TackleTour

I have the TSR 791 and 792...i prefer the 792

cndbasshunter wrote:I have the TSR 791 and 792...i prefer the 792

well I was thinking which from this 2 rods to pick , I fish almost all of the time large flowage , I'm new to UL gear but I think I will use 1/16 oz marabou jigs , Road Runner with and w/o spinners most of the time , but I may also need to use 1/32 and 1/8 oz , I think that for 1/8oz both rods will be very good , but for lighter 1/32 oz jigs tsr 791 may be little better than 792 , let me know what is your experience with 1/32oz with both rods . TIA .

ordered from Monster F.T. STR 791 regular - $25 email registration .

I tested my combo last week , unfortunately I didn't caught any panfish , but I had 16" walleye , 20 " + cat and 25" + carp , lol , all on Chartreuse Black Chartreuse 1/16 oz Road Runner Original Marabou Jig , It was a pleasure to use this gear , very light , I enjoyed it for most of the day .

Money well spent then!

Major Craft has a number of rods that sell for less than $200. There are many fine JDM option on ebay for the less than the $230 you will pay for the Loomis. If you ever a fish a JDM UL rod, especially with the solid tip, you will wonder why you even contemplated a Loomis. Even JDM rods at the $100 price point out perform ANY Loomis UL rod. (I have owned and fished 4 TSR models, 2 of the GLX rods and fished one of their other UL rods... IMX or something). The JDM rod at $100 will not be as "nice" as a Loomis, the components wont be quite as nice but the rod will fish better.

I have a Daiwa Ajing rod that cost $120 and is a better tool than any Loomis UL rod.

Just curious what don't you like about how the Loomis TSR rods fish? most people on the forum that have tried the TSR rods love them, and not because of the 'name'.

what didn't you like? too soft? action not fast enough etc?

Loomis rod suffer in comparison to JDM rods, esp rods with a solid tip. Solid tips have a more precise, delicate feel with more lure weight range than a tubular tip. You have to fish one to understand. No US rod maker uses solid tip technology, it is a shame. Every high end JDM producer does... Megabass makes a spectacular finesses 2 piece UL bass rod with a solid tip. Jackson does as well...

Loomis rods are OK, you can certainly catch fish with them... but it comparison to solid tip JDM rods... they are not even close. US rod makers have not put the technology into UL rods that JDM makers have, because US anglers have not been willing to pay high dollars for UL outfits.

I picked up a Major Craft Benkei UL with a solid tip for about 110.00 at Plat that is about as cheap as they come but it is a great little UL rod with an x-fast action.

are the solid tip rods heavier? I know in the past companies like Fenwick came out with rods that were not hollow (from what I can recall they had a line called hard core graphite in the late 90s) and they ended up being very heavy. they never caught on here in the north American market.

Solid tip UL rods have had a reputation of extreme fragility. Even at $100 bucks, a no guarantee JDM import is going to be seen as a risky investment.

Also, from what I have read, material uniformity of the solid tip can still be an issue...that might have been solved in the more expensive rods perhaps.

Smead wrote:Solid tip UL rods have had a reputation of extreme fragility. Even at $100 bucks, a no guarantee JDM import is going to be seen as a risky investment.

Also, from what I have read, material uniformity of the solid tip can still be an issue...that might have been solved in the more expensive rods perhaps.

You can throw all that out when it concerns JDM rods. I have bought around a dozen now...from low to high end. Most with solid tips. I have owned high end UL rods sold in the states and there is no comparison. Risky investment....well if you break it you might cry....then you would go out and replace it. These rods are much tougher than they look with tips being as small as .65mm. Yes they can break like any other rod. I keep thinking I will eventually break one. I can tell you if you ever fish with one you won't want anything else.

Regards

Hulkster wrote:are the solid tip rods heavier? I know in the past companies like Fenwick came out with rods that were not hollow (from what I can recall they had a line called hard core graphite in the late 90s) and they ended up being very heavy. they never caught on here in the north American market.

No they are not heavier. The Japanese make the lightest rods on the planet. I have an Tict Ice Cube 6' 9" that the whole upper section is solid. It weighs 2.4 ounces. I have some solid tip rods that weigh in at 2 ounces. I am looking at one that comes in at 1.9 ounces.

Regards

mark12 wrote:I tested my combo last week , unfortunately I didn't caught any panfish , but I had 16" walleye , 20 " + cat and 25" + carp , lol , all on Chartreuse Black Chartreuse 1/16 oz Road Runner Original Marabou Jig , It was a pleasure to use this gear , very light , I enjoyed it for most of the day .

sounds like it worked out well for you! congrats!

sorry you had a problem with the Daiwa Spinmatic. the spinmatics are good cheap rods, but they are definitely moderate action and not "fast" as Daiwa lists them. i think that's where most people run in to trouble.

i need to fish mine with superlines (like nanofil) otherwise it's like fishing with a rubber band - both in terms of sensitivity and hook-setting. if you still have the rod, give your favorite UL superline (nanofil, nanobraid, fireline, etc) a try before getting rid of it. it still won't compare to a TSR 791.....but you might find a place for it. i like the spinmatics for any application where you might want a bit of give or when you find yourself pulling lures away from fish.....stuff like spoons for trout....or tiny crankbaits......or light biting crappie. they are fun rods to fish.

x2 for St Croix Panfish series. Very nice ultralight rods. Buddies used to out crappie fish me 2 to 1. Bought me a couple these rods and paired them with Pflueger Supreme reels and now it's a back and forth battle on who catches the most.