I went to the Cabela's site to check on the price of Shimano Clarus rods......which by the way, most of them are sold out! >.........and while I was there I saw that the Cabela's Tourney Trail rods are on sale (some of them anyway) for 1/2 price!!! I was tempted to immediately buy one cause I had wanted one a while back but didn't get it. For $30 compared to $60, I thought they would be nice.

I want one that's pretty sensitive though, more than the average rod is in that price range, and that's why I was looking at the Shimano's to start with. I'd hate to spend money on the Cabela's rod and find out it's no better than what I already have here.

Click on ALL BassResource.com sponsors, click CABELA"S BARGIN CAVE, click FISHING, clic RODS, click CABELAS FISH EAGLE II , they have both the 6'6 " med/fast and MH fast in stock This is an $80 rod, they changed handels on this year SO LAST YEARS MODELS ARE BEING SOLD for 40 BUCKS, now that is one great rod under 50 bucks, and it helps the site out also!

ps I own a few myself, so this is from experience

I checked that rod(tourney trail) out last weekend i think it was and it was just way to flimsy(soft) for my liking. The fish eagle II that muddy mentioned are great rods.

I went for the clarus as well and every single one was sold out as well as all the fish eagle II medium fast rods.

I ended up getting the 6'6" st.croix rod in medium/fast...it was all they had.

Yeah I've been looking at some St. Croix's too.  I'm wanting to step up just a bit to some nicer rods, some I can feel more of what's going on down on the bottom with.  The rods I'm using now just seem to feel like they are diffusing what feeling I can get from them.  Sort of like how dragging through soft muck on the bottom feels when it should be more like rocks and sand.  Of course I think the mono line I'm using might have something to do with that too, I'm gonna switch to fluorocarbon.  

Yeah I've been looking at some St. Croix's too. I'm wanting to step up just a bit to some nicer rods, some I can feel more of what's going on down on the bottom with. The rods I'm using now just seem to feel like they are diffusing what feeling I can get from them. Sort of like how dragging through soft muck on the bottom feels when it should be more like rocks and sand. Of course I think the mono line I'm using might have something to do with that too, I'm gonna switch to fluorocarbon.

Hey man listen to what Muddy's telling you if you want a good rod and don't worry about changing to flouro   . The lines not your problem.

Yeah I've been looking at some St. Croix's too. I'm wanting to step up just a bit to some nicer rods, some I can feel more of what's going on down on the bottom with. The rods I'm using now just seem to feel like they are diffusing what feeling I can get from them. Sort of like how dragging through soft muck on the bottom feels when it should be more like rocks and sand. Of course I think the mono line I'm using might have something to do with that too, I'm gonna switch to fluorocarbon.

Hey man listen to what Muddy's telling you if you want a good rod and don't worry about changing to flouro . The lines not your problem.

Flouro will give you better sensitivity than mono, especially in windy conditions.

That's what I was thinking.  My brother in law stomped a mud hole in me Saturday using fluorocarbon line in windy conditions while I used mono.  

That's what I was thinking. My brother in law stomped a mud hole in me Saturday using fluorocarbon line in windy conditions while I used mono.

It really is a combination of things as to why he out fished you . You need to realize that. Line is just part of the solution.

I'm sure his experience using that bait helped his numbers a lot too, I hadn't used it at all until then.  But really I wouldn't know if I could have used that bait effectively or not cause the wind was blowing my line around to the point I wasn't even able to feel it hit bottom, and sometimes it was obvious that it wasn't on the bottom cause I could see the line blowing down the lake and pulling the bait with it.  His fluorocarbon line seemed virtually unaffected by the wind at all while mine was.  

I bought a Tourney Trail IM7 MH rod about two years ago, and it's the rod I use the most. Good tip with plenty of backbone. I don't know why I don't own more of them. I wonder who the actual manufacturer is.