1. Looms SR 6010 IMX + Symetre 500FJ with 4lb Berkley XT
2. Fenwick Techna AV 6' light power fast action (don't feel like looking at the model number) + Symetre 750FI with 4lb Berkley XT
The Loomis combo is perfect for 1/32oz jigheads with a 1.5" tube, great for vertical-ish fishing in less than 10' of water, drifting by shallow brush piles for crappie. I absolutely love this rod, but there is no doubt that it is a noodle, and I feel like its applications are a bit limited by its length and its action. This combo is perfection as far as balance goes and is incredibly comfortable to fish.
The Fenwick combo is relatively effective for 1/16oz road runner jigheads with soft plastics and 1/32 or 1/16oz regular jigheads with soft plastics when I want to cast and retrieve my lure as opposed to drifting or casting it out and bouncing it back. Although it is rated light power and fast action, it is much more like a medium light or even medium and extra fast in my opinion. I'm really not a big fan of this rod honestly. It works but it just doesn't feel ideal for what I'm using it for and seems to have pretty poor sensitivity, which is odd since I own many other old Techna AVs and they are great. This combo is painfully (literally, after a few hours of fishing) tip heavy
These two setups are on pretty opposite ends of the spectrum and I'd really like something more in the middle. I want a soft enough tip to give tube jigs a great wiggle action without actually moving them much, and give the fish some time to make sure they get the bait in their mouth since bluegills and family love to grab the end of baits before taking it. I also want the rod to actually have some backbone that lets me control/move the fish, fish in 15+ feet of water and effectively detect bites and get good hooksets as well as effectively fish/retrieve 1/16oz jigheads+soft plastic or up to 1/8oz class hard baits. I THINK this means I want something that is rated as UL/Fast, but the "fast" action on my old Fenwick has made me very hesitant to buy a rod sight unseen without getting some input here first.
At the moment I am feeling like $200ish max as a budget, I simply see no reason to spend more on this rod, and I have no real interest in any JDM offerings for this. A 2+ piece rod would be a very, very nice bonus, but not absolutely necessary.
My current contenders are:
Fenwick Elite Tech River Runner 6'9" UL/F 2-piece
St Croix Premier 6'6" or 7" UL/F 2-piece
St Croix Avid 6'6" UL/F 2-piece (how big of a difference is there between the Avid and Premier?)
I've owned a ton of Fenwicks over the years and have really liked most of them. My most recent was a 2 piece Elite Tech Smallmouth casting rod that I got on FFO that I love. Never owned a St Croix before.
Any thoughts or suggestions are appreciated
