My clippers have a big split ring through them where i hang them on a tool caddy. Makes a handy weight for tying a bare hook. And i need the clippers to trim the tag anyway.

5 hours ago, Loomis13 said:

Can’t really comment on the sensitivity, as I have only used it for a couple hours this past weekend when it was 38° and raining. However, I didn’t notice it being any better or worse. The blank is SCVII and the elites and extremes are SCVI. If it’s not just marketing and the blank is actually more sensitive than the elites it will be a phenomenal rod. It is definitely lighter, or balanced better than the elites/extremes.

Yeah maybe I'll stand back from those rods for now. Just not enough info for me to go off of in general when it comes to reviews and stuff. Sounds nice though, really does.

4 hours ago, softwateronly said:

The thing that comes to mind is heavier line needs less wraps. I'm 7-8 wraps on 10-16lb and 5-6 on anything heavier. When seated properly I clip the tag end with about an 1/8" left to help not get hung up on weeds.

scott

Just spent a bunch of time in the garage. I think I got it down now.

I did it multiple times sitting down and then standing (how I normally tie my knots when actually fishing)

I personally like the way it turned out. Thank you so much for the encouragement and help! I did 5 wraps as this was 20lb mono. Ill have to test it on fluorocarbon when I get some 😏😆

3 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Tying it to something heavy makes it easier with heavy mono. If I'm only tying to a hook, I hang a 1 ounce sinker on it first.

I used a 3/8 oz jig but kept it hooked to my tackle bag to maintain tension. Thank you!

Not to be a buzz kill but after reading all of this I kind of have a different take on it now.

I really don't think you need an NRX or Steeze, You're just learning and that's about learning new techniques and baits. For the same money you could buy 2 or 3 good rods for finesse fishing , moving baits and a dragging rod.

You won't catch any more fish on the top tier rods.

2 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

Not to be a buzz kill but after reading all of this I kind of have a different take on it now.

I really don't think you need an NRX or Steeze, You're just learning and that's about learning new techniques and baits. For the same money you could buy 2 or 3 good rods for finesse fishing , moving baits and a dragging rod.

You won't catch any more fish on the top tier rods.

I understand where your coming on that, completely and that is solid advice. I just wanted to get a nice setup to treat myself. I rarely do that, really. So I wanted to find something that would last me a lifetime and allow me to pick up on the most subtle bites.

I may not have 30-50+ years experience like some people here, but I've been fishing all my life, still. Fishing is something I absolutely love and I don't intend on it being something I stop doing. So while, yes, I still am learning on many things, I do consider myself fairly experienced in retrospect. Not that I know as much as some people here or more, but just that I know enough to know how to handle myself in situations on the water, and that I can continue learning and growing with the knowledge I have now 🙂

On 4/9/2026 at 5:47 AM, rangerjockey said:

Not to be a buzz kill but after reading all of this I kind of have a different take on it now.

I really don't think you need an NRX or Steeze, You're just learning and that's about learning new techniques and baits. For the same money you could buy 2 or 3 good rods for finesse fishing , moving baits and a dragging rod.

You won't catch any more fish on the top tier rods.

I agree with rangerjockey, and I can articulate two reasons.

The first is at this point in your fishing journey you don’t know what techniques you love to fish. This isn’t an attack or belittling you, but how many hours have you put in across all techniques you have tackle for? Do you know for a fact you’re going to be throwing a jig day in and day out for the next 5 years to warrant spending the money?

For example it took me over a year to trust jigs. Initially I never caught anything and assumed my jig/rod/location was the problem. It ended up being me. I didn’t have the patience and feel to know when a jig was cast into a high percentage location and the experience to know when it was picked up. We can all tell when a bass thunks a jig and runs off, but the subtle pickup was a mystery to me. I missed a ton of fish until I sat down and really worked at the craft. Now a jig is the first thing I throw. A couple of my friends still hate them. Only throw Trigs and even then only up to a 1/4oz. They hate the weight and how the bait performs for them. A brand new NRX jig rod would sit in their rod locker until it’s pity party time.

I don’t think you’re at the point you know you’ll if you love throwing bottom contact all day.

My second point is you’re going to have selective anxiety about choosing the “best” rod. I did this when I moved into my current career and high end equipment became a possibility. My first high end purchase was a Mh Zodias back when they had foam handles and had just come out. Was the ~7ft MH. Went fishing and was blown away compared to the Walmart sticks I’d been using. So naturally I wanted more. The hook up tackle YouTube showed me a bunch of high end JDM Megabass rods. I called up the shop and Ben said he had a fantastic junk rod in stock that did everything. So I ordered me a MB Destroyer Carbon Head Wild Bunch. It was… not that much better than my Zodias. It was too heavy powered, too slow actioned for anything I wanted to do. Imagine a current P5 super destroyer style rod. Not a bank fishing junk rod unless you know what to throw on it. I didn’t know why this rod wasn’t working and assumed I had made a mistake. So I picked up what people said were the best this and that because I didn’t have the time on water to actually know what I wanted.

Over the course of a year or two I ended up with about 20 sticks where I actually only wanted about 3 of them.

Learn from my mistake. Instead of 1 $600 rod get 3 $200 sticks which cover all of your bases.

St. Croix Victory 7’4” heavy. In stock at the rod locker used last time I checked.

Evergreen/Daiwa Elite MH.

Zodias 6’10 medium.

24 minutes ago, TNBankFishing said:

I agree with rangerjockey, and I can articulate two reasons.

The first is at this point in your fishing journey you don’t know what techniques you love to fish. This isn’t an attack or belittling you, but how many hours have you put in across all techniques you have tackle for? Do you know for a fact you’re going to be throwing a jig day in and day out for the next 5 years to warrant spending the money?

For example it took me over a year to trust jigs. Initially I never caught anything and assumed my jig/rod/location was the problem. It ended up being me. I didn’t have the patience and feel to know when a jig was cast into a high percentage location and the experience to know when it was picked up. We can all tell when a bass thunks a jig and runs off, but the subtle pickup was a mystery to me. I missed a ton of fish until I sat down and really worked at the craft. Now a jig is the first thing I throw. A couple of my friends still hate them. Only throw Trigs and even then only up to a 1/4oz. They hate the weight and how the bait performs for them. A brand new NRX jig rod would sit in their rod locker until it’s pity party time.

I don’t think you’re at the point you know you’ll if you love throwing bottom contact all day.

My second point is you’re going to have selective anxiety about choosing the “best” rod. I did this when I moved into my current career and high end equipment became a possibility. My first high end purchase was a Mh Zodias back when they had foam handles and had just come out. Was the ~7ft MH. Went fishing and was blown away compared to the Walmart sticks I’d been using. So naturally I wanted more. The hook up tackle YouTube showed me a bunch of high end JDM Megabass rods. I called up the shop and Ben said he had a fantastic junk rod in stock that did everything. So I ordered me a MB Destroyer Carbon Head Wild Bunch. It was… not that much better than my Zodias. It was too heavy powered, too slow actioned for anything I wanted to do. Imagine a current P5 super destroyer style rod. Not a bank fishing junk rod unless you know what to throw on it. I didn’t know why this rod wasn’t working and assumed I had made a mistake. So I picked up what people said were the best this and that because I didn’t have the time on water to actually know what I wanted.

Over the course of a year or two I ended up with about 20 sticks where I actually only wanted about 3 of them.

Learn from my mistake. Instead of 1 $600 rod get 3 $200 sticks which cover all of your bases.

St. Croix Victory 7’4” heavy. In stock at the rod locker used last time I checked.

Evergreen/Daiwa Elite MH.

Zodias 6’10 medium.

I really appreciate that sound advice. It makes total sense! It really does. And I also appreciate you looking out for where money is spent, because some people will buy this kind of stuff as soon as they have the exact change for it. I can assure you that isn't the case, though. I've been putting money aside for a bit of time for this.

As for time with various baits/lures, I have tried a lot of techniques. Some I liked, some not a lot. One I do not like is a shakey head minnow. And it's not because I haven't caught anything doing it, it's just cause it's not my thing, really. I don't know. Although, I still would like time with it and still think it is useful. I don't want to knock anything off the board just because it's not something I dont like using. That goes for the rest of the things I dont like as well. Crankbaits, I like them, but they're one of the last things I turn to usually. Same with spinnerbaits, although I like them more than crankbaits. Dropshots are right in the middle. I love them and dislike them for different reasons but it's caught me some good fish!

With my time on the water, I've fished a lot of things, but I absolutely love jigs, swim jigs, swim baits (big and small), topwater anything (but mostly poppers and walking baits), Texas rigs, and of course, my favorite of all time, chatterbaits. You can hop them, straight fish it, burn it, burn and pause, or get really erratic with it. Plus there's so many trailers to choose from. I love the kamikaze swimon and the spunk shad.

Power fishing and hopping stuff. That's what I love.

That's why I think getting a high end rod for SPECIFICALLY just jigs, swim jigs, texas rigs, and chatterbaits would be great. Because I know it's something I love doing.

I'm not trying to get this rod as a "try to get myself started in this technique" if that's what you think. Ive tried it a lot on the water and it's something I really like doing.

Now if there is a $200-$400 rod that you guys think would work amazingly well, I'd love to hear it! But for these techniques I really would like the most sensitive possible as they are techniques I always use and love to use, not only for bass, but for red drum as well. I know I'm missing bites and I'd like to take the guessing game out of it.

And I hope you know, I wasn't saying any of this in an argumentative way. I was just stating my thoughts on it is all 🙂

Everyone's advice has been extremely helpful!

If I do go more on the budget side, I'd like to stay away from St Croix then. I've heard too many bad stories about their mid to lower end rods.

Of course, I agree with TNBankFishing. As you may know, a shaky head is a bottom technique, while minnow shaking is a completely different one. With the pressure on fish these days, you have to consider finesse fishing with a medium/medium-light spinning rod or BFS if you're inclined. In my opinion, a jig/Texas rig, swim jig, and bladed jig rod are at least two, if not three, different rods. The Daiwa Tatula Elite rods are really good and have models to cover any technique. I have eight in the boat right now. I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but if you're missing fish that bite, it's not the rod.

But hey ,it's your money and you worked for it. Lastly, believe maybe half of what you see on you tube. Many of those dudes couldn't catch one in a barrel.

8 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

Of course, I agree with TNBankFishing. As you may know, a shaky head is a bottom technique, while minnow shaking is a completely different one.

Yes, I realize that. I've tried shaky heads too. It's not that I don't like them, I just haven't really found the right bait for it yet that I like.

Minnow shaking I just honestly haven't had enough time with. At the moment it's not a technique I like much. That could change. I'm open minded when it comes to those things.

8 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

With the pressure on fish these days, you have to consider finesse fishing with a medium/medium-light spinning rod or BFS if you're inclined.

Yeah, that would probablybe my next rod and reel setup. Idk if i want to put a lot of money into true bfs, though. I'll keep it at spinning setups for those. It looks really interesting, but not where I want to set big money at atm.

I wouldnt mind a really nice spinning setup for finesse, though. Something for dropshots and very small Ned jigs/rigs. As I said before, dropshotting, while not my favorite technique, is still a technique I use quite a bit to catch good fish. It's just not something I turn to often. Now ned rigging seems really cool. I've had minimal time with it if I'm being honest, but it just feels like jig fishing but smaller. And I love jig fishing.

8 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

In my opinion, a jig/Texas rig, swim jig, and bladed jig rod are at least two, if not three, different rods.

Yes, i knew that when making this thread. Was surprised it didnt come up earlier if I'm being honest.

I know some people use more moderate rods for jig fishing, but I also know that people use fast rods with mono for chatterbaits.

Swim jigs and chatterbaits usually go on more moderate setups while jigs need the faster action for hooksets, but I was looking for options sorta more leaning on the side of swimbaits/chatterbaits while it being to also handle some jigging as well.

The 873 is looking like the perfect contender. Has a bit of a more moderate bend than most jigs rods while also having enough power to drive in those hooks for jigs.

At least from how I see it, it looks like a perfect sensitive rod for hopping/yo-yoing chatterbaits, swimming swimjigs, and using it for jigging as well. Unless I'm possibly not understanding something with that rod?

8 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

The Daiwa Tatula Elite rods are really good and have models to cover any technique. I have eight in the boat right now.

Yeah! I might get a few of those or the exprides in the future for other techniques I like, but not on the same level as chatterbaits, jigs, swim jigs, Texas rigs, ect.

8 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but if you're missing fish that bite, it's not the rod.

I don't miss fish that BITE, i miss subtle fish bites. Although I do pick up on subtle bites with my tatula XT (spinning rod). I set hooks with that rod when I use it and the fish are nibbling on stuff.

The casting rod I have now is not great. It's a very old abu garcia. I like the way it balances with my reel. And it's light. I do like that. Would be great for my topwater stuff where I'm constantly working it. But I can't feel a darn thing usually. Especially when it's on the fall. The sensitivity is very "dull" you could say. It's not sharp and the fish have to really BITE it for it to transfer down the rod. That's what I've noticed. I've felt fish take a jig in on that rod. Its noticable, but barely.

8 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

But hey ,it's your money and you worked for it. Lastly, believe maybe half of what you see on you tube. Many of those dudes couldn't catch one in a barrel.

Haha, very true at times 😆

I watch tactical bassinet just to see what they recommend, but not EXACTLY. Just to see in general what they do. Rather than exact baits, I look for other key stuff, flash, color, hard baits, soft baits, finesse, power. From there I look at what baits in those categories suit me.

I really clung to chatterbaits for sure. Love them. I have almost a whole 3700 tray full of them. 2 in each slot

If i do get this setup... I MIGHT try doing a full spool of fluorocarbon. If I do, I think it'll be the daiwa samurai hidden concept. Thinking around 16-18lb test should do the trick?

The only thing I worry about is not if, but when a backlash happens. I know fluorocarbon line has the tendency to be practically unusable afterwards... that would kinda suck. I honestly don't get the payoff of fluorocarbon in the long run. I understand it's more sensitive and more "invisible", but you don't get as good of casting, and the line seems fragile compared to other kinds. You don't have to baby braid or mono too much. I can dig out a backlash with braid when it happens and not have to worry much about the line being screwed up. Unless maybe I dont have a full understanding on the line.

10 hours ago, Rocky998 said:

If i do get this setup... I MIGHT try doing a full spool of fluorocarbon. If I do, I think it'll be the daiwa samurai hidden concept. Thinking around 16-18lb test should do the trick?

The only thing I worry about is not if, but when a backlash happens. I know fluorocarbon line has the tendency to be practically unusable afterwards... that would kinda suck. I honestly don't get the payoff of fluorocarbon in the long run. I understand it's more sensitive and more "invisible", but you don't get as good of casting, and the line seems fragile compared to other kinds. You don't have to baby braid or mono too much. I can dig out a backlash with braid when it happens and not have to worry much about the line being screwed up. Unless maybe I dont have a full understanding on the line.

On a baitcaster I only use braid on my topwater rods. If you want to try fluro just get a spool of Invisx or Sniper.

Back in the day I got Vicious for free. That line probably wouldn't be at the top of many folks list but I caught a lot and I mean a whole lot of fish on that stuff and even won a few bucks with it.

I use 10lb. invisx on my finesse jig rods and 12 on my football and bigger worm rods.

I can still remember the last fish I broke off, with it, it's been at least 5 years.

3 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

On a baitcaster I only use braid on my topwater rods. If you want to try fluro just get a spool of Invisx or Sniper.

Back in the day I got Vicious for free. That line probably wouldn't be at the top of many folks list but I caught a lot and I mean a whole lot of fish on that stuff and even won a few bucks with it.

I use 10lb. invisx on my finesse jig rods and 12 on my football and bigger worm rods.

I can still remember the last fish I broke off, with it, it's been at least 5 years.

I've seen the reviews of invisX and sniper on TW. They both get about 3.5ish stars. Compared to samurai which gets 4.5.

Although the bladed jig bladed jig only gets 3 stars on there, so 😆

Just now, Rocky998 said:

I've seen the reviews of invisX and sniper on TW. They both get about 3.5ish stars. Compared to samurai which gets 4.5.

Although the bladed jig bladed jig only gets 3 stars on there, so 😆

Wait, I can't post brand names of bladed jigs here? Thata strange... I wrote out one of the most well known bladed jig names and it edits to: "bladed jig".

16 minutes ago, Rocky998 said:

Wait, I can't post brand names of bladed jigs here? Thata strange...

Only one brand. Starts with a Z. Call it something else, like Zedman, Finnessy Turd, or the Original Splatterbait, or the SlappHammer.

16 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Only one brand. Starts with a Z. Call it something else, like Zedman, Finnessy Turd, or the Original Splatterbait, or the SlappHammer.

Ah ok. Am I able to ask why? Does Zmale not like their names used on forums or something?

1 hour ago, Rocky998 said:

I've seen the reviews of invisX and sniper on TW. They both get about 3.5ish stars. Compared to samurai which gets 4.5.

Although the bladed jig bladed jig only gets 3 stars on there, so 😆

Wait, I can't post brand names of bladed jigs here? Thata strange... I wrote out one of the most well known bladed jig names and it edits to: "bladed jig".

Yeah, Don't put too much stock in online reviews. I know people in the business who like to read those for a chuckle.

Yeah, don't put too much stock in online reviews. I know people in the business who like to read those for a chuckle.

1 hour ago, Rocky998 said:

Am I able to ask why?

Something about their pro staff being naughty on the forum.

2 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

Yeah, don't put too much stock in online reviews. I know people in the business who like to read those for a chuckle.

Ahh ok 😂

Although something else i kotice is that both the lines are white clear. The water here is either a bit green or really tannin stained. Should I try to find a fluoro that is a dark greenish brown to blend with the water more?

1 hour ago, PhishLI said:

Something about their pro staff being naughty on the forum.

😬

If I order some of the stuff before April 16th in tackle warehouse, ill get $60 in "tackle cash". I can put that into line, a rod cover, and the extra stuff that goes with it.

And POSSIBLY I can order the reel and rod separately to get 120 in tackle cash, but I'm not exactly sure how the terms and conditions work on that. I read through the rules multiple times and it doesn't say that there's a limit

Ordered the rod and reel separately. As far as I know (will confirm tomorrow), I have received 120 in "tackle cash" as they call it. So I can use that on the 16th when it becomes valid to cover for line, a rod cover or anything else I've been wanting that fits in the price range.

18 hours ago, Rocky998 said:

Ordered the rod and reel separately. As far as I know (will confirm tomorrow), I have received 120 in "tackle cash" as they call it. So I can use that on the 16th when it becomes valid to cover for line, a rod cover or anything else I've been wanting that fits in the price range.

Congrats on your new rig. What exactly did you end up with?

I really like NRX rods, both fly and conventional. I was fortunate enough to visit with Gary at his place in Washington and spend a few days out on the river with him fishing the NRX rods not long after they were released many years ago. Very fun and educational trip. Gary is the reason we're all fishing graphite today.

I fish mostly Dobyns now just due to variety of rods they offer. I find the Xtasty line excellent as well. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these. Really, once your get to the premium money rods, they're all pretty great at what they were designed to do. It comes down to matching rods to specific techniques, and the angler's natural inclinations while fishing.

Bottom contact rods are definitely where to spend the money, if you're going to spend it. It's the only type of rod I'm willing to begrudgingly pay $300+/stick. I do agree with other folks that you might have spent that same $ getting multiple setups that cover more ground at this stage in your fishing journey, but a really great bottom contact rod will see work for the rest of your life. Buy once, cry once.

6 hours ago, AnonymousSoreMouther said:

Congrats on your new rig. What exactly did you end up with?

Thanks! I got an NRX 873 and then a metanium 150 to pair with it.

Still deciding what line I'd like to use. Thinking about 16-18lb daiwa samurai hidden concept fluorocarbon as we have stained water here and I'm not sure if clear fluorocarbon will exactly keep it's color.

6 hours ago, AnonymousSoreMouther said:

I really like NRX rods, both fly and conventional. I was fortunate enough to visit with Gary at his place in Washington and spend a few days out on the river with him fishing the NRX rods not long after they were released many years ago. Very fun and educational trip. Gary is the reason we're all fishing graphite today.

That sounds like an absolutely incredible experience!

6 hours ago, AnonymousSoreMouther said:

I fish mostly Dobyns now just due to variety of rods they offer. I find the Xtasty line excellent as well. I don't think you can go wrong with either of these. Really, once your get to the premium money rods, they're all pretty great at what they were designed to do. It comes down to matching rods to specific techniques, and the angler's natural inclinations while fishing.

Yeah, I was considering the xtasy line for a while! They definitely look like tgeyd ve awesome rods. Just wasn't sure if it was exactly what I was looking for, for myself.

Glad it works for you!

And yeah, that is true when it comes to the premium rods from what I've heard. It really just comes down to the small things that differentiate it from others in its range.

6 hours ago, AnonymousSoreMouther said:

Bottom contact rods are definitely where to spend the money, if you're going to spend it. It's the only type of rod I'm willing to begrudgingly pay $300+/stick.

Yeah, thats true. Other rods for moving baits can definitely be found for under the 300-400 mark. Ill slowly change out my gear here. Especially my awful medium/medium-heavy spinning setup. It's so unbalanced. It will be for inshore red drum/trout fishing, mainly. Then next up I'll probably change out my medium light setup with something more balanced and lighter so my baits are easier to work. Interestingly enough, that medium light has the same weight all put together as my daiwa bg/XT combo, but it feels so freaking heavy because of how unbalanced it is. It hurts my wrist very badly to use it for anything where I have to repeatedly twitch the rod tip.

6 hours ago, AnonymousSoreMouther said:

I do agree with other folks that you might have spent that same $ getting multiple setups that cover more ground at this stage in your fishing journey, but a really great bottom contact rod will see work for the rest of your life. Buy once, cry once.

Yeah, I agree with them as well, but that was the main reason I got it, "buy once, cry once". I knew this setup would last me a lifetime. Plus theres the Loomis lifetime warranty where I can get a new NRX for under 200 if anything was to happen to it.

I say if you have the disposable income, go for it.

9 hours ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

I say if you have the disposable income, go for it.

While I wouldnt say i have "disposable" income, this is money i have set aside for a while now to be able to get a bottom contact setup like this

Update:

With the tackle cash I got from the rod and reel, I was able to get all this stuff for only $41 and some change all together:

Pretty awesome considering the line normally costs more than what I actually paid for all of it.

Alright! The 873 arrived today with no issues! Ill post a picture of it once my reel for it comes (should be on Tuesday sometime).

Put my reel on my other setup on my NRX to test the rod today.

Works beautifully. Was able to feel bites nicely with a jig and the rod loaded up very well. Caught 2 and lost 1 when it jumped out of the water. My fault. I didnt reel in fast enough on it.

Also caught a massive snapping turtle. Thankfully he was nice and spat it out after a minute or two of wrestling with him at the bank when I was trying to decide what exactly to do and if the jig was worth it lol. Was surprised in the rods power to handle the force that turtle was putting out with all its thrashing and pulling.