Looking to purchase 3 or 4 new rods. Was wanting a decent spinnerbait rod, dock skipping rod, frog rod (jigs / swim jigs), and a jerkbait rod. Was thinking about trying ALX, Alpha Angler, or Kistler. Are the 3 brands all similar with the exception of customer service or is there a significant difference between each? I'd like to stay in the $250 or less price point per rod. Thank you for taking time to reply and share your opinions!
Check out Douglas Rods! They just won 2022 best spinnerbait rod with their LRS C715F which retails for $199. They also have great customer service and a great warranty. For a jerkbait rod I'd go with the LRS C684F or C703MF. Jig/Frog the LRS C745F. Dock skipping if spinning LRS S663F or S683XF.
https://www.outdoorlife.com/gear/best-spinnerbait-rods/
I would recommend St Croix Victory or ALX Zolos. Both are American made blanks and their customer service is great. I was a huge St Croix fan before I started building my rods.; now the ones I build are typically with St Croix blanks. The owner of ALX is an owner here (username cidgrad) and could help you out with any questions you’d have.
Douglas is good as well, they were primarily a fly rod company and started branching out to conventional rods the last couple years or so. Only thing I’m not a fan of is the handles and guides they use are on the cheaper end (fazlite guides instead of alconites no exposed reel seat etc) as compared to other companies in the same price range. but they make up for it with a good blank. They are based out of Phoenix NY but their rods are manufactured overseas. Still good quality though.
I would only recommend Kislter if you can get them on sale. Imo they aren’t worth full retail especially since they stopped using NFC blanks. When they kept increasing prices while decreasing quality of components used is when i stopped considering them at full retail. Still good rods but the blanks are now produced overseas.
i would also look into Megabass on the upper end of your price range.
1995 Ranger 481v
1995 Johnson Fast Strike 175hp
You can go three ways, and each has their pros and cons.
American Made warranty - St. Croix. The victory line has had fantastic reviews. And you can possibly get all 4 sticks you mentioned for less than $200 a piece. It isn’t hard to find St. Croix on sale, and Memorial Day is coming up. I don’t know enough about the line in particular but I own a number of Legend Elite and X to make some recommendations. Spinner bait would be mhmf, dock skipping mhxf, true medium for jerkbaits, and Heavy for jigs and frogs. Follow that general guideline when selecting rods. St Croix has amazing customer service and they stand behind their products.
The nicest looking sticks under $300 - Megabass Levante Diablo spec R for skipping, EMTF for spin/pitch, Perfect Pitch for pitching/frogs, and a 110 special for jerkbaits. The 110 or jerkbaits special are some of the nicest jerkbait rods on the market, perfect action. EMTF is the baby brother to my Destroyer Javelin and it is a do it all rod. Slinging spinnerbaits, Keitechs, dragging a football jig. Diablo Spec R is the reaction bait focused rod and just feels right for a ton of techniques. The perfect pitch in the Orochi line was my frog rod for two seasons till I crushed the tip. Loved it. It also pitched a 1/2 or 3/4 trig no issue.
Spend a bit more get some high end gear. Expride - Pick up a 6’10 M, 7’2”MH, 7’3” XH and call it a day. Those three rods can throw everything your asking for and will be significantly more sensitive and responsive than the two other brands. Because of the price you’re only picking up three but this is 100% the route I would take.
Douglas uses Fazlite on the LRS and Alconite on the Matrix. They also went to an exposed real seat on most of their models starting in early 2021.Originally Posted by ECobb91
I know they use alconites in their Matrix lineup. What I was getting at is fazlite is Fujis new entry level ring type. Typically it goes Fazlite < Alconite < SiC < torzite. usually once you get into the $300+ price range they are built using SiC or equivalent. There’s not much of a difference between SiC and Alconite in terms of performance but SiC typically is lighter, smoother and harder than Alconite.
In my opinion, I would rather buy a $200 rod with alconites than one with Fazlites.. It’s like buying a megabass jerkbait and putting eagle claw hooks on it. I’m not downplaying the performance of the rod, simply pointing out the quality of components used isn’t the same as comparable rods i the same price point (I.e. St Croix Avid uses Alconites ). Douglas isn’t the only one. Falcon Experts also use fazlites. They are still great rods, and blank quality is the reason why it’s in the price range that they are.
i guess just from building rods I typically won’t go below Alconites or equivalent. In regards to the grips, it’s just personal preference. The LRS appears to still use a standard reel seat. Im a cork guy and not a fan of EVA. Again just personal preference but all should be considered when spending that much on a rod so i gave the OP my thoughts.
Last edited by ECobb91; 05-16-2022 at 12:52 PM.
1995 Ranger 481v
1995 Johnson Fast Strike 175hp
Daiwa Rebellion and Daiwa Kage rods are both at that $200 price point and represent an excellent value there. The Rebellion rods feature Fuji Stainless SiC guides which are typically offered on much more expensive rods, have the Braiding X and X45 wrapping, have split foam grips and a really sharp, high end JDM rod look to them. Their performance is excellent as well.
The Kage rods are simple, cork handled, not flashy, but they pack a lot of performance into this series. It has a wider range of length, action, and power models from which to choose than Rebellion. You could certainly build a 3 to 4 rod arsenal, especially with a mix of both. Feel free to PM if you have any interest and I can help you put together the right models for your applications.
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Absolutely. You make some valid points!
Thank you all for your input. I've got a list started and trying to make up my mind now.
ALX rods are great. American made right in Aiken SC. Great customer service. If you need anything or wonder which model best suits your needs just call them. Very friendly people. For the price the ZOLO series is a really good buy. The ZOLO toadface is perfect for frogging and throwing a swim jig. The ZOLO Deputy the best for a spinnerbait and the ZOLO Jerkbait is great for jerkbaits. If you are looking for a rod at a lower price point check out the IKOS series.
2021 Skeeter ZX150
2020 Sea Doo GTI se 170
they arent well known i would think but jewel bait company launched a rod line up called virtus rods right now they have two series blue diamond and red diamond rods with the blue diamond being 199 and red diamond 279 . they are made in America and seem to mimic Falcon rods well their old models that is the blank is definitely different. i have 3 of the red diamond rods and they are really great rods without a doubt i have the 7'3 hvy ranger casting rod and its one of those rods you can do a lot of techniques with. They are built pretty simple without a ton of dazzle but the build quality on the three i own are great. also look at alx rods another great american made rod in the 200 ish range depending on what you get. china rods looked at used exprides, daiwa kage, lower end megabass rods are good to look at as well.
personally I am swim jig fanatic. I have tried many rods, lots of them were good, some just were not. With a swim jig rod, you want the back bone of a heavy action and the tip of med/hvy. Softer tip but not too soft. I throw braid 30# 100 % of the time. open water or in cover. After all my trials, I settled on the most perfect swim jig rod...ALX Toad Face. there is no other rod that I can say I have had that even comes close. It is also the best frog rod I have ever used. I do not fish "slop" I fish cypress trees, pads, marsh banks and laydowns. The Toad Face is Med/hvy +.. 7'2
2021/ 200 hp 4 stroke pro xs
2021 Triton TRX 18
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