Hey Guys,

Looking for a new spinning rod for my son. The rod will be used mainly for wading the river for smallmouths. So, it needs be a reasonably long, relatively light, and somewhat versatile rod.

With that said, I've been reading up and looking at the specs on the Phenix Recon 723M... 7'2" MF rod. I really like the specs on the rod so far (except I can't find the weight), specifically the 1/8 to 1/2 oz lure rating. I've also read these Recon rods are nicely balanced, and seem to be well built with nice components and detailing. However, I've also read that some say they are a little "whippy", or lighter in action than the specs, which seems to contradict the 1/8 to 1/2 oz lure rating on the rod I'm thinking about.

Anyhow, I'm looking for a bit more feedback from some users. The other rods I'm comparing it to, and considering are...

The new Crucial 7'2" MF.

The St. Croix Avid 7' MLF.

An outside consideration is the St. Croix LTW 7' MLF... but that's a little more than I want to spend at this time.

Take a look at the Avid AVS68MXF

Hey Guys,

Looking for a new spinning rod for my son. The rod will be used mainly for wading the river for smallmouths. So, it needs be a reasonably long, relatively light, and somewhat versatile rod.

With that said, I've been reading up and looking at the specs on the Phenix Recon 723M... 7'2" MF rod. I really like the specs on the rod so far (except I can't find the weight), specifically the 1/8 to 1/2 oz lure rating. I've also read these Recon rods are nicely balanced, and seem to be well built with nice components and detailing. However, I've also read that some say they are a little "whippy", or lighter in action than the specs, which seems to contradict the 1/8 to 1/2 oz lure rating on the rod I'm thinking about.

Anyhow, I'm looking for a bit more feedback from some users. The other rods I'm comparing it to, and considering are...

The new Crucial 7'2" MF.

The St. Croix Avid 7' MLF.

An outside consideration is the St. Croix LTW 7' MLF... but that's a little more than I want to spend at this time.

723 weighs 3.71oz. According to their Rep.

Thanks RW,

I'm familiar with the St. Croix MXF rods. Excellent rods indeed, but a bit more "stout" for what we need. If we were fishing Erie, or someplace where we had to deal with smallies in some significant cover, they would be excellent choices. However, we need rods that can toss lighter stuff a long ways... accurately... and still be able to do the same thing with slightly heavier lures.

723 weighs 3.71oz. According to their Rep.

Thanks, that's a reasonable weight for a rod that long in that price range. I'm liking it more all the time.