largemouthinoh

I've had Shimano's my entire life and just about all of them (not saltwater reels) up to the Stradic Ci4. Just recently I purchased a Pflueger President 30 and man... as many have already posted here, you just can't beat it! It is smooth as anything, apparently by all the reviews I read as well, they last, it's lighter than comparably spec'd Shimano's and as far as $$$... WELL CHEAPER than Shimano's. Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on Shimano's nor am I switching out all of mine for Pflueger's. But after buying this President, I AM going to get at least one more. The bail broke on one of my Shimano Sahara's and for the price of the actual part including shipping, I can almost get a President. Like someone already mentioned, Dick's has the mail in rebate for the President and if you shop at Dick's ever, you can get their $10.00 off coupon and use that as well. So you'll pay $59.99 get $10 back by rebate and use a Dick's $10.00 coupon and end up paying $39.99 for an incredible reel. (I have $10 off with my scorecard as well so the one I'm buying next weekend will cost me $29.99) How on EARTH could anyone pass that up!

I really appreciate everyone's input and advice, Thank You all. I did get a chance to check out both series of St. Croix today at a local shop, without having to drive and hour and a half to Bass Pro. The selection wasn't great so I couldn't see the exact length / power that I wanted but at least I got to hold the Avid and Eyecon to see how the handle feels. To my surprise, my local Dick's Sporting Good's also had two different Eyecon's I got to check out. While I gather from you all that the Avid is a superior rod, the Eyecon using the same blank material as the Mojo and Premier IS STILL a quality rod. The largest selling point to the Eyecon for me in all honesty is the handle. I had the gentleman who helped me put a reel on one for me and it just feels extremely comfortable. I didn't pull the trigger today since no one had the exact rod that I wanted, but this coming friday (better for my budget then anyway), I WILL order up the 6' 3" Medium Light Extra Fast Eyecon. Next.... Pflueger Supreme XT to match it with!!! I have a brand new, never opened Shimano Sahara 2500 FD but I think the Pflueger Supreme will be a much better match for that rod! ORDER UP!

I'm certainly no expert on Senko's BUT... I have a good few Fenwick's. Personally I have been using a Fenwick HMX 6' 6" Medium Light Fast Spinning rod as well as my Fenwick HMG 6' 6" Medium Fast Spinning rod. How much cover i fish in is the deciding factor in going from ML up to M rod. I'm going to let those two poles rest a bit though and pick up a St. Croix Eyecon in 6' 3" Medium Light EXtra Fast next weekend. I've been using Fenwick's for a long time but to be perfectly honest I am not a fan of the handle of the newer version HMX. And unfortunately Fenwick (and most others) are sold out of the HMG's. I find that to be rediculous actually but who am I? So since I can't spend my hard earned $$$ with Fenwick ... St. Croix will get my business. The handle on the Eyecon is just too perfect of a fit in my hand to NOT get one. I'm still fond of the Fenwick products and I think you'll be very pleased that you got one. If / When your budget allows, in my opinion the HMG IS a nicer rod with a much more comfortable handle. That is though, just my personal opinion for me and how I hold the rod and reel in my hand. Best of luck on your purchase!

Hello to all! I would sincerely appreciate some advice from fellow anglers who have or have had both of these SPINNING rods. Background info to help: I'm in Northeast Ohio and primarily (80% of the time) fish for largemouth in a pond that I live on (about 4 to 5 acres and roughly 8 feet at it's deepest point) and some nearby reseviors as well. Though I have a small rubber raft that I've used a handful of times, mostly I fish from shore. Although I've been fishing for about 30 years, (and I'm ebarrased about this so don't laugh at me please) I'm only recently mastering the art of soft plastics including Wacky style Senko's, Manns Jelly worms and the like. Currently I own all Fenwick Rods but the newer HMX rod handles in my opinion are not awesome. I LOVE the Fenwick HMG rods that I have (Medium and Medium Heavy both 6' 6") but I'm looking to try something new and currently just about all HMG's are sold out many places anyway. I believe the Medium Light in Fast or Extra Fast would be the best power since I'm not fishing for sharks and the size of the bass aren't world record breakering. On top of that, a recent dealing with Fenwick's customer service has left a poor taste in my mouth. I know St. Croix rods are great quality and I've owned the Premier and Triumph series in the past but to be perfectly honest, I HATE the grips on them. So with all of that background info, my question is this.... any of you folks that have owned or do own the St. Croix Eyecon AND Avid series... which do you prefer?? The 6' 3" Medium Light Extra Fast in BOTH series weighs EXACTLY the same according to the St. Croix Website. I would be interested to know which grips you like better as that for me, is an important feature. I do plan to get to a Bass Pro Shops to have a look although the closest one to me is about 1 1/2 hours away. Thus the reason I'm looking for your expert opinions on these two fine rods. Any and all help is GREATLY APPRECIATED!! Thanks for your time