Loking for a rod for these presentations. Narrowed down to three:
7'3" Ark Reinforcer, 7'2" Expride B and the new 13 Fishing Envy Black 3. Any thoughts. I'd like to know if any of these would have a soft enough tip section to fling lighter baits if I choose. Thanks for your help.

Lighter baits being 1/16 oz ?

Tom

Yes.  1/16 ounce.

long and light especially for the marabou. like 7foot 4 or 7 foot 6. i think stcroix and diawa make rods for them.

1000 size reel then?

I prefer a 2000 or 2500 size reel. Bigger spool casts longer, takes up line faster, less line memory if using mono or flouro, and the loose set drag on the bigger reel is super smooth.

No experience with the Reinforcer, but I'm a big fan of ARK's rods with the 40 ton blanks. I would expect the 46 ton reinforcer to be outstanding, and it has a lifetime warranty. Exprides have an outstanding reputation. I don't think you'll go wrong with either. 

T-Billy:  Thanks.  I wish there was somewhere that had them in stock near me.

I know it isn't on your list, but I like a longer rod for those applications so I use the Daiwa Tatula Elite AGS 7'6" ML/M paired with a Daiwa Tatula LT 3000. That combo will launch a ned rig or hair jig pretty far, and it has good sensitivity. 

16 hours ago, T-Billy said:

I prefer a 2000 or 2500 size reel. Bigger spool casts longer, takes up line faster, less line memory if using mono or flouro, and the loose set drag on the bigger reel is super smooth.

No experience with the Reinforcer, but I'm a big fan of ARK's rods with the 40 ton blanks. I would expect the 46 ton reinforcer to be outstanding, and it has a lifetime warranty. Exprides have an outstanding reputation. I don't think you'll go wrong with either. 

yes get a bigger reel with a larger spool. it will cast further,2500 or 3000

Is sensitivity much better on the Expride and Ark compared to the St. Croix Victory?   I want to throw 1/16 ounce Maribous without a trailer.  The Expride isn't rated that low.  Would I have a problem throwing that light of a bait on it?  Thanks again.

I don't know the rod specs, but choose the rod that has the recommended lure weight as close to what you plan to use as possible.

On 2/4/2022 at 7:54 PM, padon said:

yes get a bigger reel with a larger spool. it will cast further,2500 or 3000

 

"but"... it will weigh more and probably have a higher return rate than a 500/1000 sized reel, which is counter productive when fishing light hair jigs.

 

oe

1 minute ago, OkobojiEagle said:

 

"but"... it will weigh more and probably have a higher return rate than a 500/1000 sized reel, which is counter productive when fishing light hair jigs.

 

oe

Hair jigs, feather jigs, marabou jigs 1/8oz or less - I fish them on a ML rod, 1000 size reel...finesse gear.

23 hours ago, MickD said:

I don't know the rod specs, but choose the rod that has the recommended lure weight as close to what you plan to use as possible.

Agreed. The sweet spot is usually near the mid range of the spec. Also keep in mind that rods cast. All reels do is feed and retrieve line and can impede or assist casting at best. 

Thanks to all for your help.  I just got a good deal on a 6'10" Ark Reinforcer from TW which I'll use for my Ned rod.  It looks like a St. Croix Victory will be my light hair jig rod.