Narrowed down rod search

[Bulco2992]

I'm still looking for my dream finesse rod. I got a lot of good feedback from last post about finesse rods and appreciate everyone's input!! I've narrowed my list down to 5 rods that fit the criteria I'm looking for. 

1. Dobyns xtasy 721. I like the 7'2" length and I already have a champion extreme and its a very nice rod. So if the xtasy is $200 more it should be a phenomenal rod. 

2. Phenix k2 7'1" medium light. I like the extra inch on this rod as well. But I've never held one and don't know much about phenix rods. The reviews are pretty good on them though. 

3. St. Croix legend elite 7' medium light. I've owned many st croix rods in my life and they really are great rods. I have several legend xtremes. But honestly I've barely used them. I have many other options I always reach for. All my st croix are casting rods and I've pretty much used all spinning stuff the past couple years. Also I'm hesitant on the 7' length because I already have several rods at 7'.

4. Steez ags medium light xfast. I have the 7' medium and its my favorite rod ever!! I would like a rod thats just a bit longer though. But they're so amazing I'm not sure I should even try anything else.

5. 13 fuse carbon. I know nothing about 13. I've never paid them any attention until I saw this rod. It really peaked my interest. But I'm not sure if I just be disappointed and it won't be as good as rods I already own. 

I know a bunch of people are gonna say nrx or conquest. But they don't make a rod in the specs Im looking for. I wish so bad they had a 7'1" medium light!! I think my search would be over. I appreciate everyones time and input!! Thank you

[walleyecrazy]

If you have the Steez and love how it feels then I would stick with them and pick up the 7’6” ML/M Steez. 

[Bulco2992]

That is a good option. My problem is I have several rods already at 7' and several at 7'6. I really was looking for something 7'2 or possibly 7'3. I wanted something in the middle. But that is a good option. Thank you

[thunderblack]

Out of your choices the Steez AGS. 13 fishing would be my last pic.

[Teal]

Have you looked at the megabass rods?

Never mind all of the ones I found even on the Japanese market are shorter than what you want.   How about calling Mike @DVT and getting him to make a custom rod. 

[Bulco2992]

Yeah the 13 was a long shot. But it does look interesting. I have megabass flyssa. I have 6 megabass rods and that's usually my go to company. But I haven't found much in the specs I'm looking for. I've thought about custom and I looked at DVT website. But I didn't see any pictures or anything to give me an idea of what kind of rods they make

[roadwarrior]

Give Mike a Call. He built the Ultimate Senko rod.  You will be a very happy camper!

 

[Bulco2992]

I'm mainly looking for a ned rig rod. I've been through many rods and still haven't found the one yet. Is Mike the guy at DVT?

1 hour ago, Teal said:

Have you looked at the megabass rods?

Never mind all of the ones I found even on the Japanese market are shorter than what you want.   How about calling Mike @DVT and getting him to make a custom rod. 

Oh duh!! This already answered my question about Mike. Lol

[kayaking_kev]

What's the warranty on the K2? The Xtasy's have great tips for ned rigs, I can throw 1/10 oz neds with my 723c, but I would personally branch out and check out a K2 if they got lifetime warranties. 

[roadwarrior]

Yes, Mike is Delaware Valley Tackle

 

http://www.delawarevalleytackle.com/

 

 

[Teal]

My advice is to call Mike and see what he thinks 

[Bulco2992]

I'm gonna call Mike tomorrow and give that a try. I hope he can make me my dream rod!! Lol

The dobyns was my number one choice. But every time I'm about to pull the trigger I second guess it. Phenix says they have a life time warranty for defects 

[Bulco2992]

2 hours ago, kayaking_kev said:

2 hours ago, kayaking_kev said:

What's the warranty on the K2? The Xtasy's have great tips for ned rigs, I can throw 1/10 oz neds with my 723c, but I would personally branch out and check out a K2 if they got lifetime warranties. 

 

So are you happy with you xtasy? Would you buy another one? I'm having a really hard time pulling the trigger on a rod. I need a rod for a daiwa exist. But I'm not 100% sold on anything right now. Thank you

[kayaking_kev]

5 hours ago, Bulco2992 said:

So are you happy with you xtasy? Would you buy another one? I'm having a really hard time pulling the trigger on a rod. I need a rod for a daiwa exist. But I'm not 100% sold on anything right now. Thank you

I would say yes, I'm happy with it. I did buy another one, the 723c was the 2nd one I bought, I got the 755c first. I got them both at 30% off, $385. I bought a total of 14 Dobyns in the last 12 months, I also had an Extreme HP and really liked that rod as well. The Xtasy is better than the Extreme HP, but I wouldn't say $200 better, so it depends on what prices you can get them at. The Xtasy, I believe uses a Toray 1100 Blank and the Extreme a Toray 1000. The Xtasys have a very skinny diameter blank, but still good power. A couple of times I went to grab my 755c and thought I was grabbing my DX 702c and had to double check.

 

I'm not a spinning gear guy, but If I were to buy one right now, it wouldn't be an Xtasy, just because I would want to try something different. I do think the Xtasys have great tips for the Ned Rig though. The Xtasy, nor the Conquest for that matter are so good that I want to stop looking. I would definitely look into just building a custom rod and you could pick out the length, action, grips, guides, etc.. 

 

 

I don't think the Xtasy is thee best rod out there, but it should be involved in the discussion. I got a Conquest awhile ago and have been comparing the two lately, and it comes down to personal preference as always. Below are some of my observations between the two if interested.

 

Both rods are sensitive, and I haven't been able to really notice much of a difference between the two at all so far. 

 

One difference is the weight, both are rated MH Power, with the Xtasy being 2 inches longer. The Conquest weighs 3.8 oz and the Xtasy 4.6, but yet the Conquest is more of a MH and can handle 1/2 oz jigs and I use the Xtasy for Finesse stuff and can throw a 1/10 oz Ned Rig. When you pick up both rods and just hold them in hand, it's really hard to notice a weight difference, but when you get out and start casting with them, you can tell the Conquest is lighter. Most of Dobyns rods don't feel as heavy as they weigh on a scale though. I have had a few I got rid of because they did feel heavy though. The Xtasy 755c weighed 5.1 oz, which isn't bad for a Mag Heavy, but it felt even lighter in hand.

 

Both have Titanium Torzite Guides, and when I first got the Conquest it seemed to really cast a lot smoother than the Xtasy, and I think it's because of the High Power X and Spiral X Blank wrapping and also the fact the Conquest has a faster of a tip. But, as the rod broke in a little bit, I don't find the difference to be quite as big, but I still think the Conquest cast a little better.

 

The Xtasy has a AAAA cork handle that is pretty fat, while the Conquest has a tapered cork handle and I'm not sure what kind of cork they use, but it seems a lot different and in a good way. When you put U-40 on the Xtasy you can still see the filler in it, but there appears to be a lot less in the Conquest. I like the Conquest cork better, I just don't care for the cork foregrip, I prefer the Xtasy Aluminum foregrip.

 

As far as overall aesthetics of the rods, I love the way the Xtasy looks, much more so than the Conquest.

 

The Balance is good on both rods, but still a hair better on the Xtasy.

 

Everyone seems to love the Conquest for versatility, especially the 843c, but the tip on the Xtasys are softer. You will either love that or hate it and that will probably be the determining factor for which rod you like more. I talked myself into not having to choose right now, because the 723c & 843c do some different things. I think the Xtasy 724c would compare better to the Conquest 843c, but it would still have a softer tip. It could still do some of the same things as the Conquest, but you just need to swing harder on the hook set and it's going to better with moving baits, like a lipless. I just lost a big bass with the Conquest while fishing a Lipless and wish I would of had the Xtasy. On the other side, I've missed hook sets with a Dark Sleeper on the Xtasy and wish I would have been using the Conquest.