Needing some input guys/gals, looking for some quality rods that hold their value in what you pay for. I want a rod that's goin to last more than a year or two, has a reputable warranty and has been a staple in bass fishing. I currently use the Duckett Black ice series and they are garbage as far a quality and durability. I'm very disappointed in a $400+ rod. I would like to stay away from custom as I prefer to purchase when needed and not have to wait in line. Thanks

G Loomis? The industry has been chasing the NRX for a long time ... the new NRX+ checks your boxes.

$400 for a Duckett

Check out Fitzgerald Rods, I have a handful for different casting techniques.....all have been very solid rods. Built in Florida I believe. Really nice rods, won't break the bank.

Spinning rods = Edge Rods. Owned by Gary Loomis. Great rods, you can spend a lot if you won't but don't have to. And they have a lot of sales if you sign up for an account and get email notifications

The St Croix Legend Elite Series are truly great rods. I have been using the spinning rods for 4-5 years & will never go back. Warranty is also the best...they replaced one of mine with no questions asked. The down side is that they are pricey, but if fishing is what you love doing, then they are worth every penny...

Durability, sensitivity, lightweight, balanced + fantastic lifetime warranty and reasonably priced = Falcon Cara.

Durability, sensitivity, lightweight, balanced + fantastic lifetime warranty and outrageously priced = GLoomis.

Fixed it for ya

I'm still leaning on 4 Berkley Bionix rods from the late '90's. Prices are sharper than most of the hooks I use. I have been fortunate enough to have a few good one's, St. Croix, Loomis, & Pride, land in my boat from tourney bags. My preference out of those is the St. Croix.

I think Shimano Expride B series stuff is really fantastic, especially as it's not even in the top top budget range. I've switched a lot of my rods over to those the last year or two

I like the TFO rods. Good rod and warranty for the price.

They have a new line coming out in a couple months that are really nice, saw them at Icast Tuesday and was pretty impressed with them.

Ugly Stik Elite.


(Most my money goes into the reel)

Trika

G Loomis IMX or GLX depending on your technique requirement. Own 3 - 13 Fishing Envy Black first generation, , Loomis didn't quite fit my need..

I’ve still got a couple of old Berkley Series ONE rods made in the 80’s. Wow, what a blank.

My all time favorite, don’t laugh, is the quantum PT hxs 62 blanks. Again, don’t laugh, but the BPS Extreme HM 54 blanks were great.

Those are all rods that stood the test of time, probably doesn’t answer your question.

A couple of people have mentioned St. Croix. I have to agree, especially with the great warranty part. You actually talk to a person on the phone, and in my case, he laid out several options for me. I like Falcon, G-Loomis, and Lews, too…

JR

Falcon
Dobyns
Loomis
Phoenix
13 fishing
Fxtreme
St. Croix
Shimano and it goes on and on. There are a bunch of rod brands that are good.

I would only use one of these for catfishing. It is strong but not sensitive at all.

It's brand loyalty with me. I've been using Ugly Stik since a kid. The longest running pole I still have is a, "Lite Graphite", 6' medium heavy. With a Mitchell 408.


I currently run both of their Ultralight in 5' and 6'6". 2500 Exist on the 5, Stella on the 6.6. I don't have sensitivity issues.


And of course, catfish poles. Plus Shimano and a St. Croix. But my favorite is Ugly Stik.

Go to the rod section, pick out some rods, do the ole rod whip thing, look at the number of guides, look at the price. Does it feel good in your hands? Buy it.

GLoomis and St Croix are my favorites.. for fresh and saltwater. Cant wait to see the new St Croix Avid freshwater series as I had used them for many years and would have bought more but they were discontinued for several years and they were brought back this year.

https://stcroixrods.com/pages/avid-series

Yup for their black ice series🤬

That’s what I like to hear. Thanks. Gonna be checking them out. What series do you recommend if money is no option?

Nice. Thanks for that bit of info.

Ok. Price isn’t a primary issue. Just wanting quality and durability with what I pay for. This is good info. Is the warranty lifetime?

You’ve peaked my interest. Tell me more

Never tried their baitcasters but spinning is very durable.

Too new for me. Time will tell

Gotcha

Lol. Nothing wrong with the old school love. I loved the old Allstars before they changed their blanks. So, I can see where you’re coming from

That’s one way of doing things. However, looking for real world experience wether good or bad is tremendously more efficient.

St. Croix has definitely got my attention.

I'm a bank fisher. I usually have to walk through tall grass, bushes, cactus, and over rocks. I try my best to take care of my rigs. But Murphy is an Ahole. I've never broken an Ugly Stik. Came close but it held.

Falcon is the only rods I use anymore. Get some Caras and dont look back. They come out of Oklahoma and they are great with warranty situations. Been using them for 30 years so they have staying power.

Is that their top of the line?

I've never owned one, but why did Favorite rods not make the list?

If moneys not an issue then the NRX+ and Conquest.

Ok. got it

It is a very strong, very durable rod that is for sure.

Im sure there are others but two very good rods for the price are the Falcon Lizard Dragger and the Dobyns Fury series.

Im about to pull the trigger on a NRX+894C and see how i like it.

They've been in business for thirty years. $20 shipping fee for replacement (which you will seldom use). Light, sensitive, balanced. Just sent you a PM.

A Stella on an Ugly Stick

Yes Sir. Gimme a second and I'll show you. Exist too.

The Daiwa is a work of art. The Shimano is a different animal. Completely different but the same. You only live once.

It almost defies logic! I have several $700+ reels on $130 rods. Haha.

I have G Loomis and Dobyns Extreme and an $80 Falcon EVO from Walmart, that is right up there with G Loomis .... light and sensitive.

I’ll throw Dobyns into the ring… I’m surprised they aren’t being mentioned more.??They’ve always been good rods to me. Good warranty, hold value, lots of different rods to choose from length to action to fit your preference for just about any technique. Very affordable options all the way up their high end Xtasy series. I prefer the champion xp, champion extreme and xtasy series but have some of the fury series as well that I’m happy with. Been adding them to the collection since 2009 and still have every one of them except for one that I broke with a tailgate. Took it to Lake Fork Resort and replaced it after paying their reasonable replacement fee. That was before they moved their head quarters to Sulphur Springs. Good luck with whatever you go with

St Croix legend xtreme and elites are very nice and have held up for years for me. I have been adding several Reneau Tackle rods (formerly Power Tackle) to my arsenal lately but you wanted more of a retail type situation. If you ever decide to try a smaller shop try them out.

Order them suckers from Japan and they won’t be anywhere near $700

Check out Renau Tackle. They were originally Power Tackle Rods. Just changed names recently

Duckett is the absolute biggest pile of [censored] I’ve ever used.

Falcon is the answer. Nice rods, and their customer service/warranty department is 11/10.

Falcon. For me the best is the Lowrider series. Bang for the buck.

Thanks for that bit of info.

Yes, I’m very familiar with power tackle. When I bought my first boat, two of their rods came with it. Loved the rods and was trying to order $8-10k worth and it was like pulling teeth to get them to take my money( never would respond to my emails and phone calls) and that put a bitter taste in my mouth. I will never beg someone to take my money. So, I sold the two I had for dirt cheap and never looked at their rods again. That’s my experience with power tackle rods.

A lot of folks are pushing Falcon. I might have to take a hard look at them as well.

I agree with you 1000%. After using them for 2yrs, I wish I had gone a different route. Needless to say, they’ll be up for sale very shortly. Both new and used.

They push Falcon because they are a really good rod for the money. Simple economics. I buy 24 or so every couple years. The Lowrider is my choice, simply for the price vs components. All Fuji guides and real seat, nice graphite blank, and all the actions that are in the Expert and Cara line. Maybe the Cara and Exoert are slightly better blanks, but almost twice the money.

Not sure when that was but my experience has been that Judy is usually very easy to get in touch with.

This was back in 2009. Not sure as to what has changed or not. Either way, I’ll never purchase one.

2009 was a long time ago and early in their company. I ordered some rods during Covid and had to wait for the blanks to come in. They kept me informed the whole time during the process. They can build you whatever you want and how you want it unlike the store brands. They make good stuff.

Thats a dang shame. Judy is a rockstar mom/grandma type that any kid would be lucky to have. Her and Tim make an absolute top-notch product that has yet to fail me....and there have been plenty of times that I wouldn't have blamed the rod(s) if it did.

I have said it many times, as I usually have my sons in the boat with me when I'm out fishing. More smiles, less frowns. My sons continue to set PB's with their gear and do so with the confidence that the equipment in their hands will not fail. You can't put a price on that.

Oh I understand….their rods are definitely top notch. No questions there whatsoever.

Their rods are definitely quality based on the two I owned back then. Definitely not questioning their craftsmanship. Just sharing my experience about them is all.

I have never had an issue with Power Tackle rods or dealing with them EVER.

My experience with them has ALWAYS BEEN POSITIVE.

Well if Velvick is promoting them

Kistler

Give Kistler Rods a try. I have several for sale that are brand new in the classified section at great prices.

https://texasfishingforum.com/forum...40021/kistler-rods-for-sale#Post15140021

Good for you.

Ha ha

Just invested in a BPS Pro Qualifier designed to throw heavy swim baits and umbrella rigs, it obviously ain't high end but what my budget would allow, this is the first Bass Pro rod I ever owned. I bought it for my HS team. Guess I'm about to find out...........

What you get for your money the Shimano Expride and the Falcons are hard to beat. Since you said cost isn't no big deal the G. Loomis NRX+ and Conquest would be my choice.

Gloomis Conquest and NRX+

Waterloo rods made in Victoria,Texas makes some good rods

Yes, I did order and receive both a NRX+ and a conquest to see how I like them. So far, I like the feel of both.

😉

Great rods. I have fished a million redfish tournaments up and down the coast using the HP Lite. They are awesome. Now that "jighead minnows" are all the rage in bass fishing, I have a couple waterloos on my boat every time I go. We've thrown tails on the coast forever and that's what those rods are built for. They will throw really lite stuff too. We use a bunch of 1/32 oz jigheads when we fish Mansfield and it's no problem at all. If you haven't been to Mansfield, it's ALWAYS windy. I can't remember the last time I needed a spinning rod.

Another really good rod for jighead minnows are Sarge rods from Nederland. They are mostly custom but they are sweet. I have used them but have never owned one. I have just stuck with the Waterloo. If money doesn't matter, I'd check Sarge out.

Me too!

Shhhhh quit telling people that. Lol.

I wonder how many of the listed rods are the exact same other than the name on the rod.

Take a look at ALX rods. Made I’m the US on blanks made in house. You can call up the owner and he will actually talk you through what rod would work best for what you’re wanting.

Check out Stik5 rods. Best rods I’ve ever fished.
If you are interested send me a message and I can give you a discount code.

HA! You know exactly what I am talking about. It's so much easier that a spinning rod.

Definitely appreciate the offer.

Great info. Appreciate that

I have become a big fan of the ALX rods. (Zolo line) Made in South Carolina. Alex is the owner and you can call or email him and he'll respond directly. I am a long time Dobyn's Champion user and still really like their rods, especially for moving baits. That said, for soft plastics I think the ALX is MUCH better. They just seem lighter and more sensitive to me than the Dobyns and at about the same price point. ($250)