SpringCantComeSoonEnough

Stradic 2500 FI is the perfect size spinning reel for bass fishing, IMO.

Loomis definitely takes care of their customers, as well as the sales staff of their dealers. I used to be strictly St. Croix until I got my IMX. I'll just say that if any of you out there get the chance to work for a G. Loomis dealer, don't pass up when the representative offers to sell you a few rods a piece at prices you'll never see again. ;D 8-)

It has always been a habit of mine. I think I actually started because it was quite loud and hard to close the bail by turning the handle on my first spinning reel. It was a Shimano FX2000F.

Stradic 2500 FI A bunch of soft plastics and a few jerkbaits to try out.

That's not cool at all. > I don't think I'll be shopping there any time soon if they're pulling this kind of garbage.

I would say that the best thing you could do is go to a store that carries their lineup and try them out. See how they feel in your hand, drag the tip along the carpet, etc.

...Actually, I messed up. The new Avids have IPC, NOT ART. :-[ Either way, nice score! ;D

ASV is the new Avids. AS is the older model. The newer model has IPC and has a gloss coat (I for one hate gloss coat on rods). Edited to replace ART with IPC.

By St. Croix's website, the casting rod looks a little heavier in terms of what line you would be using. It might be the same blank for all I know, though, since the max lure weight is the same on both. Edit: I just took a look at the rod building catalog, and the casting blank has a slightly larger diameter than the spinning blank.

Oh what the heck. I'll vote G. Loomis.

I think you mean the Stradic FH, right? There's a world of difference between the Stradic FI and the Symetre. As for the Stradic FH, there were a few differences between the two, but I can't think of them right now.

I decided to e-mail St. Croix and see what they had to say. This is what I got back from them from before. I gotta say that they're quick. Got this back in an hour or two. So according to Dan Levra, the Avids do not have ART incorporated into the design. Obviously, the x'ed out parts are my name, address, and other things that people on the net don't need to know. I'm done now. I just don't want someone to go and buy a rod, thinking that it has a certain feature or technology, when it doesn't. I would think that if St. Croix wanted to sell more rods, and if the Avid line had ART, they would put that little logo onto it. Heck, they went through the trouble of putting the IPC logo onto the new ones... Every little logo with a different technology gives the salesperson another selling point and makes their product seem superior to their competitor's.

Would you mind showing me where it says that the Avids have ART? I know that they now have IPC, but there is absolutely no mention of ART on the Avids. According to St. Croix, ART is only used on Legend Elite, Legend Tournament, Legend Ultra, and Legend Inshore rods.

Considering that St. Croix likes to advertise the tech that their rods have, it doesn't look like anything except the Legend Elite and Legend Tournament rods have ART. If the Avids had it, then it would have the little logo on it. Oh yea, the new Avids also have a gloss finish instead of the matte black / dark grey finish they used to have. I much preferred the matte finish over the gloss finish. :-/ I don't know if I'd put the Avid in direct competition against the IMX. The Avid lineup is nice, but it isn't THAT nice, IMO. The GL3 is more of the competitor to the Avid, although I like the Avid more than I like the GL3.

They're all I have right now too. If you look at my rods then I guess I favor St. Croix (3 St. Croix to 1 G. Loomis) but I love that IMX that I have. I really can't pick between the two.

What exactly are you looking for in there? The owner's manual and registration card?

Sounds like I'm going to have to give some of that Yo-Zuri Hybrid Ultra Soft # 6 a try this spring. If it is like you say, almost 12 pound test that behaves more like a 6 or 8 pound line, I'll love the stuff to death. It sounds like the perfect line for my spinning rigs.

I don't know about losing feel. My 2 piece Avid is super sensitive, and is right up there with my IMX as my favorite rod. The IMX is of course more sensitive, but I was blown away by the Avid the first time I fished it at how sensitive it was for a 2 piece. 8-)

Put some ferrule wax onto the male end before putting the rod together and it should help. I haven't had my 2 piece Avid come apart on me. I love that rod!

I would imagine that since your braided line would be rated at a higher test than the rod is rated for, that alone would technically void your warranty.

I almost forgot about my Daiwa Regal. For what I paid for it, I don't think you can beat it. ;D By the way, the New Stradic is closer to the Stella than the Symetre.

Personally, I like Shimano so I would say that the Symetre is a great choice for the money. I happened to get my new Stradic FI 2500 for $80 this past Saturday, but since its not likely that you'll get the deal that I did, I'd say that the Symetre is a great choice. If you can find an "old" Stradic FH, they should probably go for around $90 on sale. Admittedly though, most places have probably sold out of the "old" Stradics by now.

I've never heard of them. I'm in northern NJ, btw.

Nice catch with those baits. Christmas came a little late for me too this year. I came home with a nice new Stradic FI 2500 for $80 on Saturday. (For those of you keeping score, that's a good $24 below dealer cost and $80 below MAP!) ;D I'm thinking that a second will wind up finding its way home with me by this coming Saturday, along with an Avid at a ridiculous price as well!

Nice fish! What rod and reel were you using? Looks like a Stradic FI and an IMX from the pics. ;D