Best Rods

[Stephen B]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Today Loomis offers an expedite rod replacement program very similar to the certificate program except you must buy another rod equal to the replacement rod ending up with 2 rods. You get the replacement rod for $100 plus shipping and that is a good deal if you want 2 rods. No other rod company requires you to buy additional rod as condition for replacement outside of warranty.

 

No, this is incorrect information regarding G Loomis warranty. Reread their warranty. Always a pleasure to deal with G Loomis warranty. They have always done me right. Every great business starts with a great product and great CS and they have both for sure. 100% recommend G Loomis.

[Catt]

Personally I don't think a manufacturer should warranty a product I accidentally broke.

 

Warranties should only cover defects & workmanship...not my stupidity!

[Stephen B]

6 minutes ago, Catt said:

Personally I don't think a manufacturer should warranty a product I accidentally broke.

 

Warranties should only cover defects & workmanship...not my stupidity!

I agree 100%. 

[Fishes in trees]

Something about the original post makes me say , "Huh?"  If you want the same feel through all your rods, then , buy all the same rods.  Get a dozen, or two of the exact same rod.  A decade or so ago, didn't Rick Clunn allegedly do this?  And didn't he tell other people through Bassmaster magazine that this was a good idea?   I seem to recall reading something about this in Bassmaster, again around a decade or so ago.  By my reckoning, that decision ( to use the same rod for all different baits ) coincided with one of the longer losing droughts of his career.  Coincidence?   Beats me.

 You want the "same feel" through all your rods, do you really  want your ned rig to feel like your frogging rod?  Do you want your shakey head rig to feel like your Carolina rig?  Why would you want your spinner bait rig to feel exactly like your worm rod?  I could go on.  Do you want the same sensitivity in your cranking rod as you do for your football jig rod?  This thinking seems out of wack to me.

 

You want your rods to all have a similar "look", like lots of guys do with their golf clubs?   I kinda get that. This makes a little more sense and the previous page and a half of posters have offered lots of options, I really can't add anything in this vein.

 

My advice is to find rods you like that do what you want within your price range.  I think that warranty does make a difference.  Fenwick has been good to me, their higher end rods, the HMG & Aetos series have lifetime warranties and I've broken some rods doing some ignorant stuff and Fenwick has replaced them.   I know their policy has changed slightly over the years and it has been a few years since I've broken one, so I'm not up to date on their current version of their lifetime warranty.  All Star Rods, ( back in the day when they were made in Texas ) used to have a GREAT warranty.   Can't speak to their current warranties, they are now exclusively distributed by Academy Sports, I've bought a few on close outs, their actions are very similar to the old All Stars.  I haven't broken any yet and fishing season is nearly over.   Maybe next year . .

 

 

[spoonplugger1]

Rarely do I see someone selecting their next rod have the reel they are going to use in their pocket to really get the rod's feel in use. They also disregard the intent of the rod and test all rods the same way, not thinking about such things as whether it's going to be used in a tip up, or tip down presentation. Lastly they disregard build construction, lighter tipped rods due to component selection are as cheap to build and they don't need or will use less rear weight to get the feel you want.

[NathanDLTH]

3 hours ago, Fishes in trees said:

Something about the original post makes me say , "Huh?"  If you want the same feel through all your rods, then , buy all the same rods.  Get a dozen, or two of the exact same rod.  A decade or so ago, didn't Rick Clunn allegedly do this?  And didn't he tell other people through Bassmaster magazine that this was a good idea?   I seem to recall reading something about this in Bassmaster, again around a decade or so ago.  By my reckoning, that decision ( to use the same rod for all different baits ) coincided with one of the longer losing droughts of his career.  Coincidence?   Beats me.

 You want the "same feel" through all your rods, do you really  want your ned rig to feel like your frogging rod?  Do you want your shakey head rig to feel like your Carolina rig?  Why would you want your spinner bait rig to feel exactly like your worm rod?  I could go on.  Do you want the same sensitivity in your cranking rod as you do for your football jig rod?  This thinking seems out of wack to me.

 

You want your rods to all have a similar "look", like lots of guys do with their golf clubs?   I kinda get that. This makes a little more sense and the previous page and a half of posters have offered lots of options, I really can't add anything in this vein.

 

My advice is to find rods you like that do what you want within your price range.  I think that warranty does make a difference.  Fenwick has been good to me, their higher end rods, the HMG & Aetos series have lifetime warranties and I've broken some rods doing some ignorant stuff and Fenwick has replaced them.   I know their policy has changed slightly over the years and it has been a few years since I've broken one, so I'm not up to date on their current version of their lifetime warranty.  All Star Rods, ( back in the day when they were made in Texas ) used to have a GREAT warranty.   Can't speak to their current warranties, they are now exclusively distributed by Academy Sports, I've bought a few on close outs, their actions are very similar to the old All Stars.  I haven't broken any yet and fishing season is nearly over.   Maybe next year . .

 

 

Interesting point on the Bassmaster piece. 
 

I guess by feel I meant what it fishes like in my hand and connectivity to the baits being fished. Yes, every rod will always be different bass upon action, power, and length. For example the Champ Extreme 744 has a softer tips and my personal opinion didn’t transmit bottom composition or bites well to me. So I old it, I fished a friends 745 champion extreme and it was quite the opposite experience for me. Please do not take what say and try to skew it, I could of clarified each category a bit more that’s truth. But don’t try to put word in my mouth of buying all rods in one action, power, and length. That would be foolish. 

11 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

I would pick either Daiwa, ALX, Megabass or Kistler.  I like NRX but not a fan of GLX because of the grip.  
 

The one rod manufacturer I would not select for sure would be St. Croix.  Heavy rods, poorly balanced.  Had them for years (12 of them, various models) and am amazed at the above 4 mentioned rods how much better they are in terms of being light, crisp, balanced, yet powerful.  Hate to say it despite my Wisconsin roots, but I’m a recovering SC fan-boy.  No more...
 

You and I have also talked about Dobyns rods.  I absolutely love my flippin stick, but personally don’t think they make a great bottom contact or sensitive rod (many others do however).  Therefore I would not be able to use Dobyns, despite good overall quality, as the one manufacturer to use for all rods I use... but that’s just me... am probably in the minority on that..

Yes-we talked for a good bit on that subject, I will share one thing. The 745 in the champion extreme does better at bottom contact than its little brother the 744 which we both had higher hopes for. If I wanted a light cover swim jig rod the 744 would probably get what nod. I can’t fish Loomis-the blank stiffness and reel seat just nope. 
 

 

[Catt]

1 hour ago, spoonplugger1 said:

Rarely do I see someone selecting their next rod have the reel they are going to use in their pocket to really get the rod's feel in use

 

That would be me!  ?

 

Especially with worm/jig rods, I'll bring my reel, mount on the rod, string it up, & attach a lure.

 

The main reason I dislike ordering online is I can't do it this way.

 

With that being said last year I ordered a Powell Inferno & recently a Daiwa Tatula. The Powell I had field tested & the Daiwa I had handled locally but no one had the model I wanted.

 

The "best" rod for each technique is personal preference. Manufacturer warranty is of no consideration in my selection, neither is price.

[NathanDLTH]

2 hours ago, Catt said:

 

That would be me!  ?

 

Especially with worm/jig rods, I'll bring my reel, mount on the rod, string it up, & attach a lure.

 

The main reason I dislike ordering online is I can't do it this way.

 

With that being said last year I ordered a Powell Inferno & recently a Daiwa Tatula. The Powell I had field tested & the Daiwa I had handled locally but no one had the model I wanted.

 

The "best" rod for each technique is personal preference. Manufacturer warranty is of no consideration in my selection, neither is price.

I’ve learned the hard way a few times by not having a reel with when trying rods. It’s been a learning process. 
 

Main rods are Daiwa, Megabass, and Dobyns. I’d like to change out some of my rods this offseason preferably to Dobyns for simplicity. 

[WRB]

Back in the day before online sales we went to a store and checked out the rod, looked it over for workmanship like the guides being aligned to each other and the reel seat, feel, balance with a reel etc, etc. if anything went wrong we worked through the store retailer for warranty issues.

Today most sales are online, the rod shows up at the front door. Any immediate workmanship or biuld blemishes in our opion become subjective, obvious damage from shipping is resolved by the online retailer. You take out your new rod and use it then notice a guide ring insert is cracked or any other subjective flaw or blemish it can become a ticking contest who is responsible. Some anglers live with, fix it themselves or resell the rod online.

If the rod blank fails then it's up to the rod maker to determine the cause becoming a warranty issue between you and the manufacturer. 

It's different world today and the rod makers customer service becomes both retailer and manufacturer, shipping costs and replacement cost all come into play for online sales. Choose your highend rod company carefully or shop at a brick and mortar store.

Tom

 

 

 

[jbsoonerfan]

7 hours ago, Fishes in trees said:

Something about the original post makes me say , "Huh?"  If you want the same feel through all your rods, then , buy all the same rods.  Get a dozen, or two of the exact same rod.  A decade or so ago, didn't Rick Clunn allegedly do this?  And didn't he tell other people through Bassmaster magazine that this was a good idea?   I seem to recall reading something about this in Bassmaster, again around a decade or so ago.  By my reckoning, that decision ( to use the same rod for all different baits ) coincided with one of the longer losing droughts of his career.  Coincidence?   Beats me.

 You want the "same feel" through all your rods, do you really  want your ned rig to feel like your frogging rod?  Do you want your shakey head rig to feel like your Carolina rig?  Why would you want your spinner bait rig to feel exactly like your worm rod?  I could go on.  Do you want the same sensitivity in your cranking rod as you do for your football jig rod?  This thinking seems out of wack to me.

 

You want your rods to all have a similar "look", like lots of guys do with their golf clubs?   I kinda get that. This makes a little more sense and the previous page and a half of posters have offered lots of options, I really can't add anything in this vein.

 

My advice is to find rods you like that do what you want within your price range.  I think that warranty does make a difference.  Fenwick has been good to me, their higher end rods, the HMG & Aetos series have lifetime warranties and I've broken some rods doing some ignorant stuff and Fenwick has replaced them.   I know their policy has changed slightly over the years and it has been a few years since I've broken one, so I'm not up to date on their current version of their lifetime warranty.  All Star Rods, ( back in the day when they were made in Texas ) used to have a GREAT warranty.   Can't speak to their current warranties, they are now exclusively distributed by Academy Sports, I've bought a few on close outs, their actions are very similar to the old All Stars.  I haven't broken any yet and fishing season is nearly over.   Maybe next year . .

 

 

Maybe you just didn't understand what he was saying.

 

@NathanDLTH I use all Shimano Zodias rods on my main setups. I have a 6'10 ML, 6'10 M, 2x 6'10 MH, 2x 7'2" MH and a 7'2 H. I love the Zodias series rods and I like the way each rod "feels" in my hand, not to be confused by the way the rod "feels" while fishing. I have always been weird like that though, I want all my grips on my golf clubs to be exactly the same aside from my putter. I will re-grip my driver or wedges if they have a different grip from my irons. I guess it's a feel thing.

[Fishin Dad]

On 10/27/2019 at 1:48 AM, punch said:

Hah another person who sold their 893c GLX. I really didn't think mine was anything special, let alone $400 special. 

 

I've tried many.. many.. many rod lines and my collection has distilled down to Megabass (orochi and destroyer), Exprides, St Croix Legend X and a couple speciality rods like a NRX 873c.

 

If I had to pick one rod line to use ONLY, it would be all Exprides HANDS DOWN (I have 6 of them). They are light, sensitive, look good, balance well, have good resale, and the lineup is very diverse. Several rods in their lineup are straight up GREAT and considered the best for that technique. Like their 72MH glass chatterbait rod, their 7'3 XH frog rod, and their flippin stick. Their 7'2 MH is so versatile I have two of them. 

 

You can get them for around 200-220 new from certain shops. 

Hey Punch, 

Would you be willing to share the best shops for pricing on Exprides.  I really want to try one.  

Thanks

[CrankFate]

On 10/27/2019 at 7:57 PM, MN Fisher said:

 

I've got my three old rods gathering dust as I've upgraded. All were 'cheap' rods, the most expensive being an original Ugly Stick. They're all 30+ years old, still intact, and usable, but don't have the action I want, so they sit unused. They've caught hundreds of fish without a problem.

 

Statistically, if a rod is going to break from accident, it'll happen in the first year - which is what my Aird-X rods are warranted for.

I agree. And I have some of those Ugly Sticks and they look new after years of hard fishing. 

[Randy Price]

On 10/27/2019 at 5:26 PM, FishTank said:

G. Loomis and St.Croix would be my choices.

 

If I am going for all around best bang for the buck line up of rods from one manufacture where I am buying 5 to keep on the deck.  Easy.....  St. Croix Avid.  It checks all the boxes........  Price, well made, sensitive (there are several better but best for the money), and tons of choices to suit my needs. 

I agree 100% with @FishTank

[NathanDLTH]

Thanks for all the input! This was more than I expected. 

[Rook]

Well for me I'm still stuck in the 50s. I don't use anything but NARMCO and Garcia Conolon rods. They're still working just fine after more than 60 years of use. Time is the true test of fishing equipment.