NRX 852s+ Surprise — IMX Pro 852s For Winter Fishing

[LoomisHomer]

Went into my local tackle shop to shop for some Christmas gifts and at the same time I was thinking that maybe I could really use another Loomis 852s rod for the winter that I could fish with 6-10 lb line. Mostly plastics, silver buddys and maybe jerkbaits occasionally. I have a Loomis E6X 852s paired up with a Stradic 3000 and really like it. My other light line set up is a E6X 802s with a Stradic 3000 that I use for neds and other finesse plastics but the tip feels a little too light sometimes.

So I’m looking at the rods and noticed the store had just gotten an IMX Pro 852s in. The rod felt pretty great and I think I’m set on it then the guy tells me, “Wait a minute. We just got a NRX 852+ in today!” And I was like wow. I’ve wanted a NRX for a long time and maybe it’s time to finally get one.

I was sort of surprised when I picked up the NRX 852+ rod. It felt a lot different from the OG NRX 852s. I put a Stradic 3000 on both the NRX and IMX Pro rods and the IMX Pro just felt a lot better. Possibly because I’m just more used to the EX6 kind of feel but still.

The softer and slower NRX seemed more suited for 6-8 lb line and Ned rigs and dropshotting. But I just wasn’t sold on the more moderate and less powerful feel of the rod compared to the much crisper and more powerful feeling IMX Pro. I ended up picking up the IMX Pro 852s.

Curious about what you guys that have fished either the NRX+ or IMX Pro in 852s think about these rods.

If you wanted to make any suggestions about other Loomis Spinning rod models that I should keep in mind for #6-10 line besides the 852 models that would be good too.

[Thunderblack1984]

I think you need to take a peak at the 842S. I have it in glx and its just a perfect spinner for almost everything. I am not sure how the NRX+ stands up to it action wise but I will never sell my 842S.

[LoomisHomer]

When I got home last night and compared the IMX Pro 852S to the E6X 852S I have, I started to feel that the tip on the IMX Pro was a little heavier than I really wanted it to be for winter fishing. It's more stiff than the E6X which I think could be great in some ways later on in the spring, but just not exactly what I was looking for right now.

I looked at some more rods again and.... I ended up exchanging the IMX Pro for a GLX 852S. The GLX has a really great feeling and light tip that tapers off quickly into a powerful backbone. The rod also has a pretty unique handle. Curious to see how that grows on me. It's slightly thicker around where you hold the rod/reel handle and not as linear or sleek as the other handles on most Loomis spinning rods. Not saying that it's a good or bad thing at all. It's just different.

Can't believe they messed around with that original NRX 852S blank though. That was an amazing rod. I don't think I ever saw anyone say they didn't think it was an absolutely fantastic rod. The 852S+ does not feel anything like that at all. I wonder why they changed the blank.

[Thunderblack1984]

You will like the GLX. I personally like the handle they have. The GLX is such a great line of rods. Very comfortable to fish and great sensitivity.

[LoomisHomer]

I think so, thunderblack1984. Hard to not like those rods. I’ve always been happy with the IMX line of rods. This is actually my first GLX rod. And yeah, I think the handle’s going to be great. It has a really robust and solid feel to it and really seems to lock the reel in snugly. The reel seat lock on the E6X rods are sleek and feel nice but it seems like I always have to tighten them up once or twice throughout the day.

[Thunderblack1984]

Agree, I started buying rods that have the larger front grip with a smooth locking nut. Tatula, steez AGS, GLX, ect...Not a fan of having the reel nut loosen. The glx is the first rod I ever felt a bass take a lipless crank on that was dropping on slack line.

[LoomisHomer]

Appreciate the input. My store didn’t have the GLX 842 in stock in either model. Maybe they’ll get one later on in the spring. One other rod that caught my eye was the GLX 843C. My favorite all around rod has always been the IMX 843C. Seems like you can do a little bit of everything with this rod. The GLX 843C seems to have a different tip on it though. Seems like it has a lighter tip that shuts off a little more quickly. It’s an interesting feeling rod. Very light and well balanced. Would be fun fishing it next to the IMX 843C and seeing the actual performance differences between both on the water.

[LoomisHomer]

Having fished the GLX 852S a few times now, wanted to expand my review a little bit.

The rod as far as the blank goes is amazing. But the handle bothers me a little. It's just a little bulky and where my index finger wraps around the rod, this part seems to be made out silicone. It's a little sticky and it bulges outward and just sort of pushes my index finger outward. In comparison, the handle on the E6X 852S is slim and has a concave curve into it right around where my index finger is and it is just much more ergonomically comfortable for my hand.

The most interesting thing I think is that the Stradic 3000 XGFL I put on the GLX didn't really balance it out that well. It felt somewhat tip heavy. But I had a Daiwa Tatula LT 3000 CXH sitting around and just put it on the rod. It balances so much better now. I feel like the drag on the stradic is easier to read and adjust quickly than the drag on the tatula but I'll go with the tatula for a while.

[Thunderblack1984]

That's weird. Isn't the Daiwa LT lighter or just as light as the Ci43000? I really like the handle config. on the glx but I do have larger hands. I also like how the threads are hidden. E6X and IMX you have to constantly tighten. Either way they are better designs then most of the uncomfortable option out there with threads where you hands go and such. Daiwa AGS and tatula also have some very comfortable handles w/ cork option.

[LoomisHomer]

Yep. The Tatula is a little more than an ounce lighter than the Stradic. What can I say. The rod not only balances much better now but also seems to cast more smoothly now. The handle still bugs me. Hopefully I become used to it over time.

Fishing with the Tatula today reminded me why I changed reels and went with the Stradic reels. I really don’t have any confidence in telling exactly where I am with the drag on that reel. That, and the line holder on the reel is just too small. It seems like it takes me multiple tries to get it clipped in!

[LoomisHomer]

Wanted to post an update to be fair to my original review.

Now that I’ve been fishing the GLX 852s for several months and have gotten a bunch of fish on it, this rod is incredible. I really like the handle now. It just took me some time to get used to it. This rod has tons of power in the backbone. I especially like it for tubes and jerkbaits but I’ve fished heavy drop shots on it too and it did really well.

Ended up picking up a GLX 842s earlier in the summer. This rod is noticeably lighter than the 852. I’ve used this rod for dropshot most of the time and lighter finesse plastics.

Both rods have a Stradic 3000 on them with PP V2 in #10 to fluoro leaders. Really enjoy fishing with both rods to say the least.

So I guess I got to take back what I said about the handle on the GLX rods!!!

[sbd3]

Ended up picking up a GLX 842s earlier in the summer. This rod is noticeably lighter than the 852.

Do you mean lighter in weight or in power?

[LoomisHomer]

Ended up picking up a GLX 842s earlier in the summer. This rod is noticeably lighter than the 852.

Do you mean lighter in weight or in power?

Both. The 2 power rods in the IMX and GLX line up are deceptively powerful. They won’t have any problems landing a 15-25+ pound fish in open water. The 852 has a slightly stiffer tip and loads up just a little more quickly than the 842 does and has just a little more power than the 842 does. It’s just a little bit more “heavier” in the hand fishing the dropshot than the 842 is. And I am using “heavier” liberally here.

You probably couldn’t go wrong with either rod. If you’re throwing slightly heavier stuff and fishing around grass or wood I would probably go with the 852. If you’re fishing slightly lighter stuff around open water the 842 might be what you would want.