Stasher1

x2 I've handled the Compre and owned the next step up (Crucial) and there was never anything about the Compre that impressed me at all. I tried to like them and went to BPS on a couple different occasions to buy one, but once I had it in my hands I lost all desire to own one. It's funny the previous poster mentioned the Extreme, since the last time I went to BPS looking for a Compre I left with two Extremes instead. That's actually an Extreme in my avatar.

I'm not a big fan of split grip rods and just sold my last one. If I'm casting for distance I often use two hands, and that means one of my hands winds up on the blank. It's a minor thing, but it bothers me for some reason. I also see it as a marketing gimmick, especially on the Mojo. The Mojo is made in the same factory in Mexico as the Triumph, which uses the same blank. There's less cork on the Mojo yet it's more expensive than the Triumph. Maybe purple paint is more expensive than black paint. ;D

As a general rule, calling customer service on a weekend is a waste of time. The time to call CS is when the upper management are in their offices. As a wise man once said "Never accept a NO from someone who lacks the authority to give you a YES." It's entirely possible that it's supposed to be that way, but from a manufacturing perspective it make very little sense. Since the company can't be sure that the buyer will mend with their left hand, it makes no sense to offset the guide to the left.

As I said in my initial post, it doesn't appear to effect the function at all, as it's just a stripper guide. It just doesn't look right. I have since bought two more expensive rods, and neither one have crooked stripper guides. This rod will primarily be used for bream and bluegill on a local pond, so an expensive rod would be a waste of money. It's a Redington, a subsidiary of Sage.

I bought a rod at the end of last month from an online vendor and hadn't really used it until the other day. When I did, I noticed this... The manufacturer's website says that I have to pay for shipping it back to them and pay another $30 to cover shipping a replacement rod. :-/ This is a fly rod and that crooked guide is the first stripper guide. It doesn't appear to effect the function of the rod, but it's all I see every time I pick it up. It's not an expensive rod (retail $60-$80), so knowing that, would you eat the shipping both ways (~$40) to exchange it or just deal with it? I'm going to call their customer service dept. on Monday and see what they have to say, but I wanted to get some opinions first.

Gary Loomis teamed up with Temple Fork Outfitters to create the Gary Loomis Signature Series Casting Rods I don't think at a $99 price point that North Fork is building the blanks for these rods. I do think Gary was instrumental in the overall design of the rods The last low end modules blank 7' M/H/F I ordered from North Fork was $135.00 retail just for the blank....... Just the thoughts of a rod builder...... TFO's low-end fly rods start at $109, so the price isn't all that surprising.

Actually the Triumph retails for $60-$70, which is about what the Extreme sells for when they're on sale. The Extreme isn't a bad rod, just a bit heavy. I'm sure it'll be fine, though.

Where are you located? I have a Kistler Magnesium TS cranking rod for sale on a local forum for $100. I didn't list it here because I really didn't feel like shipping it... Just like this one: http://www.tackledirect.com/kistler-mgajcbsggm70-alton-jones-crankbait-casting-rod.html

I actually thought about that episode earlier today. I was fly fishing and hit myself in the back of the head with a big bass popper. It stung a bit but didn't stick in, fortunately.

I keep a 2 piece 6'6" St. Croix Triumph and a Mitchell 308Xe in the car/truck almost all the time. I keep it spooled with 20# PowerPro braid which isn't as likely to be effected by the temperature extremes encountered in a car's trunk as monofilament lines. I also keep a Plano 4600 full of terminal tackle, a small handful of soft plastics, a couple spinnerbaits, and a couple jerkbaits in the trunk along with a small insulated lunch box containing several bags of soft plastics, a knife, needlenose pliers, and a small LED flashlight.

d**n man, that sounds like a country song.

I have an AVS68MXF that I love for lighter jigs and t-rigged soft plastics. If you're looking for a general-purpose rod, the AVS66MF or AVS70MF would probably work well. The Avis Pearl is aimed towards the female angler. If that describess you, it might not be a bad choice either.

I'd spend the majority of your budget on the rod and pick up a cheaper reel. Something along the lines of a St. Croix Avid and a Shimano Sahara. The combo would run about $250-$260 and would last you many years. If you wanted to save a little money, opt for the Pflueger President instead of the Sahara.

Why SD jam instead of palomar on treble hooked lures? Is the SD jam better on a split ring? It's not that it's better, it's just easier. Spinnerbaits and treble hooked lures can be a PITA with a palomar. The SD Jam doesn't require you to pass the lure back through a loop.

Aren't they basically an Asaro with dual braking? If that's the case, order a gear set for an Asaro (6.4:1) and swap them out. ETA: Or you could buy the Asaro I have listed in the Flea Market... ;D

I don't see anything new there. That kind of stuff has been done for quite a while now in the fly fishing world.

You can fly fish for bass too... And an 8wt would be about right for LM's...at least around here.

One of my favorite rods, and one of the only non-St. Croix rods left in my "collection" http://cgi.ebay.com/QUANTUM-TOUR-PT-PTC6106FKV-610-MED-HVY-BAITCAST-ROD_W0QQitemZ310200892573QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item483969fc9d

I have owned both. The Citica is long gone but the Asaro remains.

Many school also require phys. ed. teachers to teach another subject in addition to phys. ed., or at least be qualified to teach another class.

Personally, I'd much rather spend $200 on the rod and $100 on the reel. I'd take the Premier back and exchange it for an Avid or LTB and pick up a Symetre instead of the CI4. The sensitivity difference between the Premier and Avid is substantial. Of the choices listed, though, I'd opt for the 2500. The 1000 would probably be fine functionally, but the rod will feel noticeably tip heavy with a reel that light. I have the same rod paired with a Pflueger Arbor 7430 (8.5 oz) and the combo balances very well and is only slightly tip heavy, which is the way I prefer my spinning rigs.

Sounds like a Carolina Rig combo to me.

I firmly believe KVD could burn a sexy shad painted dog turd through a puddle in a Kmart parking lot and catch something. It's more about the man and his technique than the particular spinnerbait he has tied on at the time. The lake (pond) I typically fish is very shallow and weedy with slightly stained water. If you don't burn it, you'll catch nothing but green slime. I've had best luck with a Stanley Wedge in Golden Bream (gold willow/willow) with a short piece of Green Sunfish colored ring worm or green pumpkin/chartruse hook-tail worm as a trailer.

I agree. The current mid-level BPS reels routinely go on sale for $60-$80, so used ones will bring substantially less. The ones you have are also discontinued models, which decreases their resale value even more. I think tbird's price quote is pretty accurate.

3600's in the kayak/canoe or bank fishing, 3700's everywhere else.