Bronzefly

With a $700 budget, you'll be able to put together a very nice combo for sure - especially if you look for lightly used gear. I pitch with a BCFR 863 GLX and a BCR 855 GLX most often. Don't let the "3" power make you think it's a standard Loomis "MH" rod - the BCFR series is much different than the BCR series. Either rod would work and have some other good uses as well. The Chronarch D7 is a very comfortable reel with plenty of power and it pitches VERY well. If you wanted to consider a Daiwa, the Zillion is also a well built reel with power.

I'm also in the camp that a Ci4 doesn't hold a candle to a Stella FD. Nor should it to be fair. I think the Ci4 is a fantastic reel at its price point, but I've fished both models and there is no way the Ci4 even comes close in my hands. The Sol is a solid performer as well. I like the look and lighter frame of the Ci4, but the Sol feels a bit smoother to me.

I like the Clearwater area myself. Busch Gardens is a ton of fun! IF you do decide to go, you I highly recommend going to eat at Lenny's Restaurant. They have some of the best biscuits and gravy on the planet and their home fries are incredible!

Yep! Nice lightweight reel in that price range! edited - the one in the flea market sold...

I'm not sure I'd even trust it as backing ;D Seriously, I think it's absolutely terrible line. I used it just long enough to realize how bad it really was.

I really like the Loomis MBR 782 GLX paired with a tuned up Chronarch 50mg for smaller shallow cranks. It also makes a sweet jerkbait and smaller topwater combo as well. I like a little bit "stiffer" rod for cranking and the CBR 783 just feels a bit too whippy for my preferences. If you prefer a longer rod, the MBR 842 GLX is also a great rod for the same purposes. A great small crankbait spinning rod that is often overlooked is the Shimano Crucial CRS-C68M. It's an incredible "bandit 200" rod that works very well with a vareity of small crankbaits. On the spinning reel, there are many great options. As with all tackle decisions, the budget is most often the first consideration!

My choice would be the CUCX72MH Cumara for strictly jig and worm fishing, unless you wanted to spring for the MBR 844 GLX. In that case, I'd go with the Loomis. The 844 is quite a bit more moderate in action and in my hands a more versatile rod than the extra fast Cumara.

I like p-line cxx for spinnerbaits in heavier cover, but I stick to straight FC for jerkbaits. I like the lower stretch and the sinking properties of FC when tossing jerkbaits.

The best crankbait line I've ever tried is the Sunline Shooter Defier. It's a class line meaning that it breaks very close to its actual pound test rating. I use 17lb for cranking deep and mid-depth baits and have found it to be second to none. The biggest drawback is that it is expensive, but it lasts a very long time. It is ultra limp and casts like a dream.

I use mine on a light/ultra light action Megabass rod for tossing little bitty crankbaits, very small jerkbaits, tiny torpedos and poppers. The Ize Light is an amazing finesse reel capable of tossing very light stuff paired with the right rod and the right line. The rod will make a HUGE difference in what it can do. Feel free to PM anytime Oh yeah, on a technical note, Daiwa really is considered the "Dark Side" ;D

Absolutely amazing RLR!! Matt is an amazing builder!

You're going to pair a Powell 766 with a Millionaire IZE Light for punching mats? That is a light line finesse reel... you would be better off putting the Core on the 766 and find yourself a nice lighter action casting rod to take advantage of what that little reel can do.

How heavy cover are we talking? How about the BCFR 894 GLX... it's a very versatile and powerful flipping stick!

I have owned the Loomis BCR GLX series with recoil guides from the time they were introduced several years ago. I fish the Tennessee River most often, and the water is often dirty, muddy, gritty, etc. I have one specific rod that has braid on it for the vast majority of its life - and it has been used A LOT The recoil guides show absolutely zero signs of grooving. It is definitely possible, but absolutely the exception to the rule.

Much of it depends on personal preference, and the size/weight of the swimbaits you'll be tossing. Everything from a standard 200 sized reel for smaller swimbaits - paddletails, bbz shad, etc. are fine. If you're going to be tossing 10" trout type swimbaits on 30lb line, I'd opt for a larger round reel like the Calcutta TE 400. The curado 300 makes a good mid sized swimbait reel in a LP design. Good luck!

I actually held some of these in hand at the BPS the other day. For the sale price of around $70, they seem like they have some potential. They were light, have the sexy look that is so popular now, and felt like they might have some potential.

I had a custom with Pac Bay guides and I thought they held up fine. They did their job very well. I held the new BPS Carbonlite rods at the store the other day - they have the Pac Bay guides as well - this is one sharp looking rod for it's price range! It actually felt very nice in hand... they were on sale as well.

They don't have serial numbers. It seems to me that the intent of this post by the OP was to vent frustration about being denied a warranty claim. It has resulted in undue skepticism in one of the companies that still cares about their customers. As others have stated, we don't hear very often about the thousands and thousands of positive experiences, but one negative gets out there and all hell breaks loose. I guess I'd be upset about it too, but I would have definitely handled it differently and would have a new rod either in hand or on its way by now. It should be more about getting a rod replaced and less about crying over spilled milk. Either way, I've had "problems" with other rod companies out there and chosen to handle them privately and have made my choices based on their responses. If someone asks me privately about my thoughts on a company, I'll tell them. I suppose I could have publicly bashed several companies over the way they chose to handle situations, but I don't think that is very nice. It seems like you should just get over it at this point - the employees there view and inspect rods for a living - show some respect. They determined your rod failed as a result of damage outside the parameters of your warranty. Take all the magnifiying glasses you like, and your years of experience and set that aside for a second. Think about how you would like it if someone came along and told you that you were incompetent at doing your job. That is essentially what you are telling the inspectors at G Loomis...

That appears to be the "safe" bet, but we're talking about at most a $25 difference either way! Follow me here... "Warranty" - send in a check for $20, pay the shipping of your broken rod back to them for inspection. Costs you between $7 and $10 to ship back the rod, even cut in half. You're up to $27 to $30 already. Wait the couple to few weeks it takes for them to inspect and warranty the rod, then have it shipped back to you (which they pay for.) "xpeditor" - $50 and they immediately send out a brand new rod to you with a pre-paid return shipping label to return your broken rod. The difference between the two is $20 to $25 at max. It almost seems to me like they would rather just have everyone to the xpeditor to save themselves the time and hassle of inspecting the rods. Like I said, I've used both and been happy with it... just another way to look at the situation.

If this is the case, I will not buy any shimano or loomis rods as I was planning too. First off, this has nothing to do with Shimano rods. All of the models from the Clarus on up to the Cumaras already have a no questions asked replacement warranty. Why would this have any impact on whether you bought a Shimano rod or not? It doesn't take much to drive me away from a company... I would not want to put myself in this type of situation... There are alot of Great rod company's to choose from... That has been made abundantly clear... ;D

If this is the case, I will not buy any shimano or loomis rods as I was planning too. First off, this has nothing to do with Shimano rods. All of the models from the Clarus on up to the Cumaras already have a no questions asked replacement warranty. Why would this have any impact on whether you bought a Shimano rod or not? I was unaware of the policy regarding the denial of xpeditior if a warranty claim was also denied. This seems pretty strange, but they didn't ask my opinion on the matter. All I know is that I've been honest with Loomis and they've been honest with me. I've had a few break due to a "defect" and some due to a bonehead move on my part. Each time they handled the situation properly. Good luck with this one and I hope it turns out well for you.

I clean and lube my reels often - certainly more often than they need it - just because I enjoy tinkering with them so much. I've tried quite a few oils out there and I really like hot sauce oil. I use some very high end spool bearings in very high end reels and hot sauce has not caused any damage whatsoever. It stays thinner in the winter time than some other oils I've used, which is important to me because I fish quite a bit in winter. To each their own, but I think hot sauce is a fantastic bearing lube!

I haven't tried to use either the "limited lifetime warranty" or the "xpeditor service" both offered on Loomis rods since the transition of the customer service from Woodland to Irvine. I have used both services over the years prior to the transition and I have been extremely happy with the outcomes each time. Even if they denied your "warranty" claim for whatever reason, your rod would still be subject to their $50 replacement "xpeditior service." It seems like you would have been offered that as an option since they didn't cover it under the "warranty."

I like your thought process! That rod will definitely increase your enjoyment when punching mats. It's also a wicked "true flipping" rod for heavy laydowns 8-)

As much as I enjoy using my 844 (GLX), it finds much more time as a rod for larger moving baits - big spinnerbaits, smaller swimbaits, etc. If I had to pick a dedicated 1/2 oz. jig rod between an 844 IMX and a Cumara CUCX72MH, the Cumara would get my vote. If we were talking GLX, then the Loomis would get my vote.