TNBankFishing

The platform is already so good for BFS a true ultra light spool could make this a killer reel.

I would hope for an updated guide train or blank improvements as well, but I doubt it’s in the cards. Im not a huge fan of the handle, but as long as they stay around $299 I think they’ll be great. Really wish they incorporated the Loomis MBR action in a couple of them.

Pensions… those were the days. ?

I work in IT, and our year to year adjustment isn’t what I expect other fields are. Within the HPC field you’re stepping up in seniority or moving to a new company every two years with a 10-20% increase in salary. Or you flake out and get burned, end up a Windows admin eating paint chips.

3.5% this year.... Feels like a kick in the gut.

I'm sure we're going to get hit with some big jumps from a lot of companies this year. I'm into electric guitars and those have blown up in cost, and getting things from pots to strings at times has been a crap shoot. Hopefully we're not looking at $750 NRX+ and $485 IMX-Pro's in 3 months.

The truth is it isn't for the vast majority of us. Some people have gotten lucky, or managed to climb in their careers and can weather the storm. For others the next few years are going to be brutally hard.

I empathize with you. It isn't a great feeling to have a necessity become a burden. We are complaining about small money in the grand scheme of things. I'm passionate about fishing, and enjoy the gear side just as much. This debate isn't about the cost of living, its the rising cost of something we're all passionate about.

I know I'm not entitled to a Levante at $200. What is more concerning is how a company which has a strong brand loyalty will surprise its customers with a price increase before its competitors and without notice. Hypothetically, if MB notified its vendors, wholesellers, and customers on X day there would be a "price adjustment" all three of those groups would be able to plan and act accordingly. Wholesellers would try to build stock, while vendors and consumers would make purchases or pre-orders. This method of increasing price would make a long time customer like me, more likely to stick with the brand. By jumping prices suddenly, with a haphazard range of increases ONLY on USDM products I'm less likely to buy from them again. Their XXX, Valkerie, Evoluzion, Valkerie World Expedition, Triza, P5, and TS lines saw no increase. While some might think this mindset is entitled, I think its good business to keep your customers in the loop when your product is "premium" or "boutique". I guess we'll see if Shimano follows suit with their JDM and Loomis lines.

.... Increasing the cost of a 4 year old line of rods is a bad look. Also increasing the cheapest line by 25% is hard to justify. I do enjoy your snark, but I wish it came with a hair more elaboration.

I agree. I expect prices on goods to go up. I don't think anyone is ignorant to how hard it is to get materials. I think raising prices in a logical way makes sense, and the MB price increase doesn't. Your barber increased the cost of a haircut by 25%, but has his cost to run his shop or buy his gear increased the same? As horrible as it sounds a haircut is a luxury item a lot like a fishing rod. You can get by with Great Clips and an Ugly Stik. Just so I'm following, you don't approve or disapprove of them trying to gouge their customers? I understand being able to shop around, but I find it interesting you stand up for the business against the consumer.

I agree its always a back and forth, but hording a product you bought low with insider knowledge to gouge your customer is shady. Makes me less likely to purchase anything from them in the future.

Did anyone notice how a couple of retailers suddenly have every model of the Orochi line in stock... Thats dirty.

I wonder who in the biz leaks things to him. There is no way he had time to create, edit, and upload this the morning the increase dropped. He always seems to have a pretty good pulse on the market and new drops considering he's not a vendor or rep.

Guess we better spend the cash now to get the lower prices, or just wait for it all to equalize and sell gear to buy gear. Sucks either way.

I'll bite. Listing lightest to heaviest. Dobyns 703C - Met HG Seagar Invisix 12lb- Light T-rigs 1/4oz, light jigs 1/4oz, 3.8 paddle tails on 1/4oz heads. Dobyns 734C - Met XG Seagar Abrazix 15lb- 3/8th T-rigs, 3/8th jigs, 3/8th spinner baits Dobyns 705CB Sunline Crank FC- DC HG - Squarebills, shawllow to medium cranks, topwater treble baits. Dobyns 736CB Sunline Crank FC- DC HG - Medium to Deep cranks, maybe chatterbaits. Not used the stick to know for sure. MB PP - DC XG Braid- Frogs, light punching 3/4-1oz, heavy jigs in cover 1/2oz-3/4oz, 5 inch paddle tails with 3/8th head.

With the fact MB literally raised prices today I'll have to re-evaluate the Levante Brailist. The reason I avoid the Zodias line is I don't like to reward companies who wont improve their products, but choose to use window dressing to make sales. Shimano still don't even provide top end components on their highest priced USDM rods. While I agree 100% the value of an Expride is higher than its price point when new, the lack of warranty beyond a year is troubling. Even small/boutique brands like Megabass, Witch Doctor, and Kistler/ALX provide more than a year. The fact the colab Jackel rods don't use full Ti SIC is troubling, with again a noticeably short warranty. Adding monoqiuoc handles to your rod doesn't make it a new rod. The Zodias refresh was a way for Shimano to lower cost and increase profits. Same blank, same guides, same reel seat. Its just like what Shimano did with the GCX, except they actively made the E6X worse. Now Shimano has made one line a complete refresh, except they just used parts from their JDM side of things (Expride/Poison) and stuck them on a blank that's been around a decade (NRX+). I know I sound like Shimano is trash. And I'm not saying that. I think the Zodias, Expride, and Poison lines are fantastic values, and will serve the average fisherman well for years. OP asked specifically to keep price down because he's hard on his gear. I provided manufacturers which have longer warranties to hopefully help him aquire a replacement when the inevitable happens. I do think Shimano has made some fantastic reels, and I own nothing but Shimano (Minus one Abu which was a gift). I just don't like how they run their rod side of things.

I would expect the same increase for all rods if they had material shortages. Instead its 25% for Levante, 15% for Orochi, and 0% for P5.

Looks like MB has increased the prices on their USDM rods both casting and spinning. Multiple websites now show $249 for Levante and $349 for Orochi. While I can understand an increase because the cost of materials has gone up, I don't think 25% is a good jump for the Levante. Considering it is very difficult to get more than 10% off on any MB sticks, they have priced themselves out for a lot of folks.

I fish a lot of tournament's from a kayak and usually bring 5-6 rods depending on the time of year and techniques I plan to use. In winter I often only need 2-3 sticks, while deep summer I have a hard time only loading up 7. Not buying a full size bass boat has saved my wallet from the bait monkey many times. Baitcasters: Megabass Otomat - Shimano Aldebaran HG - Light Cranking/Top Water/Jerk bait St. Croix Legend Elite 7'M - 20' Met HG - Neko/Shakey/Light Spinnerbait Megabass X-Bites - 20' Met XG - Light T-Rig/Light Jig Megabass Javelin - 20' Met HG - Chatterbait/Full Size Spinnerbait/Lipless/Medium Cranks Megabass Brailist - 18 Bantam HG - 1/2oz T-Rig and 3/4oz football jig St. Croix Legend X 7'MH - 20' Met XG - Pitching 1/2 oz Jigs/ Heavy Spinnerbait/5' Swimbaits Megabass Perfect Pitch - SLX DC 8.1 - Frogs and 3/4oz T-rigs Steez Heavy Cover Special - Tatula Elite Pitch and Flip - Punch/A-rig/6" Mag Draft Glass/Glass Composite Daiwa BLX - Abu Garcia Revo X 5.1 - Heavy cranking/Heavy Chatterbaits Spinning: Steez AGS 7'1ML - Shimano Stradic 2500 - Dropshot/Ned Legend X 6'10MLXF - Stradic 2500 - Ned/Wacky/Light Swimbait

St. Croix - Avid/AvidX/Victory 7'MHF, or MHXF. - Shorter than requested, but solid performing and fantastic warranty for when you actually break it. I own these powers in the Legend X line and they are utterly fantastic sticks. Sweet spot is between 3/8 and 1/2. Megabass - Levante Brailist - Slightly longer than requested. Fantastic feeling, highly versatile for all types of jigs. Swim, pitch, and football. Sweet spot is 1/2 to 3/4. I personally don't like Shimano's Zodias line at this price point. If you can swing the extra $30 stepping into a Expride, specifically the 7'2" MH, and 7'6 MH are stellar rods for the price.

I can’t give you insight on Daiwa reels. I own a 2021 Zillion and that’s it. While it’s been good I don’t think it’s $340 good when JDM Mets are at $275. I would suggest a reel between 7-8 oz to balance the Brailist. You can go heavier but don’t go sub 7.

I own two 2015 model Zodias’ and they are great sticks for the money. If Shimano had improved the guide train or materials at all in the Zodias reboot I might lean towards them. They didn’t. If you can pick up a 2015 for 30-40% off I’d go that route. Dollar for dollar at any price I prefer Megabass. This doesn’t mean there aren’t fantastic rods made by tons of companies, and I own a multitude of brands. Something about how MB builds, and provides their unique take on fishing gear resonates with me. Buy the Brailist, but don’t blame me if it starts a tackle addiction you can’t shake.

If you have a heavy I’d 100% go Brailist. I’d suggest filling out the major spots in your lineup before upgrading a specific technique. My first big spend was a jig rod, then medium powered caster, medium spin, and finally heavy casting. Once I had everything covered with versatile sticks I moved to technique specific gear. The jump between the Intenza and Levante will be significant in hand. The Intenzas are solid if not flashy, and it will serve you well. The Brailist will hold down the jig spot until you’re ready to jump into enthusiast level gear. The difference between a Levante Brailist and Destroyer FMJ is a lot closer than most folks will admit. EDIT: Do not spend big money on a frog rod. You will see the strikes, you don’t need anything fancy.

Being comfortable fishing will help you fish faster and more confidently. If the Brailist is too cumbersome that’s ok. Comparing the Brailist to the PP is a little tough as they have a very different feel on the water. The Brailist is absolutely a great pitching rod, and mine balances well with a reel between 7 and 8 oz. It also doubles as a good football and swim jig stick. It doesn’t shine in heavy structure as it’s a MH stick through and through. Really shines between 3/8 and 3/4 oz. It is not a heavy cover monster. The PP is a versatile heavy powered stick.You can toss 3/4 oz tungsten with a beaver into cover and you’ll pull the fish out. Good sensitivity and balance. It also does a great job with big paddle tails and frogs. I own a FMJ, Legend X MH, and have owned the Tour Versatile. The TV is the only XX I’ve ever sold.