Home Forums Fishing Freshwater New fishing rod........which one to choose??

Hello everyone. I am looking to buy a new spinning rod this spring with a $115 Shimano reel. While I know exactly what reel I want, the choice of a nice rod is another matter.
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<br>For starters, I have been using Ugly Stiks for years now. So, any $100 rod will be a major improvment. The rods I am thinking about are:
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<br>Fenwick HMG series Ultra Light six footer.
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<br>St. Croix Premier or Avid line. Can't remember which one it was that I looked at but one of the two. It was priced at $80. Light action. About 6 and a half feet.
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<br>G. Loomis Gl2 ultra light or light. Six footer.
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<br>Anyone have experience with these rods? I am wondering which manufactuer/product line is the better one.
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<br>Also, how does the Ugly Stik graphite rods compare? They are about $60. Or the Fenwick Golden wing? Eagle GT?

I just bought an All-Star rod on the advice of a couple of tournment fishing buddies. I really like it better than any of the Fenwick rods I tried. I just came back from a guided fishing trip to lake Amaidsted. The water was still cold, 50 degrees, the catfish were not biting but the strippers were good.
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<br>If you have the All-Star rods there look at them. I think you will find them to be better quality than any others in the same ($ 100 ) price range. The Texas Tornado rods are good also. Those are made right here in San Angelo Texas so I don't know if they are avaliable where you are at.

St. Croix are great rods. G. Loomis I like slightly better. I fish peacock bass on a regular basis with an IMX Loomis and a 1000 series Stradic and I couldn't be any happier.

Over 20 years ago Fenwick were the only rods I fished. I think they are no longer half the man they used to be, so to speak.

I think it really depends on what you are going to use the rod for. Are you looking for a general light freshwater spinning outfit or are you looking for a rod that is more technique specific?

For the average person, you can give them an Ugly Stik Lite and they can do a lot of fishing with them and catch plenty of fish. With the more expensive brands you are gaining sensitivity, saving weight, adding comfort with more unique grip designs and you will almost always end up with a great warranty.

I like St. Croix's Steelhead rods but I find their lighter rods to be a bit slow in action. I also think they could use a trimmer set of guides.

The new GL2 Trout/Jig series of rods are very nice, but somewhat pricey. G. Loomis is using fiber blending in their blanks and I find them to be very sensitive and less brittle than some of the ultra-high modulus graphite rods. From the rods I have used in this series, I would consider them great rods for put-and-take trout and panfish that most people catch in local lakes. While most are ultra-light, there is a 6'6 light action that I think is more versatile for streams and rivers because of the slightly faster tip and less-progressive flex. I think it would be more suitable for larger fish though the ultra-lights in the longer lengths should be able to protect light line with their flex.

Don't overlook Shimano rods. They are trending more toward the bass community but there are light and ultra-light 2-piece spinning rods in the Clarus and Compre line that are awesome for trout and panfish while not breaking the bank. Shimano owns G. Loomis and incorporates a lot of the same technology into their rods. Finish isn't as nice as G. Loomis branded rods, but for 1/2 price I can deal with what they are.

I vote St Croix, the 2 you listed are both made in the US.

Kinda shot "US made" in the azz with the Shimano reel.

Well, the reel part is really tough..

A custom rod is not out of reach.

i like the cabelas salt stiker inshore rods nice light weight graphite with plenty of backbone...

For one thing, don't count on any $100 rod being a huge step up from the Ugly Stik. The Ugly Stik is a lot of rod for the money.

I have a couple of Avid's. They are okay, but mine are US made. I don't know if the current ones are. I expect you are talking about the Premier, which the last I knew was St. Croix's low-end, entry-level offering. I doubt it will be a huge step up from the Ugly Stik and unless I'm mistaken, they are no longer made here. Of course, the Ugly Stik used to be made here too and are no longer.

As somebody else said, Fenwick's are not the rod they once were. I've got my old Abu 5000 mounted on the one I got for it back in the mid-seventies, when I was a kid. It's a few years newer than the Garcia, which was my first reel. It was made here and is glass. Quite a rod.

Why not look at Falcon's offerings? The last I knew, they were all made here and every one of them, even the entry-level models, are good rods.

You sure?

Just got an education! Thanks everyone.

Don't sell Fenwick short - check out the EliteTech series. I particularly like the Walleye jigging rods and can't wait to get my hands on the Smallmouth 6'9" medium-light, but I'll have to wait a while, as they can't keep production up with demand - even the Fenwick website is back ordered on that model.

pretty sure, I just bought one for the wife and it says made in USA on the rod.

The st croix website says those two models he mentioned are USA rods.

i love my st croixs and g loomis rods but take a look at lamaglass. great usa made rods with a great warranty. Gary Loomis worked there years ago before starting his own company. another up and comming company is fetha stick. dont own one yet tho.

Thanks for the tip on lamaglass, I'll look for that name now.

[video:youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Tp0Z0kF9ZqQ[/video]

There are so many excellent rods made today its difficult to select any one manufacturers line of fishing rods. Much also depends on what you are fishing for & the type of lure. When I first started fishing rods were made of metal & glass. My first fiberglass rod was simply amazing compared to glass & metal. When graphite rods first became available me & my buddies busted many different manufacturers rods. Obviously, improvements came fast. I still like a fiberglass rod for bait fishing & a composite rod for lures. If there is a large fishing store nearby I would suggest a visit & try a number of different brands & actions.

Clarus is hard to beat for the $

I like my st croixs too. Hard to go wrong with either IMO

no experience with GL but in hoping to change that soon.

Jesus H. Christ where are you getting your info. A Premier not being made in America? Not a step up from an Ugly Stick? A f*cking shimano Sojourn is a step up from Ugly Sticks.

Premiers are Made in the USA, have a 5 year warranty and are a huge step up from Ugly Sticks. Avids leave both in the dust especially if light powers are the name of the game. Avids also are made in the USA and have a full lifetime warranty. They also have a 50$ NO QUESTIONS asked 100% new rod replacement warranty.

GL2's are great for the money and are comparable to Croix's Avid line. If it were me, and 6 foot light actions were on the menu, I'd go Avid or GL2.

Also good to note, St. Croix has an upgrade program, were every year your rod depreciates 10$ off MSRP. But you can send your depreciated rod in, and the difference in pay for a *higher* end rod in the line up and they send you a shiny brand new higher end....