Rocky998

I understand where your coming on that, completely and that is solid advice. I just wanted to get a nice setup to treat myself. I rarely do that, really. So I wanted to find something that would last me a lifetime and allow me to pick up on the most subtle bites. I may not have 30-50+ years experience like some people here, but I've been fishing all my life, still. Fishing is something I absolutely love and I don't intend on it being something I stop doing. So while, yes, I still am learning on many things, I do consider myself fairly experienced in retrospect. Not that I know as much as some people here or more, but just that I know enough to know how to handle myself in situations on the water, and that I can continue learning and growing with the knowledge I have now 🙂

Yeah maybe I'll stand back from those rods for now. Just not enough info for me to go off of in general when it comes to reviews and stuff. Sounds nice though, really does. Just spent a bunch of time in the garage. I think I got it down now. I did it multiple times sitting down and then standing (how I normally tie my knots when actually fishing) I personally like the way it turned out. Thank you so much for the encouragement and help! I did 5 wraps as this was 20lb mono. Ill have to test it on fluorocarbon when I get some 😏😆 I used a 3/8 oz jig but kept it hooked to my tackle bag to maintain tension. Thank you!

I'll take a look at those! Thanks! I've seen those X2s! I wasnt too sure about them though. How does the sensitivity compare to an NRX from what youve experienced? I tried doing it a lot last night in the garage... i just got frustrated with it. I was doing it with 20lb mono. Maybe I was doing it right, but the knot felt very large and it didnt look fully cinched. The area where you bring the line to the top loop was partially arched outwards. Also, when you cut the line for it, do you cut close to the knot or leave a little? I've been tying the palomar for a long time, so I'mused to cutting it very close. It sounds like a very nicerod! I just don't know if I'd want it for my purposes as i want to be able to cast far and that sounds like its more of a shorter distance one. Thanks for letting me know! Ill take a look! I just don't know if I'd want to buy used or not. Ive never don't a clinch knot I don't think. But yeah, I was trying in the garage. All I got wasfrustration lol. Ill try it again today. Nice!! Yeah, I could get a power pitch down the line, then. I could use it in tight areas where I'd benefit by pitching/flipping rather than casting. And yeah, I've never bent a guide. I'm pretty careful with all my rods

Thank you for the very detailed response on that! Really appreciate it! Alright. So either the bottom contact 2 or 873. And I'd prefer a shorter rod when itcomes down thethe little details, so I'd probably go with the 873 between those. Especially if the sensitivity is matched. Plus I wouldnt have to worry about guides on the loomis. I actually just visited the lake I normally fish today. No weeds growing yet. But I know in prior years, the weeds come in and grow quickly and very thick. Pollen lightly sprinkled on the water. Sparse branches and wood with medium-large sized rocks spread throughout on the bottom. Saw two giant bass but couldn't catch them lol. Have not handled one. We have an expo coming up this June or July (I forget which month) near us. But I'd prefer not having to wait to POSSIBLY find the rods I'm looking for there just to handle them and try to decide in the moment. Especially if other rods I'm curious about arent there and i can't compare. Good to know about the Xtreme not being light. Although, the 894 is "light" compared to a steez ags, but I've heard that it feels lighter because it's better balanced, so I dont know if that's the same with the xtremes. Thank you for your input! I have thought about the 904, but it may be too moderate and too long for my liking. Hmm. Interesting. I've never heard that. I've always heard braid is best for sensitivity. Maybe now it's time for me to learn how to properly tie knots with fluorocarbon lol. Ive been dreading the San Diego Jam because i know fluorocarbon doesn'tlike the palomar knot. I'll probably keep it as a leader though so I still get better casting distance. I'll put enough on so that when there's "slack" the slack is moslty within the fluorocarbon.

Yeah. Thats why asking for rod opinions can be so conflicting. The best rod for one person may not be the best for another. And for various reasons. The reason someone may NOT like the rod, may be the reason the other person DOES like the rod and vice versa Yes I could be patient with it, but I was hoping for a rod I could use this (late) spring/summer. I was looking at that rod! It does look pretty sweet. I have heard that it doesn't do well in heavy cover situations, though. Although maybe that was just a bad opinion? Lol. Right now I've narrowed it down to 4 options: NRX+ 873 Something from the Steez AGS line (bottom contact, utility, Heavy Cover Special, Power pitch) St. Croix Xtreme AGS 7'4 And for the last option, a custom 7'3-7'5 rod from Kistler using their KC9X blanks (same blanks used for the Z bone rods) and an added carbon handle to improve the sensitivity even more. That does sound very nice. Although I do worry about that first broomstick feeling hindering the casting. For flipping/pitching it sounds great

That's really good to hear! I might just get one of those in either a medium or medium heavy for my coastal reel for general red drum/bass usage. I've thought about doing that. Although I am going to be 10x more cautious about that because usually warranties aren't as good and while I know, in general, custom rods are better quality, I do worry about quality concerns. Its just that nagging in the back of my head like: "What if it breaks?" Plus I wouldnt really know how to go about it. I much prefer calling as a last step, once I've done the research and feel like I know that rod builder is a shop that's completely reputable and I plan on actually buying from them. Yeah, thats a fair statement I'd say. I don't know if im ready for the dive into fluoro yet, though. I'd have to trust myself to tie the san diego jam knot and while i can tie a good fg and palomar, thats with mono and braid, i know fluorocarbon can be a different animal. Plus, fromthe shore, I need any advantage i can get with casting distance lol. I love braided line if you cant tell. Lol. Thats good to know! I will definitely bring it down to 40lb braid for my jig rod. Although if i ever get a punching/frogging setup, I will definitely up it to 65lb straight braid. Awesome to know! Will do if I have a question that needs answering! Thank you, ranger. I believe I was actually talking about the St Croix Xtreme rods. To be fair, I mentioned the AGS guides it has which is usually related to Daiwa rods when talking about them so I can see the confusion there. For my current casting setup it's an older model of the abu garcia vengeance pro series. Its a blue model and matches the blue of my daiwa coastal. Got it on marketplace originally paired with an SLX XT. But the reel was sadly broke and I didn't notice until i got it home. It's "functional" but the braking system is stuck in one place and the side plate lock is broke. I even brought it in for repairs but i guesshow its broke, they cant get the parts to fix it. So in came my daiwa reelwhich i actually got an amazing deal on. It was a bit over 50% off. I've heard of that rod! A lot of people seem to love it! Although I'm just not sure if it's the right fit for me. May I ask what you mean by it being a "polarizing" rod?

Oop, sorry, didn't see this when I replied before. Thank you! I really appreciate that info. Alright. The 873 will most likely be my rod. ALTHOUGH, I did see that kistler has a custom rod section where i can build my own online and they make it. Is that a good choice? Is the KCTX their most sensitive blank? I ask because it's the most expensive option. That might be what the Z bone uses, then? Not sure though. If that is as sensitive or, better yet, more sensitive than the NRX, I might just get a custom rod by them.

That's fair. Thank you for the honesty! I might actually get that rod as an upgrade for my coastal down the line. It says it's for red drum and bass which is exactly what I'm targeting with my daiwa coastal. Plus the blue accents will look 🔥 with the reel. Adding it to my list lol. That's awesome to hear! Yeah, I might not use it for the purposes listed here, really, but I'm definitely going to look into getting that rod for my current casting setup down the line. May I ask why you think the build for the NRX rods looks like it should only be 89?

I love braid because I can cast further and get more sensitivity. For me it goes: 10lb mono backing, braided line, and then a mono leader if necessary. And no, I dont really have any other reels laying around to use besides an old daiwa lexa 100h. I loved it for when I had it, but my coastal is so much better and lighter, lol. Are the helium's nrx sensitive? Right now I'm really just going in-between either getting a st croix xtreme 7'4, or going with an NRX. Because the Xtremes, at least from what I've heard, match the NRX's sensitivity. I'm just wondering if that's true and if the 7'4 will cast a 3/8 oz jig. They have AGS guides and they also seem better balanced. On paper, it seems better than an NRX, but I know that changes on the water at times Appreciate the tip on the line! I might go with 40lb braid to a 6ft(ish) 17lb mono leader then. That will hopefully help with casting distance while keeping a good strength for heavy vegetation

Oh, awesome!! That was another rod I was looking at! I'll definitely keep an eye out for your opinion on the rod after you've had some time with it! Those rods did interest me at one point, but I've heard they lack quality. I haven't heard too many good things about these rods except for a few people saying they love them here and there. Yeah, I know. Just trging to get the closest to magic as I can loll The current rod I have now will turn into my larger topwater rod/straight retrieve bladed jig/spinnerbait presentation. TNBank convinced me it wouldn't be the best since it's not as sensitive and was out of place compared to the others mentioned. I've seen those Z Bone rods. I've heard great things about those. But they're completely out of stock on their site for casting and spinning. I don't know when or if they'll be back in stock and I don't know how long I want to be waiting for that

That's great to hear, then! Thank you! Well that's good to hear! I might use it (VERY sparingly) for that purpose. Maybe later down the line I'll get that heavy cover steez rod for frogging and punching. Yeah, that makes sense and it would definitely be more for chatterbaits/single hook baits. Good to know! Thank you, again! I'll think about this for a couple weeks before pulling the trigger completely on a such a large purchase, but I'll definitely update the thread on what u settle on! Also, should I do 40lb sufix 832 to sufix 17lb advance mono, or do 50lb sufix 832 to sufix 20lb advance mono? This would go on a metanium most likely for this rod and it's uses

Wow, thank you so much for your insight and for taking the time to write all that! It helped a bunch with really breaking down all the specifics of each rod. I appreciate it! Although do you think the 873 will have the right power to fish in weeds? The lake I fish has some thick weeds in the shallows (not matted, but just thick under water). So I only have one baitcasting combo right now. It's a daiwa coastal 150 on an Abu Garcia vengeance pro series. I absolutely love it, but it's not by any means a highly sensitive rod, but it was, for a time the most sensitive rod (in general) I had before I got a daiwa tatula xt spinning rod. Right now, that's my most sensitive. Most of that had to do with the fact that it was the only one-piece rod I had. All my other spinning rods are very low budget, two-piece rods I've fished lakes with my vengeance, and I can feel blue gill nibbling on the little kickers on a rage bug when I'm Texas rigging at times. Which is good, but I'm looking for something where I can feel a bass bite a bait when there's slack or on the drop and I know I'm missing those. There was one time I caught a fish hopping a bladed jig and I didn't know I had the bass until it was pulling my line tight. It just felt like I was in mush until the mush was moving lol. As for what weights I'll be using, I'm mainly using 3/8 and 1/2 oz jigs/chatterbaits, but I do have one singular 3/4 oz grass jig. Used it once on my vengeance and it's definitely too much for it, but it "worked" if that makes sense, haha. I just had to lob or pitch it. Awesome!! That's 2 for the 873 in only 3 comments, haha. Thank you for all the great information! Although I am still worried about the 873's ability in thick grass (again, not matted, just under the water) I appreciate all the great info on the rods mentioned! I am surprised though on the comments with the P5. I've heard they are very sensitive. I know Matt from Tactical Bassin raves about it being a fantastic bladed jig rod thats extremely sensitive. And I've heard others say it's pretty sensitive as well. Not NRX sensitive of course, but I've heard it's up there in sensitivity.

So I've been doing a lot of research on various rods. NRX, Xtasy, Xtreme X2, P5, and those Steez AGS rods. I want the best casting distance and sensitivity I can get possible. Like if I was fishing in a Walmart pond and then feel a shopping cart at the bottom with my bait, I want to be like: "Why is there a Target cart down there? That's a few streets down from here..." 😂 I plan to use this rod for moderate to heavy grass situations with swim jigs, grass/flipping jigs, chatterbaits (hopping/yo-yoing them usually), and some VERY light punching situations. I am a BANK fisherman. I do not own a boat. I would prefer to keep rod length at or below 7'5 but above 7'. Some stand outs in the mentioned models include: P5 Daemos, Steez AGS Power Pitch, Steez AGS heavy cover special, NRX 873, NRX 894, NRX 844, Xtasy 744, Xtreme 7'4 XH. I absolutely love the idea of having an NRX, but I know the 873 might not have enough power for what I want and I've heard the 894 is extremely tip heavy. Although, I'd most likely pair it with a daiwa mangetsu (7.8 oz) or a shimano Bantam (7.6 oz) to counter it if I did. (Although the true dream would be to pair one of these rods with a metanium) I have heard a lot of conflicting things about all these rods. Either they're tip-heavy, not "nrx sensitive", guides are fragile (AGS), warranty isn't the best, ect. I know there will never be a "perfect" option, but when I'm looking at spending a pretty penny on my first ever high end set up, I want to try to make sure the rod I get has the least amount of negatives as possible

First bass of early spring for me!

Yeah. Might stay away from that then... I do have the kastking centron spinning reel, though and its actually not bad... Just a broken drag clicker but that was actually my fault. I was being stupid 😂 Thanks for your input!

That may be a good idea! But I don't think it would work too well for me personally. I found this awesome bag by accident today: https://a.co/d/5cT4TI4 But it is kastking, so I'm concerned about quality lol.

I checked that out and all of those options still put me at square 1. Plus I've already narrowed it down to two that I love. But I'm jud trying to hear people's opinions between those two bags. BUT, if someone has a recommendation on a bag that fits close to the same amount or more as the two i have listed, that is better, I would love to hear about it! I appreciate the link though! I've seen those kastking bags! They're pretty cool but from the ones I've seen they still only fit up to 4, 3600s... Some places I go fishing, I'm fishing for multiple species that range from fresh to salt due to brackish conditions. So I take quite a bit with me and each thing can target multiple species (normally) Yeah, I totally get the convenience of doing that. That's why I brought up the point of using my current backpack as a day bag, but still getting a "mothership" bag to bring with me when I don't know the area we'll and I'm learning what exactly to use. Im also unable to fish often at this time, so I'd like to bring all my stuff with me, or at least as much as I can sometimes, so I can cover a lot of ground. Thank you for commenting about the XL on this! Appreciate it! Yeah, usually I'm just walking to get to a point and setting it down for a while. Maybe switching points here and there. Wouldnt be too bad for me. Walk to a point, fish for about 30 minutes, then switch spots on the lake/pond depending on how large the lake/pond/river bank is. That does sound heavy to lug around though. Definitely something to consider... How has the quality of the bag been, though? Has it held up nicely? Do the straps still feel sturdy? I appreciate the offer! That's very generous, but I should be ok! Thank you so much!

I don't have a boat or any way to go out I to the water so I would like a way to carry all my stuff with me when I'm not sure exactly what to bring and it's a new spot. Currently I have an Okeechobee backpack. I'm able to (very tightly) fit 5, 3600 boxes. Which is an issue cause I need more. But my biggest issue is the front pouch doesn't allow me to expand on my soft plastic collection or terminal tackle. I do plan on keeping that pack to bring small amounts of stuff to places where I know exactly what I'll be using so I won't have to lug around a larger backpack. But I want a "mothership" storage bag I can take as well. Right now I'm debating two different bags, but I keep seeing reviews saying certain straps, seams, buckles, or zippers are breaking/ripping. And I really want something that will last me a long time cause I don't want to spend $100+ on something for it to just break after a few months to a year. My first one, in no particular order, is the Evolution drift series 3700 backpack. I really like the look of this bag and the fact that there is a large space up top to put things as well as spaces on the sides. And that spooling storage area is a good selling point as well. Love that it has two rod holders too. But I've heard of buckles breaking, seams coming undone, as well as poor customer support in some cases (Same as the other bag as well). The second one which I really love is the Plano guide series 3700 XL. I heard it digs into your back when you wear it like a backpack, but I went to the store to try it out and it honestly wasn't bad for me. Heavy for an empty bag, yes, but it wasn't that bad. Although maybe after loading it up it gets bad? I don't know. Even then I think it would be fine if adjusted right. But I love that it fits 7, 3700 boxes, 3, 3600s on the sides, and has rod holders. No direct spooling storage but it's not that big of a deal. That's just an extra on the evolution bag. That magnetic top is also very nice for fishing on piers and docks. I can already see applications for that in my fishing trips. For soft plastic storage I can just take out one or two of the 3600 boxes and use that. What would you guys say is the best buy? I really want to get a quality product and something I won't have to change out like this Okeechobee bag (which has served me well, no hate on this bag) due to my growing collection.

Only caught one at a small pond. I was using a topwater minnow! There was anywhere from 2-4 bass that kept going up to the bank, but no matter what I put in front of them, they wouldn't take it lol.

I've had this reel for several months now. Thanks for the info and tagging someone! Appreciate it! That would make sense! This is really comforting to know lol. Thank you! I'll probably just bring my reel in for a good cleaning, oiling, and greasing. I would do it myself, but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable taking apart my most expensive reel myself lol I might look into that! Thank you so much!!

So I understand that the daiwa coastals have 2 crbb and then 5 normal bb. Do you think there are any bearing kits that would be an upgrade for the ones in there currently and that would switch them all to corrosion resistant bearings? And will local fishing stores that do work on reels change out the bearings if I bring the reel and bearings to them? (Obviously with a cost)

Ok. I have an idea to, one, have a setup that's cheaper than getting another baitcasting setup, and two, have something for multiple purposes. I'm thinking of getting (in the future) a Penn pursuit IV spinning reel (5:6 gear ratio) and putting it on a Berkely 8' big game 2 piece rod. It can handle 1-4 ounces. My hope is that I can use this for swimbaits, Alabama rigs, AND using it for pier and surf fishing by the coast here with 3-4 oz weights.

That's a good point to bring up to him!! Lol Thank you! Nice catch, btw!

Yeah, I just don't want him to lose a fish AND bait at the same time... or worse, a pole... Sadly he hasn't been able to catch much, but I'm hoping this coming spring will boost his confidence!

Question. I'm teaching my dad how to bass fish. How do I convince him to NOT throw FULL size frogs and chatterbaits on his ultralight? Loll He does that when he doesn't feel like re-tying his baitcaster...