I'm a huge Shimano reel fanboy but have never owned one of their rods.

 

I was thinking of picking up an Expride spinning rod but TW has them backordered until 7/31

 

I've had almost all Shimano since I started fishing - Crucials, Cumara, Sellus, and Clarus - they've all since been replaced by the Zodias rods.....yes, they're that good.

 

I love them for every situation except I don't have anything in UL. 

I’m secretly a Shimano rod fanboy. All the way down to the $60 Carbonax, which I use for several applications and have caught fish from 2oz to 7lbs on.

I just ordered a 7'0" MH Clarus . The handle looks to be slightly shorter  {I hope it is } and it has a cork fore-grip which is something I demand in casting rod . I have two  old 6'6" compre's  which are good rods . This will either be my wormin rod or my Toad rod . I cant go longer than 7 foot because it wont fit in the back of my truck diagonally, perhaps a 7'2" would . If I like this rod I may purchase more . Its almost impossible   to find rods with the shorter handle and cork foregrip , this is the only one I  can find .

2 minutes ago, scaleface said:

I just ordered a 7'0" MH Clarus . The handle looks to be slightly shorter  {I hope it is } and it has a cork fore-grip which is something I demand in casting rod . I have two  old 6'6" compre's  which are good rods . This will either be my wormin rod or my Toad rod . I cant go longer than 7 foot because it wont fit in the back of my truck diagonally, perhaps a 7'2" would . If I like this rod I may purchase more . Its almost impossible   to find rods with the shorter handle and cork foregrip , this is the only one I  can find .

I think you'll like it. These are some good rods. Their overlooked by many guys now days, becausetheres so many other brands out there. I've had my Shimano rod for several years now, it's one of the best I've ever bought

I know the warranty changes and a few other things may have affected their sales. However,  I believe that just like their reels theyve always provided excellent quality at affordable prices.  Theyve been late to the game with their budget offerings but the slx has blew up that sector in my opinion.  I love lews reels and their customer service is excellent.  Having said that I've used shimano for well over 10 years and have never needed it. They aren't never the best but at any price point they offer quality products that hold their value. I have several of the new slx rods and reels and am impressed more every time I use them considering their price.

I had friends that fished Crucials, loved the feel of them. The new Curado rods seem very nice too, I would consider that model.

I love my 72MH Expride. 

i just wish shimano would put hook keepers on their higher end ones.  it should be standard on their rods.

Zodias! Fuji hook keepers are cheap if you need a hook keeper.

had a Zodias spinning rod that I wasn't a fan of. The aluminum locking nut, while nice, is not very comfortable with how I hold the rod while I fish it. I do have a gen 1 cumara casting rod that I like quite a bit. The Exprides line is very highly regarded too for the price point. I'd like to try one someday. And the new Poison Adrena... 

On 6/29/2019 at 7:47 AM, scaleface said:

Its almost impossible   to find rods with the shorter handle and cork foregrip , this is the only one I  can find .

American Legacy is selling off their stock of Loomis CR rods. 6’ long with a short grip and cork forgrip.  They also have a few used 6’6” mbr rods on their ebay page.  

I have a clarus from a few years back. Great rod. It is rarely fished because I really only fish by weight and have too many rods to begin with.

I got the clarus and it is tip heavy . I tried different reels and lures and cant find a use for  it .   I just bought a cheapo Quantum graphex for 25 dolllars and I prefer it much more .

20 years ago I had a Compre that I really liked and then a good friend introduced me to St. Croix Avid rods and I've switched to SC rods for everything.

8 hours ago, scaleface said:

I got the clarus and it is tip heavy . I tried different reels and lures and cant find a use for  it .   I just bought a cheapo Quantum graphex for 25 dolllars and I prefer it much more .

I put a rubber leg tip on the butt end  with four nickles inside . Now it feels balanced .