Rod and Reel Preference

[muskymike]

Hey guys,

 

I am going to probably pick up a rod or 2 at the show this weekend and was wondering what everyone else uses.

 

I am strictly a St. Croix user right now but I am willing to try out others.

 

I have looked at the Musky Series GLoomis Rods but was not that impressed and have been pondering the Compres. I have played with them in the store, but havnt had the opportunity to give one a shot on the water. They are slightly heavier then the St. Croix's but I can handle that.

 

Would you guys recommend the Compre?

 

Also, I am in the market for a decent trolling reel and I like what I see in the Tokota's, feed back on trolling reels is greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

Mike

[irishfield]

Hit the search function and you should be good for reading material 'till morning.

 

What's wrong with a Loomis? Seems to handle aerobatic 50's just fine.. As does the Compre. Haven't been lucky enough to test the 6' 9" St. Croix on one yet!

[muskymike]

The Loomis lines seem to really focus on the Bucktail/Topwater style so far. I am assuming next year they will release a few more actions that will fair better with different styles of lures. I am no expert at all, and notice a huge difference between actions and lures with my St. Croix's.

 

I will look very closely at the Compre's this weekend though. I think they will perform better then I can hahaha.

[Crazyhook]

I have a Loomis jerkbait rod that I love! give it a try

 

Have a compre as well which is a good rod...

[lew]

Mike, I've been using both St. Croix & Compres for muskies for quite awhile and they're both excellent rods in my opinion, infact I just bought another 7' 6" Heavy Compre at the show today along with a Calcutta TE400 to go with it.

 

I also use a Tekota 600LC for trolling and again, it's a great piece of equipment that I'd highly recommend. It's very smooth with alot of cranking power and handles big bait very well.

 

If it says Shimano, you know your getting quality

Edited March 13, 2008 by lew

[muskymike]

Thanks Lew, what are the Compre's sellin for there? I paid $200 flat for my 8' Avid and I know they are cheaper then that.

 

Crazy, what model do you use from Loomis?

[lew]

Mike, the 7' 6" Compre at JB's is $125

[muskymike]

$125, that sounds like a really good deal. I wonder if I can convince them to throw in a DC10 or maybe a Super Girl with that haha

 

Thanks Lew

[BillM]

I picked up a 8' Compre at the show today from Grimsby tackle for $149 tax in. Looks really pretty underneath my Abu Garcia Record.

 

I cannot WAIT to get this on the water!

Edited March 13, 2008 by BillM

[silveradosheriff]

I too am happy with my Compre's.

[jeffw]

I have a team daiwa muskie rod ( which they don't make make anymore) and would suggest this rod to anyone if I can find one.

[mepps]

I havent used a St Croix, but I LOVE my Shimano Compre!

[bucktail]

I have 3 compres and they have always been great. A really good bang for the buck!

[bigbuck]

I've got a 7ft Compre and a 7ft St Croix, they are both nice rods. I don't have a bad thing to say about either.

[mattyk]

i have a 7'6 compre heavy action and and 7'6 st croix and love them both.

[Raf]

i have both compre and st.croix muskie rods and i much prefer the st.croixs. not that the compres are bad rods, just the st.croix are better. IMO.

[muskymike]

For the guys who use the St. Croix's are they the Premier Musky (PMXXXX), Avid Musky (AMXXXX) or just standard St. Croix's you use for Musky.

 

I think I will pick up a Compre just to try it out but my Avid Musky's are phenomenal.

[Raf]

Premiere.

 

St. Croix cancelled the Avid line of muskie rods a couple of years ago. If you're looking for muskie rods, your options when going St. Croix are the Premier and the expensive Legend Tournament Muskie line. I am not sure if they are making any in the cheaper, off-shore built Triumph line.

[trapshooter]

It looks like Croix has dropped the Avid series Muskie rods for 08. Only Premier and Legend Tournament (which is 1 series above Avid).

[Roy]

To answer the St-Croix Triumph question, there are two muskie rods available.

 

TRM70MHF and the TRM70XHF

[muskymike]

They have definitely dropped the Avid line for the Legend Tournament. I picked up 2 Avids last spring. T They were shipped in from St. Croix in WI and I talked to the rep here. He said they only had 3 left so I took 2 of them. I am so glad I did. I dont mind Paying the price for the Legends but if i am going to spend that amount I am going to look at other lines (ie G Loomis) as well before I purchase.

 

I will go with a Premier as I actually really like the one I have right now. Its a broom stick but I love it.

[lew]

I was looking at Shimano Calcutta rod at the show yesterday and it looked pretty nice and was in the $260 range if I remember correctly. I don't know anything about that model but it sure had a nice feel to it.

[BillM]

I was trying to also take a look at the 8' Fenwick HMX but no one had any.. I've always had Fenwick rods in the past and have bee extremely happy with them....

[Crazyhook]

the model I use is the MUR756C-JB

 

have one custom built this season, a 7 footer