TNBankFishing

Wouldn’t happen to be Mich Toy Soldier? I’ve bought from y’all a couple of times if so.

I didn’t mean for you personally I meant in general reels can reach upwards of $700 for freshwater and $1200 for salt. If I came across as a jerk I apologize, it wasn’t my intent. Many of us are stuck between a rock and a hard place financially because of a myriad of reasons. I know a lot of friends in the tech and government fields have recently lost their jobs and they have to make financial choices they didn’t have too.

At what point does it matter for most people? $15 bag of Senkos? $20 Strike King cranks? Buying a reel for $300 isn’t big money these days, but when the price of what used to be 5-7 bags of plastics doubles a lot of folks will feel the crunch. In the end if companies don’t lower prices or eat into their margins they will sell less product. When they sell less they react negatively to the consumer. BPS has been around for 60 years but their entire business now is based on gouging fishermen on knock offs. If that dries up where do they stay in the black? Are more mom and pop shops going to die over the next 3 years? The reality is tariffs are negative pressure on consumers who have already been squeezed by inflation. Sooner or later the end result is companies going under. I saw a title of a post on another forum a month or so ago. “What does a consumer based economy do once most of the consumers are broke?”

We’re going to begin seeing American based firms starting to raise prices as they burn through their pre tariff stockpiles. It’s going to bother me a lot more when “made in the USA” gets punished and has to raise prices 30%. I don’t see how any of us who love the sport of fishing are going to benefit long term from these policies.

I think my experience in the southeast definitely clouds my judgement. If you’re up north I could see the combination of uses you presented.

Nah. Trebles and single hook don’t mix. You need more power and control with a bladed jig than a topwater. Two completely different sticks.

Any flavor MBR 843 or St. Croix Legend Elite 7m.

Can you provide some further info on the 9/10 warranty? I was under the understanding no used products were covered period.

873 - 1/2 to 3/4 buzz baits. Try it before you bash the idea. I’ve also thrown heavier spinner baits on it with good success. For the two other rods I’d personally suggest an 893 because it’s fantastic for pitching lighter weighted bottom contact and can throw some light single hook moving baits moderately well. 872s or 852s. They are the golden standard for Loomis spinning rods for a reason and I never leave home without my 853. I don’t drop shot with Loomis rods. I don’t like the dsr models and the other tapers don’t really fit for me. Outside Loomis for DS I use a St. Croix legend elite 7mlf, and the Steez AGS “the one”. Some folks swear by the 6’10 mlxf Croix sticks but I felt like it never had the right tip to backbone for me. Versatile rods in the NRX line will be the MBRs. Truly versatile lines are most likely to be found in the megabass world though. Where MB may not have the absolute upper tier sensitivity they more than make up for it with a number of models being fantastic Swiss Army knives.

They weren’t worth $550, but were when I picked up mine at $320. It’s all relative when you ignore MSRP. I mean, St. Croix Legend lines at 40% off is a great value. At least when they ran torzites.

Is the deal currently dead?

I’ve made this point multiple times. The actual price of a piece of gear is never MSRP. An NRX isn’t a $700 rod, it’s commonly found now with 25-35% discounts. You can get it even more by stacking any stores gift cards on discount. Daiwa gear routinely goes on sale multiple times a year for 30%+ off. Would I pay $700 for one? No. But I’ll pay $400 when I used to pay $325. People respond to price changes like these with such negativity. The cost of the brick has been going up like gang busters for over five years now. The Steez AGS rods launched in or around late 2020 into 2021. This is the first price increase and is reasonable/in line with other hobby gear. Look at the cost of a kayak, boat, or golf equipment. They have increased 100-300% in the same timeframe. If a steez rod was sold at $1300 MSRP I’d see a reason to complain.

Otomat was and still is my favorite topwater rod. Was impressive with all things in its weight range and toss a squarebill reliably. Impossible to find now. I’d strongly recommend spending $50 a whatever brand moderate action 7 foot rod you can find. Topwater treble baits require almost nothing from the blank except a moderate action. If you want to get really in depth a fast responding tip combined with the moderate blank is best but not needed. Just makes walking or popping easier. IMO save the money for a stick which actually requires sensitivity. If you’re absolutely set on spending the cash I’d go 842 Conquest.

This sort of response is important. The reality is carbon fiber is more brittle than metal but the forces involved to break an AGS guide are out of the norm. You won’t pop one on a frog hookset no matter how much you lean into it.

I’ve used AGS guides for 5 years. Never had a problem in a boat, kayak, or bank fishing. I’ve run Daiwa and St Croix AGS and the whole “you’re gunna break them, guaranteed” is entirely overblown. Any guide other than a recoil will crack if you slam it in a car door, truck bed, or stomp it on a deck. I really wish people would stop spreading the idea that carbon fiber is the most delicate material ever used in fishing. It isn’t.

Having owned both, I’d strongly go for the 893. I fished out of a yak and the extra length is something you can get used too pretty easily if your not fishing overhangs on the river a ton. The sensitivity goes to the NRX and the fact you can fish it hard for years and still sell it for a decent chunk means you’re sorta insulated if you end up selling it.

It’s worth checking the requirements for multiple hook rigs in your state. A-rigs are similar and you may be limited to a single or double hook setup.

I think it depends on where you live. In the southeast throwing a big bait absolutely makes sense. You have a shot at double digit bass regularly. Up north I’m not sure. I still think you’re weeding out the little guys and generating on average bigger bites. Honestly sometimes when I go out I’d prefer to catch a single 6lber than a bunch of dinks. Sometimes I just want to catch a hundred of whatever bites.

Pricing is spot on and aggressive. I feel at those prices things will move quickly.

Steez “the one” with a 3000 vanford.

It you can deal with the size the Steez “the one”. I use mine for nearly everything.

The power makes a significant difference as well. I have an extra fast g Loomis jwr and an extra fast st Croix drop shot rod. As you can imagine they are very different on the water. What are the weight ranges for the two sticks?

I hope you find some peace and can enjoy the time you have left to the fullest. This may be goodbye for now, but we’ll all meet again.

Did a trade in with them two years back. Great folks awesome selection.

893 can do that, but the 873 offers the upside of being able to go heavier. I sold my 893 and kept my 873c, but at the time I was living in Tennessee where the cover is heavier than where I live now. Going back I’d swap them as I almost never need to go above 3/8ths here and even that’s pushing it. Both are great sticks and have superb actions. Try them if you can, at least get them with a reel and line+weight to see how they load. A couple of my friends hate how the 873 loads a 3/8th oz total package.