Alex Ball

Indeed. Same company. Its the three sons now. JB3. They literally grew up building rods. Not just any rods. From what I've found, JB custom rods was kind of a pro/high end boutique. A fairly well kept secret. Now, the sons are basically building the rods that were the top performers as a tribute to the father. Yes to 249. It's worth every penny so far. It honestly feels like I went and got this made to spec just for me. Extremely Light. Not Virtus air in hand, but close. Softest tip I've ever seen. Extremely responsive. It loads like a moderate rod. It's a tank. A monster backbone. It's mean looking. Very subtle design, but it looks aggressive. I like that. I'm very impressed so far. Very impressed. Took a risk. It was worth it.

For a long time, that was my A1 rod. I've moved up a bit, but the Winch still gets some action. I have a Denali I use more now, but I love 15 minutes from the home store so if it fails, I just go get another one. The action on those is almost perfectly to spec. 35 percent load. That's moderate. Abu went with the standard. Set it actually. With a $100 rod. I won't post too often. It takes so much time to test properly. I'll say this: Almost none of the rods I prefer will score top 3 in category. What you said there "to each his own" is accurate to my situation. My Denali Attax Glass Cranking rod was 5/9 on my test list for it's category. Its by far my favorite one in the group. To each his own. Yessir.

I've sort of created my own niche where I live. The local shop owner has sorta put me on a pedestal as a setup man. Before he came back, I ran a tiny little shop just to keep a tackle shop here. I gained a rep for being able to put the right setup in your hands. The one. My "clients" are guys and girls who want to test things before they buy. That's the service I offer. Not a guide. Not nearly experienced enough. Maybe someday. I'm happy with what I do. I do have a day job. Someday I hope to not have to.

Agreed. Everything rod I use is above the 100 mark, but each is specific to a need. I only throw a limited number of things. I try to be versatile, but also comfortable with my setups. My most expensive rods are the most versatile. That's why I spent the money. Above 200 it's on the buyer. Its about them. Not so much the rod. It's about what they want to experience.

Yup. Nice rods. The Carbon Elite is excellent too. I prefer the cork. Agreed.

Fair enough. I had a Glx by Loomis. $500. I see the point. Above 250-300, your looking for aesthetic in my opinion. Something one off. They don't feel the same as they used to. I have several older falcons. The new Cara is really nice in hand. Just feels different than my old one. Dunno how to explain that verbally. I feel exactly the same about the old ones as you do the new ones. Virtus just picked up what Falcon left behind. Rod rollers included. It definitely explains why they never built low end stuff to start. Straight to the top. Already had the infrastructure.

Not the same. I misspoke there. Falcon WAS Harrison, Arkansas. It drove the economy. Then they left. From what I understand, Virtus took over the factory, got the same guys to roll the rods, and essentially became an OEM to fund the Virtus line. Dunno who they build for. Jewel and Virtus are one and the same. I know guys at both. Talked to the rod guy at Virtus today by coincidence. I live in the area. Falcon isn't connected, but the rods are very similar because the same people make them. I haven't used a new Falcon. I've had one in my hands. They don't feel like they used to. Can't opine any further on em.

Early results: Everyone loves the lightning rod. Galyonj and cbump have won the fishing internet today. OMG I'm laughing so hard.

Yup. Greatest sub thread ever. I'm loving it. LoL.

I just bought a JB3 Series 2 Outlaw 7'3" HXF Heavy Cover rod. I'm incredibly impressed so far. Just wondering if anybody else has a JB3 and if you like it or not. Thanks.

I'm really enjoying this sub thread. Yes! I use livers. Always have. I've been catting since I was little. Got into bass for the challenge and the fancy toys.

Some Denali eye candy.

Right. That list is my personal list of high scorers that are readily available. Not a true result list. Whatcha want to know? I got lists for days. Scores. Scoring methods. Actual action vs Stated action, etc....

The weight does. The feel is nuts. I'm certainly biased. No doubt about it. I had one $500 dollar rod. A Loomis Glx I got for Christmas. Just sold it because I prefer the RD. Again, it's all my opinion on this based on how I experience things. I'm pretty much blind without glasses. I often fish without glasses cuz it feels better. Feel is 99 percent of it for me. The RD is by far the best rod I've ever used. They are Falcon essentially. Same people place, and actions/lengths. A better Cara in my opinion. Far better.

And that price basically stayed there til now. Mine was $45. My first upgrade from the Cherrywood. Love the Lightning Rod.

At that price point, it's them and then everyone else for me. Its basically a higher end rebrand of Falcon. Same Factory, people, graphite recipe, actions, lengths. Another one to consider is JB3. Just got one. Absolutely stunned. Fantastic rod.

That Winch rod they make is stupid good. That was my first bait specific rod. Across the board, that series is money all day. They over perform the price point by a bunch. Agreed on it being personal. That's why my lists aren't going to be my favorite ones usually. I do a 15 point test on rods and a 20 point test on reels. You'd be shocked how often the high end stuff gets beat. My lists are based on my scoring system. For instance, my favorite mid level rod is actually the Shimano Clarus, but it's not easy to get, and it didn't score the highest. The Vendetta did and it's everywhere. The p4p list removes price and replaces it with value. The Veritas is the best overall series I've tested. No duds. The others were listed because of what you get for what you paid. The Sellus feels like $100. Its 50. So on. You got the gist.

Right. 11 breaks. 4 were On hooksets. 5 on snags(I bank fish so sometimes it happens) 2 were definitely on me. To be fair, I didn't break all 11 personally. I'll get on a boat with a client and give em options. Sometimes rods just break. The only company to fight me on replacement was Abu. Everyone else was very helpful. I acknowledge my break rate is high. I'll also admit I absolutely test every single rod to it's razors edge limit. Some of the guys I help set up are pros. I don't want to mislead them. I need to know the limits.

LoL. Two of my favorite movies. I've broken 11 rods total. I'm out there every day. I fish Bull Shoals. Rods break here. LoL. Two of my favorite movies. I've broken 11 rods total. I'm out there every day. I hl

5 Rods to Avoid Berkley Shock They feel cheaper than the price. Heavy. Break in weird ways. The reel seat is junk. Favorite White Bird A dead stick. Nuff said. Lew's KVD GC series Good rod until it breaks for no reason. Also pretty dull feeling for the price. Lew's Mach 2 A variety of broomsticks. Stiff. Duckett Green Ghost I'm fairly gentle with my rods. These break way too easy. Otherwise, it's not bad.

Dude, I still use one for float rigs! LoL. I have the 802ML. I remember that one being my first "expensive" rod. I totally showed it off. Yup. The black max is IMHO, the best p4p caster ever. They don't break. A $50 tank.

Hello, my name is Alex Ball. I got into fishing 30 months ago and have been through just about everything below the $150 range on rods and reels. I mean everything. I have no social life(lol) and no other real hobbies outside my band, so I decided to try it all, so to speak. This post and follow ups will be my experience with rods at a certain price range. I'll do another about reels. Today, I'd like to share a top 5 rod list of my favorite rods in 5 ranges: $30 or less(Budget), $30-60(Entry), $60-100(Mid), 100-150(boater), and 150+(Pro). I'll also include my top 5 pound for pound list. Can't wait to see the replies. Note- I'm listing the bigger names for the most part below $100. I know there are boutique options at lower prices, but I wanted to include rods everyone can find easily. Top 5 Budget- Berkley Cherrywood Not graphite only, but fairly sensitive. An array of options, including a ML casting rod for the BFS guys . A solid rod to learn on. Entry- Tie- Abu Vengeance Pro 1/KK Perigee 2 The V Pro is probably my favorite Walmart rod ever. For $55, it's very good. There are several different versions. 24T graphite. A good rod to upgrade from the bottom. The P2 1 piece rods are the exact same as the 13 defy black. Exact. For $20 less usually. The 2 piece is pretty special. The twin tip rods are meh, but only because of the way they connect, a wide gap. The regular 2 pieces are excellent for around $40 on Amazon. Very sensitive and durable. I have 5. Love em. Mid- Abu Vendetta w locking reel seat This rod and the Veritas both feel like they cost more. The Vendetta is just a great series. Just about everything you can throw will go on these rods. Around $89 retail, but TW has/had them on clearance for $50 or so. You can nitpick here and beyond, but this series is excellent for the price. Boater- Daiwa Tatula SVF A "Fancy" rod for $150. This series is just nuts. So many options. From cranking to crappie, you can find a rod you'll love. My 7'1" HF Jig Rod is my number one purpose built rod. Its pretty much perfect for anything with a jig head or a Texas/C Rig. I know there are several different rod series you can pick here, and in each range, I'll eventually do a list, but I just love these rods. You can find them on sale pretty easy online. A boutique feel at a good price. Pro- Virtus Red Diamond Definitely not a major mame yet, but I'd bet the farm this is the next Loomis. To call these rods light would be insulting. They weigh nothing. I'm not joking. It actually alarms you the first time you pick one up. Almost like an optical illusion, you can feel it in your hand, but you feel no weight at all. Not a massive lineup, but they have everything you need for tournament fishing with baits under 4oz. Made in the same factory as Falcon used to be, these rods are rolled and assembled in Arkansas. The components are tip top of the line. Everything about them screams "$500 rods here!!!". They cost $300. I know I'll get pushback here, but I've never, ever experienced a better rod. I've owned over 100 personally at some point and close to 500 sold. This is a different animal. Try one. Pound For Pound in No order. No review. Casting Duckett Ghost Abu Veritas Daiwa Tatula SVF Ugly Stik Berkley Lightning Rod Spinning Shakespeare Micro Lew's KVD Berkley Lightning Rod Shimano Sellus Dobyns in general That's my book for the evening. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. Edit- These are strictly my opinions. I'm not claiming to be an expert by any means. Just wanted to say that. Always do the research before you buy a rod or reel over $50. Always. Never base a decision on YT guys or the Googan types(Especially the Googans). Buy the equipment you decide is best FOR YOU. Don't buy it to impress, or because you saw a cool ad. Buy it because it's what fits your needs. Needed to say that too.

I was at a BPS in Springfield the other day. The big one. They have everything. It was crazy. I'm absolutely sold on that Rebellion. It's very nice. Light as air. Welp. I've decided on the Sierra which I'll order very soon and the Rebellion when I get another trip to BPS in Springfield. Tried both on the trip. The Sierra will be my AP rod and I'll be getting a slower Concept A for the Rebellion for straight cranking. Thanks a bunch guys. This is a personal project for me. I'm hoping to have everything set up and tuned in by mid February. That's 2-300 test casts each to optimize my tackle selection for each setup. I'm excited. My favorite part of fishing so far is the tinkering. It's very stimulating to have a constant, unending puzzle to solve. I'm just happy as can be. Thanks, Al

I honestly thought it was a misprint when I saw the price. You get the entire series for $150 after tax. Nutso. I'd compare them to the Abu Vendetta or the Veritas. Excellent features for price. Pretty sensitive. I ended up with the ml rod. My customer has multiple of that one. It's just wonderful for my Berkley Shad cranks and my Shad raps and little x raps. Never had a high end Ark. What about them is questionable to you? The flagship I mean. Or is it that you can do better at the price? I asked because I got to look at a Daiwa Rebellion the other day. At $200, I'm not sure anything else compares. It looks like a $400 custom rod. It feels like a $400 custom rod.

Best comment so far. I have 2 Aird rods. Excellent for the price. I have a Abu Garcia Vengeance Pro Spinnerbait/Buzzbait rod mh/mf I use for jigs. That's why I'm okay with that action. The Dobyn's look like a good answer. I do 90 percent of my cranking on spinning stuff. Always have. I use a snap swivel to avoid line twist. This is an experiment to see if I can find one rod that can be a go to. It's really because of how versatile the Concept A is. It'll do everything. I'd like a rod that can keep up.