flechero

Just to be clear, I meant that in a respectful manner.... If in fact you are an employee of Berrkley, you'll get a lot more feedback and better feedback by saying so than just "inquiring" about Berkley products in general. People would see it as an opportunity contribute to something meaningful... just promise me one thing- you won't change XT!! ...lol

sounds like a marketing persons inquiry. (as does the poll in tackle) If you search on each specific product you want info on, you'll probably have more reading than you care for! To stay on topic, I think the Berkley rods are good values in each of their respective price points. I'm also a diehard XT user.

mattm, downsize your hook next time you go out... the bigger the hooks or smaller the fish, the greater the chance a hook gap can reach the eye sockets. (have you caught a lot of smaller fish lately?) I'd bet that a smaller hook will cut your % down quite a bit. It's worth a try for a day.

I know. Consider this my dinner sized portion of crow, eaten in public. ...lol I don't think the numbers look right for either rod but since I don't have either of those models here to weigh out and prove, (right or wrong) I'll have to stick my foot in my mouth and call no joy.

Natural, can you post the link to the TT page you are referring to... last time I saw a TT review with weights posted the rods were not like models, thus furthering this very argument. I would like to see exactly which rods were compared... so I can either eat some public crow or satisfy my own suspicions. Thanks, keith

small bass, crappie, white bass, rainbow trout... etc. I built a ML St.Croix casting blank as a spinning rod and love it for finesse worms and small to med crank/ minnow baits and ultra clearwater t-rigs with 10lb or less line. A med or ML, X-fast is pretty typical for dropshot also. To each, his own... but down here and my style rarely gets anything below a MH but for other species or really clear water, I break out the above mentioned rod.

Read this... http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/annual/hunt/alligator/

Not to be crass but the line & lure info is often just a pro staffer's opinion based on a single field test... rarely is there an actual scientific measurement of the blank's capabilities. There are tons of examples of the same blank labeled for different applications with different weight lure and line specs. Having said that, I looked through some of my older All Star blank charts and didn't see a 7'2" spinning rod listed. I also checked the old All Star blank charts online (mudhole) and came up empty. As a total shot in the dark, a 7'2" med power sounds like one of the walleye rods.... is it a light tip and soft mid section?

Regardless of how light or how tough a graphite rod is... making a habit of airborning 4lb fish is a broken rod waiting to happen... no matter the brand. (the exception being an XH, maybe) Not to mention that the landing is hard on the fish. Kistler is no more brittle than whatever you are using right now. No, we don't.... no one has been willing to weigh the kistlers vs. other like models on the same scale. Been down that road a few times already in PM's and out of courtesy, I never posted the results. The argument is always the same... "kistler is as light as GLX..." and then no one will post actual weights on the forum....... why? because they are not lighter... they just have a longer handle and balance a shade better. Lengthen a handle on an ugly stick and it will balance out nicely. > I'm so tired of the BS. It will serve you well. (but just don't expect it to be GLX) Sorry kw, it's past debates that bring up this hostility, nothing in your post.

Doubtful... maybe you should wait until you are in Dallas or Rockwall in the near future and just buy them in person.

How many of you check your scales and how often? I ask because I've seen variances of over a pound (at 4 lbs) on a friends scale just last week. I only check each of mine about once a season unless I get a funny reading. The wife's dumbells are perfect, she has 3,5 & 8 pounders... so I can check it at 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16, etc. I can tell you for instance that my digital is about 2 oz. light at 5lbs and 8oz light at 11lbs. The point is that even with a scale, it's too often we are wrong just because we are too lazy to verify them. If you don't have the weights, a gallon of fresh water is about 8.3 lbs. Imagine Glenn finally getting his 10 only his scale reads a half pound light... :'( Sorry Glenn, it's just the example that came to mind but illustrates this perfectly. If your scale reads light, you'll want to know... if nothing else, you may get a PB that was otherwise thought to be just under. (if it reads heavy, be quiet! ;D just kidding! )

Dude, why do you disrespect the lady with a spinning reel on a casting rod? Just giving you grief! (I have to as a rodbuilder!) ...lol Congrats on the PB!!

RW, The electric blue shows no producs available in that color.... is that an error on the site or do they manage it well? (I'm too lazy to search through all the baits) Fordman, Another option- try Zoom's "Saphire Blue" or *** "Blue Bling." Zoom's "Electric Blue" is actually purple w/ glitter. Not sure about grubs, you'll have to look.

kw, Hopefully you just misunderstood him. Kistler buys pre made blanks from another company.... and Trey (Kistler) will not confirm the source. So my guess is that your builder just uses Batson blanks (as it's widely speculated that Kistler uses Batson blanks) and is trying to steer you in the direction of his custom vs. a Kistler. Any custom builder will do those things and much more.

I realize that you said in your opinion, but you have absolutely nothing to base that on. Why throw stones and why be so negative? Tackletour ranks right below the "water cooler" for factual industry information.

fishingfrenzy, I'm surprised that you had a bad experience with suffix. I have actually had great experience with it on my spinning reels... casts great, is very managable, strong and pretty abraision resisitant. I do buy all line by diameter, not listed # test as most lines are rated lower than they test. That is a "mine is stronger than yours" marketing thing between companies, that got out of hand years ago. In my own use, I find it to be very well behaved and stronger than many same sized dia. lines. How did you test abraision resistance? I'm curious because I break off less with it than with XL and spiderwire xxx mono, so just curious what your comparison or test was.

A custom rod would be much better than ANYTHING I got for my 18th B-day! I'll caution you this about spiral wraps... once you have one, all your other rods will become 2nd class. I had to replace all my rods once I had the 1st spiral. A spiral will greatly reduce the fatigue and torque, is less likely to break, will fish better since a builder actually static tested for guide placement and fit each component by hand. Add to that, you get to help design and pick out any and every detail... Depending on what kind of rod you want could influence who you get to build it. Give us a run down of what you think you want and we can make some recommendations. ReelMech's rod site: http://www.rod-crafting.com/ Search in the tacklemaking and rod sections here... there have been many threads on spirals and custom rods.

It comes and goes with me. Be sure to carry a 2 or 3 pc. rod in your bag... some of the best places on earth to fish are on golf courses... I usually let a group or two play through when I get to a good pond. ...lol

Yes... all the Sportsman's Warehouse stores carry them and several of the independent tackle stores. I think BPS or Cabela's does but can't remember which one I saw them at.

You should absolutely LOVE it! And it will probably become your favorite topwater rod also! Good choice. If you were in my neck of the woods, I would have said get the MXF but I think you did just right for your location.

I'm not picky, fresh and salt... the variety would be great! Thanks!

Great stuff! Just be sure to rinse the rods... I didn't build it for the salt!! (next time I'll know better than to trust you!!) Hey, On your next trip, how about a picture of a good striper with the handle section of the custom in the shot... I want to collect a few like that for the wall of the shop that I'm going to build. (actual catches, no substituting!) keith

I'm the wrong guy to get cranking advice from but I can help on the rod part of your question... for deep diving crankbaits, a heavy rod (physical weight, not power) will aid the dampening affect. You've heard people extole the greatness of glass- have you wondered why not a mod to mod-fast rod in graphite? It's the weight of the rod that makes it even better. (for anyone that doesn't know, glass is heavier than graphite.) A low speed reel also helps.

W/o grabbing a few reels to check, I'm just guessing but I don't think any of them are balanced exactly. Do remember though, since the reel's feet are 2" or more in length, any percieved balance issue would be subtle.

Temple Fork Outfitters... is a must on your list of rods to test cast.