The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Stik: A score and basic review of rods up to $250.

[roadwarrior]

25 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Oh I’ve broken rods before.  Just not fishing.   Car doors,  boat cleats,  etc.

 I have never had a rod broken by a fish. 

[ironbjorn]

Cheap: Berkley Lightning Rod

$50~ Daiwa Aird-X

$100~ Shimano SLX

$125~ Dobyns Fury

$150~ Daiwa Tatula

$175~ Dobyns Kaden

$200~ Shimano Zodias

$250~ Dobyns Champion XP

$275~ Shimano Expride

 

[Alex Ball]

3 hours ago, ironbjorn said:

Cheap: Berkley Lightning Rod

$50~ Daiwa Aird-X

$100~ Shimano SLX

$125~ Dobyns Fury

$150~ Daiwa Tatula

$175~ Dobyns Kaden

$200~ Shimano Zodias

$250~ Dobyns Champion XP

$275~ Shimano Expride

 

     Man, if the Aird X was more available around me, it'd be an easy number one. That rod is excellent for twice the number really. 

Just now, Alex Ball said:

     Man, if the Aird X was more available around me, it'd be an easy number one. That rod is excellent for twice the number really. 

Also the Lightning Rod is by far the winner so far regardless of category. Everyone loves em. 

[MN Fisher]

22 minutes ago, Alex Ball said:

   Man, if the Aird X was more available around me, it'd be an easy number one. That rod is excellent for twice the number really. 

Despite having Furys, Mojos and Victorys...I still have 2 Aird-X rods in my lineup.

[Alex Ball]

12 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Despite having Furys, Mojos and Victorys...I still have 2 Aird-X rods in my lineup.

I still have my HF from when I was upgrading the first time. My frogger. Don't really do that here so it gets used for swimbaits. Yup. A quality rod. Not a Tatula SVF, but it's nasty for the money. 

[MediumMouthBass]

Those Aird X rods are a legend for anyone on a budget, i think i have around 14/15 now.

I also have a Fury, $275 ST Croix Legend, several Lews rods, and a couple Abus. But when i go on the boat or kayak 4 of the 6 rods are usually Airds.

[Alex Ball]

42 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

Those Aird X rods are a legend for anyone on a budget, i think i have around 14/15 now.

I also have a Fury, $275 ST Croix Legend, several Lews rods, and a couple Abus. But when i go on the boat or kayak 4 of the 6 rods are usually Airds.

Now we've set a standard for entry level I think. Budget is overwhelmingly the Lightning Rod. Aird has been getting it's love today. 

[garroyo130]

19 hours ago, Alex Ball said:

Now we've set a standard for entry level I think. Budget is overwhelmingly the Lightning Rod. Aird has been getting it's love today. 

 

Lightning Rod and Aird retail within $5 of each other ... 

[WRB]

Major Craft MS-1, both spinning and casting are under $200* and quality is far above the price point. MC Basspara is under $125 US

Tom

*JDM

[Catt]

Seriously y'all need to get your hands on a Kistler. Especially for a bottom contact technique.

Argon $200 on sale $157

KLX $300 on sale $197

Helium $400 on sale $257

[Woody B]

What happened to the catfish talk?   53 pound flathead on a Bandit 200, Shimano Curado, Lews MACH, and Trilene 12 pound test.  

 

 

[Catt]

I would also take a look at Academy's H2O rods.

[1984isNOW]

Kistler is the reason I build rods now, rods that are unbelievable!

 

They were using North Fork Composites for blanks and charging 500 bucks, same blank (if you time it on sale) is like 80 bucks. Look at their custom rod options, they charge like 150 bucks extra on top of the component cost upgrading from EVA to go to carbon fiber grips...

 

I'm pretty sure the blank I have from them is after NFC, and hear their NFC days were the glory days.

 

But that 150 dollar upcharge is disgusting for carbon fiber grips sold around 12-24 dollars.

 

I'll givem the blank is bonkers sensitive, but they're gouging right there without a doubt 100%.

 

For budget options I did well enough with Zebco from Wally World until I knew better, but anything not contact they're probably just as fine.

[Alex Ball]

10 hours ago, WRB said:

Major Craft MS-1, both spinning and casting are under $200* and quality is far above the price point. MC Basspara is under $125 US

Tom

*JDM

      Keep it coming. I need to burn more money!!!! LoL. Not one I've heard of. Don't really go JDM but that's downright affordable. Definitely going on the buy list. If you like em, that really says a lot. 

4 hours ago, Kites R4 Skyfishing said:

Kistler is the reason I build rods now, rods that are unbelievable!

 

They were using North Fork Composites for blanks and charging 500 bucks, same blank (if you time it on sale) is like 80 bucks. Look at their custom rod options, they charge like 150 bucks extra on top of the component cost upgrading from EVA to go to carbon fiber grips...

 

I'm pretty sure the blank I have from them is after NFC, and hear their NFC days were the glory days.

 

But that 150 dollar upcharge is disgusting for carbon fiber grips sold around 12-24 dollars.

 

I'll givem the blank is bonkers sensitive, but they're gouging right there without a doubt 100%.

 

For budget options I did well enough with Zebco from Wally World until I knew better, but anything not contact they're probably just as fine.

      I could say very similar things about Denali. OEM. Absolutely bend you over on the upcharge. The Android probably has $150 in it total. That's a $400 rod. Phenomenal blanks. Dunno who makes em. That'll be my next thread. Denali. I live 15 minutes from the home store. Nobody seems to know much about em here. That's odd. 

      Nothing beats a Zebco 33 rod til something does. Yup. I still crank with my Zebbys. They do that job well. 

[rangerjockey]

9 hours ago, Kites R4 Skyfishing said:

Kistler is the reason I build rods now, rods that are unbelievable!

 

They were using North Fork Composites for blanks and charging 500 bucks, same blank (if you time it on sale) is like 80 bucks. Look at their custom rod options, they charge like 150 bucks extra on top of the component cost upgrading from EVA to go to carbon fiber grips...

 

I'm pretty sure the blank I have from them is after NFC, and hear their NFC days were the glory days.

 

But that 150 dollar upcharge is disgusting for carbon fiber grips sold around 12-24 dollars.

 

I'll givem the blank is bonkers sensitive, but they're gouging right there without a doubt 100%.

 

For budget options I did well enough with Zebco from Wally World until I knew better, but anything not contact they're probably just as fine.

 

9 hours ago, Kites R4 Skyfishing said:

Kistler is the reason I build rods now, rods that are unbelievable!

 

They were using North Fork Composites for blanks and charging 500 bucks, same blank (if you time it on sale) is like 80 bucks. Look at their custom rod options, they charge like 150 bucks extra on top of the component cost upgrading from EVA to go to carbon fiber grips...

 

I'm pretty sure the blank I have from them is after NFC, and hear their NFC days were the glory days.

 

But that 150 dollar upcharge is disgusting for carbon fiber grips sold around 12-24 dollars.

 

I'll givem the blank is bonkers sensitive, but they're gouging right there without a doubt 100%.

 

For budget options I did well enough with Zebco from Wally World until I knew better, but anything not contact they're probably just as fine.

To be fair to Kistler they were using 3 different NFC blanks for the KLX Helium and Zbone.

These days the Helium and Zbone share the same blank with a different guide train.

If you bought a NFC X ray blank for 80 bucks you got a deal.

[Catt]

10 hours ago, Kites R4 Skyfishing said:

Kistler is the reason I build rods now, rods that are unbelievable

 

If you build me a rod & I don't like it ya gonna build me another one? 

[Alex Ball]

20 hours ago, garroyo130 said:

 

Lightning Rod and Aird retail within $5 of each other ... 

 True, but you can often find a lightning rod on sale below $30 at Walmart. Agreed they're technically in the same price range. Should've set my parameters a little different. The Aird isn't a beginner rod, but it's priced like it. The Lightning Rod has become a very common starter rod. 

[1984isNOW]

On 8/6/2023 at 7:16 AM, Catt said:

If you build me a rod & I don't like it ya gonna build me another one?

As long as you pay for shipping, but I bet I'd get it right the first time. Knowing how you fish and from what I've seen of your posts I already know what I'd recommend for a build, so long as my memory serves me correctly haha.

[1984isNOW]

On 8/6/2023 at 1:18 AM, Alex Ball said:

Yup. I still crank with my Zebbys

They do what they're told we'll haha

 

@rangerjockey I'm pretty sure they market the zbone as one step up in carbon material over the helium. But regardless I can build a $500 rod myself for anywhere between $150-2

$200 depending on my Configuration, add a hundred bucks for ti guides on just okay sale (little rich for my blood)

 

It's all about timing for sales and all that

[Alex Ball]

JB3 Outlaw/KK Assassin 631/20lb Matzuo braid/Rebel Mag Pop R(Ol' Bass)

    Nice catch. Got em in pretty easy. Good size. This rod made it so easy. No problem horsing him off a bush. Felt a tap(taking the lure), a bigger tap(commitment), and a thunk(hookset). Extremely sensitive. Felt him swallow it. 

[Catt]

@Kites R4 Skyfishing

 

I don't need a new rod!

I don't need a new rod!

I don't need a new rod!

 

[Choporoz]

On 7/31/2023 at 12:34 PM, Choporoz said:

I have broken at least nine over last few years....2 Abu, 4 Fenwick, 1 Dobyns, 1 Powell, 1 St Croix....pretty sure I'm missing one or two...

 

fish harder...not smarter. ?

Make that ten.  Broke one last weekend.  Actually, I'm surprised it lasted this long.  It was the fourth, and last, Aetos that I owned.  First couple broke when I looked at them wrong.  This one was  MHF that served as my chatterbait rod for many years.  I was putting rods in the locker and picked it up in the middle...well...a bit closer to the tip than the middle, but six guides in the piece I was left holding, so it didn't seem too egregious at the time.  So...time to shop for a new chatterbait rod

[KP Duty]

On 8/2/2023 at 10:43 AM, Spankey said:

Alex I’m not sure of your age. I’m sure I’m older than you but hope I’m not ancient. When I was a lot younger and started to fish with better quality rods I became a St. Croix fan boy. No regrets on that. I feel it helped turned the page to my fishing (I’m no expert, just saying my results go better in part to fishing St. Croix rods). 
I’m a river rat since a kid. My heart is there. Smallies are always swimming around in my head all the time. I fish the lake quite a bit these days. Mother Nature beat the river up the last handful of years. But it’s rebounding. 
Anyway, my favorite crankbait rods are the first two that I bought. St. Croix Premiere Series Crankbait Rods. Med. Lite and Medium power with soft tips. Best cb rod I’ve felt and cb fished with (my opinion only). 
St. Croix has long stopped making them. Not sure why. Maybe the never caught on. They were not a bank breaker. Have them paired with older Curados. Never go to the river without them. Wish I had 10 cents for every smallie I caught with them. 

The Imx-Pro crankbait rods have the softness you describe with your old croix premiers.  Best cbr's ever made IMO.  

[greentrout]

Kastking Perigee II 7' 3 pc. casting rod with 2 tips med and med heavy. Got it on an Amazon Lighting Deals sale for 36 dollars years ago. Not a true bass rod but works great for me. I've also used for light inshore saltwater fishing for Specs, Reds, Sheepshead and others.

 

Great budget rod with 24 ton graphite. 

 

Good Fishing

[KP Duty]

On 8/5/2023 at 1:26 PM, WRB said:

Major Craft MS-1, both spinning and casting are under $200* and quality is far above the price point. MC Basspara is under $125 US

Tom

*JDM

I agree.  Lots of $100-$180 rods on Ali-X boasting 1100g-46T with fuji K+ Sic if one wants to take a mild risk.