on the search for a new ultralight rod

[chefboi17]

as the title states, i'm currently on the search for a new ul setup, (already got myself a small quantum pti tour edition). my search through lebaron and bass pro have pointed me in the direction of the 6' shimano compre ultralight, i loved the feel of the handle, and the rod just seemed to feel right to me. i was mainly wondering if anyone here has experience with this rod, and negatives to share etc before i spend over a bill on it. also if there might be another rod to look into getting.

my current light setup rod is a 6'6" lightning rod, and my ul is an 5' ugly stick (virtually no sensitivity, i know)

what i'm looking for is a comfortable grip, and 6' or longer

[Jer]

You can't go wrong with a Compre. I have two (medium action casting and spinning) and they are very good rods for the money.

 

I have a Shimano Carbo-Max for an ultra-lite and while it's a decent rod, I would much prefer the Compre version.

[BillsTheBassMan]

as the title states, i'm currently on the search for a new ul setup, (already got myself a small quantum pti tour edition). my search through lebaron and bass pro have pointed me in the direction of the 6' shimano compre ultralight, i loved the feel of the handle, and the rod just seemed to feel right to me. i was mainly wondering if anyone here has experience with this rod, and negatives to share etc before i spend over a bill on it. also if there might be another rod to look into getting.

my current light setup rod is a 6'6" lightning rod, and my ul is an 5' ugly stick (virtually no sensitivity, i know)

what i'm looking for is a comfortable grip, and 6' or longer

 

In my experience with Ultralite Setups I have found that the Shimano Rods have less feel to them than the St. Croix rods. The grip on St. Croixs are amazing and the sensitivity is second-to-none. You won't go wrong with an Avid or a Premier. I went with a 5'6 premier and it has been absolutely amazing.

 

Try your hand at it before you buy anything and see how it feels.

[canadadude]

Those Compre rods are pretty sweet for money, the only one I would go for over it is the Loomis, but that would set you back another brown one. I'm not a big fan of St Croix, but thats just me. If it feels right for you then grab it, being happy and confident in your gear is halph the battle in this angling sport.

[BillsTheBassMan]

Those Compre rods are pretty sweet for money, the only one I would go for over it is the Loomis, but that would set you back another brown one. I'm not a big fan of St Croix, but thats just me. If it feels right for you then grab it, being happy and confident in your gear is halph the battle in this angling sport.

 

The people that don't like St. Croix generally don't like them because of the fact that if you break it you have to send it to Wisconsin for warranty and wait about 5 weeks.

 

I do agree that you need to feel comfortable, and love, your own gear. A lack of confidence in your setup will get you into bad habits and get you off your "A game"

 

The Loomis is INCREDIBLE. It's easily the top of the line and will probably be the next ultralite I buy - its price tag is in the $230 department, but all you have to do is pick it up and you'll know why.

 

Good Luck Deciding.

[Raf]

It's tough to suggest something like that over the 'net. Go into a store, try all the brands and find one that feels best to you. Bring the reel you plan on putting on it as well.

 

Not that I've ever busted one but, if any of my st. croixs did break, I'd take them back to point of sale and have it replaced on the spot. No shipping Bull - Pays to deal with quality retailers.

[BillsTheBassMan]

Not that I've ever busted one but, if any of my st. croixs did break, I'd take them back to point of sale and have it replaced on the spot. No shipping Bull - Pays to deal with quality retailers.

 

I've busted one St. Croix and the retailer (Chad @ Rainbow Sports) sent it away for me, called me when it was back, and charged me $10 (which beats the $25 St. Croix says it will cost). I generally prefer St. Croix rods, so whenever buying one I ask the retailer "If this breaks, will you send it back for me? Do you do that here?" and they generally say "Of Course We Do." It's to the point now that I don't have to ask the two stores I frequent the most - Rainbow Sports and Fishing Fanatics.

[canadadude]

I've busted one St. Croix and the retailer (Chad @ Rainbow Sports) sent it away for me, called me when it was back, and charged me $10 (which beats the $25 St. Croix says it will cost). I generally prefer St. Croix rods, so whenever buying one I ask the retailer "If this breaks, will you send it back for me? Do you do that here?" and they generally say "Of Course We Do." It's to the point now that I don't have to ask the two stores I frequent the most - Rainbow Sports and Fishing Fanatics.

Thats alot better then Loomis, it cost me $75.00 to get one replaced plus shipping and 6 wks without my rod.Loomis warranty sucks,but it is what it is and I do enjoy there rods,I find St.Croix's alittle heavy,but I know lots of fishers that love them.

[Raf]

The best warranty is a quality rod that doesn't break. I think buying on the basis of warranty is silly.

 

I don't care if it's lifetime or 30 day warranty - neither is much good to you while you are on the water.

Edited June 22, 2010 by Raf

[solopaddler]

The best warranty is a quality rod that doesn't break. I think buying on the basis of warranty is silly.

 

I don't care if it's lifetime or 30 day warranty - neither is much good to you while you are on the water.

 

That is exactly right.

[bare foot wader]

just bought a new UL myself...didn't like the compre, didn't like the action, kind of like an old school noodle rod, like a limp noodle....I ended up getting a rapala f2 7'...much crisper than the compre and felt a bit lighter to me.....although if I could've found a better selection of st. crois or loomis I would've gone home with one of them....

[BillsTheBassMan]

The best warranty is a quality rod that doesn't break. I think buying on the basis of warranty is silly.

 

I don't care if it's lifetime or 30 day warranty - neither is much good to you while you are on the water.

 

 

Your comment of "the best warranty is a quality rod" goes without saying and is obvious in any rod purchase.

 

Well, warranty does matter, but I don't buy on warranty and I barely factor it. 99/100 broken rods are not fishing related or manufacturers faults (on higher end rods anyways). People step on them, break them in their truck, etc. SOMETIMES a rod will break in a snag, or a fishing scenario where a rod just shouldn't break . . . all of a sudden the warranty matters.

 

Here is why the timeline in a warranty matters: IT DEMONSTRATES HOW CONFIDENT THE COMPANY IS IN THEIR OWN PRODUCT. I see a 60 day warranty or a 1 year warranty and really wonder what kind of quality the rod actually is, whereas a 5-year or a lifetime shows more confidence.

 

Also keep in mind that some rods get abused while on the shelf at your local store - your warranty can matter here too.

 

I've broken one rod while fishing in my life, it was a quality St. Croix, the company confirmed there was a flaw in manufacturing (OR IN THE STOREROOM WHERE I BOUGHT IT) and they replaced it no questions asked.

 

Regardless, I'd like to restate that I don't factor the warranty that much in new-rod-purchase, but it doesn't hurt to see what it is, and ask a few questions.

[BFSC Kevin]

I got me a cheap shimano carbomax UL.

Since I was going to use it for panfish mainly, I didn't really want to spend too much on it.

For the price of a g loomis, you could pick up 5 of those new shimano voltaeus which come with lifetime warranty.

But it comes down to if you want to spend the cash and if the extra refinement is worth it for you.

[Raf]

If a rod is going to break due to a defect (factory or in-store abuse) it will happen within the 1st few times you are out. It is not something that takes years to manifest itself.

 

I don't disagree with you though.. demonstrating faith in your product by offering longer warranties is a good thing.

[JohnF]

IT DEMONSTRATES HOW CONFIDENT THE COMPANY IS IN THEIR OWN PRODUCT. I see a 60 day warranty or a 1 year warranty and really wonder what kind of quality the rod actually is, whereas a 5-year or a lifetime shows more confidence.

 

I'm just cynical enuf to wonder how many companies offer a great warranty because they know it looks good and even if their product is no better than the other guy's they'll make enuf extra from the sales it gets them to offset a few warranty claims.

 

JF

[bare foot wader]

with most high end brands a lifetime warranty and expectation of claim(s) is factored into the selling price of their product

[canadadude]

just bought a new UL myself...didn't like the compre, didn't like the action, kind of like an old school noodle rod, like a limp noodle....I ended up getting a rapala f2 7'...much crisper than the compre and felt a bit lighter to me.....although if I could've found a better selection of st. crois or loomis I would've gone home with one of them....

My friend just got that same rod and he loves it. His Loomis sits at home now hahaha.Rapala is making some fine quality rods at an affordable price really worth looking into.

[bare foot wader]

My friend just got that same rod and he loves it. His Loomis sits at home now hahaha.Rapala is making some fine quality rods at an affordable price really worth looking into.

 

excellent to hear that...I have a strong opinion of rapala rods based from speaking with their own reps but also due largely to what other reps from various other manufacturers have said...rapala rods are the best bang for your buck on the market right now IMO...worth looking into

[perchslayer666]

I too picked up that new Rapala 7' UL with the drop shot handle - for the price I was amazed....going to use it new weekend for pannies and smallies. I love the loomis UL rods, but $230 for a dinky 5' rod, I cannot justify that rod. As for smaller UL rods, I have been using a Fenwick HMG 5'2 UL with the rings, and absolutely love it!! Price tag on that bad boy was $105, just as sensitive.

[leechunbao]

Shimano Cmpare rod is some kind of "too soft" like noodle. St.croix Avid UL series has better backbone than compare. SO I will vote for Avid.

[canadadude]

I too picked up that new Rapala 7' UL with the drop shot handle - for the price I was amazed....going to use it new weekend for pannies and smallies. I love the loomis UL rods, but $230 for a dinky 5' rod, I cannot justify that rod. As for smaller UL rods, I have been using a Fenwick HMG 5'2 UL with the rings, and absolutely love it!! Price tag on that bad boy was $105, just as sensitive.

I have an old Fenwick world class 5'6" UL it's a sweet rod but you can't find those anymore, I got it right from the factory in Niagara Falls, I guess it's almost a collector item now hahahaha

[JohnF]

I've tried to figger out the attraction of the ultralite rods, I mean the expensive ones. I started off with very lite rods and small reels and liked them for the river wading. But I got into better rods to find some backbone and I have a hard time understanding the rationale of going to a $100 or $200 rod that feels so much like the $25 rods I was trying to escape. I asked one guy why and he said it was for panfish mainly but also for the fun of fighting the odd good sized like a bass that caught you unaware. I get the fun part but I'm not sure i can't have the same fun with the cheapies I have standing in the corner.

 

I looked at the Compre UL today but honestly it just felt like some of the cheap stuff I set aside a few years ago. Mebbe the feel is better and the warranty but I have a few cheap rods that were good enough for feel for me and who cares about warranty on a rod that probably cost less than $25. In fact my fave UL was $6 in a bin at Gander Mtn. It was really nice till I snapped the tip off (in my basement) after a couple of years of fairly steady use. It caught everything from Sunfish through bass and even one 30" Pike.

 

If I'm gonna lay out $100 - $200 it'll be for something I'm going to use regularly.

 

JF

[troutboy]

I have a St Croix premier ultra light.Ive been able to sucessfully land brook trout up to 6lbs,and its sensitivity and price ar great.I got mine for about $100.I highly reccomend this rod!

[bare foot wader]

reason for UL is it's about balancing and sensitivity...sure you can throw a size 0 spinner on a medium action rod with 2 lb line if you want...but it's not the same as throwing it on a proper outfit...balanced outfit will cast further and be more sensitive...you need the lighter action rod to cushion the hookset and not rip hooks out...gives more fight out of the fish

[BillsTheBassMan]

I have a St Croix premier ultra light.Ive been able to sucessfully land brook trout up to 6lbs,and its sensitivity and price ar great.I got mine for about $100.I highly reccomend this rod!

 

I have the same rod - it's a gem. Love it.