Carrot-stix? Orange Rods!

[713lefty]

I recently heard of the new carrot fiber rods. They use the carrot fiber instead of resin to hold the graphite together. Stronger, lighter, and comparable in sensitivity to a Loomis IMX. At $149 its cheaper than an IMX. Heck, I just got my first (and only) IMX last Christmas after saving up 7 gift cards from Gateway Outfitters in St. Charles, Mo. Should I be thinking orange? Anybody out there have an orange rod? Any comparisons?Hope to hear. Oh yea, Boyd Duckett is sponsored by carot-stix. There could be something here!

[Ham]

I have made a few casts with one that belongs to a fishing buddy. It was certainly lighht and sensitive. I like the color and the hnadle. A few guys that I know that make rods don't care for the components and based on their intell the blank itself isn't "all that".

In the end if you think it is worth the money, you should buy one. Lots of good rods out there. In my very limited experience, seems like a decent fishing pole.

[J-Doc]

Skeet Reese uses them exclusively. Does that mean you should? No. His are given to him free of charge, you pay for yours.

For that price range, there are lots of rods in that category. I have St. Croix Avid series rods (not this years model) and I love them. Does that mean they are the best? No.

Each rod brand has various characteristics that the average angler cannot distinguish. It all boils down to taste, preference, and confidance. If you like the appearance of a rod, the feel of it ovearll, the sensitivity is crucial, and the customer service and warranty is also just as important. St. Croix has superb customer service from what I've read on other boards. Here are some good brands that were recommended to me by custom rod builders:

- All Star

- St. Croix

- Falcon (my buddy has broke three of these so if your tough on them, these aren't for you)

- Castaway (?) Extra light, lighter than GLoomis

A local dealer here loves his Castaway rods. He's sold all his GLoomis rods and uses Castaway exclusively. Since he has dealer privledges, he talks to Castaway often. He has (no joke) about 25 rods on each side of his boat in his rod lockers. I've seen it! He is an excellent angler and wins most of the tournaments he's in. If they're good enough for him, should be good enough for anyone.

As for the Carrot? I think it's a passing fad myself. So for the price range, you can get something that has been around for a long time and has established R&D and customer service history to go with it. That will add more confidance to your purchase.