CaughtMeABiggun

Looks like Academy is revamping some of their H2OX rods. They have a new rod out and It looks like a GSM built rod. It seems to have a Dobyn's blank with a Phenix M1 butt. The reel seat is kind of a mystery to me. It looks interesting and it seems to be priced well.

Thats what I keep thinking. That model number doesn't come up as a rod, but it does come up a a set of guides from lews around that time period.

I wondered about it being custom, but the model #1271 leads me to think is is not a one-off.

This old rod has been around the family for as long as I can remember. I would love to know more about it. Any help identifying it would be appreciated.

I totally agree with you on them making your wrists tired. There are some things that they can do that the longer rods with longer handles can't. Nothing like throwing a spinnerbait into lay downs with one. I feel like it's one of those rods that you have to have in your boat. You might not throw it all the time, but there are situations where nothing else will do. My thought with making one just a little longer than 6 foot would be to create a modified pistol grip. Somewhere between the old BPS power humps and a traditional pistol grip. That might be easer on the wrists.

I figured. 🤣 Seems like the modern angler has been led to believe that if the rod isn't over 7ft long and the reel has less than 30" IPT you just won't be able to get the job done.. My PB over 7lbs was caught with a slow gear ratio BPS Rick Clunn reel on a 6' medium power Renegade CyberStik from Walmart. The reel had 12 pound test line on it and I was throwing a Bandit 200 crankbait. Caught it up in a river against the current and had no problems getting the fish in the boat.

Yeah I think that is the universal go to rod in that price range. For good reason. Was kind of wondering if there were other options too.

Thanks for the offer, but I have some 5' 6"s. There is something to be said about a shorter rod for making accurate casts. I think close quarter accurate fishing is becoming a thing of the past. I am finding out that to the fish in my area what is old is new. I consider myself in Western NC even if the maps don't. LOL!

I'm sure I'm one in a million, but I wish someone would release a 6' 2-4" pistol grip casting rod to be able to use for pinpointing cast around docks and lay downs. Am I the only one that wants this?

Welcome!

Welcome from Western NC!

Just wondering if anyone has tried the KastKing Kapstan Elite for swimbaits? I hear the Shimano and Daiwa fans groaning already LOL!

Also picked up two of the armor x reels for the 38 dollar sale price. From what I understand these are much heavier duty built than the standard crixus reels. I would go as far as saying a different reel completely since the gearing and fram are different between the armor x and regular crixus. Very please so far. I let someone on my boat use one the other day and they threw a final copy with it. No issues at all.

To not miss the spring and fall fishing season.. I somehow always miss it. Find myself on the water melting or freezing every year.

I have purchased a lot of rods and reels over the last couple of years and I too am going to wind it down. Other than a couple recent purchases and one or two more rods I would like to have to fill in some niche gaps, I'm done. I have a group of rod/reels that I can take out and fish all day and not come back feeling fatigued. Plus without ordering from reels from Japan, new high end reels are getting ridiculously expensive USDM.

Just bought a new in box Cabelas Prodigy. Same reel as a Diawa Tierra/Advantage. Great 200 size reel. 2nd one I have purchased new in the box in the last couple of months. All I do is regrease them and upgrade the handle to a larger handle. I like throwing 5 inch magdraft style swimbaits with them.

Ordered a Calcutta SE last month from digitaka.com. no issues at all. I only order jdm gear from them.

Any suggestions for the most sensitive ML spinning rod in the 200-300 dollar range? Wanting to use it for ned rigs, stupid tubes, and similar presentations.

I knew about the BOGO sale when it was happening, but had no reason to buy a reel until after it was over. (I got a new rod.) I only referenced the sale becuase my out of box eperience felt like a reel half the price. My issue is that a reel that is almost 300 bucks shouldn't need serving and replacement parts out of the box. It's a great reel now. I might be tempted to buy more at BOGO, but we'll see after the season is over. I just know I'll be replacing the handles and servicing them out of box. I am also saying that their customer service is lack luster. I remember Debo on YouTube had a similar experience with them on a rod warranty. Seems like you buy Ark products knowing you will not have much service after the sale.

The view that one or two companies will always be the best is not good for any industry. My current arsenal covers a full range of manufacturers (Shimano, Daiwa, Okuma, Kastking, Ark, Abu Garcia, Kistler, Piscifun, Pflueger, Quantum, Lews, and 13 Fishing) just to name a few. I have models that range from a Piscifun Torrent and Abu Garcia Max STX to a Steez A2 and 25 Antares. For anyone to say that Daiwa and Shimano are the only two reels that are good is detrimental to competition between manufacturers and give Daiwa and Shimano no reason to put their best foot foward. Prime example, Shimano currently sells the FX, Sienna, and Nexave at three different price points. All 3 reels are basically identical. They have the same guts except the FX has one less bearing. They charge roughly 25 bucks for the FX, 35 bucks for the Sienna, and over 50 bucks for the Nexave. The only differences between the Nexave and the two other reels is the Nexave is blue, has one more bearing than the FX, and has a different handle. If Shimano has no problem trying to get one over on their entry level equipment what are they willing to do to the diehards that won't look at anything that isn't Shimano branded? I have no issue saying there is no difference in quality and performance between a 13 fishing Concept A2, Tatula 100, Shimano Curado MGL 150, and Okuma Hakai. I would add the Hakai is the easiest casting baitcasting reel I have ever used. It beats the crap out of my Antares, Calcutta Conquest, Steez, Zillion, and other higher end reels I have for ease of setup and the ability to bomb a wide range of lures without using my thumb during the cast. It also is one of the most powerful reels I own and reels hard pulling crankbaits with ease. Plus it's extremely light due to the magnesium frame. As much as it pains me to say it the Ark Gravity 8 is as good as my Zillion SV. Was it as good out the box, no, but with a grease job and handle replacement it's fantastic. The problem with Ark is their customer service and lack of grease in their reels. It's not uncommon to get a bone dry Tatula so... I think anyone that is not willing to try new things only to bash anything that isn't branded Shimano, Daiwa, or whatever their favorite brand might be is bad for discussion and does nothing but push people away that may not be able to spend that Shimano or Daiwa tax. Their are plenty of reels from other manufacturers that can provide just a good of service and at times better value for money.

The Royal Legend was released before Kastking started making their own stuff. I would imagine since it is not a new design it would still be made where it has always been. That being said, Aggressively Average Anglers YouTube channel got the information about Kastkings's factory from Kastking. I believe the MG12 was the first or one of the first designed and manufactured reels from Kastking. Yes the Okuma Halogen shares a frame with the KastKing, Calamus, and Dobyns casting reels. It is not uncommon for brands cough cough Daiwa to have their lower end models produced by a Chinese or Korean OEM. As far as Okuma using their own factories, that came from Okuma themselves responding to someone in another Bass Fishing forum. I think that Kastking and Okuma are taking the Diawa model and having their lower price point reels made by an OEM. I remembered the first time I saw an Okuma reel in the 90s. They had a booth set up at a fishing expo and they told us that they were trying to break into the states with their own name as they had been an OEM of other reel brands at that time. Keep in mind that Okuma is Taiwanese so it would not be out there to consider that the Halogen is their reel and they are making versions of it for other brands. With all that being said it would be a good idea for people to not be so naive to think that any company could not start as a budget offering and turn in to a major player in an industry. Take Hyundai/Kia or Samsung as examples.

The Okuma Hakai is the easiest baitcasting reel I have ever seen. I have recently taught two people to throw a baitcasting reel with them.

🤣😂

Kastking now manufactures their own designs in their own factory. Okuma does as well. If I were not going to buy Shimano or Daiwa I would look to these two brands. People like to hate on KastKing because of their reels before they built their own factory. I would say any Kastking Elite series reel is definitely worth checking out. I have also heard the two KastKing Skeet Reese reels are very good. My next reel I have my eye on is the MgTi. I believe that reel is a giant killer.

I don't understand why recommending a Curado to anyone is a bad thing??? They are workhorses and provide many years of service. I would reccomed a good used one over many new reels. My dad still throws his old green Curados from the late 90s. To me if someone says name a Shimano reel, Curado comes to mind first.