BrASSmonkey

There seems to be some bias in your opinion there. And your post suggests that all rods should be built the same length since it is based on angler height rather than technique. I am no rod building expert. But, while one's comfort using rod's of a particular length will be very closely related to the angler's own physical dimensions; some of the physicical benefits and detractions of a long rod will remain constant regardless of angler. For example, a longer rod will always move more line on a hookset than a shorter rod. It is physics. A longer rod may not fit into a rod locker. Longer rods allow an angler to cast further, but give more leverage to the fish. All of these things are true regardless of angler height. IMO, a good rod builders will take the above into consideration in addition to a customer's preferences and physical attributes when recommending a length to a customer. A 7' rod may be perfectly comfortable to one angler, while it may be completely unwieldy to another. So, while I agree that you should not take recommendations on length on good faith; I do recommend that you learn the reasons particular lengths are recommended. Then go to a store, pick up some rods and determine for yourself a) whether they are comfortable; and whether you agree with the reported reasons that a longer rod are superior to a shorter rod in a particular circumstance.

There is a small weight savings.

This

I always have a soft palstic trailer (I think yum makes the twin tail trailer that I use) I also always have a trailer hook on there. I too have caught numerous fish just on the trailer hook, and like the added confidence it provides. I use 30-50 lb briad. I fish my spinners just above heavy weeds, and like the braid for ripping the spinnerbaits through the weed tops. I use a 7' MH fast action rod for spinnerbaits. The length is really for distance (I want a 6'9" for better control), The action is to make ripping the spinnerbait out of the weeds easier.

Jigs and C rigs for me this year with a splash of chatterbait.

Then I have found the orange contrasts nicely against green or stained waters. The line can be hard to see if you have brighter colours behind the line, such as bright reflections, or against the sky for example.

The angler's visibility or the fish's visibility? As far as the angler's ability to see it, I use the orange because I like the contrast so I can see the line. I am unsure about fish being able to see it because I use a fluorocarbon leader.

MHX SJ781 custom baitcasting rod. Paired with a Sol, it is superlight, balanced and a blast to fish with.

I have caught all of 1 fish on each of these. One of my goals this year is to become more proficient in jig fishing. Perhaps I will add chatterbaiting as another goal. Last season, my goals were to become confident in using soft plastics and lipless crankbaits, and ended up being very successful with both of these lures/presentations. By setting up a bunch of rules for my outtings last year, and sticking to them, I was able to force myself to learn these new (to me) techniques.

Weightless. I toss em out, then let them sink slowly until they get to my target depth. I begin my retrieve which consists of a couple of jerks or twitches, followed by slock to allow it to flutter back down. I try to mimic an injured baitfish that will struggle and kick, then go limp before repeating this.

I find that with spinning gear, I tend to use a hard snap when casting. However, when i use baitcasting gear, I try to make sure my casting motion is much more smooth in order to allow the spool to accelerate proportionally to the speed of the lure flying. I find when I snap cast, the line flies off the spool initially really fast, but the lure's flight does not maintain the speed to keep up with the line coming off the reel. It seems to me that a smoother cast does not do this as badly. Also, with respect to accuracy; aside from the aforementioned lure weight, I find that my release point with a smooth casting motion is different than with a snap cast. In general, I tend to release the line sooner in teh casting motion with a baitcaster as compared to a spinning reel. I have actually had problems releasing the line too early when going back to spinnning gear, and sending the bait almost straight up. I once sent the bait backwards, but the line slipping off my finger... I swear...

I was using mon with a 7' MH mod-fast rod and found that there was way more stretch on a hookset than I liked. So, I switched to braied with a fluoro leader, and have been happy with the setup up. While the fish hooking itself through smooth tightening is a potential advantage of cranking rods, the slow action is better for keeping the tension on the line, which helps to prevent the fish from using the mass of the lure to spit the hook during headshakes and direction changes. I also find that there is also some shock absorption from the thump of deep crankbaits.

I spent $320 CDN for a 7:1 JM Carbonlite for my brother and a Daiwa T3 Ballistic HS for myself.

I believe you are referring to one of the TD-Ito reels. Myself? Custom 6'9" MH Fast spiral wrapped micros with a TDZ-103H

They don't look like carbon fiber washers from the picture.

While I do agree that a lot of the marketing hype out there regarding new rods is just that - hype; I have done my research to come to my own conclusions and develop my own opinions of what I feel is a sensitive and comfortable rod to fish with. I am not going to argue for or against the merits of any manufacturers claims since it appears to be obvious that everyone has a different perception of what sensitivity is; how to gauge sensitivity; and what level of sensitivity is needed for fishing. I think it can be concluded that each person will come to their own conclusions as to whether the added pricetag of advanced materials and engineering, refined design and manufacturing are worth it. However, in the end, I pay what I pay for my fishing gear for one reason above all - personal enjoyment. I know that I am not a great angler, otherwise I would be doing it professionally. I know that spending more on my gear may or may not allow me to put more fish in the boat over the course of a season. Frankly, I am mostly a C&R fisherman; so the number of fish I catch in a year has no real impact on my life. What does have an impact is how happy I am when I am fishing. I buy/make mid-higher end gear because it makes me happy to own, build, modifyand use the gear I do. My fishing experience is improved because of it, and that is all that matters. I have multiple rod and reel combos, boxes full of lures, a boat, etc. not because it helps me catch more fish necessarily (literally speaking it can't because we have a 1 line limit where I fish), but because it makes me happy. And if a 'more sensitive' combo makes you happy because you think it gives you an edge, then more power to you.

I see a trend here. Where the angler holds the rod/reel with the trigger between the third and pinky fingers, they tend to like the ACS reel seat. Otherwise, no. I fall into the former and love the ACS reel seat. Holding the rod/reel as I do provides the best balance for me. Thus, the preference for ACS. All of my custom rods have been built with ACS reel seats.

I have 2 spinning combos - 1 medium power that is always rigger with a follow up bait/senko, and 1 ultralight for panfishing. Truth be told, Because I have been using soft plastics much more this year, I have not used my spinning reel all that much since I have been using my baitcasters to throw soft plastics. I also simply love fishing with a baitcaster that much more than spinning gear. I find them more comfortable too.

I would definitely agree with this.

I agree with these options. But don't forget that you need an equally light/ultralight rod that loads properly with these weights in order to cast them.

I am a big fan of the MHX rods as well. They are very high ont he value list for me. Nice, light blanks. Congrats on your custom rod!

Microguides, if placed properly, should not negatively affect casting distance. Many report that they actually reduce line slap during casts, improving casting distance. The other benefit as a result of the weight savings is a more balanced and sensitive rod.

I agree with .RM. on the first point. Each builder will have different experience with different blanks, and will have different preferences. You should go with a builder you trust, who fishes for the same targets species/techniques. A good builder can strip and re-use your GLX's. That would be a tough one for me to swallow since the rods are high end already lol. Minimal return for the cost imo. Improvements are possible, but very small return on investment.

But the OP was asking if a custom rod (ostensibly $$$) is better than an NRX (also $$$), so this wasn't a question of spending the money on a high end rod - it was assumed in the question that the money would be spent. The question was whether a custom rod for equivalent money is better. I also like the analogy of the suit. Mass produced products are designed (by the 100 engineers) for the vast majority of the target demographic, and will, in all likeliness, satisfy that majority. The aesthetics, design (grip length,guide spacing, seat and grip configuration), components are selected to satisfy most of the perceived wants of the target demographic. They design a single series of rods for anglersm whereas custm builders will design a single rod for a single angler. Therein lies the niche for custom builders. If you have ever spent big money on a rod, and thought, "This rod is great, but i wish it had...", then a custom rod is the solution. Custom rod builders build one-offs for the minority that the mass produced product did not satisfy. On top of that, if a custom rod builder uses static testing for guide placement, then those rods will utilize the actual characteristics of the rod to a higher degree than rods build using templates. (I am unsure if the high end production rods are indeed individually static tested or built from templates, but I suspect the latter). Each blank, despite being the exact same power and action as another, will vary to a degree. Accounting for this variation in each build translates to a performance gain. The majority of components, with the notable exception of proprietary components, are available to rod builders, levelling that playing field. What rod builders lack is the economy of scale for purchasing components. How much of these savings are transferred to the consumer? Chances are you save on the advertising costs when you buy custom. And frankly, most of the innovations and trends in rods were developed by custom rod builders first. I will not rehash the other benefits that DVT has already identified previously. In the end, custom rods are worth it IF those things on the production rods which you are unsatisfied with, are big enough in your eyes to force you to go custom. In the end, they will all catch fish.

I also cast 2 handed virtually all of the time. It is more a comfort thing for me. I don't like the feel of casting one handed.