skeletor6

Well, U would have to say my Blue NRX 893c, but I am guessing you are asking rods for about $100. For $100 I would not get a brand new rod. I would look for a used Powell Max/Endurance, Shimano Cumara, St. Croix Avid, etc.. Your money will go much further and the quality of rods is much better at those levels.

Wow, another horror story from BTD. At least the customer service was friendly with you. They seem to have serious issues with their inventory from my experience. Also, you can order a product from them, wait two weeks and then hear that it is not in stock or wait two weeks for it to be shipped. Then a rod comes back broke, it could be a month until you get your product. I am sorry to hear about your experience. It is hard enough waiting a couple days to receive stuff online, especially if you are excited to get it. A rod shipped from a supplier should be shipped in a way that is basically indestructible. Shipping companies are notorious for being rough on their packages, it has to be assumed they will not take care of it and packaged in a way to protect against mishandling. TW, THUT, and tackletrap have all served me well so far. BTD just does not seem to get it. Seems like they would figure out why some people refuse to take part in their "sales".

The rod will justify itself. No worries, buy once cry once.

I have the Lews' and have the Cuarado, both perform well, but I do feel like the Lew's has a more cheap plastic feeling to it. Not saying it isn't durable, just something to consider. I could care less about bearing count and Multi-system-breaking, I put the Lews and a Curado on a NRX 893c side-by-side and the Curado casts smoother and is more consistent and easier to dial in IMHO. Just my 2 cents.

Fenwick Elite Tech Smallmouth M/XF Light, sensitive and it performs well above its price-point. They can be found for about $100 easily.

The elite/legend St. Croix rods are more comparable to the GLX series rods from Loomis. The NRX's kind of stand on their own platitude as far as sensitivity goes. You will feel more with the NRX series rods, but I guess it depends on what you mean by a "huge difference". To me, the difference is worth it, but to others it may not be. Either way, with the sale that is going on right now, you will not have a problem getting your money back. What rod are you looking at getting?

Thanks for the information Quillback. I did some searching on TT and found bantam1 addressing the issue of the different finish on the NRX green blank. Basically, he was saying that at most the new finish adds 2 grams to each rod on average. Something that he thought was negligible. I also contacted a highly respectable rod builder who did say any added materials or weight to a blank will, in some form, take away from the sensitivity of the rod. Most likely, in this scenario, the finish on the Green NRX's is not going to take away from the sensitivity of the rod in a "noticeable" way. One speculation I have is that if you look at the Blue NRX's you will notice that there is a section where the rod specs are that have the same exact finish as the entirety of the NRX green rods. Is that a different paint job? Its hard to say, to me it looks more like a finish on top of the paint. Does anyone else have a NRX green and blue to verify the similarity between the entire green blank and the section of the blue rods with that finish? Perhaps the new paint has some sort of clear coat or epoxy material mixed in with it. Looking at lets say a Shimano Cumulus rod, they leave the entire blank just painted and unfinished after the first guide. This sort of finish feels very similar to the finish on a NRX blue rod and nothing like an NRX green rod. After hearing bantam's comments, and the observations of my rods, I am under the assumption that there is more of a finish on the Green rods than the Blue. When comparing the NRX blue vs NRX green, the greens balance point without a reel on it is exactly 1 inch further down the blank and with a Curado 50e on each blank it is 1/4 inch further down the blank. Not a huge difference, but enough for me to prefer the blue over the green even though the green matches better with my reels. Also to note, differences in balance could be variance between rods. Its hard to say with just a 2 rod sample. Lpquick: "Bantam1 do you know if the green rods are heavier then the blue and does the finish affect the rods sensitivity and action?" Shimanogloomis man: "yes i would like to know also and it seems the blank has a clear coat on the rod not the the blue nrx rods which means they will be heavier?" Bantam1 (Shimano customer support): "The increase in weight will be maybe 2 grams at most. It will not affect the performance or sensitivity."

Depending on the power you desire, I would get the GLX 894 or the GLX 895. Both are very comfortable and sensitive rods with plenty of backbone and the perfect length imho.

Actually the new GLX's are very nice rods. The changes they made from previous versions has made the new GLX's a much stronger competitor to the NRX then in the past. With the glx line, you also get more exotic flavors such as the 894 and 895. With that said, if you are looking to get a 3 powered rod I would go NRX and get the 893c. Its the best rod in their lineup imho. If you want something with more backbone I would get the GLX 894. I have 4 NRX's and my next buy will be a GLX. Something about the 7'5" rods that loomis makes is just an absolute joy to fish with. You're talking effortless casting and loads of sensitivity.

As harsh as it may be, Kickerfish is right in what he is saying. Most rods do not cover the entire 1/4-3/4 oz weight ranges. Not saying that you can't take a rod and go out and cover all of these weights, but in reality rods usually have a much smaller range for which they fish well. A 3/4oz bait with a trailer is a large difference from tossing something that is truly 1/4oz. It takes the right rod to load and cast 1/4oz bait accurately and consistently. Most rods that can cast 1/4oz baits well are overpowered when it comes to 3/4oz baits and vice versa. I have found rod manufacturer's ratings to be off pretty much across the board. The actual ranges for which they fish well is usually much smaller than advertised. Just my 2 cents.

And most likely tax free! I would buy a new one off TW considering the sale they are having. That opens you up to the 893 also which is my favorite rod of the NRX lineup. Just something to consider.

I would go with the curado. Two reels in completely different price ranges though. Two reels is only better than one if you need two.

That's the grey area. Is the shop he buying from certified for the warranty. Most likely it is, but you better make sure because you will highly regret it if something goes wrong on your retail $500 rod.

Depends on your needs. The 873 is a a more powerful rod. It has more power than than even the 854. So if you are looking for a rod to handle 3/4 oz jigs then this is the way to go. If the 853 is similar in power to 893's then the max weight I would throw is 1/2oz. Very versatile and sensitive rods the NRX's are. I started out with only one and I got hooked. Now I have 4 and still have to hold back from more. The most sensitive rods on the market right now imho. I've heard good things about the new model GLX's as well. Specifically how comfortable they are. Loomis makes some quality high end gear. I will say this again though just because of its importance. You need to be eligible for a wild card for that rod to be a good deal. Good luck!

Make 100% sure you qualify for the wild card warranty***If so, not a bad deal. Most rep samples are in perfect condition. Much better than a pre-owned rod imho. Also I prefer the blues due to the bare/unepoxied blank. Just something to think about. Is the 853 the only one available at the shop?

During an online sale or perhaps used a Phenix Recon 715c is where my money would be at. Extremely light, sensitive and powerful rod. Excellent for fishing jigs and texas rigs. I enjoy light equipment and under 4 ounces is pretty special for a rod tossing 3/4oz jigs. Another option would be a discontinued Shimano Cumara if you can find one. Perhaps the cuc-74h or cuc-77h. Hard to find though. Some others to throw in the mix would be a used Loomis imx mbr844c. Great old school rod I love mine and they are readily found for about $150. Also an Avid as mentioned earlier seems to be a fan by many. What length do you prefer?

To me the biggest downfall of this rod series is all the competition there is in its price range. The savvy is surely a step up from $100 rods but once you venture into that territory you begin to enter some of tthe highest price to performance gear out there. Whether it is powell max's and endurances or avids/recons/m1s/crucials etc. And really the discontinued cumaras are a steal if you find them on discount which is not too difficult. Sure some of these rods are priced above and below but not by much. I encourage before you make a decision you try and fish other comparable brands to see what feels best to YOU. By no means are these rods bad, but from having a chance to fish comparable priced rods side by side I was not impressed with the overall sensitivity and crispness delivered by the rod. The balance was exceptional which holds true with all of dobyns and they are an excellent way to get rods longer than 7' that actually balance, but i feel that Dobyns really starts to seperate themselves from other companies is at the Champion series level. I feel at this level they stand out and at the savvy level they blend in. These are just MY opnions having fished a buddy of mines dobyns savvys and champions next to a powell max, shimano cumara, st croix LTB (all purchased cheaper than the savvy) and other rods not comparable in range. Take note, these are just my sole experiences and everyones will differ. Just wanted to offer my experiences and maybe shed some info on how competitive and good rods start to become when you step uo to this level.

Tried yozuri 12lb. Was not overly thrilled with its memory and sensitivity that it offered. With that said it was a very strong and versatile line. I still use it today as backing but found out I much rather would use premium fluoro for everything sinking. Not at all bitter about the line and at the time I did not have kvd l&l which would have helped with the memory and at the price of about $12 for 600 yards its hard to beat. I wouldnt hesitate recommending this line to someone on a budget. Also, with its strength to diameter ratings it wouldn't be a bad choice to put on spinning gear where you can get good strength out of smaller diameters.

Even if a company determines the lure rating and action, it does not mean that these ratings are correct. Many companies interpret such information differently, and it can even vary within the companies different productions lines. The most accurate weight to measure a rods action is to secure it to a horizontal surface, add a specific amount of weight that will be pull the line and consequently the rod tip down, then get a protractor and measure the angle for which it deflects. 68, 70, 72 degrees are far more representative then a company saying "fast" or "extra fast". The slower or less steep of angle of deflection, the slower the action is. Whether you call that moderate, fast, etc. is up to you. The best way I have found to measure a lure weighting is to go out and try it. Many rods to have a specific range for which they performed best. When you are out fishing it is easy to tell if a rod is overloaded (too heavy of bait) or if it is underloaded. It is particularly easy to tell when casting. If you are having severe trouble casting say 1/4oz baits and your technique is sound then the rod probably is below its bottom range. If the rod feels completely overloaded while casting say 3/4oz jigs w/ trailer then you are probably above the rods upper range. The entire casting and retrieval process should be smooth and feel natural. Casting, for the most part, should be fluid, consistent, and smooth. Of course, your reel and technique come in to play, but I have found that casting a nice rod in its rod range is a tough cast to mess up. It can also be helpful to ask other experienced members who have the same rod as you to ask them what their observations are. Say, if you are looking at purchasing "X" rod, but you want to know if it is true to its ratings. There is probably someone on this forum that owns this rods and many others that can give you an idea of its action and range. Maybe not exact measurements of degrees of deflection, but be able to give comparisons that are meaningful. Good luck, if you need anymore help let us know.

Word!

I like the improved clinch. Nothing wrong with the polamar knot though. I can tie the improved clinch on mono and fluoro too no problems. I do not tie a polamar knot on fluoro. The most important part is that you tie correctly and make good clean knots. If something doesnt look right then retie. Most knots will work just fine if tied right. Whereas any knot can have problems if tied incorrectly.

Second this. The fj is a great reel. May be getting 2 of them soon. Only reason to choose the ci4 over the fj is for weight savings and looks if you prefer that.

For me braid is much tougher than any line to cast when its windy out. The line blows all over the place during the cast and while it sits on top of the water floating.

Fluorocarbon is going to sink. That rules out any presentation where you need the bait to float. Even yozuri sinks to an extent and would not be my choice for topwater. If you won't be fishing any topwater style presentations then I would go with either seaguar invizx or fc sniper for mid-priced fluoros. If you will be fishing topwater style presentations then mono would be my choice. It can fish just about any presentation.

For $250 you can get a new dobyns extreme 744c if you find it on sale. Hard to beat this rod for your applications.