Fishing Rods

[stock jockey]

I am a new bass fisherman. I have read that it is important to use the same reel and rod type when learning. This is so that you get the feel for the bite. I am going to be updating to new rods.

I am considering either the Shimano Cumara and the RazR rod.

Could you all give me some advise. Since many of you are on the water 200 days a year your opinion would be great.

Thanks,

David

[Jeremy Rasnick]

I am a new bass fisherman. I have read that it is important to use the same reel and rod type when learning. This is so that you get the feel for the bite. I am going to be updating to new rods.

I am considering either the Shimano Cumara and the RazR rod.

Could you all give me some advise. Since many of you are on the water 200 days a year your opinion would be great.

Thanks,

David

For what is is worth, and for the value I have been very impressed by the Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier reel for a bait caster. You can sometimes find it on sale on the internet for 69.99 and if you print it off the store will honor the price. I have done this several times. I prefer the pro qualifier over my older Curado's. As far as spinning reels, I prefer either the Plueger President or the Shimano Symetre, or Sahara. As far as rods the list goes on and on. If it were me and I was to re-vamp my rod selection I would look very seriously at the new Falcon Bukoo rods. But you can't go wrong with the Falcon Low Rider. I have heard a lot of good things about the Razer Rods as well.

[techo]

I think the Rick Lapointe is the Razr guy around here. He is really nice and might even let you borrow a rod for a weekend. I believe they are made in Oklahoma by a master rod maker. Captain Don House's rods are made at the same place. The rod maker makes a large number of rods under different names. If you drop Don a PM he will meet you somewhere and show you the same rod as the Razr under a different name. Prepare to spend some time with hm though because he really believes in the product and is kind of long winded about it! Kidding Don! You will have to drop him a PM or look for him on Facebook, he doesn't come around here as much anymore.

I have to agree with Jeremy on the Falcon rods though. They are light and sensitive. You can pick used ones up from Bill Babbler at times. Just drop him a PM. You can get them at almost half price sometimes and they have only been used for a year. Personally as I replace rods...I replace with Falcon. I think they are hard to beat at the price versus quality ratio.

It is very seldom that I would ever disagree with Jeremy as he is way smarter than me and can out-fish me anytime anywhere. Here comes the big fat BUT!

I agree the BPS reels are good for the money, BUT they don't compare no way no how to Shimano reels. Bill Babbler talked me into dropping some cash on a Shimano mg51 a few years ago. Hands down the best the best reel I have ever owned. (Bill seldom gives bad advice) Thinking about it now makes me smile. I also think Pfleuger reels are good though. I have two or three Presidente spinning reels that are smooth as butter and pretty indestructible.

With all of that said.....it still comes down to personal preference.

[eric1978]

I am a new bass fisherman. I have read that it is important to use the same reel and rod type when learning. This is so that you get the feel for the bite. I am going to be updating to new rods.

I am considering either the Shimano Cumara and the RazR rod.

Could you all give me some advise. Since many of you are on the water 200 days a year your opinion would be great.

Thanks,

David

Brand names don't matter as much as quality. There are a lot of good rods and reels out there. Get a couple that match what type of fishing you do, and go with 'em. Mid quality is plenty sufficient...really expensive stuff is unnecessary and cheap stuff sucks. Too many opinions to narrow stuff down for you.

[steveearle]

Since you mentioned them, the Cumara is a great rod. After finding a quality rod you like, look at the warranty-this is why I began to fish Loomis rods years ago-because of the ease of warranty claims. Not only are the Cumaras really nice rods, but you can exchange them over the counter if you break them. When I began to fish Loomis about 10 years ago, their were very few comparable rods....however, many rod companies have began to play in the $150.00+ rod category and the quality of these other companies' rods have really gone up. I believe there are more quality rods in that $100-$200 price range than there have ever been---once again this brings me back to what I said--CHECK THE WARRANTY!

On the reel side, Shimano is the way to go....(although after owning only Shimano for a long time, I did pick up a bunch of the Abu Revo Premiers after the discontinued the original model and came out with the 2010 model. I picked up about 6 of these at an average of $135 from various places and they have been nice so far).....

[motoman]

Wulp, I guess I need to round out the posts for the St.Peters guys and make it a trifecta! Sadly, I've never met any of you guys, but I'm sure we will in time.

-

I've been very pleased with the Johnny Morris Signature Series rods. I picked them up on clearance last year from BPS for $69 a piece, vs. new at $169. I sold my Loomis GLX rod and haven't looked back. Not sure I would pay $169 for them; but nice rods still.

-

But, I will agree with the others from my majestic hometown of St.Peters. Mid-quality does the trick for me. And a

good warranty is a definite plus!

-

Stock Jockey, for being new to bass fishing. If i'm not mistaken, you guys really 'cleaned' up at The Rock last spring didn't you?

[Wayne SW/MO]

I've used a lot of rods over the years and the Falcons are hard to beat for a shelf rod. For baitcasters, Shimano and Diawa are a toss up for me. The ability to adjust a baitcaster is probably as important as the reel.

I don't normally carry but one spinning rod, so I'll pass on what's best there.

[mikeb]

St. Croix rods are the best for the money I have used. The premier rods blow away the falcon low end rods at about the same price, imo. Hate the "power hump" bass pro rods. The 6' med fast premier with a revo stx is my go to rod for almost everthing, very versitle rod combo. I like the upper end daiwa reels you really have to screw up to backlash one bad. The line overlays are wide which should make them good for braid if thats your thing. I have a Jonny Morris baistcaster and it is Very free and has a very smooth drag, however it doesnt have anywhere close to the control over the spool that the diawa or revo has, the other two are much friendlier to beginners. Shimanno spinning reels are amazing. I have caught everything from muskie to bluegill on my $60 spirex. My sahara seems just as good. Get one or two good rod and reel combos.

[troutgnat]

Just my two cents worth here. Look up a couple of my posts on here from back in September regarding Shimano. I own numerous Shimano baitcasters and spinning reels. I broke two Curados back to back in one day setting the hook on the Rock. All it took from me was a nice letter to Shimano stating what happened and my disapointment as a loyal Shimano customer and 7 bucks to ship the reels back. Within two weeks I had both reels back, not only fixed but upgraded as well! These reels were over 3 years old!, hows that for warranty.? Says enough for me!

[Mike Mueller]

Stock Jockey...you CANNOT go wrong going with the Razr Rods. They offer a wide array of rods to suit any fishing style, they are made from the highest quality materials, and the BEST things about them is that they are MADE IN AMERICA and offer an UNLIMITED LIFETIME WARRANTY. You are not going to find a company that stands that strongly behind the product they offer. By offering a lifetime warranty that should tell you all you need to know about the product (and they're MADE IN AMERICA).

For years I had exclusively used a high-end name brand rod and had no interest in changing. But then I got the opportunity to hold a Razr Rod in my hand and try it out. The difference in the weight alone was impressive, but the quality workmanship is what sold me. But throw in a lifetime warranty (Free Rod replacement for any reason - you just pay $25 Shipping) and for me, that made it a no-brainer.

I now have my entire tournament line-up of rods made up of Razr Rods.

Call it a coincidence, but in my first full year of using them, I won the Central Pro-Am "Angler of the Year" award in 2008, and held the AOY lead for the entire 2009 season until I made some mental mistakes in the last tournament that cost me back-to-back titles. For me it's all about my confidence knowing that these rods have given me an advantage over my competition.

All I can offer is to do what I did and just try one...I'm sure that you'll come to the same conclusion that I did.

www.razrrods.com

Mike Mueller