Phenix rods

[David Austin]

What's everyone's experiences with Phenix casting rods?  I'm looking at the Phenix X-Series Composite Crankbait Casting Rods. Specifically the X9 or X10.  I'd be using the rod for 1 and 1.5 squarebills and some small topwater stuff (1/2oz whopper ploppers, 3/8oz and 1/2oz poppers, and 3/8oz sexy dawg jrs and other similiar size walking baits).

[kayaking_kev]

I built a X-10 over the Winter and love it. I don't think you could a throw Whopper Plopper 90 or 75 with a X-9, but I've thrown the 90 & 60 with the X-10. It absolutely bombed the size 60 WP and handled my favorite size of 90 pretty good, but I wouldn't go over 1/2 oz. with it. It should be great with small square bills, seeing how it did with that WP size 60.

 

I was using a Dobyns Glass 704cb and a Tatula 7' M/R for cranking, but the X-10 was so much lighter that I'm getting rid of the other two. The other two were both 4.5 oz. and the X-10 was 3.9 oz. and I could've made it weigh less, but I put Winn Grips on it. I will probably build a X-13 at some point for the WP 110 & heavier cranks.

 

 

[David Austin]

28 minutes ago, kayaking_kev said:

I built a X-10 over the Winter and love it. I don't think you could a throw Whopper Plopper 90 or 75 with a X-9, but I've thrown the 90 & 60 with the X-10. It absolutely bombed the size 60 WP and handled my favorite size of 90 pretty good, but I wouldn't go over 1/2 oz. with it. It should be great with small square bills, seeing how it did with that WP size 60.

 

I was using a Dobyns Glass 704cb and a Tatula 7' M/R for cranking, but the X-10 was so much lighter that I'm getting rid of the other two. The other two were both 4.5 oz. and the X-10 was 3.9 oz. and I could've made it weigh less, but I put Winn Grips on it. I will probably build a X-13 at some point for the WP 110 & heavier cranks.

 

 

Yeah, I'm likely going to grab the X10.  

[new2BC4bass]

I don't know what to believe.  I picked up a used X10 that hasn't had a reel on it yet.  This TT review said it was able to cast 1 1/4 oz. lures well, although I don't think the article mentioned how well it handled the larger weights on retrieve.

 

http://tackletour.com/reviewphenixx10.html

 

Yet in another thread an X10 user said he wouldn't go much over 5/8 oz.  A universal theme seems to be that Phenix rods fish a bit light.  I don't think I have anything over 7/8 oz. to test my rod with.

 

Not sure when I will have the opportunity to find out my X10's limits.

[David Austin]

4 minutes ago, new2BC4bass said:

I don't know what to believe.  I picked up a used X10 that hasn't had a reel on it yet.  This TT review said it was able to cast 1 1/4 oz. lures well, although I don't think the article mentioned how well it handled the larger weights on retrieve.

 

http://tackletour.com/reviewphenixx10.html

 

Yet in another thread an X10 user said he wouldn't go much over 5/8 oz.  A universal theme seems to be that Phenix rods fish a bit light.  I don't think I have anything over 7/8 oz. to test my rod with.

 

Not sure when I will have the opportunity to find out my X10's limits.

yeah, I don't really plan going much over 1/2oz anyways.  

[kayaking_kev]

6 hours ago, new2BC4bass said:

I don't know what to believe.  I picked up a used X10 that hasn't had a reel on it yet.  This TT review said it was able to cast 1 1/4 oz. lures well, although I don't think the article mentioned how well it handled the larger weights on retrieve.

 

http://tackletour.com/reviewphenixx10.html

 

Yet in another thread an X10 user said he wouldn't go much over 5/8 oz.  A universal theme seems to be that Phenix rods fish a bit light.  I don't think I have anything over 7/8 oz. to test my rod with.

 

Not sure when I will have the opportunity to find out my X10's limits.

 

It's all just guess until someone does a legit power test. Maybe it could handle that much with it's glass top and we're just too used to graphite that some of us are scared we might over load it. But IMO, it seemed to have casted the size 60 WP (1/4 oz.) better than the size 90 WP (1/2 oz.).

 

I do have a old Eagle Claw Composite that I use for catfishing sometimes and I'm always putting way over the max lure rating on it. The little casting I do feels funky, but it handles it. 

 

The big problem on a 1 1/4 oz. lure would be the size of the treble hooks and being able to penetrate them with that rod. 

 

But, I'm not surprised TT liked the X-10 so much because they also loved the Dobyns 704cb Glass.

[BassSteve]