Matt Hartley

I appreciate the help man. I generally use Loomis rods, specifically the Backbounce series (BBR 966 & BBR 964) for throwing swimbaits. I absolutely love them for swimbaits. I thought about using the 964, but I think the action is too slow and the handle is too long for jig fishing. Its like a big crank bait rod. I know that Ive never heard a bad thing about the Dobyns Champion series and thats why I'm open to trying one. One reason I'm wanting an 8' rod is that I'll be doing a lot of ledge fishing this year on Lake Barkley and I want the casting distance and ability to pick up a lot of line. Also, I do a lot of fishing by foot and I want to be able to get to those key areas.

Hey everyone, I'm new to the forum. Ive been looking at jig rods for the past few months and I'm torn between two. I throw swimbaits and big baits most of the time and I prefer long rods. With this rod, Ill be throwing 1/2 - 3/4oz football and swim jigs along with flutter spoons. I know that I want an 8' medium heavy or heavy rod and that leaves me with two options. A Dobyns Champion 804c and a Phenix Recon 2 8' MH. I really like both of them but I'm skeptical of the Recon 2 because a lot of people complain about the rods breaking. Also, Ive heard that the 804c is a pretty stiff rod. There aren't any stores around me that carry these rods so I won't be able to try them out until Ive already bought one of them. Im hoping some of you guys have used one or both of these rods and can give me a little feedback on which one you like.