I have tried searching the forum for reviews on these rods but can't find any. A fishing buddy recently bought 2 and raves about them. How do they compare against the GLoomis and other top range rods? It sure felt better than my Crucial swinging it around on the boat ramp and I'm seriously considering rewarding myself with one but would like to have a couple of opinions first. Would I be better of with something else in the same price range? Thanks

The z-bone line is very good. I would say somewhere between a glx and a nrx from Loomis. It is also similar to the dobyns champ extremes. The higher end St. Croixs would also be in the same league. For about the same price megasbass has the x4 line which while awesome just has a 3 year warranty. You can get a quality custom rod for about the same and it would fit what you want a T.

All of these are major upgrades over a crucial. Best thing would be to get your hands on a few of them. I have also called the manufacturers personally and have spoken to pro staff members or the actual owners. If you have the time that would be your best bet. Once you figure out what high end brand you want these folks can really help you figure out what rod would fix your needs best.

Good luck and have fun! Once you fish rods in this league good luck going back to lower end rods!

Thanks, I appreciate the info. My problem is that I live out in the sticks in South Africa. Tackle shops are few and cater mostly for the bait fishermen. I don't believe Dobyns and Megabass are available in SA and I would have to import those which drives up the price with shipping and duties. Importing also means that warranty issues becomes problematic again due to shipping costs etc. This is 1 one of the main reasons for me owning mostly Shimano because most problems can be sorted out over the counter. I really like the looks on the Z bone and will be trying out a friends NRX on Saturday. I'm slowly upgrading my gear with the money I gained by stopping smoking and will treat myself every 3 to 4 months. I already have the Core 50Mg7 and want the perfect rod to compliment my dream reel.

My favorite combination is the GLX MBR842C/ Core 50MG.

The next step up might be the NRX852C, but I have yet to fish

the NRX line-up.