New Rod Question
 

Hi All,

I have a new reel that is looking for a partner... I picked up a Pflueger President XT in the 25 size and I am looking for a spinning rod for it. Ideally it will be a rod that can be used for trout where I would need to cast light lures far as well as light weights for lindy rigs for trout. I was thinking of spooling it with 6#braid line. I would also like the secondary uses be for Perch and the odd walleye when I have more people on the boat. I was thinking something in the 6'6" range and a light or medium Light Action.

I would like to keep the rod around $150 plus of minus $50. I am interested what you all would think would make the best partner for this real.

Thanks and tight lines.

Look into a fenwhick there usually about 100 bucks and there good quality.

You can get any of the major brands for that budget, save for the best of the best: gLoomis. If it was me, with that budget, I'd get a St Croix, but a Fenwick Elite Tech is a nice back up plan. Those would be my top two. Throw some Power Pro 10lb on that Pflueger and you're cookin'!

Would you be looking at the premeir line of St.Croix or something else?

Also would the 10lbs braid make it harder to cast smaller lures or would it still be ok? Thanks!

Ya I think it's the Premier that I have and it's the lowest level of St Croix so it fits your budget. The upper echelon ones are closer to 250.

Power Pro is the only line you ever need for anything. Add a couple feet of fluoro tied with a good uni to uni knot and you'll never need anything else. To quote the great Aaron Wiebe: "You can do anything with 10lb Power Pro".... Good enough for him (and Bass Master Classic champ Gussy), good enough for me.

Awesome, I will go and take a look at what the Fishin hole has for the Premier rods. I think a longer then 6 foot will do the trick for what I was thinking but still curious if anyone else has any ideas. I like the idea of 10 pound line I think that would handle anything I throw at this setup.

Cabela's has Fenwick HMG and the highly rated Cabela's Prodigy series on sale right now. If you go to look I find a short piece of line (3ft) with a leader snap on one end and a1/8 to 1/4 oz weight on the other is useful for testing sensitivity. Just clip the line into the tip top of the rod and drag the weight across concrete of other slightly rough surface, compare rods to see which one you can feel more with.

New Rod Question
 

That’s a really cool idea either way the weight. I’ve never thought of that before.

I just took a look at the Cabelas Prodigy and the ML 7’6” looks appealing. Only this I notice though which I should of said earlier is I’d like one that is 2 pieces ideally. The long rod would be nice for casting and I think it would be awesome for drift fishing with a Lindy Rig for walleye also. I’ll go and take a look at them. Thank you.

BASS PRO sells a quality rod of their own.

It's called the Tourny Special comes in both 6 and 6.5 in spinning rods.

While I am a huge Loomis fan and also have owned a few ST Croix I
bought 3 of these rods, 2 spinning and one bait caster.

I am very happy and for the price of 79 bucks they are a very good bargain and you will be more than happy.

I will give them a look. Now I am second guessing getting the size 25 in this reel. Do you all think this size will do fine with the setup that I am after?

I own the same reel and it’s on a Fenwick hmg 6.6 light medium fast action rod. It’s spooled with 4 pound line for perch and walleye. I’m sure the reel should work fine for what your looking for.

I have a St Croix Premier in my rod locker. My comment on it is that the eye inserts have a tendency to pop out. Weavster fixed mine last time with a new guide but it has happened more than once. This rod is also paired with a Pfleuger, but a Supreme XT.

I have also had more than a fair share of Fenwick rods snap on me. Enough that I steer clear of them now. I still have some of their ice rods, but no longer rods anymore.

I’m a G Loomis guy, but understand that they are expensive and not in everyone’s budget. Shimano bought G Loomis a number of years ago and I have seen their rods improve significantly since. I would take a look at the Shimano SLX and Compre rods. They are in your budget and have been proven in my experience.

SS


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The 25 size is fine for what you intend to do. I use a Vanford 1000 on my E6X trout rod.

SS


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Awesome thanks for the tips SS. I have a Compre right now that is 6' and a medium rod and I really love it so maybe I shouldn't change something that works for me already. I am really interested in the longer ML rods now after reading so many older threads with people saying how much added sensitivity they add when fishing really gentle presentations.

I'm also a huge fan of Shimano newer rods. The higher end ones are outstanding. I still have G Loomis, then St Croix, then Elite Tech, then Shimano higher ends in that order.

The fact that the rod is a 1 piece would definitely be a turnoff for some people. But that rod is a phenomenal value, especially when they are on sale. I picked one up a few years ago as a jigging rod and also for trolling flies. Probably the best bang for the buck that I've found in a rod so far.

I'll second that. Own a couple of the 7'6 prodigy they are a fantastic value. Compare well to rods that cost significantly more money.

I had a premier and I wasn’t a fan, mine was the 6’6 medium. I have both the Fenwick HMX 7’0 ML and the Cabela’s Prodigy 2 piece medium, I like both of them better.

Bought the same reel and a fenwick hgm at bp on Sunday, hgm was on sale at 124 from 169, hgx is cheaper but it was on sale too

I also don’t buy Fenwick anymore. I find quality in the cork has gone down recently and they seem to break too easily.