Slip Gun

X2!!! I have a IMX MH and a H - MH is great for general spinner baits and the H is fantastic for messy weeds. 6'6 is a good all around size for it.

One can also view it from the point of view that many would have never bought those rods in the first place if they had not provided that warranty. I am hard on gear and would never spend that kind of money on a rod if i didn't know it came with an above and beyond warranty. Call it an excessive perk if you will... I call it the reason I chose G Loomis. What you are missing is that this warranty sold many of the rods. If you don't believe this that's like saying you didn't factor in the bonus a company was offering when you decided to change jobs. It's a perk you are counting on. Slip Gun, you make a good point and I cannot disagree but no other company offers anything close to the Xpeditor program (even with the price increase and limit) so the Loomis rods are still a great deal. IMHO. "Dobyns Rods 'No Hassle' Warranty Alternative If you need to get a replacement rod immediately for that fishing trip tomorrow, simply take the damaged rod to your local Dobyns Rods Dealer and pay them a $60 replacement fee. They will keep your damaged rod and give you a new, same model rod, in return. No questions asked, no shipping, no waiting or wondering about warranty claim charges. This replacement is dependent on the dealer having inventory of your damaged rod model and their willingness to participate in this program. " From what I hear this can be done easily over the phone and have it shipped.... but I can't say from first hand experience. But it looks worth giving a try at my talent at breaking my favorite toys

One can also view it from the point of view that many would have never bought those rods in the first place if they had not provided that warranty. I am hard on gear and would never spend that kind of money on a rod if i didn't know it came with an above and beyond warranty. Call it an excessive perk if you will... I call it the reason I chose G Loomis. What you are missing is that this warranty sold many of the rods. If you don't believe this that's like saying you didn't factor in the bonus a company was offering when you decided to change jobs. It's a perk you are counting on.

.... guess it is time to give Dobyns a try... :-[

I had both a Citica E and a Revo S. I gave the Revo S away and still use the Citica E daily. Buy the Citica

Welcome! My best advice - stop trying more baits... tie on a worm and follow the guide for worming. Don't change that bait till you catch one. A senko will do it if anything will!

Two things not included in the calculation 1) Sales tax on the books you buy (Sales tax on renting will be less) 2) Some books will have new editions released and the may not buy them back at the end of the year.

Welcome! I agree on the Senko's. Most of my fish are caught on those and spinner baits. Keep fishing and one day you will be catching oodles of fish and not be 100% sure what you were doing so different... you just get better slowly

Welcome fellow Virginian ! Yes senkos are fantastic... if I were you I would have a look at ***. They last long and cost less.

One 1/2 oz rattle trap, a handful of War Eagle spinner baits, one spro frog junior, and the remainder I would fill with *** trick sticks 5 inch and 3 inch and regular and baby bush bugs and along with 2/0 and 5/0 gammie hooks and a small selection of weights. I could fish all summer on that supply.

I have a friend who owns a rod manufactering company in Korea. They spin their own blanks and such he said that no matter how expensive the rod is the blank it's self when it's first made costs no more than 15$ for even the extremely top end rods like the 1,000 evergreen the rest of the cost is componets and then from there they like to make at least 100% profit but try fo 200% if they can I am a rod builder for a living for a small manufacturer/saltwater retail store in the northeast. You guys would be amazed by the cost of some "high end" blanks from major manufacturers if you're on their top end programs. I could build a SCV St Croix with Fuji titanium guides for under $200. Things that drive the costs up are Matagi seats which can run $30+ wholesale but a simple Fuji ESC seat runs only $3-$5. That being said, why don't I build freshwater rods my self. Well, I have. But when you make rods 8-10 hours a day it's a job and not a hobby. uh-oh, now it's really going to hit the fan ... The point I was trying to make was after a certain price point high end rods become a profit machine for manufacturers. If I broke down the Vendetta into pieces and used a Chinese blank such as a Rainshadow. A similar blank would cost about $5 in China. I'm pretty sure they use Pacific Bay guides which here in the states would cost $8-10 wholesale buying oem from PacBay. The EVA grips are are pennies and the Fuji seat maybe $2-3. Including the labor that rod would cost about $17-$19 to make. Now if you have to box it ship to the US via sea shipment and Big Rock Sport's(Henry's which is a major wholesale distributor) buys it from Abu for a 25-30% markup($25) then Henry's wholesales it for $37-$42 depending on model: which is a fact. Then it goes to small tackle shop for $79.99. Big box stores buy direct from Abu allowing them to make more profit. What is being forgotten here is the difference between a high end rod and a low end rod is partly parts - partly they money poured into design. For instance a Gloomis GLX - imagine how many people have spent how many hours to design the blank and decide where exactly to mount all the parts. Rods that expensive do not sell in huge quantity so economies of scale does not help as much as it could. Now think about advertising, warranty, ect. When you buy something you are paying for much more then the components to build it. If you were paying just for the components to make things you would get every piece of software from the store for under 3 bucks. : Edit : Also don't forget you probably need more expensive machines for the higher quality blanks to have the quality control.

Hey guys - I was just looking at buying one of these during the sale and the warranty concerns me a little. It looks according to this I can't get the 'no hassle' warranty unless I have a dealer near me which I do not believe I do. Anyone had to use this yet and have any experience on it? Thanks guys! " Dobyns Rods 'No Hassle' Warranty Alternative If you need to get a replacement rod immediately for that fishing trip tomorrow, simply take the damaged rod to your local Dobyns Rods Dealer and pay them a $60 replacement fee. They will keep your damaged rod and give you a new, same model rod, in return. No questions asked, no shipping, no waiting or wondering about warranty claim charges. This replacement is dependent on the dealer having inventory of your damaged rod model and their willingness to participate in this program. "

Spend the money on the braid - 50-65 lb braid is really what you want to use. Remember a spro frog is $9. Spend the extra little bit on the braid and keep that frog forever. You only need to lose one to make the investment worthwhile and the lack of stretch REALLY helps with your hook sets.

Just make sure you go near a nice path so you can go for a walk if shes gets bored - and don't bring all your gear or that walks gonna suck .

Quality! Nothing puts a smile on my face like the Gloomis GLX worm and jig rod. Even if I did not catch anything all day the feeling of that rod just makes the trip. Personally I don't understand wanting lots of fishing rods when I could have 6 very high quality rods - one for each technique. Get one you love for each technique and enjoy the water. Who wants to carry that many anyways?