TxBuddha

Palomar and/or San Diego Jam

Falcon Cara Reaction Mike McClelland Signature, CCB6-174HC. Designed from the ground up as a jig rod. For what you'll pay for a GLX Loomis you can buy the Falcon and put a Curado E7 on it!!

P-Line CX in 15# tests out at over 20 and is my current "default" line. No need for the CXX with strength like that but having said that I use CXX 17# with KVD as main line on my c-rig rods. Loves me some P-Line!

x2 - The new Curado's and Citica's are something to behold.

If you gotta' problem then I gotta' problem.......and I ain't got no problem

I've been using a pair of Cara's for over a year fishing for sand bass and hybrids and swung alot of fish in the boat with 'em...so far not a single issue other than they need to be cleaned up a bit! I noticed you're in the D/FW area, go over to Southwestern Parts and Service in Dallas and take a look at 'em, they have pretty much the whole line on display.

Baitcasting - T Rig - Currently between 15# Sufix Siege, 15# P-Line CXX, and 15# Trilene 100% fluoro. As you can see I can't decide! C-Rig - 50# Sufix braid w/ 15# Big Game leader. Pitch / Flip - 17# P-Line CXX or 65# Stren Braid depending on location. Drop Shot / Shakey Head - 10# Sufix Elite but looking to change to an 8# fluoro as soon as I find one i like. I agree there's no best answer only preferences.

I fish both the Crucials and Cara's. They're both great rods at their price point but the new T7's seem to be just a bit more sensitive and lighter. Shimano's warranty can't be ignored though. Take a look at both, handle both if you can, and then make your decision. You can't really go wrong either way.

I've been fishing 4 Citica's for the past year, mainly for white bass, hybrids, and stripers. They've held up really well and are still going strong. I bought one off E-Bay that had a bad idler gear from the get-go and it was repaired by my local Shimano service center under warranty. Other than that not an issue with a one of 'em and that's including a few days of high double digit white bass fishin'.

All hail the Bait Monkey!

I took the easy way out and bought a pair of Daiwa 153HSTA's from Delo's. I've got Revo's and the Daiwa's already and for most of my bass fishing applications the Daiwa is a great reel, not that the Revo isn't but I know for a fact the Daiwa handles lighter (<1/4 oz) weights easier. Thanks to all that replied.

And if you like the LowRider you'll love the Cara! More $$ for sure, especially in the new T7 versions, but alot of rod for the bucks.

That seems to be a recurring theme, almost everyone has probelms with the SX's. I'm leaning towards a big, fat NO on the SX.

Anyone have an opinion on one over the other? I've got a couple of STX's and like them so far but other than the InfiniSpool I don't see any differences. I'm about to buy a couple of new reels and was wondering if there is any practical difference in use.

He gave the only answer he probably can and keep his job which is basically "no comment". I asked the question over there figuring that was the answer I'd get. It's up for grabs at the moment and we likely won't find anything out until ICAST but I'm betting that something is changing. Abu and Daiwa are offering more reel for the same bucks as the Curado, in the case of the Daiwa Supertuned they're offering more reel for less bucks. Shimano has to do something or lose market share.

I use the Stik Jackets and really like the way they keep tangles down. Only problem is that I don't have enough of 'em!

I just bought an Avid AVS69MLXF at BassPro for $119. It's one of the new ones too! The only thing I can figure is that it must have come in while the older ones were on mark down and got marked down as well.

Anyone fished one of the new Avid's as a shakey head rod yet? I'm wanting another fairy wand and am thinking about an Avid, either the AVS69MLXF or the AVS70MF. Any opinions one way or the other??

Any of the above! I've got 200D's and DSV's and had a couple of 100 DSV's and you can't go wrong with any of 'em. The DSV is actually the salt water version based on what I've been told. The spool being solid prevents water from the line getting into the reel.

This warranty is a myth. I broke a Crucial before and had problems returning it for this "over the counter" warranty. The real warranty is as follows. If you break the rod in the first year, you can get a replacement from where you purchased it if you have a proof of purchase (hence the "over the counter" part). Then after a year from the purchase date, you have to send the rod to Shimano (you pay shipping) and they will determine if it was broken due to a manufatures defect (I don't know how they do this). If they determine you broke to rod by accident (e.g., stepped on it, car door, etc.) then you have to pay repair or replacement costs. I have heard they are a little liberal on this, but I still think that G Loomis Rods and Cabelas Brand Rods have the best warranties I have every seen (I assume Bass Pro Rods may have a good warranty policy as well, but I never tested it out). That is why I stick with these two brands of rods. BassPro replaced a broken Compre for me, no questions asked, no receipt needed. Sportsmans Warehouse and another locally owned shop will do the same thing. I've heard that Cabelas will also but have no personal experience with them on rod returns.

Over The Counter Warranty = If you break your rod take it to your local dealer and they are supposed to replace it on the spot. It's a lifetime warranty. Other rod companies have you send the rod in and pay a replacement fee, Shimano doesn't do that on the life time warranty rods.

I've never fished one as all my Shimano rods are Compres or Crucials but I have handled them and they seem to be a good rod for $$. They also have the same "over the counter" warranty as the Compre and Crucial. RoadWarrior has a pretty good informational thread posted in the "Important Topics" section above about rod action and power that should help to decipher the designations.

I'm using 10# Siege on my sissy stick, works fine. Also using 14# on my crankbait / spinnerbait rod and 17# on my c-rig and pitchin' rod, no problems there either. Good stuff!

AL, that's an interesting comparison considering the price point between the GL3 and IMX isn't that great and especially since Shimano now owns Loomis IIRC. I was looking at the GL3's but after comparing them to the IMX's decided the few extra $$ for the IMX would probably be money well spent.

I have fished with both the Shimano Crucial and the G Loomis IMX. I had the Crucial first before I purchased the IMX and thought that there couldn't have been a better rod then the Crucial. I was also sold on the warranty of the Shimano (which I was told was a lifetime "over the counter" warranty). Well, while fishing I stepped on the tip of my Crucial and broke it off. I thought no big deal since I can just take it back and get a new one next time I was at Cabelas. I took it to Cabelas and asked for an exchange and they asked me for my receipt for proof of purchase. Stupid me threw the receipt out thinking that there wouldn't be an issue if I ever needed to exchange for a new one. So they looked up in the computer as to when I may have purchased it. I told them the month I thought I purchased it and it couldn't be found on my record. Through this all, I got into a discussion with the customer service agent and I asked him that I was told Shimano had an "over the counter" lifetime warranty. He said that a lot of people think that for some reason, but the true warranty is over the counter replacement for any reason for the first year after purchase (and make sure you have a proof of purchase, i.e., receipt) and any time after that the rod has to be sent to Shimano directly. Then Shimano will look at the rod and if they determine the break occurred because of a manufacturers defect then they will replace it. If they determine that it was fisherman's error (ex. stepping on it) you will have to pay to get it replaced or fixed. I have heard Shimano is relatively liberal about this, but it still seems like a hassle. The end my story, after a long time at the customer service counter they finally allowed me to exchange the rod (Cabelas has to have the best customer service of any company out there), but I was afraid I was going to have to take a lie detector test before they did. With the G Loomis warranty, they will replace your rod for free if there is a manufacturers defect (same as Shimano's Warrant), but also if you break it you can have a new rod within a few days just for $50 bucks with the Expidetor service with no questions asked (I know $50 may sound like a lot, but in some cases these rods are over $400, so it's relatively cheap). I now have 6 G Loomis rods and sold the one Crucial rod I had. Also, these G Loomis rods are a joy to fish with. Be careful though, after you buy one you will have strong impulses to buy more. I haven't broken a Crucial but I did break a Compre (same warranty) and BassPro replaced it without question. There was a story related to me a couple of weeks ago about a guy from the D/FW area pre-fishing a tournament at Sam Rayburn. He broke his Loomis, called Loomis from his boat and gave them his CC info and explained he was pre-fishing a tourney. The next day a new rod was delivered to his hotel. I don't know if that's typical CS from Loomis but if it is it beats having to find someplace in the sticks to exchange your Crucial!