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Posts: 164
| So I recently posted a deal that I found at a St Paul outdoors sport shop. I got a couple of responses. Part of my deal was a Abu Garcia Volatile rod 8'6'' Extra Heavy. Given this was my first year hunting muskies, all my set ups I have are with cheaper model rods.
A main reason for this is because I don't always feel comfortable spending two to three hundred dollars on something I don't know much about. And considering where I'm from there are not a lot of muskie fisherman at my local stores where I shop to provide justifiable advice to spend money on a really good rod.
So if you have muskie fished for a while you probably already know what brands work for you and your set up or type of baits you are throwing. So setting the brand name aside, what is everyone looking for in a rod? What do you want your rod to do? What materials are you looking for your rod to be made out of? And whats the difference between that 300 dollar rod and that 99 dollar Cabela's or Scheels name brand rods?
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Posts: 1638
Location: Minnesota | I seen your post you got a deal at Joe's. If you want to see the difference go over to Thorne Bros there are some great guys working there. They can show you a cheap rod. They can show you a top of the line rod. The best thing is they can show you what the difference between the two are and help you find the perfect rod for your need s |
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| Don't over think it and have fun. Sounds like you got a great deal and have a nice set up. You will catch plenty if you spend the same energy reading maps and on the water:-) they call the angler a good stick, not the rod... |
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Posts: 8782
| We all have our preferences. I've owned a dozen or so over the years, and there are a few things I would look for in a new rod:
1. Guides: Cheap guides crack. They eat line. Inserts fall out. While you can replace them, I'd prefer to have better guides from the get go.
2. Grips: I hold the foregrip instead of palming the reel. Fat cork is FAR better than skinny cork in that regard.
3. Butt length: This is largely a matter of preference. But a butt that is too short or too long makes for a lot of unnecessary effort when casting.
4. Rod length: For me, 8'6" and over is best for casting and doing figure 8's, but I am 6'-1". Samantha can't fish with rods over 7'6" because she's short. Your boat also plays a role in this. Short guys fishing in boats that are close to the water need different rods than tall guys fishing in boats that are not.
5. Split grip vs conventional grip: That's a matter of preference. I just can't get used to them. Some guys swear by them. I am not one of them.
6. Spined vs not... If you've ever fished with a spined rod, it's a different animal. The way the blank loads when casting and fighting a fish definitely IS different. Some guys won't notice a difference. For me? A spined rod is the difference between casting "around" where I want to cast and hitting that spot exactly.
7. Balancing: This comes into play more if you palm your reels vs holding the foregrip, but the difference between casting all day with a rod that is perfectly balanced vs one that is not is HUGE.
The bottom line is a rod that fits one person will not necessarily fit someone else for the same application. You have to fish with a bunch of them before you figure out what rods you like and why. |
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Posts: 353
Location: Western U.P. | Good replies above. Find a rod that you like for a price you can live with, and go have fun. The NaCl / Volatile combo you picked up is a really good, solid set up that should serve you well for some time. I have the same and use it a lot. |
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Posts: 32886
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | What Cedar said. I have several Volatiles rigged up with NaCl reels, and like them. Great outfit for a great price. There's a HUGE difference between 'cheap' and inexpensive. Thhat is a heck of a deal on a quality combo. |
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Posts: 908
Location: South-Central PA | Comfort (grips, overall weight, balance), performance (weight again, guides, action, power), and price- in that order!
jeremy |
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Posts: 4343
Location: Smith Creek | colinj8899 - 12/4/2014 8:39 PM
And whats the difference between that 300 dollar rod and that 99 dollar Cabela's or Scheels name brand rods?
Typically your "cheap" (not inexpensive) rod is simply a high selling quality rod that has been sent to a factory in China, reverse engineered (copied) and built with lower end components and carbon. |
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Posts: 164
| Thanks for the replies. Its nice knowing I got a good set up for a good price. Like I said in my post my biggest concern when buying a rod is not knowing what I'm buying. I like how every time I goto my local sporting stores and ask for advise on a rod they simply press the backside of the rod on the floor and flex the rod. Then they advise because of the flex on the rod is how they know its a quality rod. But yet they can't tell me much more about it. And they always point me towards their name brand rods. Which is fine because they do back up their store brand names. I recently bought an 8 foot cabelas rod that the was half off this summer and one of the guides broke and all I did was walk into the store and showed them my reciept and the rod and they were quick to replace it or fix it for free. Its tough buying a product for a hundred dollars or more and you know nothing about it. Anyway, thanks all for the great advice and furthering my knowledge on all things muskies. Its definetly hard to stare at the new set up I purchased and know it won't be until another six months until it sees some action with it. |
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