Comparsion of fishing rods.?

What are your opinions on the performance and reliability of different fishing rods?

I think Don S summed it up well, (Thumbs Don).

The higher the graphite modulus the more sensitive. However, the higher the graphite modulus the more “brittle” the rod, (leading to rod breakage).

Ugly Stiks have a low graphite content VS a Carrot Stick or G Loomis. An Ugly Stik is a SUPER durable rod but has the sensitivity of a broom handle. G Loomis are SUPER sensitive but will break long before an Ugly Stik or rod with more glass than graphite.

The key to buying a good rod is finding one with a good mix of graphite and glass/boron/ Etc, (OR one with an exceptional lifetime policy! LOL).

I own a couple Berkley Series 1 spinning rods and think they are an excellent rod for the price, (currently the BC version is on sale at http://www.cabelas.com for $49-$79). They seem to marry the “glass/graphite” construction well. I’ve fished with Berkley rods for years , (until I upgraded), and on a whole they are durable, sensitive, cost-conscious rods that can perform.

I sold Silstar rods in my tackle shop and found them to be “hit or miss”. However, depending on the action you want and how much you decide to spend they aren’t bad rods, (in fact, I owned and used 2 of Pinnacle’s Flippin Sticks for years in Bass tourneys and they held up GREAT). They are a bit heavy and tend to be slightly less sensitive than any Shimano rod, (other than a Convergence).

Low-priced Shimano rods are just like low-priced Shimano reels- not so good (lol).

In my opinion, the Compre’s are the lowest end Shimano rod, ($89), a “serious-minded/tournament fisherman” would want to purchase. Even then, it’s important to carefully inspect a rod before buying. Most fishing rods (other than Fly rods), are shipped in big bundle boxes with only soft-plastic wraps to protect them from damage. An irate or clumsy UPS/Trucker can easily RUIN a whole box of rods by placing heavy items or unsecured pkg’s on top of a box of shipped rods, (I once sent back a box of 20 $129 rods that all had damaged guides due to improper handling in the shipping process). That’s why it’s important WHERE you get your rods & reels. Most Walmart/Chain sporting good clerks wouldn’t know the difference between a “chipped blank” or bent guide to save their life! Your “best bet” is to find a local Tackle retailer and buy your equipment ONLY from them. A “Mom & Pop” store may be 10-20% more but I can GUARANTEE they will be very particular about NOT selling damaged goods. And once you establish a relationship with a Mom & Pop store the odds that you will receive better service and gear escalates geometrically, (which is worth the extra 10-20%).

Hope this helps ya? Good luck in your rod search!

UPDATE: Idratherbefishing mentioned St. Croix rods. He is correct. St. Croix makes a nice rod and their return policy is fair. However, (in my opinion), their lowest end rod (The Triumph Series $59-$70) is not as sensitive or as nice as a Berkley Series 1. The Series 1 blows it away in sensitivity. HOWEVER, the Triumph is a bit more durable.

(Thumbs Idratherbefishing.)

How fishing rods and poles are made at the Daiwa factory.wmv

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