Narrowing down my next moving bait rod (Dobyns, TFO, Falcon, St. Croix)

[LootyDjibouti]

23 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

Ok, so the fan boys are going to say X, the keyboard commanders are going to say whatever is popular at the moment on the InterWeb, old farts are going to say the rod they bought 20 years ago, The guy who broke his rod cause he doesn't know how to fish and didn't get "satisfaction" is going to say "anything but X", etc, etc... How exactly is this reseach?...

[Deleted account]

20 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Still, I wanna know what rods you’d recommend for this. You’ve recommended gear on here before

  Why the rod I bought 20 years ago of course...

 

[casts_by_fly]

5 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

   Rick,

Yes I own the Finesse jig rod in the red Diamond series. I think it's a little more crisp than the T7 . It's a great rod. And with mono it's a nice topwater rod also , A little tight with braid.

 My guess is that Ark Rod still had the mandrels for the Cara's when they made them at their shop.

Virtus was started by a couple guys on Bull Shoals . Now Jewell is handling the distribution.  There are dealers all over the Ozarks and I see now Tackle Warehouse. They have James Watson working with them now and I'm certain he will have a couple signature rods, a spoon rod and a buzzbait rod that I know of.

 

 

Thanks.  I'll keep them in mind.  The expert finesse jig is a favorite of mine and one of the rods that I'd probably have two of if I ever doubled up on specific rods.  I've mostly exhausted the Falcon lineup for things I fish (the only two still to try for things I fish are the Bayou/Eye crosser and the heavy cover jig).  So if Virtus comes out with something different in length/weight but similar style I'll have to consider it.

 

thanks

rick

[Deleted account]

1 minute ago, LootyDjibouti said:

 

It was at 11D in Camp Lemonnier...

[LootyDjibouti]

32 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

Ok, so the fan boys are going to say X, the keyboard commanders are going to say whatever is popular at the moment on the InterWeb, old farts are going to say the rod they bought 20 years ago, The guy who broke his rod cause he doesn't know how to fish and didn't get "satisfaction" is going to say "anything but X", etc, etc... How exactly is this reseach?...

I definitely understand one person's experience can vary from the next. Certainly. And one person might think Rod "A" is better, the next person could disagree. 

That said, you can sometimes find patterns based on multiple responses all saying the same thing. Also since there's no industry standard in power or action all we have to go off is lure rating and personal anecdotes. And a lure rating really only tells part of the story. 

Oftentimes folks will share their customer service experiences as well, and that's not something manufacturers can just list on a spec sheet. 

Mostly I just like talking rods and reels with folks and like to be thorough before making any purchase. Some people like to impulse buy, others like me dig through the interwebz.

[LrgmouthShad]

1 hour ago, Deleted account said:

 

It was at 11D in Camp Lemonnier...

No s**t there I was…..

[Deleted account]

4 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

No s**t there I was…..

Been there, done that, have the Echo 6 wooden rhino...

It's a Navy base, but we are basically baby sitting AFRICOM, so you may not have to take my word for it...  

[Blaine Donders]

I have the Falcon Lowrider All Around Fast, and a St. Croix Mojo Glass Chatter and Trap.

 

The Falcon is way lighter, but if you want the slower tip, this ain’t it. If you want fast, it’s a good choice. I think the Head Turner would be the way to go for this application, though. Granted, my Head Turner is a Cara, so apples and better apples I suppose. 
 

The Mojo Glass is great for a glass rod. I prefer graphite, but this thing does rock for chatterbaits. Not sensitive enough (for me) for spinner baits. I’ve been throwing chatterbaits on a moderate rod lately, but have yet to see a hook up ratio difference.

 

I think for $150, the best spinner bait, chatterbaits, trap rod I have is a Sixgill Akylos.

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, LootyDjibouti said:

That said, you can sometimes find patterns based on multiple responses all saying the same thing.

Sometimes. Maybe. I fish with a few people who have excessive gear buying habits. Top of the line down to the bottom. Like anyone else who's interested in a topic, I have detailed recall about it, so I'm pegged as the gear expert, even though I'm just a regular schmuck. Some people like an "expert's" blessing, so quite often I get to try out this stuff for myself. Quite often what has them thrilled doesn't feel special to me regardless of cost, but it feels special to them. I'm never baffled though. No judgments made by me whatsoever because I understand how personal any rod or reel is, or can be. Some people really don't care what they use. Perhaps they're lucky in that respect. Some people can quite successfully adapt to any tool at their disposal. Most people can at least adapt, and do. Regardless, ask away, especially if you don't have the opportunity to feel something in person.

[QED]

2 hours ago, LootyDjibouti said:

I definitely understand one person's experience can vary from the next. Certainly. And one person might think Rod "A" is better, the next person could disagree. 

That said, you can sometimes find patterns based on multiple responses all saying the same thing. Also since there's no industry standard in power or action all we have to go off is lure rating and personal anecdotes. And a lure rating really only tells part of the story. 

Oftentimes folks will share their customer service experiences as well, and that's not something manufacturers can just list on a spec sheet. 

Mostly I just like talking rods and reels with folks and like to be thorough before making any purchase. Some people like to impulse buy, others like me dig through the interwebz.

 

Forum queries about equipment within a particular budget constraint could yield options that you may not have otherwise considered but a huge problem is that the responses are rife with confirmation bias.