:

Thanks for the explanation. Im having buyers remorse now and thinking about going to the BPS Microlite. In the end, Im not catching monsters and pretty much any rod could do that as BlueBasser already stated.

Well, at the very least you have a nice rod with a good warranty, the remorse will fade with time and you will still have a great rod. 

13 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

My dad has a very similar rod from All-Star. 5' 4" L/F but it fishes more like  ML/F. He loves it for 1/8oz jigheads for walleye, but it's too much for smaller stuff for panfish. It's a nice rod, just seems like the ratings are way off for it. 

Yea, I think I can find a home for it as a hiking/small water rod.  I ended up (via USPS shenanigans) getting it NIB for like $60, which is crazy for any IMX rod.  

9 minutes ago, Nattyboh74 said:

I bought a BPS Micro lite in 6' to try it out. I guess if I can save $120 bucks, why not... I'll most likely return the AVID.

 

Plus the Bass Pro Micro Lite graphite series is $10.00 off also, making it 49.99

I used to have a Tsunami Tuff Tip L/F rod when I first started out fishing.  It was around $30-50 and was great until I broke the tip trying to lift a ~1.5lb smallie 15' out of a canal.  It worked far better for small plastics then the Premier I replaced it with.  I have never heard much of the brand, but alot of the MD tackle shops carry it, so I guess it is more of a saltwater thing.  

[Nattyboh74]

5 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

Well, at the very least you have a nice rod with a good warranty, the remorse will fade with time and you will still have a great rod. 

Yea, I think I can find a home for it as a hiking/small water rod.  I ended up (via USPS shenanigans) getting it NIB for like $60, which is crazy for any IMX rod.  

I used to have a Tsunami Tuff Tip L/F rod when I first started out fishing.  It was around $30-50 and was great until I broke the tip trying to lift a ~1.5lb smallie 15' out of a canal.  It worked far better for small plastics then the Premier I replaced it with.  I have never heard much of the brand, but alot of the MD tackle shops carry it, so I guess it is more of a saltwater thing.  

Thanks fellas. I'll test out the rods one day very lightly and see what feels best to me. Then  I'll return one.

[HookRz]

Try the 6'6" Avid light fast. 3.5 tip but with decent backbone. Better yet build a custom on that blank with semi-micros. You won't be sorry.