GreenCanada Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) Hey All, I am getting a new rod in the next couple of weeks and I just thought I would see what brands people are favouring for quality and feel. I am going with either a 5'6" or 6'0" (max), it must be a 2 piece of equal length and preferably light action. Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions on a brand to check out? I was looking at G. Loomis, St. Croix, and Shimano. Does anyone have any great experiences or equally bad ones to share? Edit: It has to be a spinning rod. Edited May 8, 2011 by GreenCanada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scugpg Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 St croix legend tournament. Great rods lifetime warranty very light and sensitive and look awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebigcatch Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 St croix. Extreme # 1 rod in my eye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 As far as I know, neither the Extreme nor the Tournament are available in two piece. The shortest Extreme is 6'3" in Med. Light. The shortest Tournament is 6' light, one piece also. Shimano Compre has a two piece 6' Ultra Light. There are others as well. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MCTFisher9120 Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 Can't beat a St Croix rod, with the strength of the blank with ART, the lifetime warranty, and that they are made at least in the US(America) makes it a good rod, no need for over sea's production when we have it close to home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ah_long Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 (edited) I normally would recommend a croix or loomis (ESP the TSR series) but I just scored a Rapala Classic Trout UL for around $60 at LeBaron, 2pc, 40million modulus, comes with a rod bag... I was impressed at the quality at this price point... mind you I am coming from loomis (from crankbait series to GLX), Kistler LTX (zbone coming soon) and otger higher end rods Edited May 8, 2011 by ah_long Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pikehunterjr Posted May 8, 2011 Report Share Posted May 8, 2011 I personally like the old school rods. (the fishing rods my grandad used). AL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chong Posted May 9, 2011 Report Share Posted May 9, 2011 St-Croix Elite,Avid and Premier has it in 6' 2pcs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fisherboy Posted May 10, 2011 Report Share Posted May 10, 2011 I picked up a 6' Daiko Alkey light action 2-pc spinning rod at Gagnon Sports. At first I was very skeptical about the quality, given that it costs only $10 (on sale). But after catching fish from crappie to muskie in the last few weeks, I found that it has decent quality, is reasonably sensitive, and feels quite good in my hand. I'm sure some OFNers here must have also bought these rods during the yard sale. I saw some people bought 10+ of them! The rod is made in Japan and the package says the MSRP is ~11,000 yen, which is about $140 these days. Daiko used to be one of the top blank producers in Japan. Alkey is probably one of their lowest end models. I also have a 1-pc 5'6" ML version and it caught me a 5lb 5oz walleye on Sat. Their ML rods seem stiffer and more powerful than other ML rods on the market though. More like a medium. I don't think there is any Shimano light action rod that is 2-pc and under 6'6". I don't like their ultra light rods in general -- too whippy. See if you like the Avid, Premier or Triumph 60LF2 or Loomis TSR (I don't like any of them either -- all too whippy). I have a Rapala Magnum 5'6" 2-pc light action, and I find the action just right. And it's very cheap at around $25. But it has problem at the ferrule -- the tip section often comes off when making a cast. I also like the Fenwick Techna AV 6' L, but it only comes in 1 piece and it's discontinued anyway. The HMG still has a 5'3" L version, but only 1-piece. I personally think that there is a gap in the light action rod department for all the major rod manufacturers out there. I have been trying to find a good 5'6" to 6' L rod without much success. The Daiko will do it for me, for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenCanada Posted May 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 The three brands of rod you mentioned are all quality product. A Stradic 1000FI would be a nice complement to any UL rod. A Stradic would definitely be a nice complement to an UL rod. I am currently casting a Symetre 2500, which is a lot smoother than my old Abu Garcia Cardinal 3 was... I really wonder why very few companies offer a 2 piece 6' light action spinning rod. The vast majority are 1 piece, which sucks if you travel a lot to fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyb Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 (edited) I recently picked up a couple new spinning rods and reels, I thought I would mention them here for anyone interested in a decent spinning combo for $200 (rod $100, reel $100). The rods are made by Temple Fork Outfitters but designed by Mr. Loomis himself and come with a lifetime warranty. I picked up a L and ML fast action, both 1-piece 7 foot (They also have 2-piece rods). I paired them to a 2000 size Cabelas Prodigy spinning reel. The combo feels very sensitive and lightweight and I look forward to christening them on Simcoe Whiteys this opener From what I can tell the reel is basically a Daiwa Team Advantage spinning reel branded for Cabelas Here's some links if you're interested. http://templeforkout...ods/17-gary-loo mis-spinning-a-casting http://www.cabelas.com/product/TFO-Gary-Loomis-Signature-Series-Freshwater-Spinning-Rod/1160435.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D%26No%3D20%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dtemple%2Bfork%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchall%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26WTz_st%3D%26WTz_stype%3DSP%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26search%3Dtemple%2Bfork&Ntt=temple+fork&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products http://www.cabelas.c...y174-Spinning-R eel/1150678.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2F search%2F%3FN%3D%26No%3D20%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dprodi gy%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchall%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All %2BProducts%26WTz_st%3D%26WTz_stype%3DSP%26form_state%3Dsear chForm%26search%3Dprodigy&Ntt=prodigy&WTz_l=Header%3 BSearch-All+Products I heard they are coming out with a 13' float rod as well Tony Edited May 11, 2011 by tonyb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 You know your stuff Tony so coming from you, it's probably a solid deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish4Eyes Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I love my avid, but was not impressed when I had to pay 40$ just to ship it out to them when I broke it and that was 5 years ago, nowadays its probably more. I would go to your local tackle shops and ask how they handle warranty claims with the different brands. My local shop has a Shimano rep that comes by and picks up the rods, and if warranty claims are approved they ship the new rods out to the tackle shop. For example, my buddy broke my Compre last year and I got a new one for 8$ (shipping fee). Sometimes you might get lucky and the rep hand delivers the new rods back and you pay nothing. Something to keep in mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PainInTheBass Posted May 11, 2011 Report Share Posted May 11, 2011 I always wondered about store brand reels. Does anyone know who makes the various BPS reels? [/quoteo Some of the BPS reels such as the Pro Qualifiers (and other similar reels) are made in the same factories as the Pure Fishing reels (Abu Garcia, Pflueger etc.). They have the same braking systems and body shape. There are others that are made specifically for BPS like the Team Daiwa Pro. I am unsure of any of the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue pickeral Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 Got my 'flame' suit on - pretty impressed with the Bass Pro Shop 'Bionic Blade' (I think) picked up on sale a few weeks ago. No idea who makes them, but landed a large pike first day of the season with little trouble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ThisPlaceSucks Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 can't go wrong with st. croix although i haven't heard much in the way of how they handle warranty claims... i know shimano has a VERY good rep on this page for service and warranty... Luc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lookinforwalleye Posted May 12, 2011 Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 Got my 'flame' suit on - pretty impressed with the Bass Pro Shop 'Bionic Blade' (I think) picked up on sale a few weeks ago. No idea who makes them, but landed a large pike first day of the season with little trouble. I bought one on sale a few years ago and it is a decent rod for the sale price,at full retail I would add 10-15 bucks and buy a Compre! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenCanada Posted May 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 (edited) I recently picked up a couple new spinning rods and reels, I thought I would mention them here for anyone interested in a decent spinning combo for $200 (rod $100, reel $100). The rods are made by Temple Fork Outfitters but designed by Mr. Loomis himself and come with a lifetime warranty. I picked up a L and ML fast action, both 1-piece 7 foot (They also have 2-piece rods). I paired them to a 2000 size Cabelas Prodigy spinning reel. The combo feels very sensitive and lightweight and I look forward to christening them on Simcoe Whiteys this opener From what I can tell the reel is basically a Daiwa Team Advantage spinning reel branded for Cabelas I heard they are coming out with a 13' float rod as well Tony Thanks for the links Tony, I'll definitely check them out. *Edit* I just checked them out and the TLFS 603-2 is what I've been looking for in a rod for the last month or so. Does anyone have any experience with this brand yet? I'm almost sold, but the price seems low... not that I'm complaining I love my avid, but was not impressed when I had to pay 40$ just to ship it out to them when I broke it and that was 5 years ago, nowadays its probably more. I would go to your local tackle shops and ask how they handle warranty claims with the different brands. My local shop has a Shimano rep that comes by and picks up the rods, and if warranty claims are approved they ship the new rods out to the tackle shop. For example, my buddy broke my Compre last year and I got a new one for 8$ (shipping fee). Sometimes you might get lucky and the rep hand delivers the new rods back and you pay nothing. Something to keep in mind. Yea, I've heard that the shipping cost for St. Croix warranty claims is outrageous. Though I do believe the shop I'm likely going to buy from (whatever it might be) ships out the rods themselves, so it either reduces or removes any cost associated with shipping. Which is a big big bonus. I bought one on sale a few years ago and it is a decent rod for the sale price,at full retail I would add 10-15 bucks and buy a Compre! I'm leaning towards the Compre right now, but I'm still heavily in the midst of choosing the best rod for me. It's taking a little while, but I'm not going to lie, I love researching fishing gear!! Edited May 12, 2011 by GreenCanada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenCanada Posted May 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2011 Oh, I met a store owner yesterday who compared a 6' okuma celilo ultralight to a Shimano Compre... The only thing that bothered me is, that it has left me wondering what information or advice I should trust from him as I don't believe those two rods are really comparable... Thoughts or Comments? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenCanada Posted May 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2011 (edited) Shimano is offering $20 mail in rebates on Compres until the end of May. I saw that rebate too, but I'm pretty certain it is only redeemable in the United States http://image.basspro.com/images/images2/free-offers/2011ShimanoCompreCoupon.pdf Edited May 13, 2011 by GreenCanada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GreenCanada Posted May 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 16, 2011 AU CONTRAIRE MON FRERE!!! http://fish.shimano.com/publish/content/global_fish/en/us/index/promotions0/10-10-20_canada.download.-mainParsys-000100-downloadFile.html/10-10-20%20rebate%20form.pdf AWESOME!! I love being wrong sometimes! Thanks for the link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Live2fish85 Posted May 17, 2011 Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 Yea I just purchased a Shimano from Fishinng World and got a rebate as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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