TNBankFishing

St. Croix, Lucky Craft and some odds and ends which aren’t always on sale show up. Good catch Basser

3/4 might stress the rod in cover. I’d say cap the weights around that in total. I have the Victory HXF and Elite 7’4 and the power is noticeably different. The 7’4 can go to a 1oz punch weight with a 5 inch trailer easily.

Midway has a sale on Croixs where you get a gift card back which can fund more Tackle. Ignore, missed you already grabbed the elite.

Fieder used the 80 in Florida this last week. If he trusts serious tourney money on I think it will be a great fit until you upgrade.

Do you have access to any elite rods or just X? The elite 7’ MLF is a standout. In the x line I’ve owned a mlxf and m and sold both. The medium was too firm for what I wanted but might be exactly what you’re looking for. The MH will be stout for a spinning rod. It may feel strange at first but I own the casting 7’ mh and love it for everything single hook. Check the bends on all of the lengths when you go back. The 6’10 might have slightly more tip which gives it a more versatile spot in your lineup.

You’d never find out if that is your favorite stick if you didn’t buy it. If it doesn’t work the used market loves St. Croix. You win either way.

Summerland Outdoors, a site I can’t mention, and ALF had a stacking promo where you got more than 20% off being an elite member. Sometimes the sites catch the discounts and sometimes they don’t. Pure ran multiple 50% codes this holiday season and a large number of members used them. I’m still not sure they were intended to be out there that long, or pure just wanted to move some new Abu products. I totally believe it’s even more than that. When you roll your own blanks, and only buy the guides and reel seats the overall cost per rod has to be super low.

Specifically I said “JDM websites none of this matters. The MSRP on a new Bantam is ~$230 and a MB Destroyer ~$280.” JDM refers to Japanese Domestic Market. If you’re interested in P5s that are sold in Japan they have been as low as $230 through Japan Lure Shop in the last year. This isn’t me obfuscating the truth it means if you’re cool with JDM Metaniums, Bantams, Zillions, Steez, Exprides and so on they are on deep discount because of the value of the dollar vs yen. I never said a brand new rod that dropped a month ago which is only sold in the USDM will be on sale in Japan for half off. I paid $400 for an XBites and Teq when they were new because I wanted to try them. It’s listed in the price paid comparison. The entire point of this post isn’t to sit here and say this is worth X or not worth Y. It’s about when comparing the value of a rod or reel the price it goes on sale for 4-5 times a year should be the baseline.

Then call up a local shop and ask for the 20% as I mentioned in the original post.

https://japanlureshop.com/megabass-brand-new-destroyer-p5-f2-1-2-611x.html Gone up slightly since I got one but there you go. As far as USDM models I have no idea as I’m not buying any and haven’t bothered to look. Labor Day and Black Friday from Summerland Outdoors GA and at least one online retailer.

Several websites in the last couple months have run the “get a 40% coupon back with purchase”. The hookup, ALF, and one I can’t name. Ouch, but I figured. At one point I had the new Steez frog rod, Legend Elite 7’4 heavy, Perfect Pitch, and Ish tat Elite rod. I buy and sell gear often and when I’m doubling up I want to maximize the value I get back. I’ll usually end up keeping one and selling the rest.

Omnias website vs what I’ve personally paid.

It’s more the fact the price of any St. Croix is actually 40% less than advertised. A ton of newer anglers won’t know that $200 Victory will really be $120 if you time it right. The rest of us as experienced tackle heads know what a deal is. Maybe it’s simply people buy what they want at the moment they buy it and aren’t concerned with prices. I also noticed myself and others using MSRP when comparing rods and reels when that isn’t always fair. Comparing MSRP Shimano to Lews when they’ve miles apart when you know what to look for. This pricing thing has been knocking around in my head and might’ve come out as gibberish.

I don’t disagree but the extent of a deal isn’t always relative. If you picked up a Dobyns at 20% it’s “a deal” but in reality you paid 20% too much. I feel like newer anglers aren’t aware of the level of discounts across different brands. You see an NRX+ at 50% off? Pull out the card now. An Abu Veritas with the same % doesn’t really pull you in.

When comparing two pieces of fishing equipment I often find myself using MSRP when it doesn’t match the expected cost of the gear. I’m always looking for a deal and feel connected to the overall ebb and flow of gear pricing. This connection makes me want to go out on a limb here and say, we’re doing it wrong. We all agree there is a store price and a street price for anything hobby related. Fishing, hunting, boats, cars, and the list goes on. What I don’t agree with is as a tackle junkie is continuing to compare rods and reels to MSRP when I’m talking about them. Very rarely do I ever pay full price on anything, and I would imagine most of you are the same. Over the last three years I’ve watched a pattern emerge with certain brands and the way they use sale pricing to move old product or to get new buyers. Those of us who were bit with the tackle bug years ago might be laughing into their coffee (or whiskey) having already known this for a decade. The biggest discounter has been St. Croix, Lews, Dobyns which are followed closely by Daiwa. Multiple times a year several retailers run 40% off promotions for St. Croix and 30-40% for Daiwa/Lews/Dobyns. This last calendar year we’ve seen the influx of buy a rod or reel and get some % back as a gift card which is a fancy way to dress up the exact same discount. I vastly prefer just getting a flat percentage off, as most of the time a single shop will not have multiple models I’m looking for. My issue is since these discounts have become the norm and are happening like clockwork, when will we begin to just compare gear based on its “true” MSRP? This does not mean things which are being discontinued. The Tatula Elite rod sale recently and the Dobyns covid sale are examples of things which are put on sale once at a steep discount. These aren’t generally something you can plan for. Shimano and Megabass have stubbornly resisted sales easily pricing themselves out compared to their competitors. While you can find shops willing to sell you a Shimano/MB product on discount I’ve had more trouble than its worth getting them to do so. You need to call them and hope they are in the mood to wheel and deal, or drive to their shop and do the same. There were a few shops in the past who could get you 10% on the regular, but they are now gone. MASSIVE DISCLAIMER – If you like me shop JDM websites none of this matters. The MSRP on a new Bantam is ~$230 and a MB Destroyer ~$280. And as always if your rod carries a lifetime or decades long warranty you have already paid for it when you bought the stick. I love the Loomis expeditor program and St. Croixs absolutely fantastic customer service, but I paid for them up front. I often see threads pop up here with someone asking about the“best rod for X technique under $200”. Do you mean the best MSRP rod or the best I could find you if you had a bit of time? They are enormously different recommendations. So I’ve collected a couple brands and lined them up to take a look. Rod MSRP True MSRP NRX+ $625 $500 Expride $279 $223 Steex AGS $550 $385 Megabass Destroyer $500 $400 Dobyns Xtasy $550 $330 St. Croix Xtreme $670 $402 St. Croix Legend X $465 $279 Is an NRX+ worth twice what a Legend X is? When you use the same math to compare an Expride and Champion Extreme HP are you getting the best bang for your buck? What do you all think? Will this help any of you make a more informed purchase the next time you’re looking for gear?

What your asking for is unrealistic in terms of doing all of those things well. A jig, chatterbait, spoon, and senko all perform best on different types of rods. Jig extra fast Chatter Mod fast Spoon mod to mod fast Senko fast What is the first thing you’re going to tie on and fish 50% of the time or more? Buy the rod that matches that best and covers another technique moderately well. Every rod in the MB lineup minus the punching rods will load and cast 99% of lures in their range well. I’ve fished their JDM/US offerings low and high end and it’s all smooth. If you want a rod to do it all source a JDM Destroyer Carbon Head Wild Buch, USA Destroyer Javelin, or Croix Xtreme 7’1MHXF. I own and recommend all 3.

Of the two, SD. Brailist isn’t worth 350 and is far to long if the DS is a bit much.

While I enjoy my NRX+ rods they and other Shimano products have increased price rapidly over the last year compared to most brands. The Expride isn’t a bargain at almost $300 with tax and the Adrena is effectively off the table. Part of it is they are made in china, part of it is a 1 year warranty shouldn’t be acceptable with anything over $100 dollars. I guess for me it’s down to St. Croix. I don’t even know if Kistler or Dobyns roll their own blanks anymore.

Currently JDM only, I’d expect the US Orochis to be phased out this spring/summer to make way for a fall spring ‘24 launch. While I really enjoy MB in the Destroyer and Levante lines I’ve never understood the Orochi branch. Hopefully they can create a new identity with the rods and not have the same actions and tapers across two lines. To elaborate this, if you want a jig rod you get a destroyer, if you want a reaction rod you get a Levante. The Orochi isn’t sensitive enough to warrant what id call dedicated bottom contact. My thoughts are my own though and Matt Allen still swears the Brailist is the best jig rod of all time.

I own the +873 fished the MH along with the M+. The 873 is much closer to the MBR tapers with a good tip. In my hand it was more powerful and just a bit faster than the adrenas. The Adrena is Shimano mod-fast. If you’ve fished a Zodias, expride, or Curado they are the same taper. At the price of both in my mind they are bottom contact. I never threw a moving bait on either of them as I have rods which are better at those roles. I stuck to 1/4 to 1/2 jigs and trigs in grass. If you want to really get a do it all stick pick up the P5 Javelin when it hits. The OG is my favorite stick hands down out of everything I’ve owned. A absolutely true jack of all trades.

Which model are you interested in?

Yes, and not even close. I’ve used the new and old AGS rods for years.

New models hitting sometime this year. Couple standouts still available

I have a 7’4 heavy Elite and NRX+ 873. The elite is 96% there. Very good for half the price. Considering you can get the Croix %30 off now it’s a no brainer. I have an extreme 7’1MHXF and it’s just as sensitive as my NRXs.

Correct Frame is the exact same as 21 Zillion