2019 zbone 7.6 heavy + zillion type r. Each year I try to mix it up a bit but I don’t think I’ve gone to punching this frequently before. Maybe I figured something out that I wasn’t doing as well previously, but this rod is perfect in my hands for punching. I just don’t think much can be done to fe...

agree with this assessment. I settled on 893 and 894 as well.

after the fact, I bought some 7'3 rods but for some reason did not go with the 873. may have felt it too similar to the 894. honestly don't recall my rationale, baitmonkey moment quite possibly.

the applications are similar but most prefer the 873 or 894. I did not fish the 854 long enough to draw the conclusions on why. The 894 ended up being my choice because I fish florida almost exclusively and 7'5 is a short rod in that state. Action of the blank is what makes the 894 special. 873 is v...

When I fished Kentucky Lake quite a bit I had roughly 15 rigs in the boat (13 baitcasters and 2 spinning). because of the range of patterns from deep cranks to topwaters, this was not totally crazy. On a typical trip, I'd fish maybe 10 and settle on 2 to 3 rods once I found something that was workin...

honestly, I used to fish KY a great deal and Florida quite a bit and I changed everything around for Florida to get the best and perfect reels on the right long/powerful rod. Seems strange to say, but when I'd get home it was stressful to get everything perfect again for KY fishing. I had to go to d...

803 may be on par with the 852. well, at least to have anyone utter a negative word about an 803 would be a shock to me. possible on the internet but a shock no matter what Didn’t like the 803c. It was a broom handle. Hey, you asked :lol: a broom handle infers too much power???? Is that what you se...

The 7'3H Kistler H3 feels like more power and better tip then NRX 894. In a test of deflection with a 1.5oz punching weight some months ago the kistler deflected more. My conclusion is they are very similar but different. I'd also make this point again. Length is a huge factor. one day about 4 years...

I dream of 6'9 rods now but as I fish Florida they are of little use to me; but still i find myself wanting the same rod. In some aspects, I am disappointed in my 7'10H zbone but I find myself recommending it. The negative is the balance and absolute weight vs the kistler listing. The positive is it...

803 may be on par with the 852. well, at least to have anyone utter a negative word about an 803 would be a shock to me. possible on the internet but a shock no matter what

I think your question Russ gets at the meat of the matter. Most MH rods will work a frog great IMO. I used an old original Powell 703mh around Kentucky for years with good success then I started fishing Florida almost 100%. That MH was suddenly not powerful enough and some years later I would discov...

I’m sure the 7’3 h zbone is a nice rod. I have a 7’10’h model

Kistler helium 7’3 h is great and is my frog rod. Don’t think zbone could be any better

I can't argue that. Had same opinion initially. Fished it for 1 hour and never gave it any thought after that point. I am function over form by nature. then again, I can argue only the 894 might need it and that is in the eyes of the beholder. The rest IMO don't need it. Do they benefit from it just...

question everything you read on the internet for sure. Last week I was fishing a 7'10H Kistler rod that weights 5oz. Reel was 6.2oz. I pick up my NRX 894 with a 6.2oz reel and it feels like a feather. Why? because I have roughly 1oz on the butt such that it is actually slightly butt heavy. The total...

30# on most of my baitcasters. 40 and 50 on a couple. 20# on baitcasters was finiky in terms of digging for me with my casting motion. plain 30# pp has been a good one for me for last 5 years