I'm looking at a G Loomis Trout and Panfish UL to replace my Fenwick that got buried under some gear and squished the reel seat recently.
I'm thinking the 5' 1 piece mated to a Sedona 500 would make a nice package but I've never had a spinning rod under 6' so I'd like to hear the plusses and minuses from those that use one.
I'll be fishing small waters (ponds/reservoirs) FWIW.

TIA


PS,,, here's the specs for this series.
http://www.gloomis.com/publish/cont...s/gl2_trout/classic_trout___panfish.html

If you might be interested in some vintage made in USA tackle like a Eagle Claw Feather Weight ultra-lite spinning rod with a Michell 308, I recommend ebay. I have found some real beauties for relatively little money.

I love that kind of stuff but don't know enough about old UL equipment to know what I'm buying.

I do a ton of UL fishing and after many years settled on 5 and 1/2 foot rods. Reason being casting distance for light lures. Streams are low and clear most of the season and the farther away you can stand from your target when casting, the more you catch. For the creeks the 5.5 footers seem ideal. Bigger water with bigger lures, you still get all the casting distance you can handle.

Thanks Ingwe

They do make that same rod in the 5'6" length.

It's actually ten bucks less for some reason.

Buy this rod . . . for $24 . . .LINK



and this NOS reel . . . for (current bid at $33.22) . . . LINK

I have an old 300, is the 308 smaller?

Thanks for the info. I might buy that rod just to have a place for my old 300 to live but I'd still like to have a nice little UL outfit. It'll take me all winter to talk myself into dropping 200 on a rod though. As much as I like good gear I'm not sure I'm a good enough fisherman to justify it.

The 308 is smaller.

I would wave you off any old style Mitchell reel. They were the schizz back in the day because they had no competition,and nowadays they don't compare well with almost anything..

The 308 is ultra-lite sized. The 300 is huge compared to the 308. I have about a half dozen 308's with vintage ultra-lite offerings from Garcia, Shakespeare, and Eagle Claw. These reels are smooth and a blast to use. They had plenty of competition back in the day from Heddon, Shakespeare, Penn, and a half dozen other reel makers, but the Frenchies out sold them all for a reason. If you enjoy old, quality fishing tackle, you can't go wrong with a vintage combo like the one above. There is plenty of new old stock or nearly new rods and reels on ebay. Stuff that has set in a closet for 30, 40, 50 years and looks brand new. All of my rods were made in the USA. I don't do ChiCom stuff.

Gee...my Shimanos were made in Malaysia...which isn't chinese, communist, or french.
I'm gonna have to find something else to feel bad about....


Besides...french people aren't nice...


Yes, you are right. Mitchell had lots of competition back in the day from Heddon, Shakespeare etc...but if you tried them, you know they were REAL garbage. In comparison, the Mitchell was like a volkswagen...it would just plain keep on running for you.
Nowadays they still are like a volkswagen....but there are comparably priced Ferraris on the market...

Yep,,,, as much as I'd love to have my little 36hp 1960 VW back, I'd prefer to drive my (90% US made) Toyota in today's world.
Same thing with fishing gear. I love vintage stuff, but right now I'm simply trying to put a nice UL combo together to replace and upgrade my old one.
We have a Sportsman Whorehouse here so I was able to actually lay hands on most of the reels on my list and narrowed it down to the Sedona500 because it resets the bail easier than any of the others. My current Shimano SUCKS at that function so that's my #1 priority.
Now I need to come up with a good UL rod. My Fenwick wasn't really horrible before it got squashed but I figure I might as well upgrade that too while I'm at it.
Ingwe (or anyone else),, any opinion on St Croix Premier UL's or even Fenwick's HMX series?

Get the longer rod.

My ultralight reel is the Mitchell 408 Hi-speed. But Ingwe is right that these old designs have been surpassed. Look among the better made Shimano reels.

FG both the St Croix and the Fenwicks are great. Have used them both and still have a couple Fenwicks. Use the one that feels best to you, and you don't need to spend a wad on it. $60 would be about top end for me, and prefer closer to $40....they make good rods nowadays....

OK,,,, I'll check the local shops and see if I can lay hands on any of those models. I'm not sure what to look for by just wiggling em around in the store but I'll give it a go.
Not spending two bills on that Loomis sure wouldn't hurt my feelings.
Thanks man.


Oh,,, also,, does any rod in particular stand out as a better match with a Sedona500? Fast or med action? One piece or two? etc,,,,

Fast, and I like a two piece, just because its easier to transport.

Yes, but there's a certain smug satisfaction in owning a stable of G Loomis rods. ;-)

I have preferred Pflueger reels, the 25 President size is sweet.

Shimano CLARUS UL/L in 5 and 5'6 get the most play. P-line CX 6lb
feels as strong as 10 mono, but limp lacking coils and cast great.

You're an elitist snob.


Your weiner dogs are probably purebreds....

I have 4 G.Loomis rods, three are UL from 5-7' and they are the stuff!
A 5' is real handy for bank fishing on a pond with overhang. I use 4# and a back up spool with #2 when I feel "sporty"

To me,with UL fishing(under 6#)it's all about the line and good drag,but a G.Loomis keeps the rod from ever being a problem...

I'm no expert and that might be the difference but I spend some time fishing. I got to use a Loomis spinning rod one morning for a few hours. Up to that point I'd thought about stretching to buy one but after that never considered it again. Nothing wrong with it but it wasn't worth that much more to me than something in the $60 to $100 range.

The main reason I am/was looking at Loomis's Trout and Panfish rod is because I want a true UL package and that rod is the only one I found rated for 1-4# line. All the others are rated 2-6#.
I'm having second thoughts now though. Mostly because it only comes in 5' length and med. action, but saving a few bucks wouldn't hurt either.
I probably won't buy anything until trapping/hunting seasons over and I have that fur money burning a hole in my pocket but I've got plenty to think about and look for now thanks to everyone's input.
Thanks guys.

This schit is always funny.

Noodleiciousness.



11'6" Loomis 1382S 4# UL Slow Action Noodle Rod.

You gals really catch hell out of the fish.

Some more perspective,if only because it's everything.



Laughing!..............

I'm with ya stick. I love me a noodle rod, big steelies, and fast water.

Dude..what reel is that? Sweet lookin rig!

Yeah but Stick....we are talking UL rods here. That one of yours is plainly marked GL.....


Lets keep it real shall we?



BTW: good job hiding the bullet hole on that fish.

I don't know what's so funny about it.
I just asked a simple question because I didn't know.

Glad you're "Laughing" though.

Yeah, but I still talk to you gate-fishing heathens... ;-)

And we don't talk about the weiner dogs' breeding. They're sensitive about that.

Theres a reason they call them 'weiner' dogs...

Now, don't make fun of weiner dogs.

They're just vertically challenged and horizontally enhanced.

They would make good retrieving dummies for real dogs.

Beware. They are trained to go for the ankles.

I picked up a 5ft St. Croix Premier UL this Summer for fishing brushy trout streams here in Michigan and paired it with a Shimano Symetre 1000.

My suggestion would be to consider the 1000 series over the 500. I thought I wanted a 500 series Shimano reel, but the 1000 balanced better.

I have had less line twist with the 1000 series compared to my 500 series and feel that I can cast further as well(mostly due to less line twist).

Just saw your post jk, thanks. First hand experience is always helpful.
I've decided against the 5' Loomis and plan to go with either St Croix or Fenwick.

My reason for choosing the 500 was because of all the reels I tried, it flips the bail back the easiest and smoothest.
I have a Shimano Sienna now that's so hard I end up flipping it back manually. I've read that you should flip em back manually anyway but I'm not sure I believe that. Or maybe I don't want to believe it. Ha

"I've read that you should flip em back manually anyway but I'm not sure I believe that."

I've read that as well but don't have time to manually flip it when I am tossing spinners in brush laden streams.

If you are looking at the St Croix, I would put my vote in for the 5ft UL Avid. The lifetime warranty is a nice added bonus in addition to the upgraded rod components.

Thanks,,, I'll take a look at em.

I have a few year old Fenwick HMX in a 4'9" length, that they don't seem to make anymore. It is mated to a 500 series Shimano Sahara, and I love it.

I run 4# mono, and flip spinners at the stocker ponds when I am with my wife and kid, but its primary duty is perch and crappie anchored over my favorite honey holes. It can outcast my wife's nicer (like a nicer quantum, not a junk combo) Quantum 5'3" UL, because it is not quite as wispy.

I have not handled the new HMX in 5'3" but I have handled a 5' panfish St Croix, which seemed slightly less fast than my 4'9" HMX. With 4 other HMX and HMG rods in the collection, and only 2 St. Croix, I may be biased. Cant go wrong with either!

PS, I flip my bails manually, 95% of the time.

I love my St Croix�s.. and that�s no stab on Fenwick. As for reels, Shimano, Daiwa, Penn. They�re all good.

Wish I had a dollar for every big fish I ever saw caught on a lowly Mitchell 300.