Bassoholics Anonymous

So, I've been drooling over a nice new Curado 201E7 for quite some time now. Lets say I could get a Chronarch 101BSV (old model if I'm not mistaken) on sale for $180ish. Would this be a better deal than a Curado E7 at around $150 or so? :-?

Would a Curado D for $129.99 be a good deal? I know its the previous model, but they're still nice, right?

I figure on fishing my rods until they DO break, however long that may be, and when they do, hello new model courtesy of St. Croix, G.Loomis, or Shimano. ;D

Well, since I wouldn't get the Shimano warranty from ebay, that's a no-go. http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1245794847/0#2 I guess I'll just wait until I can snag one on sale.

Thanks, but I forgot to mention that I tend to avoid e-bay if I can. Some not so great experiences in the past. :-/ I might just cave, though...

So, I'm set on a Curado 201E7 to replace the Shimano Coriolis I have. I actually "got" it for Christmas back in December, but I never got around to ordering it (parents ordered it, went back-ordered two days before Christmas, gave me an IOU...and I've been really busy :-[). The local shops (what are left of them, anyway) won't budge from $179.99 and I am having trouble finding good deals online. Does anyone have any tips on where I can get a decent deal? At this point, paying $179.99 after all is said and done doesn't look like such a bad deal after seeing how much shipping will cost (~$17 at Cabelas).

Shipping back to St. Croix would run you more. Not a bad deal imo. Some sales associate wasnt doing their job very well. ;D At the Dicks by me, you could probably stand in the fishing dept all day long and no one would even say a word to you. :-/

Avid or Crucial.

I got my Crucial for under $120 on sale a few weeks ago.

Stradic. The Sustain is sweet, but IMO, the law of diminishing returns really kicks in above the Stradic on Shimano's lineup.

I tend to use 8 pound for spinning. I find it to be the best compromise between strength and castability for spinning.

Either will be a great rod, but I'm partial to Loomis. With that said, the last rod I bought was a Crucial because of the price. I love my IMX, but that Crucial I got is super sensitive, too. I do have to wonder if they share R&D, since it would be a waste of money for them not to.

I like cork. Not as durable, but IMO it just feels better in my hand.

Premier and Compre are both nice rods. If you can spare a few bucks more, I would try to go for a Crucial over either, but out of the two, the Compre might be the better deal. I have two Premiers and they're great rods. One of the best rods, dollar for dollar, is probably Shimano, though. The lifetime warranty is a big factor in my opinion. St. Croix and Shimano have both taken care of me in the past, but 5 years versus lifetime OTC... no-brainer on that front.

Either way, I hope you are able to get it replaced. its my understanding that they ship the rod to you first and you ship the broken one back in the tube they provided. if you dont ship it back, they charge you for it. i dont know how they would repair the damaged rod if they already mailed you a replacement... That's if you use their Xpediter service. If you use the normal warranty, you send it in first... http://www.gloomis.com/publish/content/gloomis/en/g__loomis_homepage/customerservice/warrantyinformation.html See - two options.

That's one option. The other would be to use the normal warranty, but it isn't "No questions asked" if I'm not mistaken. Might wind up paying the extra few bucks anyway. To the OP: You also might try seeing if the shop you bought it from can do anything for you. I used to work at a Loomis dealer a little while back, and we returned rods for people from time to time. Loomis never charged us return shipping on the rods and never asked us any questions. We only charged shipping to Loomis, but we did try to take care of the people who kept us in business (small shop).

Loomis warranty service is second to none.

Most sensitive I've owned - G. Loomis IMX Most sensitive I've held - G. Loomis GLX

As a kid I had a $50 or so Browning probably about 10 years ago. It didn't seem like a bad rod, but I never caught a single fish on it. :-[ Somehow it shattered into a few pieces after falling over on a parking lot. Soon after I got another rod and I've been catching fish ever since. I caught fish before on a Zebco and after on my first St. Croix, but never on that Browning.

Also add a few bucks and a glossy finish to the AVC models compared to the AC models, and I'd say you're spot on.

I don't know if I'd keep it in the car all the time, but I happen to love my 2-piece, 6'6 Medium Fast St. Croix Avid. I've got it paired with a Stradic 2500 FH and it's pretty sweet. Right now, its my second favorite rod next to my IMX, but I've yet to try out the Crucial casting rod I bought last week. From first impressions I'm sure I'll like this rod quite a bit, too. If you're really just going to leave it in the car...idk, multi-piece Ugly Stik due to their durability and being relatively inexpensive?

Seconded. I have the 722 and it is by far my favorite rod.

I really like my 2-piece Avid, but I do find myself using my other rods a little more lately. In terms of sensitivity, I don't notice much of a difference if any. I got it mainly for backwoods stuff, where a 1 piece would be bouncing around in the truck mercilessly or hitting branches left and right. I honestly couldn't ask for a better rod for that. ;D I'd have been in there with some goggles or something if that happened to me.

My G. Loomis IMX is my favorite rod, but I have a few St. Croixs, and they're a close number 2.

I sent my Stradic in last month and was replaced rather quickly. Of course, the replacement was kind of dinged up in a few spots and missing small bits of paint. I'm not exactly too pleased, since the reel I sent in was pristine. > Shimano doesn't replace, they repair. The guy on the phone said specifically that they would be replacing it instead of repairing it, because the parts needed would not be available until March. Also, the note in the box with the reel says "Replaced reel under warranty at no charge". Anyway, it probably got a little banged up in shipping. Besides where the tiny bits of paint came off, it looks fine. Feels smoother, so I guess that's all that really matters. Back on the IMX it goes. ;D