Please help with a selection

[jerkw8nonajerk01]

OK guys....heres the deal...I am having a hell of a time finding a decent priced(50-80) range casting rod  that offers the sensitivity I am looking for..the rundown. I initially purchashed a shimano converge it broke..and I'm not a fan of shimano rods anyway..I've had 4 of different models break. From there I went to gander mt and got one of their line of rods...broke twice...then a berkley lightning rod a buddy gave me..but the guides are cheap and thin causing a squeal during casting..so now I have an abu vengeance and i'm still "looking". Now...qm I just being a pain in the a$$ and need to pony up? Is there not a rod in this price range that can give me bottom composition feeling, vibration feedback on cranks...I see the bionic blade is 59 this weekend at bps. Anyone got any ideas or experience in this matter? Any brutally honest feedback is appreciated :-/ :-/

[K_Mac]

OK. You want honesty. My question is; what are you doing to break that many rods? I've fished mostly lower end rods my whole life, and broken two. Both times were do to dumb choices on my part. If you are not handling the rod properly, higher end will not keep you from breaking rods. Likely just the opposite will be true.

BPS Extremes are on sale for $70 and the Pro Qualifier is on sale for $90. I use both rods regularly. The PQ is worth the extra $20. At the $100 price point, the selection gets much bigger. Good Luck.

[MattinOK]

Not trying to rude at all, so please don't take this the wrong way. After breaking all those rods, do you think you could be damaging them in transport, or not take such good care of them i.e. high sticking etc. etc. It just doesn't seem right you've broken so many rods. If you can find one, look for an older berkley lightning rod. The older ones were quite sensitive, and featured ceramic guides.

[packman]

Falcon HD great rod for $69.99!

[b.wedlund]

3 suggestions.

1. You may want to look at the Berkley Lighting Shock rod.  I am assuming you didn't have the Shock already.  It is one of my favorite rods in terms of sensitivity, and I have found it durable.

2.  I check craigslist daily, and every few weeks I will see an Avid on there for $80 or less.  If you aren't in a huge hurry to get this, some patient checking on there may land you a heck of a deal.

3.  There is a website that has been mentioned on here a few times where they have Abu Vendetta's for $59 or $69.  I can't remember the website, but I am sure someone can help out with that.

[Leever]

Go to *** .com and find the sale items at the bottom of the list on the left side of the page. The check out the All Star Platinum for $68.88 great deal!

I saw this rod on tackle warehouse about a week ago and bought. Its an All-Star Platinum rod which is being discontinued. It has all the components of a high end rod. IM 10 graphite blank and Fuji Alconite Guides, Fuji Sensa-Touch Blank Thru reel seats. Over the weekend I hooked up unintentionally with a thirty pound carp. After an hour plus fight the rods was still in perfect condition. So its definitely strong and sensitve. I would definitely suggest this rod over a BPS rod. Also tackle warehouse offes free shipping!!!

;D

[SausageFingers23]

For what its worth, I have a Vengeance and I love it.  Im thinking of picking up another.  All of the previously mentioned suggestions are very solid reccomendations.

[Grey Wolf]

Ugly Stik for you and learn to take better care of your equipment. You are definately are going through too many rods , this is happening because ???????????

[jerkw8nonajerk01]

I really appreciate all the advice. I know the breaking rod thing seems extreme I have broken 2 during transport and a couple of the shimanos were the 24.99 sojourn....so yeah..I know...I am going to hold off on spending and give this vengeance a good shot. Again I thank all of you.