Not that any of the comments were directed at me, but allow me to explain why these rods are in such high regard with me. FYI I am not on staff nor do I receive discounts.
Over the last 2yrs I have had surgery on both hands and will need surgery on both funny bones in the future...not to mention carpal tunnel. I used to throw big swimbaits for hours and hours without issue with "regular" rods. Now that I have developed these annoying and painful issues, I can barely go 20-30min throwing big swims and maybe an hour throwing standard sizes baits without having to take a break, amounting to maybe 5hrs of total fishing time. This doesnt sit well with me, I NEED to be on the water much longer, so I started inquiring with my friends up in Wa State and they led me to Alpha Angler. I called up Jake (the owner) and let him know my deal. He understood what I needed which was high quality rods that can handle the strong beasts on the CA Delta yet still very light and very well balanced. My money needs to go towards function, not flash. He put a Hitter in my hands quickly, and I knew as soon as I put my reel on this guy knows what he is doing. Next thing I know I own 5-6 Alpha Rods, as they allowed me to increase the time between breaks from an hour to about 3hrs before the fatigue and pain sets in, sometimes far longer. Swimbaits I have not been able to get back into yet, but I also have not had a custom swimmer made.
The ability to fish constantly for hours straight is why I hold them in such high regard. They have allowed me to stay on the water longer and with far less pain and fatigue. I hope that made sense.
SONNN
2000 BassCat Pantera 3
2001 Merc Opti 200hp
Real idiots and people who jump to conclusions here.
I hope you are an investigator as smart as you are.
I am looking at adding one more dropshot rod to my lineup and i keep coming back and looking at it, just nowhere to see them at all. Has anyone used it that can compare it action wise to any other rod they have used?
2008 Triton TR-196 / 200 HP Optimax
I am still waiting for him to list the 5 rod companies he was sponsored by and did R&D for some of them. Maybe he was but so far no response to the post about listing them. Makes you wonder--of course being sponsored is not that big of a deal anymore if you re in to it and willing to buy a bunch of their rods
I am not sponsored by anyone nor will I ever be. I fish what I like and have fished many brands and models over the years. Started out with a lot of house brand rods and sub $150 stuff. Then got into a Dobyns, Powell, Kistler, Fenwick, Phoenix, Shimano kick for a while, then it seemed like Megabass. It then went on to custom builds, then Loomis IMX, GLX and NRX. I still have about 30 rods between casting and spinning with no more than 4 or 5 from any one brand. I have used a good bit of the higher end offerings from each brand and some high end customs. The differences between a $300 rod and $500+ rod are not that significant to me anyways. Certainly nothing I would could consider to be mind blowing or game changing. Over the years graphite ratings have changed. Used to IM6, IM7, IM8 etc, then it started to be the toray, 30 ton, 40 ton stuff, plus other terms like nano resin. Their have been micro guides, spiraled guides, microwave guides. Point is all these terms all this lingo, all this innovation (while nice) hasn't really set the fishing world on fire. Some folks are still gravitating back to classic IMX and GLX rods even if some consider them to be old technology.
Would I try an Alpha Angler rod? Sure, probably would at some point in time. Do I think they will change things for me in a radical way as to me wanting all of a sudden sell my current rods to buy more of theirs? Highly doubt it as not single rod I have fished regardless of manufacturer has blown me away that much from another manufacturer.
got it--understand--you could have probably responded here with it so everyone gets an idea why you are not responding. I just found it interesting that in August you asked if anyone had used the rods as if you were thinking of a possible purchase and wanted opinions on them first and then 1 month later I see your post of the other day. It just smelled to me of a staffer pushing his sponsored rods
I was in the military 26 years. This must be secret black ops stuff
Thinking about buying the DSR or Wrench
I am sure Alpha Angler rods are good rods considering the price tag. Just not a fan of inaccurate statements to boost another brand...followed by the secret squirrel, G14 classified, I am not at liberty to say explanation. If the rods are great, then be honest and give logical reasoning why. I have tried a ton of different brands and models...some worth the price tag and others not so much. Doesn't mean my opinion will be accepted by all, but I would hope that my opinion carries some weight with it. And if it doesn't I would hope that you would be inclined to prove me wrong and try it for yourself :)
Kayak Bass League - President
https://www.facebook.com/groups/kayakbassleague
I totally agree with you Big Guy and fluke1987--why OP decided to send me a PM instead of posting it on here I have no answer for. I read his explanation and posted on here that he should post on here and explain to everyone his reason for not naming the rods he has been sponsored by and helped with R&D on. For the record he never disclosed to me the rod companies either. Said it was out of respect and confidentiality that he could not or would not list the rod companies. Take it for what it is worth. I have not changed my thinking on the matter about him posting in August wanting thoughts on them and then posting again the other day that they were the best thing since sliced bread. I know no reason why he could not if he chose to list the rod companies he was sponsored by. See guys do it all the time but it does make me wonder--5 companies? Anyway there is nothing more here because he has chosen to keep them to himself and he has not been back to this thread since so who knows. That is the whole story as I know it