"Favorite" Rods?

[Alec McMillan]

What are y'alls opinion on "Favorite USA Fishing" rods?  I was thinking about picking up a lunkerstv rod, but I am still on the fence. I have heard mixed reviews about them. Some say they are the best rods they've ever had, others say they are garbage. A few of my buddies have the defender and white bird, and they seem to like it. I have always used st croix and Dobyns rods, so I am curious to see how the Favorite rods will compare. 

Edited March 18, 2019 by Alec McMillan
Some found it confusing because "Favorite" is actually a brand.

[KentuckyBlueBass]

Favorite rods are not garbage, but they are also not great. If you are used to fishing Dobyns and St. Croix, definitely stick with them. Those 2 and G Loomis are the best rod companies on the market.

[Bluebasser86]

From what experience I have with their rods that I fished with, I think you can do a lot better for the price.

[waymont]

I felt a few in a local store and they felt terrible to me, kind of clunky and unbalanced. They seem cheap to me.

I would steer clear.

A Dobyns Fury smokes any Favorite rod I've felt.

[NYWayfarer]

7 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

From what experience I have with their rods that I fished with, I think you can do a lot better for the price.

Especially that Lunkers TV version. It is basically the Defender rod with a different color scheme and a price tag that is $25 more.

[Diggy]

9 hours ago, Alec McMillan said:

What are y'alls opinion on Favorite Fishing rods?  I was thinking about picking up a lunkerstv rod, but I am still on the fence. I have heard mixed reviews about them. Some say they are the best rods they've ever had, others say they are garbage. A few of my buddies have the defender and white bird, and they seem to like it. I have always used st croix and Dobyns rods, so I am curious to see how the Favorite rods will compare. 

I would stick to your regular brands, especially if you're looking at those models that your friends fish with. My friend has a Big Sexy, it's a beautiful rod aesthetically in my opinion. He loves it, he's caught some really big fish in it with a tranx 200 fishing up to 2oz swimbaits. He also has the Andrew Flair extra-heavy frog rod that he loves as well.

 

I can't say anything negative about those rods from a fishing standpoint for his uses because he's been catching fish over five pounds every day on them and I'm not exaggerating. Recently he's put those rods down for a megabass valkyrie that does everything, but he still fishes them.

 

They carry Favorite Rods at my local Dick's Sporting Goods so if you have one near your area you might be able to check them out. They also carry Dobyns fury and champion series, as well as other rods like the AvidX and Tatula at my local Dick's Sporting Goods. 

[haggard]

I was a few posts in, wondering why nobody said "favorite rod is a subjective thing" yet, until I realized Favorite is a brand.

 

[fishwizzard]

2 hours ago, haggard said:

I was a few posts in, wondering why nobody said "favorite rod is a subjective thing" yet, until I realized Favorite is a brand.

 

It’s a shockingly bad name from the standpoint of being an easily identifiable and searchable brand. 

[NHBull]

Loomis then Alpha

[FishTank]

The St. Croix Avid is my favorite best bang for the buck rod but the Dobyns Fury is a fine rod.  As far as FAVORITE Rods go> I will pass.  There are better offerings.

[offsidewing]

Not sure of your budget, but having tried lots of rods in different categories, the St Croix Avid X is great for both casting and spinning applications.  I can't say enough good things about their customer service.  

[LionHeart]

I will suggest that they have a specific target audience and leave it there.  Will they catch fish? Sure

[punch]

Scott Martin and B. Lat are winning a bunch of money on Favorite rods already this year.... and Mark Daniels Jr won an Elite event last year with Favorite rods. They can't ALL be junk haha. 

 

B.Lat won his event flipping grass with a MH Big Sexy and a bug. 

 

I've "store tested" a few of the rods and they definitely seem to be pretty basic components & random japanese blanks with some very fancy colors/handles. I think their branding is a bit confusing to be honest.. what's the key differences between a big sexy, a phantom, a rush and a defender? Beats me. 

 

Favorite's niche is obviously the under 21yo market, which is fine. If my kid got amped up to go fishing and wanted a Lunkers or Rigged rod because thats what the youtube guys use.. I'd probably buy him one. 

 

Favorite definitely found an uncharted marketing stream by pushing hard on youtube and scooping up the influencers into long term deals. The other rod brands really wiffed on that and i'm sure are kicking themselves. 

 

Their sales must be great because they got a LOT of marketing dollars to throw around this year. 

[Joshua van Wyk]

6 hours ago, FishTank said:

The St. Croix Avid is my favorite best bang for the buck rod but the Dobyns Fury is a fine rod.  As far as FAVORITE Rods go> I will pass.  There are better offerings.

Have you tried the new Megabass Levantes? I think it might be a contender for a new favorite

[FishTank]

14 minutes ago, Joshua van Wyk said:

Have you tried the new Megabass Levantes? I think it might be a contender for a new favorite

Not yet.  I have yet to see one anywhere.  By the looks of it, it maybe a really nice rod for the money, not big on foam grips though.  I think if I were going to get a rod from Megabass, I would probably be looking at the Orochi XX or a Destroyer.   I would need to see one of the Levantes in action before I would even think about it.  I did see that Tackle Warehouse has the old ones clearance out for $119.40.

[Yumeya]

I think they are trash, I also hate all the USA patriotic colors on a china made rod.

 

If your gonna tag it with USA colors then make it here.

 

Sorry, I can't really stand the garbage squad.

 

 

Also, the CEO of favorite fishing seems like a major ******

[The Bassman]

Recently saw a Scott Martin episode where he was fishing with his dad. Roland couldn't turn around without having a Favorite logo displayed on something. Money talks and Roland Martin is exhibit A. Remember U.S. reels?

[NYWayfarer]

10 hours ago, punch said:

I think their branding is a bit confusing to be honest.. what's the key differences between a big sexy, a phantom, a rush and a defender? Beats me. 

To confuse you even more, Favorite has a second brand called "Select" It seems their rods that are $100 or less are in this brand.

 

You will notice it on rods like the Defender. It says Select in the reel seat and has the words "powered by Favorite" on the rod.

[Joshua van Wyk]

10 hours ago, FishTank said:

Not yet.  I have yet to see one anywhere.  By the looks of it, it maybe a really nice rod for the money, not big on foam grips though.  I think if I were going to get a rod from Megabass, I would probably be looking at the Orochi XX or a Destroyer.   I would need to see one of the Levantes in action before I would even think about it.  I did see that Tackle Warehouse has the old ones clearance out for $119.40.

I haven't seen them anywhere either, I bought one of Ebay for $170 when they had the 15% off code running. It's now my new favorite rod, its beautifully crafted and by far the most sensitive rod I've fished. Although I cant compare it to the Avid x since I've never fished one before. 

[J Francho]

I was not impressed with the White Bird spinning rod I tested.  It was labeled as a drop shot rod, though I would call it an all purpose rod.  It was moderate fast, medium power.  I felt that the solid tip made it less sensitive.  It was not as crisp feeling as rods that cost twice as much.  If you're on a budget, and need a spinning rod for pond hopping, then this might be a good rod. 

[lmbfisherman]

13 hours ago, LionHeart said:

I will suggest that they have a specific target audience and leave it there.  Will they catch fish? Sure

I agree with this.  I would never buy them personally as I have my own preferences.  

 

If I were you I'd get another stick from the brand you like.  If you want to try one out and see if you like them, it's your money.  Feel free to try a Favorite rod.  You will only get other opinions of why they like'm or why they don't.  In the end it is totally up to you on you like your fishing equipment performs for you. 

[fishballer06]

On 3/16/2019 at 10:41 PM, Alec McMillan said:

Some say they are the best rods they've ever had, others say they are garbage.

Something to keep in mind (particularly with this brand). Those that are saying they're the best rod they've ever owned, have probably never owned a $100+ rod. So in that theory, I'm sure they are the best rod they've ever owned.  Those that are saying they are garbage, are probably gear snobby guys who own numerous $2-500 rods and know a decent rod from a gimmicky rod by just looking at the specs. 

[lmbfisherman]

6 hours ago, The Bassman said:

Recently saw a Scott Martin episode where he was fishing with his dad. Roland couldn't turn around without having a Favorite logo displayed on something. Money talks and Roland Martin is exhibit A. Remember U.S. reels?

Yeah, it's pretty shameless.  I can't watch Roland anymore.  

[DSTN]

Haven't had a chance to use them but out of curiosity checked the casting rods out when I saw them at a local F&S a couple weeks ago.  The White Bird casting rod seemed like a decent rod for the price, especially if you found them on sale. The only other one that struck a chord was the Big Sexy.  I picked up a few different lengths in MH and H and they all felt pretty good to me.  Can't vouch for whether or not it's comparable with other $200 rods.

 

[Alec McMillan]

9 hours ago, Joshua van Wyk said:

I haven't seen them anywhere either, I bought one of Ebay for $170 when they had the 15% off code running. It's now my new favorite rod, its beautifully crafted and by far the most sensitive rod I've fished. Although I cant compare it to the Avid x since I've never fished one before. 

The Avid X is probably my favorite $200 rod. It is truly amazing, I would highly recommend buying one. Another great rod is the Dobyns Champion, but it is $260. I have never used Megabass rods, I see that the Levantes is about $200, I might try to find one in-store to hold.