Please read this about Rolands new Rods

[Jake P]

Dont knock the hustle  8-).

[Micro]

Step back a minute...  

Roland Martin has forgotten more about fishing than most of us will ever know.   The guy has tons of Bassmaster honors and titles.  Those don't come easy.  

He's retired now.  And he's doing what all retired Pros do - endorse products.  Yeah he endorse some junk.  But doesn't he also endorse Triton boats?  BPS?  GYCB?  And a bunch more people on this board swear by?  If you guys realy did "not buy" anything he endorses, you'd give up some of your favorite stuff.

And as for the crap he endorses - it comes with the territory.  Keep in mind that a lot of the crap he endorses is aimed at the beginning angler.  That rocket fisherman thing is nothing more than a toy that is intended to SPARK an interest in kids in fishing.  If it breaks after ten shots, then your kid asks for a real rod and reel - then it has served it's intended purpose.

I happend to like Roland Martin.  He has an awesome first name.  The only thing I don't like is that stupid "Great American Fisherman" song on his shows.  BLECH!  

[Jeff H]

I respect his accomplishments and to be honest I first started using Shimano reels because of him.  It's just sad that a guy of his stature has had to attach his name to some junk like he has.

[Stasher1]

As much as I hate to resurrect a long-dead thread, has anybody here actually tried these rods yet? I did a quick search and this is the only thread that came up.

[shorefisher]

"He's a great american fisherman, he'll fish most anywhere..."

&

"Whoa, son!"

lol, you tell 'em micro.

-shore

[MALTESE FALCON]

Very good post Micro!!!!

Falcon

[Muddy]

No matter what anyone accomplishes before they get to sell their name for market value, it goes out the window once that person uses his good name to sell a lot of garbage.

 Your reputation from your competative days will only go so far, once you stop competting qand then sell YOUR GOOD NAME to manufacturers and marketers selling rip off and ridiculous products

 as they say in court IT GOES TO CREDIBILITY YOUR HONOR

and since he can't compete anylonger his record has been tarnished by his greed, NOW HE MUST LIVE WITH IT!

Look hom many guys here laugh and ridicule anything they see with his name, It's his own fault

I am not saying anything about the man, I don't know him from a can of paint, this is a general statement about people who use thier fame and public trust

[Sam]

Are the rods graphite?

[detroit1]

Ouch!  Roland is getting beat up pretty bad. I don't have a problem with him, he has had a good t.v. show for many years and i have enjoyed watching him. Whose fault is it for buying a helicopter lure or a bazooka rod anyways? I bet that there's probabally some folks out there that would buy a jar of salmon eggs if KVD said he always puts a pink one on the front treble of a sexy shad and the jar had his name on it. When i'm in the market for a new rod, i'll look at them.

[fishfordollars]

Roland is the P.T. Barnum of fishing. I will never, ever waste a penny on any product he puts his name on. I will not trash him here, but, I have several issues over the last 30 years that pertain to him or some of his products. None is hearsay and I will stop there.

[Muddy]

Except guys like KVD and Al Linder do not seem to put thier names on just anything. Companies use these names because these names sell products, if you devalue the name you can get stuck in Gimmick Land

 I am not saying anything derogatory about Mr.Martin, I do not know him. Just an observation about some business decisions.

[J_Zink]

No matter what anyone accomplishes before they get to sell their name for market value, it goes out the window once that person uses his good name to sell a lot of garbage.

Your reputation from your competative days will only go so far, once you stop competting qand then sell YOUR GOOD NAME to manufacturers and marketers selling rip off and ridiculous products

as they say in court IT GOES TO CREDIBILITY YOUR HONOR

and since he can't compete anylonger his record has been tarnished by his greed, NOW HE MUST LIVE WITH IT!

Look hom many guys here laugh and ridicule anything they see with his name, It's his own fault

I am not saying anything about the man, I don't know him from a can of paint, this is a general statement about people who use thier fame and public trust

So true.  The fact is, the guy was as good or better than any bass fishermen out there past or present, KVD included.

He didn't have to endorse the junk, he chose to.  Sad when you're leary of a product he endorses because of that.  I've still got a couple of raggedy, beat up, Blue Fox RM big bass spinnerbaits in my SB satchel and those things still catch bass to this day.  

[SenkoShawn]

i met martin at a get together. im NOT a fan of him..

[ptomacbass]

he is just like billy mays ;D

i hate billy mays his voice gets annoying after you hear it  every commercial :'(

[Joe Boss]

Are the rods graphite?

IM7 Graphite with Fuji guides and on sale at Bass Pro Shops for $59.99 - $69.99 They are advertising a $20 mail in rebate for these rods.

I stay away from the Gimmicky stuff Roland endorses after being suckered by the Helicopter Lure but he endorses other stuff that I swear by, like Gary Yamamoto baits.

[fishbear]

So, ummmmmmm what is wrong with his opening song??????  I like it.   :-/ :-/

[dave]

Are the rods graphite?

IM7 Graphite with Fuji guides and on sale at Bass Pro Shops for $59.99 - $69.99 They are advertising a $20 mail in rebate for these rods.

I stay away from the Gimmicky stuff Roland endorses after being suckered by the Helicopter Lure but he endorses other stuff that I swear by, like Gary Yamamoto baits.

I guess what you have to look out for really is the stuff that ONLY Roland endorses?  GYBC (and a few others) sells itself.

[Stasher1]

IM7 Graphite with Fuji guides and on sale at Bass Pro Shops for $59.99 - $69.99 They are advertising a $20 mail in rebate for these rods.

I stay away from the Gimmicky stuff Roland endorses after being suckered by the Helicopter Lure but he endorses other stuff that I swear by, like Gary Yamamoto baits.

That's the reason I resurrected this thread. I'm looking for a 6'6"-7'0" MH spinning rod to use for frogs/toads. The price is right and the specs are decent, but that same $69 would buy a BPS Extreme which I know would be decent... :-/

[Redlinerobert]

Haven't seen them and I think it's funny that most here say the same thing.  

[roadwarrior]

** MODERATOR NOTE **

Hey guys! Let's stay on topic and answer the question regarding

this rod if you have an opinion (I don't). Bashing Roland Martin

is not accomplishing anything.

-Kent a.k.a. roadwarrior

Global Moderator

[Joe Boss]

IM7 Graphite with Fuji guides and on sale at Bass Pro Shops for $59.99 - $69.99 They are advertising a $20 mail in rebate for these rods.

I stay away from the Gimmicky stuff Roland endorses after being suckered by the Helicopter Lure but he endorses other stuff that I swear by, like Gary Yamamoto baits.

That's the reason I resurrected this thread. I'm looking for a 6'6"-7'0" MH spinning rod to use for frogs/toads. The price is right and the specs are decent, but that same $69 would buy a BPS Extreme which I know would be decent... :-/

If you are looking for a IM7 rod with Fuji guides for an even better price than the Rowland Martin rod then check out the Field and Stream IM7 rods at Dick's. They have Fuji guides and run for about $40.

[Stasher1]

If you are looking for a IM7 rod with Fuji guides for an even better price than the Rowland Martin rod then check out the Field and Stream IM7 rods at Dick's. They have Fuji guides and run for about $40.

After thinking it over, the Shimano Compre is only $20 more so that's most likely what I'll wind up buying. I'm just not willing to take a chance on a $70 rod that might turn out to be a turd.

[Muddy]

My Favirite IM 7 rod is the Fenwick IMX line, I would be curious how they compare to that rod also

[calikid]

I have to take up for ol' Roland. I grew up watching his fishing shows and man were they inspiring to a kid in Louisiana! Down here a 6 lber was a trophy in those days (pre-Florida strain in our marshes) and watching him consistently catch 10 lbers motivated me to hit the road and fish Florida lakes. Since then I've fished many lakes in Texas, Cali and Mexico. I love his enthusiasm for fishing and especially his love of fishing for BIG bass. Also, he has always fished public lakes...you and I can actually fish where he fishes! And I did meet him in person, he was friendly and we talked about his Florida fishing shows.

[The_Natural]

Unfortunately, the need for the thread speaks volumes.