New bass rods...

[turn_in_poachers]

Im looking for some new bass rods for next season. Right now I have a pair of St. Croix Premier's that I use. The top guide on both rods came loose and fell off after about 6 months. Ive lost all faith in St. Croix. I dont really like the cork handles on the Avid series, so Im deciding to go with another brand. Ive heard good things about Shimano Compre rods. Anybody use these? Ill probably use a 7 ft medium/med-heavy casting and spinning rod. Theyre priced pretty nicely with a lifetime warranty. Thats not bad. Any other suggestions on rods would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[andy j]

Surprized you are having problems with st. Croix, I have never had a problem with them. the shimano rods are decent rods but don't compare to performace of St. Croix, Shimanos are coated which helps with durability, but adds weight to the rod. Which lowers sensitivity. I have the avids and have only broken one rod, which they replaced, that is the trade off. If you want high performance, lighter, more sensitive, you are going to loose a little durabiliy regardless of the brand.

[Deitz Dittrich]

There is a new line of shimano rods to thit the market this year that are as light or lighter than the st.croix avid.. they will be IM9 graphite with a lifetime warrenty. I think they will be priced right around $130. I believe the name they are going to call them is the "Crucial"... Give them a look...

The Compre rod is a great rod as well, I have about 10 of these rods. They are IM8 Graphite and also carry a Lifetime Over the Counter warrenty. Should you get a lose tip or broken tip again just exchage it. The Compre lists or about $90.. There is also a step down from the Compre called Clarus... Shimano WILL stand behind thier product!

[sami0115]

i have had great success with the Fenwick Techna AV. i have 8 of those rods in various sizes and have never had a problem with any of them. i would guess that you would find great performance with any "top of the line" rod you would buy. it will come down to what you feel comfortable with.

[cheektowaga]

I'll probably expose myself as being either ignorant or a cheapskate, but I pretty much exclusively go with ugly sticks, which I have 4 of. I really like the medium action performance and for $30 it's not much of a set-back. For you pros out there what is the most notable difference when spending the cash to fish with these top shelf rods?

[Daze Off]

Guy in our bass club tried the Galyan's brand and swears by them - says they are incredibly sensitive - can even feel a fish break wind.....LOL

Am going to try one next year.

Daze Off

[BigMike]

Cheek, as to your question:

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For you pros out there what is the most notable difference when spending the cash to fish with these top shelf rods?

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I would have to say two things: rod sensitivity and rod weight.

I proved these two things to myself because I wasn't a believer for a long time. I have one cheaper med. spin rod and a little more expensive med. spin rod. The cheaper one weighs noticeably more than the more expensive one. And for rod sensitivity, there is absolutely no comparison. I can feel every little rock, weed, lure movement, bite, etc. with the more expensive rod vs. the cheaper rod where I still feel "stuff", but not nearly as definable as the more expensive rod.

As for the original post on bass rods. I really like the Gander Mountain Guide series rods. I have heard that they are VERY similar to the St. Croix rods but carry a cheaper price tag. Plus if anything goes wrong, take it back to Gander, they'll exchange it no questions asked. However, if you have the $$, I would not hesitate to buy a couple G.Loomis or Shimano rods. I have a Compre from mid-1990's that just had the tip break this year. I really like that rod. Side note - Exude would stores still exchange a Compre rod that old just for a broken tip...if so where?

[Deitz Dittrich]

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Side note - Exude would stores still exchange a Compre rod that old just for a broken tip...if so where?

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As far as I know, yes they should.. It may not be an over the counter exchange... anotherwords, you may have to send it to shimano.. But I believe all the upper end Shimano rods have always had lifetime warrenty... Most larger stores are Shimano dealers.. Cabelas/Gander/Capra's/Joes... ect should be able to do this for you.. I may e-mail shimano and ask if your model is lifetime warrenty!

Too add to the debate on why expensive rods.. many of the more expensive rods as well as being lighter and more sensitive... the are also more taper sensitive.. faster tips....for jigging and other stuff...

[BigMike]

Well, I called Joe's about my mid-90's Shimano Compre rod and they said they will send it into Shimano for $10 to cover shipping and Shimano will send me a new rod... I also called Cabelas in Owatonna and they said they could do an over the counter swap for free - so it looks like this winter I might be making a trip to Cabelas . Totally sweet deal - the rod is in great shape, but it's still 10+ years old and to get a whole new "updated" rod is a great deal.

[st.crioxfishin]

I use st.croix avid series rods and this summer my tip came loose as well. Go out and buy some epoxy that is used for fly tying, and glue the guide right back on. This is the kind of glue that they use on st.croix rods, so it works great. I think its better doing that than not using the rod anymore.

Bob Downey

[turn_in_poachers]

Yeah, Ive heard that the Compre's are less sensitive than most specialty rods. And Ive heard really nice things about the Fenwicks. I love my G. Loomis IMX to death. I just want a 7 footer so I can change back and forth. 6 inches makes a lot of difference. The Avid series are very very nice rods, but like I said, how the cork handles bulge out right where you grab it is not for me. The legend elite's are sweet, but I already have my IMX. I just want to try out different brands, to see if I like them. If I dont find anything I like, Ill just go back to a GL2 or GL3.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Big Mike-Thats cool.. I e-mailed my boss at Shimano and he said the same thing...Most places will do an over the counter exchange. Glad they are stadning behind it, I wasn't worried! Happy new rod to you...

Turn In Poachers- Honestly, take a look at the new Crucial rod that shimano will be comming out with in another month. It will be less than the avid in price, and as light and as sesitive if not more. And will not have the power handle like you said you didn't like. Yes the Compre is a little less sensitive, but its also quite a bit less money. Your not comparing apples to apples.

Deitz Dittrich

FishingMinnesota.com Prostaff

Shimano Prostaff

[turn_in_poachers]

I looked into the new Crucial rods. Looks very impressive. Tacklewarehouse.com says in stock on 11/10. Id like to see it in person and feel it first before ordering it, but yeah Exude, looks like a rod Id be very happy with. It is priced less than the Avids too. Thanks exude. Didnt even know shimano was coming out with a new line. Thought compre's were the top.

[andy j]

Exudedude,

will these new shimano rods be similar to shimano V-rods that they don't make anymore?

[Deitz Dittrich]

TIP-Glad I was able to help. I got to use one of the prototypes this summer on MilleLacs one day(yes only 1 day) and I tell you I have about a doz on order now. I'm sure you will be happy with it.

AndyJ- No, this rod is not replacing the V-Rod that they discontinued last year. Totally different technowolgy. And not made in the Loomis plant(The v-rod was made my G-Loomis for shimano as I understood it... Shimano Owns G-Loomis) The new Crucial will have Fugi Alconite Ceramic guides, much lighter than the V-rod which used hardeloy. The new Crucial will have IM9 Graphite.

For you spinnerbait and Crankbait fishers they are also comming out with a Crankbait rod this year... Its called a TC4 blank. its a layer of Graphite with a fiberglass core, then another layer of Graphite... This rod will hav ethe charateristics of a glass rod with the lightness and strength of graphite.

[Lost]

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As for the original post on bass rods. I really like the Gander Mountain Guide series rods. I have heard that they are VERY similar to the St. Croix rods but carry a cheaper price tag. Plus if anything goes wrong, take it back to Gander, they'll exchange it no questions asked.

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I picked up a med-heavy for fishing the weeds. I gotta tell ya, that thing impressed me the first time I used it! It's a spinning rod, 6 foot. I've been using for everything but weeds (since the weeds were gone by the time I bought it). I can really feel the lures swimming around in the water. Every twitch, every wobble. And it's amazing lightweight compared to my Ugly Stick!

[BigMike]

Lost just reiterated what was said ealier in the post - more expensive rods are more sensitive & lighter weight! This thread has a lot of great info on it (keep up the great work guys!), but a lot of it will also come down to personal choice/preference too (ie, the feel of a particular rod/reel in your hand, etc.). A day trip to a mega store (like cabelas/BPS, etc.) would be a good way to browse multiple brands at the same time. Pick out a handful of rods (similar in model) that you are interested in, ask for a reel to try on them (maybe even your same model reel) and just "feel". You'll be surprised how some will just feel right and others are obviously not for you.

[Big Ick]

Shimano owns the G-Loomis name. It's my understanding they bought Loomis several years ago. There's a good chance the higher end Shimano rods are built on Loomis blanks and sold under the Shimano name.

My number one rod choice is a St. Croix, but I own a couple of All Star's as well. I also own a Rogue, Talon, Loomis, Lamiglas, and a Graphite USA. But like I said, my number one choice is always a St. Croix.

As a side note, I saw someone mention the Lifetime Warranty. Most of the rod companies are beginning to do away with the UNCONDITIONAL lifetime warranty on high end models. That means no more free rods for car door attacks or other misuse, like high sticking.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Big Ick- Shimano owns loomis.. but the rod blanks are made in seperate areas and are run by totally different companies...The rods that Shimano makes are their own.. the only rod that was not like that was the V-Rod.. loomis did make that rod for them.

And yes to keep costs low to the consumer many companies have gone away from the unconditional warrenty.. However, shimano is still an no questions asked over the counter exchange.

[HawgTide]

Anyone know anything about Boron rods? Pros and Cons versus Graphite. I have a Browning Boron rod from the late 70's that is still in great shape, and I noticed that they started selling them again and I'm considering getting one.

[Big Ick]

Boron is just another meterial to make a rod blank out of...like bamboo for a fly rod. I don't believe the properties of Boron are better suited, compared to graphite, to build a blank out of. Right now, Boron blanks are more of a gimmick than anything else.

[HawgTide]

Big Ick, Boron is stronger, lighter and more sensitive than graphite so I don't know why it would be a gimmick. I'm really trying to get feedback from people who have used it before. Thanks for your input, though.

Here's an excerpt from an article I read reviewing rods, "After total consideration of all five rods it is not possible to choose a clear-cut winner. Every Hot Rod manufactured for fishermen today has advantages in certain situations. My two overall picks would have to be the Browning and the Enders. I have fond memories of my old Browning boron rod with the Lew's speed spool on it. Browning boron rods lead the way into the super sensitive rod blanks. Their newest line of rods have many advantages over their competition. Browning rods are now part of the Quantum family. I also like the rods made by Enders. There is really something to this wooden reel seat business. You have to fish one of these rods to understand."

It was a great article, unfortunately I don't think I'm allowed to post a link to it.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Hawg-I owned a boron rod quite a few years ago. Probably close to 10 or so. It was made by Fenwick. IT was a very light and sesitive rod, but the action of it was suited better for crankbaits and spinnerbaits where sensitivity wasn't as needed. I felt the tip and slow taper of the rod that you get from many boron rods was not suited for jigs, and texas rigs..which is what I had inteneded for the rod when I bought it. It did great as a small crankbait rod for quite a few years I then broke it somehow and never felt the need to replace it with another boron rod. I never felt the cost justified the need. Again, just my opinion sir...

[HawgTide]

Exudedude, Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.

[BigMike]

On the topic of bass rods, I was a galyans today and they have Quantum's Shaw Grigsby rods on sale from $100 down to $69 plus an additional 25% off - you do the math. Just thought I would throw that in the mix.