chirmy Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 I am looking to upgrade my arsenal in the near future. I tournament fish as a non-boater so I haul 5-6 rods with me and this can be brutal on them at times. Hookhider has been a good company to me in the past and although I do OK with their rods, I want to move up. G-loomis, St. Croix, Fenwick, Quantum, Shimano or Diawa. What are the 411's of these? Which are better for the money and are they the same? Any input would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 Chirmy, I really believe you get what you pay for with a rod. But there are exceptions. For example, G-Loomis, great rods! Light, sensitive, expensive ! Each name brand also has different levels of quality. I have used lots of different rods and I am now loyal to Kistler. They're 'Helium' rods are lighter then the Loomis. Super sensitive and ultra light. The Helium series starts to go up in price though, about $250. Their Mark Tyler series is great! Light and sensitive and around $150. Kistler's customer service is excellent as well! As far as building rods, I'm sure you could save a ton in the long run! If you decide to try a Kistler, don't buy from their website. If you look around you can save $$$. I have sold all my other rods (except my BPS crankn sticks) and replaced them with Kistler. I know about 6 or 7 guys that have been Loomis fans for years and are now switching to Kistler! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beentheredonethat Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 Chirmy - The majority of the rod/blank industry has improved drastically over the past 10 years...the gaps (quality) continue to close between the low, medium, high cost rods. That being said, there are many more options today (specific use rods) than ever before. Tell us more about your fishing style....baitcaster, spinning, etc. More about length, power. Type, size of baits, technique, etc. What reels will you use. Pitching, cranking, dropshotting, etc etc. There is no 'one' rod that does all things equally well. Buy custom? Build your own? Buy off the rack? The better your description, the better we may be able to help. btdt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beentheredonethat Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 Chirmy - You don't by chance know Tim Klinger? Got to meet him and congratulate him on his FLW win here at Beaver Lake. Seemed to be a genuinely nice guy and very energetic! But hey! Put $200,000 in my hands and I'd be happy too! btdt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirmy Posted April 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 Style: I carry 2 drop shot rods at all times both spinning with quantum kinetic 20's. Both are 7' light. I use 2 casting (depends on conditions if I take both) they are 7' medium and both have Quantum E600PT's. I carry 1 7'6" heavy Telescoping flippin stick at all times. Quantum E600PT. (Laugh but usually with 14lb flourocarbon) I have a 7' Medium Heavy Crankbait rod with a Quantum but not the energy series (slower) All are Hookhider with seven guides. As for Tim Klinger, He is a stick. Dont really know him but have had the pleasure of meeting him a few times. 200k, can you imagine. He is always one of the favorites here on Mead and Mohave. Wood, where would you look for the kistler's besides there site? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattman Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 In my opinion...today the industry leader is St. Croix. Technology, research, price, quality of product, warranty... The Legend Elite is probably the most technologically advanced, most durable, high end rod on the market. Probably my second favorite manufacturer is Shikari. Very nice rod blanks. Especially the high end ones. Very comparable to Loomis in taper design and graphite design. No finished factory rods however. Rogue is a real up and comer. Great pricing. They don't apply any finish to their blanks which shaves some weight off the product to increase performance and bypasses a relatively expensive step in the manufacturing process. Very good blanks. Rainshadow, Lamiglas, Graphite USA, All Star...all make a quality product and you wouldn't go wrong with them or any of the above manufacturers. Loomis made some great blanks in the past but hasn't done anything to update their product and stay ahead of the competition. And currently their quality control is terrible. Not just bad, terrible. I don't buy Loomis product anymore unless I have to. And the last time I HAD to I got a blank that was the most crooked blank I've seen outside of a reject pile at the St. Croix plant. I feel the Shimano buy out has drastically hurt them for the sake of helping Shimano. Inspect any off the rack Loomis you intend to buy carefully. Can't really comment on the guys that don't make blanks available to custom builders. I haven't touched a factory rod in years. Most of them are made overseas and aren't of as good of quality and design as the US manufacturers. There are some gems out there but overall the rods from Asia don't compare to the US rods. Mostly because they don't understand what the US angler wants in a rod. DO NOT try to start building your own rods if money is the driving factor. You're not going to save any money building. Well, not enough to get into for that reason alone. There are some tools to get and such and it becomes an expense. Parts aren't cheap unless you can buy wholesale. And then you realize how crappy the manufacturers make their rods and you upgrade components to get some quality and that costs. If you do want to start to build feel free to email me and I'll be happy to get you on the right road. It isn't for most people. I sure enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 I found them at several places. I just bought a new flippn stick 2 weeks ago, so I was looking around. Cabelas has both standard and helium. I bought mine from e-angler. They had the best price. I paid less with shipping then the normal retail at other places. http://www.eangler.com/proshop/productdetail.asp?prod_id=1271&dept_id=284 The rod I just bought is great! It's the one on the bottom of this page. KFRST76 (kistler flipping rod special telescopic 7'6") Might be a little heavier then you need. They also make a 1 piece flippn stick 7'6". http://www.eangler.com/proshop/productdetail.asp?prod_id=1271&dept_id=284 I only own 1 Helium rod, but it's the lightest most sensitive rod I've ever used. It's the He69APC (6'9" all purpose casting) I can use it for almost any situation. I own a few others including a dropshot spinning that I love as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtrs5kprs Posted April 15, 2004 Report Share Posted April 15, 2004 Kistler is a good top end rod. For me the actions on St Croix are a little too (and forgive me for I fish farther south than I live) "yankee"...makes me want to troll a leech LMAO. Their system of power and action designation is a little quirky also. For day in and day out durability/fishability/all around performance it is hard to beat Falcon or All Star. I build on All Star blanks (IM10X or Elite)and fill holes with Falcon Lowriders. Still use a couple of older Loomis (GL3 and IMX) 6 foot rods for "target" spinnerbaiting. I go back and forth on Falcon and All Star. If I could buy Falcon blank I would build on them, since I can't I buy All Star. For a factory rod, I think Falcon has a bit of an edge. Nice thing on either rod is the consistency from blank to blank, rod to rod, within each action. Not true for most other makers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirmy Posted April 16, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2004 Thanks for all the input. I have no intentions of building my own rods. I do however have the idea of having some built for me. Any of you want the task and how affordable can this be done for a good quality rod? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheesehead Posted April 16, 2004 Report Share Posted April 16, 2004 Take a look at www.outdoorfrontiers.com Seve H. does an excellent job with his custom built rods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maze Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 Drop me an email and we can talk about rod building, costs and such. If you decide to have one or more built, there are things to ask for and/or request. I'd be happy to offer you a quote after I know exactly what and how you want it built. It's a "Hobby Business" for me so my pricing is reasonable. Shipping can get costly depending on a few factors. If needed, I can refer you to good builders closer to you too. Always willing to help in any way I can! maze Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beentheredonethat Posted April 19, 2004 Report Share Posted April 19, 2004 Chirmy - Off the rack rods - StCroix LE series, Kistler Helium, Loomis IMX, Rogue, AllStar Titanium, Lamiglas Ti2000 Custom built blanks - the above list plus Shikari SHx, Rainshadow Excel All are great fishing tools, excellent quality, and the variance in performance is minute...it would take a very, very skilled hand to correctly label them in a 'blindfolded fishing test'. The prices vary widely due somewhat to name recognition and more (IMHO) due to advertising costs. Suggest you pick one rod to replace w/above choice and make your own comparison on performance vs. what you already have. Wouldn't it be great if stores/builders had rods laying around that you could 'borrow' for a weekend and test them out? ha! With custom rods you can get top-line components but most if not all of the list above has top or near-top line components. Most people can 'feel' the difference between a custom-built and off-the-rack rod....but it is still subjective and the awareness will vary from person to person. Let us know what you decide and how satisfied you are. And if you have other qsts, post them. I'll send you a PM with my personal favorites. btdt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chirmy Posted April 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 After extensive review, it seems kistler is up and comming with the helium rods. I have decided to throw a few pennies there way. I will let you know what I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsac Posted April 21, 2004 Report Share Posted April 21, 2004 Good choice! I know you won't be disappointed. Wish I had a few 'extra' pennies! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinnybass Posted May 14, 2004 Report Share Posted May 14, 2004 Chirmy, I've got the Kistler Helium Spinning I use on Mead/ Mohave for dropshottin & it is a dream. Very light coupled with a Johnny Morris 1500, & super sensitive. It really is hard to believe how well you can feel every little thing with your d/s weight. I'll probably upgrade all my sticks to Kistlers over time as money allows Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedHed Posted May 17, 2004 Report Share Posted May 17, 2004 Purchased a Kistler rod (KCRMH7) through eAngler and use it for inshore fishing. In one day fishing (8AM to 1 PM) caught 6 Sierra to 15 lbs., 8 Roosters to 25 lbs., 1 pargo (dog tooth snapper) to 6 lbs., and 4 Jacks to 8 lbs. all on the Kistler rod - Shimano Stradic with 12lb Yo-Zuri line. Missed a bunch of fish - but it wasn't the Rods fault....... Looking to get 2 more of these rods - very impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr B Posted May 19, 2004 Report Share Posted May 19, 2004 Very well said Mattman. As a rod builder myself I agree with your post. Loomis has gone downhill. But as an IMX fan I feel the StCroix SC5 (lLegend Elite) is the best blank on the market for the money. If you are purchasing your rods off the shelf, St Croix is one of the best rod building companies around. They use state of the art equipment and also utilize the Fuji Guide Concept of guide placement. Not to mention great warranties and Customer Service. For a good top dollar rod check out the St Croix Legend Elite with the SC5 blank. No, I am in no way associated with St Croix. Brent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
