Help With Rod Choice, Please.

[4fishys]

Treating myself to a top line spinning rod for multiple applications. A little drop shotting, lighter (1/4 - 1/2) jig and tube work, and the like. I'm leaning toward the St. Croix Legend Tournament. There are two models I'm considering. First is a 6'9" medium light with extra fast tip. Second is 7' medium with fast tip.

I'm leaning toward the medium/fast tip. My thought is that the lighter/faster will be too light and whippy for any heavier jig/tube work in that weight range, and will totally not work if I do go any heavier. The medium will work if I do go anything heavier, and shouldn't overpower the lighter end.

Those are my thoughts. Would LOVE some feedback from you guys who do this more than I do. Way too much money to not be happy with the selection, and not enough to buy several rods.

Thanks, and keep the reports coming so I can live through your trips until we lose the ice up in Chi-town!

Bill

[rangerman]

Bill,

St Croix is a great rod company, you will be very happy with purchasing one. Although it is all personal prefence on how the rod feels, I believe the seven footer medium/fast would suit you better. I recently started switching over to seven foot rods for purpose of longer casts and I believe I can feel strikes a little easier. With a seven foot rod you can cast light baits very easily and a long way. THe medium/fast also allows you to cast/fish a wide assortment of baits without any problem. I am speaking of some lighter cranks and topwaters, etc. Good luck.

[rps]

I made a rod from the St. Croix 6'9" blank with the ex fast tip. The blank was rated for 6 to 14 lb. test and 1/8 to 1/2 oz. lures. Great rod for open hook grubs, tubes, etc. Good rod for throwing twitch baits and for vertical spoon jigging. Hope that helps.

[Dutch]

The best advice I can give you is to try to go someplace and get both of them in your hands. I bit on a couple of good rods and ordered them. One of them was a $250 mistake. It sounded good and all of that but it was way to stiff for the applications I had in mind. The bend of the rods will tell you what you want to know.

I have never used that blank but I did buy 5 St Croix Avids last year and am happy with them.

[vacation]

G Loomis for me is the best rod out there as far as action and warranty.

I have had St Croix and still use them, but G Loomis offers Lifetime Warranty on the rod, which I have taken them up on a few times and had great luck.

Loomis makes a 6'10" drop shot rod that i bought last year and took to Canada...it did great on all species and does great on the rock.

Both are good rods, but why not buy one that will replace itself when, not if, you break it

[Gradyh]

Of the those 2 rods I think you would be happier with the 7' medium fast. The 6'9" is an excellent rod for drop shotting with an open hook, throwing small twitch baits and small cranks like a #5 Shad Rap. It just does not have much power when it comes to setting the hook with texas rigs or heavier wire hooks.

Just to confuse matters, I would suggest looking at the Legend Tournament 6'8" medium extra fast. It has a slightly more powerful tip than the 6'9", but it is still light enough to pick up on light drop shot bites. The extra fast tip also allows you toss grubs and shakey heads a mile, but this rod has enough backbone to get a good hookset.

St. Croix has a lifetime warranty as well on all rods above the Avid series. They also have a trade-in/up-grade program.

[brownieman]

JMO...I can't see dropping a bunch of money on a rod. I have a couple of high dollar rods and they produce no more fish than my cheaper ones.

I have seen the guys up at Truman spend upwards of 500 bucks on rods because some rod builder has put a bunch of fancy wrap on them, pretty yeah...but matters not one bit when it comes to catching fish.

I have a beautiful Browning rod that is made for the type fishing I do on the Current...I still use my old $30 Ugly Stik.

Can't remember ever losing a fish due to rod failure.

There used to be a huge brown on the current that I used one of my Off Shore rods and 20 lb. test...he lived by a big rootwad and was notorious for hanging people up in the rootwad...never hooked him on that heavy set up but if I would have he was gonna have to beat the heavy tackle. Someone we heard caught one where this fish was...pushed 16 lbs. and was probably him cause none of us ever saw him since that time.

Oh well...can't win em all...lucky to win any, lol

[imfishn]

Bill,

St.Croix, and Loomis are great rods, but as with everything else there are equivalents, at a better price, the trick is to find the lesser expensive that are actually the equivalent. Gary Dobyns is a west coast angler, who at last count, has won 39 boats. Gary designed rods with his name on them, then searched through rod manufacturers for quality, finally settling on the comapany that makes only high end Japan rods. As he does not have the overhead of the other manufacturers, it is reflected in the price $229 at LFTlures.com or tacklewarehouse.com . I would suggest a 703SF Seven foot, Fast, Medium action. Or if you want a touch shorter 683SF six foot eight, Fast, Medium. I've fished both St. Croix, and Loomis, and I would put these Dobyns rods against their $4-500 rods anytime. Warranty is $60 Lifetime.

I have 10 of these rods, and will be fishing the FLW tour event next week at Table Rock. Be glad to show them to you, or anyone interested.

Bottom line, if what I am saying is true, not only will you save money on this rod purchase, but will have the confidence to save more in the future.

Neil Russell

208-989-7188 cell

Here is a link on TackleTour with an unbiased review of Dobyns Rods

http://tackletour.com/previewdobynsrodsgen2.html

[techo]

I generally try to be agreeable, but have to disagree with brownieman on this one. You might not miss a fish because of the rod, but you might not even know the fish is there if the rod is not sensitive enough. Especially on spinning rods. My partner Adam couldn't catch a fish for a bit. I told him to set the hook. He did and caught a fish. He realized he was not feeling the fish at the end of the line with his rod. He used my fishing rod and could feel a ton of more hits, trees, brush and the bottom.

Personal preference is huge on rod choice, but I still think the most sensitive rod you can afford (within reason) is the better way to go. St. Croix has a great reputation. Nothing wrong with Ugly Sticks or Berkley Lightning rods, but prefer a more sensitive rod if I can afford it.

[brownieman]

I agree with ya tech...kind of depends on the kind of fishing you're doing I guess. If they are biting soft or you're tight lining a sensitive tip does help...I just don't fish like that much and when I do I just watch my line, float, whatever closely.

Generally the kind of fishing I do there is no doubt when you get a hit...they generally slam it.