mmoser52

Greetings, I am looking for the community's help picking out a new casting rod. The rod will actually be for me wife, who now refuses to use spinning gear since I taught her to use casting gear. The rod will be used primarily to throw lighter baits--but not BFS light--that would normally be thrown on spinning gear, like smaller 2.8 and 3.3 Keitechs, 1/4oz jigheads and tubes/grubs for smallmouths in rivers (I throw these baits on a Kistler Helium 3 7' Medium/Extra Fast for comparison). I am thinking about rods rated primarily for 1/4oz-5/8oz, which corresponds with most manufacturer's medium power rods, and a fast or extra-fast taper. It will be paired with a new Daiwa Tatula SV TW103 that is currently on it's way from American Legacy Fishing. The rods that I am currently considering are listed below: ALX ENOX Hunch 7' Medium/Fast Kistler Helium 3 7' Medium/Fast G. Loomis IMX-Pro 842C MBR Medium/Fast G. Loomis GLX 842C MBR Medium/Fast St. Croix Legend X or Elite 7' Medium/Fast Shimano Expride A 7'2" Medium Lt.+/Fast I am flexible on cost, but probably cannot swing a Daiwa Steez AGS, or G. Loomis NRX or Conquest unless they are really discounted. With that being said, my primary considerations are sensitivity, availability, weight, and durability. Are there other rods that I should be considering? I have experience will all of the rods listed above, in some configuration--but not the powers and tapers listed--except for the new ALX ENOX. If it matters, the idea of pairing a Daiwa reel with a Shimano branded rod makes me super uncomfortable, though I could probably handling having it paired with a G. Loomis. Yes, I recognize the inconsistency in this, as G. Loomis is owned by Shimano... Thanks in advance for the assistance!

Greetings, My name is Matt and I live in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. I got interested in fishing in general about three years ago (trout and steelhead), and bass fishing specifically, about two and a half years ago, after not fishing at all since I was a kid. Since then, I have been working to learn all that I can about bass fishing, and have essentially given myself a crash course in things that I probably should have learned growing up, including the basics, like knots, difference in lines types, rigging techniques, and how to use casting gear. For anyone interested in knowing, I am a 100 percent straight braid and/or braid to leader guy. I bought a used 16' Sylvan SC boat with my father a year and a half ago, but share it with him, so I do not always have access to it. That means that a decent amount of the time I am fishing from shore. Since I had not used a boat since I was a kid either, and never used anything other than a pull-start tiller drive outboard on small aluminum hulled boats, I also had to teach myself about boats. I am continually working to gain knowledge about the bodies of water in my area, though the main lake that I fish on is Wabasis Lake--mostly because I do not like trying new things--but have also managed to take my boat on the Grand River a few times to target smallmouth. Yes there has been a pretty steep learning curve, and yes I have ran out of gas in the middle of a lake, but no one has ever gotten hurt, and nothing expensive has gotten broken. I feel confident enough now in my boating knowledge and abilities that I could easily go on any major boat manufacturer's website, and order and brand new boat, and know exactly what I wanted, and why (assuming that I had the money, which I do not!). I would love to try other bodies of water in my area, if someone was willing to show me I am also the unofficial rod/reel and tackle supplier for my entire immediate family, so it is my responsibility to provide my father, wife, and kids with everything they need, so I am pretty much constantly on the hunt for one thing or another. I have read dozens of reviews of different rod and reels on this website, when researching potential purchases, and decided it was time to finally become a member. In addition to fishing, I enjoy just about any other outdoor activities, but am especially passionate about whitewater rafting and hiking. I look forward to meeting new people on this forum. Thanks!