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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | Gander Mountain recently came out with an XH (extra-heavy) IM8 series of Muskie rods.
I have a couple of the IM8 MH 8 ft rods and they are really nice so I picked up an 8 ft XH to add to my collection. Its to heavy for casting any but the largest bucktails or spinner baits, but it sure makes throwing the plastics easy. Just a flick of the wrist and that lure is launched. It seems like a really nice rod and its only $80.
Just thought someone might be interested.
Herb |
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Posts: 415
Location: madison wisconsin | I noticed those also. If you break it you can return it with receipt and they will replace it for you at no cost. Not a bad deal! |
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| any idea who makes it for them? |
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Posts: 547
Location: Oshkosh | Does anybody know the rating on these rods. I believe they are made by Trophy Technologies, the same company that makes the Musky Innovations rods.
Peter |
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Posts: 283
| Yah trophy technologies does make them and I think that the lure weight for the XH is something like 1-9oz |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | I don't know who makes them, but the rod specs right off the rod are:
GMPS-801CXH-M 8'0" EXTRA HEAVY ACTION / LINE WT 20-50 lb/ LUE WT. 2-6 OZ
Price: $79.99
I was throwing around a ten inch kicking shad with incredible ease and a few other plastics of like size. I haven't had a chance to throw any big Bulldawgs with it yet, but I'm thinking it should be good for Mag Bulldawgs. The pounders might be a little much though.
The interesting thing is the rod has a lot of backbone, but is very light and has a fast tip. The combination seems to make it very easy to cast with. The only problem would be it doesn't throw smaller sized Muskie baits very well.
It sure seems like a sweet rod for the money. |
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Posts: 373
Location: Browerville, Minnesota | Sounds like a decent rod. Would love to see them come out with a 9 footer though. Now that would be the cats meow! |
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Posts: 999
| Was a sweet rod while they lasted, they had a sale recently buy one get one 1/2 off and now that line is discontinued. I dont know any more of the details but that's what im hearing here in Appleton WI.
Mr Musky |
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Posts: 415
Location: madison wisconsin | Wow! That ended quick! One season and done? Are they coming out with a new series? |
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Posts: 999
| I dont know, I was hoping Gander Mt. Guide or 8 inch Crank could fill us in. Last year it was Fig Rig rods for Gander and this year Trophy Technologies (Musky Innovations Rods) so I wonder what the deal is. I'll message one of them and find out.
Mr Musky |
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Posts: 415
Location: madison wisconsin | Good. Would like to purchase one for next season. A 8'6" or 9 footer H or XH would be sweet. |
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Posts: 62
| The warranty on these rods is great. I purchase the 8' XH and had the cork on the bottom of the handle start to fall off. I took it back to Gander Mtn. and they had no problems returning it. The only problem was finding the exact replacement. Not to many of them left on the shelves. The computers showed that they were being discontinued. They found one at a different store and had it shipped down here within a few days. So it worked out for me anyways. |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | Do you know if Gander Mountain is only discontinuing the XH or the entire IM8 line?
I have four of the IM8 series rods and they are by far my favorite rods. I would hate to see them discontinued.
Seems strange that they are discontinuing the XH. The store a couple of miles from my house has at least five or six of the 8 ft XH and several 7'6" XH and I just bought mine less than three weeks ago. That was the first I ever saw them and its not like I never go to Gander Mountain. Seems like a brand new rod to me.
Gander Mountain does sell a couple of different versions of Muskie Rods. The XH I am talking about is a black IM8 and has a metal tip. They have some other Muskie rods which are also black, but do not have the metal tip. The ones with the non-metal tips are different.
Edited by Herb_b 10/18/2008 11:18 PM
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Posts: 62
| Herb,
I am refering to the Tournament Extreme Musky rod. |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | OK. That is not the rod I am talking about. The rod I am talking about is not made by Fig Rig or Muskie Innovations. It is one of their ProSelect Series IM8 Muskie rods which I believe they have made overseas somewhere to their specifications. I think maybe in Japan.
I have four of the ProSelect IM8 rods. A 6'9" Heavy action for jerk-baits, two 8'0" MH for small to medium sized spinner baits and bucktails, and now an XH for plastics. The ProSelect IM8 series have the trademark metal tip, are very light, and are black. They also are by far my favorite rods.
I believe the XH 8'0" rod I just bought is a new rod and judging by how many they had at the Maple Grove store and how long they have sold that series of rods, I expect they will be selling them for quite some time.
I had seen the rods you are talking. They seemed like good rods, but not quite what I was looking for. I really like the metal tips on the ProSelect rods because I have a tendency to reel in a little to far and the ceramic tips don't last long in my boat. 
Edited by Herb_b 10/20/2008 8:27 AM
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | "Do you know if Gander Mountain is only discontinuing the XH or the entire IM8 line? "
I'll ask tonight at work. I'm unaware of any Pro Select IM8 on Clearance, but we sold out of the XH about 3 months ago. Great rod for money! |
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Posts: 1270
| I doubt that FigRig, or anybody else that we have ever heard of make the rods for Gander. Gander is big enough that they go to China and have the rod's made to there specs by, it wouldn't surprise me, the same company that makes FigRig and other companies rods. They may be made in the same plant but it's not right to say that FigRig, or any other company we have heard of actually makes them. My bet is that the actual company has either a very Chinese sounding name or a very generic name.
I am not trying to knock FigRig or Gander rods as they might be very good rods but I think that Gander doesn't mind people thinking that there rods are made by a well known rod company so they don't really try to correct people when they ask. |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | Reelman,
Our first Tournament Pike and Muskie rods were made by Fig Rig about 2 years ago. Fig Rig was our vendor in the computer system. But who knows who in China made the blanks for them? I know that Fig Rigs were marketed as "american" even though the blanks weren't.
The current Tournament rod is made by Trophy Technologies, same people who make the Musky Innovations rods.
By the way, we did have Musky rods made by St. Croix, that was way back about 9-10 years ago. I still have one. The warranty is still lifetime. |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | Oh. I checked into the ProSelect IM8 XH rods. The price is 79.99, they aren't on clearnace and I don't expect them to drop either. |
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Posts: 829
Location: Maple Grove, MN | I got out last night and used the ProSelect XH 8'0" for a while on a bunch of plastic baits and it works just fine on the shallow, regular and Mag sized Bulldawgs. I don't have any pounders so I can't comment on them.
It sure is a light rod with a ton of backbone. It almost seems it should weigh more. But as I learned with the MH models, its plenty strong.
A side note: I have had back and shoulder trouble for years which has greatly limited my ability to throw larger plastics such as the Mag Bulldawg and ten inch Kickin Shad. I have tried a number of rods and this XH works the best for me. Now I can actually fish those baits for more than a half hour at a time. 
Just my opinion, but I think Gander Mountain has a winner there.
Edited by Herb_b 10/21/2008 10:21 AM
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | There's only two GM items I buy for fishing (the reels are gone, but were a third), the ProSelect rods and the H20Tech suit. For $80.00 the ProSelect can't be beat. Although $100.00 for the Tournament Xtreme isn't bad either. |
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Posts: 717
Location: Grand Rapids, MI | I recently bought a Gander Mtn Extreme Tournament 8' XH. I bought it especially for throwing Mags & Pounders. It handles the Mags absolutely no problem. The Pounders take a little ooommpphh, but by comparison, they cast the same as what a Mag does to the Heavy action. Just a little bowing. Wish it came in a 8'6 or 9' for the extra leverage for the Pounders, but so far, I've got 0 complaints. |
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