My favorite jig rod is my Steez Power Pitch which is close to NRX money. 

Second favorite is my Zillion 7’3 MH

2 minutes ago, LonnieP said:

My favorite is my Steez Power Pitch

second is my Zillion 7’3 MH

I have a Zillion rod, 7’3” RB. Rod is an amazing caster for sure. Very good feel. 

1 hour ago, Rockhopper said:

Would a picture of mine help identify them?  I would not know what they are made of looking at them personally.  But I do trust the guy that built them to tell me the truth.  The 7' rod is crazy light weight.

 

I could probably tell you from a picture- Ti/Sic has a matte grey type frame and the ring material is more middle grey while alconites are a darker ring and come in a range of frame colors.  The grey frame looks like titanium and is tougher to tell but it has a shinier finish.  They don't make a titanium frame alconite anymore.

 

That said, I believe you if you say you talked to the guy there.

 

talon rods were really popular for a while in the 90's and early 2000's but I never knew them as bass rods.  They made awesome salmon/trout rods in all shades- casting, spinning, centerpin, and fly.  I built quite a few for steelhead guys and I still have 1 custom run downstairs- a 4 pc 11' 7 wt with recoil running guides and Ti/Sic strippers that I built as a semi swich rod but I've also fished it with a centerpin for greyling.  

15 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

talon rods were really popular for a while in the 90's and early 2000's but I never knew them as bass rods.

 

That is an accurate statement.  They are still going strong in the offshore world, and make a lot of salmon/steelhead rods.  Not known for bass rods at all. 

 

In very recent years, Oscar moved from Lamiglas to Talon, got some XMW blanks from Brad Loomis, and made some killer bass rods. 

 

Another great model which they sold out of is the 7' light spinning rod.  Very close rod to the 822s dsr.  I already own two of the 822s', so didn't need that model.  I did really want to try one of the 7'10" swimbait rods they had, but I was late to the party on that and they sold out too.

 

15 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

That said, I believe you if you say you talked to the guy there.

 

Well, we are obviously getting conflicting info on the subject.  Maybe he told me wrong.  I will get a pic after work.

3 minutes ago, Rockhopper said:

That is an accurate statement.  They are still going strong in the offshore world, and make a lot of salmon/steelhead rods.  Not known for bass rods at all. 

 

In very recent years, Oscar moved from Lamiglas to Talon, got some XMW blanks from Brad Loomis, and made some killer bass rods. 

 

Another great model which they sold out of is the 7' light spinning rod.  Very close rod to the 822s dsr.  I already own two of the 822s', so didn't need that model.  I did really want to try one of the 7'10" swimbait rods they had, but I was late to the party on that and they sold out too.

 

Lamiglas was another company that made a ton of great blanks, but very few for bass specifically.  I built a LOT of lamiglas for a while and had an account with them directly if I remember right.  At the time they had a very small MOQ for custom rod builders and would set you up on account for no minimum spend.

2 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

Lamiglas was another company that made a ton of great blanks, but very few for bass specifically.  I built a LOT of lamiglas for a while and had an account with them directly if I remember right.  At the time they had a very small MOQ for custom rod builders and would set you up on account for no minimum spend.

I have only ever liked the Bass SI rods from Lamiglas as far as their bass offerings.  Those are some pretty nice rods, too.  They just never really caught on.  I bought my last two SI's from my buddy when he left Lamiglas to go run social media/instagram for Edge.  He had to unload his Lami's so I got them cheap.  I have since sold them, but really wish I didn't.  I did love those rods.

@Craigholland Here's my favorite jig rods and NRX+ peers;

 

Diawa Steez AGS 7'2 H/F Power Pitch - MSRP $500+ 

Major Craft Day's 360 6'6 MH/F - MSRP $335 shipped

 

The steez handles 3/4oz and up better than the MC, but for 1/4-5/8oz I prefer the Days 360 now.  

 

But the best bang for the buck I've tried is the older 2019 series MC Days.  The 692M/F and 69MH/RF can be had for $145/$175 shipped to your door.  These compare well to the poison adrena 6'11M+/F, slotting right on either side of it in power and equal in my hands in terms of sensitivity and action.  

 

scott

Before Lamiglas got out of the custom rod business they made all my jig and worm rods for 35 years.

When Loomis came out with the NRX series I seriously considered buying them but you had to pay additional $100 for warranty at that time. Contacted my Lamiglas guy and asked who could make an equal rod to NRX using the new 3M Nano resin  blanks. Lamiglas referred me to Alex custom rods ( now ALX) and he had 3 new  Lamiglas blanks and made 2 ea 6 power and 1 ea 5 power jig and worm rods to my spec similar to NRX build. That was in 2012 and still have the 5 power. The rods weigh 3.8 oz and better IMO the NRX.

It’s a shame Lamiglas stopped selling state of the art blanks.

The Okuma X series rods are very light weight Toray blank KW guides with Sic inserts and state of the art reel seat.

Wirth looking into under $300

Tom

I use two different jig rods. One is a 7'4" medium heavy fast action I built on a Castaway blank several years ago.

 

The other is a Falcon LFC 6'10" Lowrider - heavy action fast taper. 

5 hours ago, Catt said:

Kistler Helium HE7045HMH 

7' Heavy Medium Heavy X-Fast 

I love my Helium TCJ (disclaimer- I don’t fish jigs over 1/2 oz. before trailers). 

So Talon is about 100 yards down the street from NFC Edge.  I’ll have to drop by.    I still like the Xtreme 745.  

17 hours ago, Rockhopper said:

 

You are getting awesome components and a fantastic blank for the money.  Brad Loomis (Gary's son) makes these blanks.

 

BUT.....I am not going to lie...expect a little bit of fit and finish stuff.  For example, one of my two 7' rods has the very first guide and the hook keeper slightly tilted to the right and not inline with the other guides.  Annoying as I am OCD and like my stuff perfect, but it does not affect performance.  My 7'5" has a little bit of sloppy epoxy on the very front of the reel seat.  Again, annoying to look at, but does not affect performance.  If you can get past those little things, you are getting absolutely one hell of a rod for CHEAP.  For me, that is extremely minor stuff considering the blank quality and the componentry you are getting for the price.  They did have about six or seven models to choose from.  All that is left now is the 7' and 7'5" casting models. Website is showing 7' has only 5 units left.

I really wish some companies would take more pride in their builds. If that's a $300 rod, there's no excuse for that kind of craftmanship, even if it doesn't affect it's performance. Those issues alone is enough for me to pass. 

 

 

20 hours ago, WRB said:

Today look at Okuma X series 7’3” MHXF casting rod.

Tom

 

7 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

I still like the Xtreme 745.  

 

These are my 2 main jig rods. Great rods. 

I use 2 most of the time. 

My go to is a St Croix Legend Extreme(old model)  7'4"   By far my favorite.

I throw my lighter jigs on a Loomis GLX 854

18 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

I could probably tell you from a picture

 

Falcon Cara Heavy Cover Jig or Amistad 

46 minutes ago, Rockhopper said:

 

 

Looks like SiC.  the frame doesn't have the shine (more matte) and the ring is a light grey like the frame and blank.  The ceramic ring is also really thin which is part of how SiC gets to be so light in the first place.  Just a lot less ceramic material.  

My favorite jig rod is no longer made in a bass rod. Fenwick Aetos 7’ MH-F is such an unbelievable joy to fish with. They only offer the Aetos in a fly rod now. Not sure why they did away with the Aetos bass rod line. 

No love for the megabass p5? You can get them from Japanese retailers for quite a bit cheaper than US prices.

8 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

I really wish some companies would take more pride in their builds. If that's a $300 rod, there's no excuse for that kind of craftmanship, even if it doesn't affect it's performance. Those issues alone is enough for me to pass. 

 

 

 

 

These are my 2 main jig rods. Great rods. 

You have the Okuma x and the 745 extreme? How do they compare? 

I think I'm between the okuma x and the talon

Not an expert on equipment (or anything really) so I just googled Okuma rods.

 

Nice looking rods!

 

Has the looks of a much more expensive rod.

13 hours ago, Craigholland said:

I think I'm between the okuma x and the talon

That Okuma is one nice rod for sure. Don't discount Edge either with the 55% off sale going now. You can currently get one heck of a rod for about $250.

On 4/22/2025 at 12:33 PM, casts_by_fly said:

 

How heavy of cover what what type of line?  The falcon Cara Amistad is a great rod in that range.  A 1/4oz jig plus a decent plastic like a rage bug will be enough for pitching; heavier is no problem.  Mine is spooled with 20 lb mono for use around heavier vegetation and wood.  Great rod.  If you're talking more about dragging a jig (rock and brush piles) rather than pitching then look no further than the Cara heavy cover jig.  Either rod is in the $250 range and fishes like rods much more expensive.  

This^ You won’t find better than a Cara for $250. 

Not what I consider "high end" with some of the rods available these days but I reeeaaaallly like the Dobyns Champion 744. They rate it as a Heavy Extra Fast but the tip is actually quite forgiving. Let's you really flick baits easily and accurately around cover and deflects as it comes over rocks and cover, but still has that solid backbone to drive home a jig hook. I'm not sure if they have an equivalent model in the Champion Extreme or Xtasy series. 

My current favorite is a St Croix LTB 7'5" MHF