Escaping the Fishing Rod Rabbit Hole!

[J Francho]

I don't understand the distinction between tournament and non-tournament rods.  Why not just fish with the gear you like?  I mean, my fishing is NO DIFFERENT regardless of being in a tournament or not.

[Bluebasser86]

I have an older model of that TCS frog rod, it's an excellent rod that I use mainly for jigs. 

 

A newer rod that I've found to be very versatile is the St. Croix Victory 7' 3" H/XF. It doesn't fish like a heavy to me, and it's proven to be excellent for t-rigs, jigs, smaller swimbait, even spinnerbaits in a pinch. 

[PhishLI]

14 hours ago, GrumpyOlPhartte said:

Don’t need rod recommendations but comments on the process will be gratefully accepted.

After my last few sight-unseen rod purchases, I'll be calling the manufacturer directly to find out whether or not the model I'm interested in uses micro guides anywhere on the guide train. I'm not much for braid to leaders to begin with, just sometimes, but micros are a no-go for them "for me". Nope.

 

P.S. My iRod Jr. Swimbait has them. Why? No clue.

[FishTank]

1 hour ago, J Francho said:

I don't understand the distinction between tournament and non-tournament rods.  Why not just fish with the gear you like?  I mean, my fishing is NO DIFFERENT regardless of being in a tournament or not.

 

I fish differently and more aggressively in tournaments than I do when I am just out Sunday strolling around a lake. I do fish what I like but I am conscious of what I take. So for instance I may not use a BFS or finnese rod when it's going to be a power fishing day in a tournament but for fun fishing,  light gear can be a blast. Also, if I was in my old kayak,  I wouldn't take my best stuff as the potential for me to have an accident would be higher and when I kayak fish I'm harder on my gear. With my new kayak,  different story. 

 

I know it sounds like I'm over thinking it but for me it's routine. 

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

Wow!  Remind me not to do this again!  Things are getting a little out of hand.  My intention was just to subtly encourage folks to do a little homework before asking a “What is the best …?” type question.  It isn’t supposed “to work”.  If it has a goal, it’s just to maybe provide a few yuks and to point out that by using the Search option on here, a user can get (in my opinion) enough info to make an intelligent decision regarding a purchase. It took a little time but I’m completely satisfied with the selections that resulted.  Can’t ever get them all though. And the dart thing doesn’t work anyway.  Blindfolded I managed to stick the darned thing into the vent hose for my clothes dryer.  In any case, I made a selection and I’m satisfied. And don’t worry … no one is gonna get praised or blamed.  Final thought - as @Choporoz pointed out, it’s always a craps shoot if ya can’t get your hands on it.

@J Francho:  From what I could learn, the new TCS has “improved guide inserts” which, to me, is a good thing since I had to replace the tip on my old rod when the insert suffered a blow out. But, the new handle appears to be pregnant or has a cancerous growth just aft of the reel seat. Not sure how my stubby little fingers will relate to that. May or may not be an issue but gives one pause before wrapping one’s paws around it.  (See what I did there?). ?

[J Francho]

I must have the "newer one?"  I mean it's gotta be at least a few years now old, maybe more. 

[GrumpyOlPhartte]

@J Francho:  could be.  All I know is I picked up my old one just two days before I received my utility patent for dust (circa 2017 if I remember correctly).

[J Francho]

Okay, I see the difference now, but I don't think it's any bigger.

 

 

[WRB]

Tournament fishing money is on the line and use them rods, reels, line as fun fishing. The difference for me was I knew what the bite was and focused on fewer presentations and number of rods and reels, not different models.

Price between $150 to $600 doesn’t equal a better performing rod.

Tom

[fin]

18 hours ago, GrumpyOlPhartte said:

I live approximately 1.7 miles from the edge of the earth and have no way of getting my hands on equipment before I buy.

 

I know some retailers used to do a loan thing, so you could try out a rod. Wasn't Tackle Warehouse one of them?

 

Also, I wouldn't feel too guilty about returning anything. I was reading the other day that online returns were over $700 billion last year.

[new2BC4bass]

You're not done buying yet.  Personally I think you need to buy each one and fish them all.

[Eric 26]

4 hours ago, GrumpyOlPhartte said:

@J Francho:  could be.  All I know is I picked up my old one just two days before I received my utility patent for dust (circa 2017 if I remember correctly).

 

4 hours ago, J Francho said:

Okay, I see the difference now, but I don't think it's any bigger.

 

 

Not trying to cause confusion or stick my nose into what I feel is a honest and therefore truly enjoyable thread….but I purchased both a TCS A with as it was referred to a pregnant/ slash cancerous growth and also a EVX-B on the recommendation of @J Francho and others on here and my sausage size fingers fit both with a definite nod to the EVX-B handle ? With that said and I mean no disrespect by this, my middle finger  is 3-1/2” long palm side up to the start of my hand. I say this as I really feel the Okuma TCS A rod is one hell of steal and I’m so thankful to have listened to the members on this site who not only recommend this rod but took the time to fish with it and share honest reviews of it. Lastly for what it’s worth my TCS is paired with a Cabelas Arachnid which isn’t the smallest profile reel and I absolutely love the pairing.

[RDB]

If it were me, I would call Okuma and ask for more details on their warranty program (it looks like they have several options available).

 

     https://okumafishingusa.com/pages/limited-rod-warranties

In my experience, if you call direct and are respectful, many companies are very accommodating with replacements.  You may be able to get the newer model for a fraction of the cost.

 

Also, I would be shocked if the newer version is that different than the older version.  Since you indicated that you love the rod, that’s where I would throw my first dart.

 

Edit:  Do you remember where you purchased?  If TW, they should have a record and they have one of the most liberal rod return policies I have ever seen.

[Big Hands]

On 7/31/2022 at 7:29 PM, GrumpyOlPhartte said:

Once this process is complete I’m gonna put Post-Its with each rod model on my wall, blindfold myself, spin around three times, and chuck a dart.

What could go wrong?