japanese rods

[kiara_poltegerist]

Tom B wrote:

im just throwing this out there, but one factor megabass dont employ is the spiral wrap technique for the guides, this style of rod can be loaded up alot more safely then standard rods and when a big fish is hooked the blank doesnt try to roll over, its also lighter in weight due to less guides and casting distance isnt affected

really? that's funny. coz my MB Expedir is spiral wrapped, and one of the Orochi range is spiral wrapped too. abit of research would go a long way mate....

and btw, rods splined properly dont roll over when a fish puts pressure on the rod. a spiral wrap is not necessary to enable that a rod loads up properly

[AngGoLee]

kiara_poltegerist wrote:

fishyman wrote:

well i cant disagree anymore kev haha

materials cant be that different,

Rod blank, at the moment not including biofibre, high modulous graphite is the bst you can get im10.

Grips, AAAA grade cork, or polyurethene cored grips that are either flocked or skinned.

Guides, at the moment titanium frame silicon carbide ring (Fuji TiSic) or nanolite ring (Ameriacn tackle Titan) plus many more which are all readily available to the consumer.

Guide placement, as far as that is concerned you are 100 percent WRONG, you cannot have perfect guide placement unless you get a rod built to suit your reel, the new guide concept by ameriacn rodbuilder Tom Kirkman revolves entirely around the reel and how you set up a particular rod to best suit that reel.

Handle assembly, i have seen megabass handles and styles like that have been used for years and years by custom guys, Rich Forhan was the first to use the split grip design on rods and many manufacturers have now started to manufacture rods with them becasue of their benefits. as far as all the balance systems in the rod they are in the most part gimmicks if you have a rod custom made by a good builder the rod will be balanced to teh reel you intedn to use with that rod.

i can garauntee you kevin that most custom guys that know what they are on about could build a better rod than any megabass rod if they had teh materials (which would cost way less than what youd pay for a megabass rod)

no offense mate, but we've moved on from IM10 graphite. we use boron, solid carbon, tri-scrim graphite blends and titanium reinforcements now.

one question tho- how familiar are you with megabass? when i brought MB into aus last year, hardly anyone knew what it was about. and FYI, probably the first 2 MB rods in bris were from my shop, bought by a fellow AFO-er.

:laugh: haha.... :laugh:

[Dan23]

Aside from some comments I'm getting a lot out of this thread guys so keep up the healthy friendly debate:) There's lots to learn about rod building from Australian and overseas markets.

[rayke1938]

Dan23 wrote:

Aside from some comments I'm getting a lot out of this thread guys so keep up the healthy friendly debate:) There's lots to learn about rod building from Australian and overseas markets.

I am also learning a lot hearing about brands and construction materials that are completely new to me.

Things have certainly come a long way since I used to make up a "sloppy joe " rod every year. Used to pay 5 shillings for a 12ft rangoon cane and keep the brass stripping guide and 5 porcelain runners from last years rod and bind it all on with black insulation tape.

I was around 16 when I saved up enough money to buy a 3 piece split cane blank from Bill Browns sports store in George Street.From Memory it cost 3 pounds

Cheers

Ray

[chubbstar]

3 pounds of what Ray? Sausages or Weed?

A lot of weed for 1 rod:ohmy: :silly: :laugh:

Jayson

[Cando]

I have spent some big $$$ on rods that I didn't see until i picked them up and they where not what i like in my rods,, hmmmmm just not the right free about them for me!! But some1 else would love them.. Alot comes down to the person..

So now when i go shopping for a new rod, I like to feel the rod, so if i can't find a shop that has that brand of rod's on the racks / get 1 in for me to have look/feel or some1 I no has 1 i can play with, that brand of rod is off the shopping list..

Don't just listen to to here say, go out and free the rod.. Take your reel with you and ask if you can put it on.. Well that's what i do .. Never had a no yet..

Yes my shed has loomis, Black Diamonds aswell as some cheaper rods in there. I mite even buy a MB if I ever see 1 and have a play with it..

By the way , I very happy with all my Loomis and BD's, that goes for the dirty old forcelite too..

Noel

[Cowfish13]

Yeah. I like to feel the rod before I buy it as well. I fell in love with a T-curve tournament rod in BCF, so I got one later from Tackle World:lol:

Also probably played with 5 or 6 different baitcasting rods at Tackle Warehouse before settling on a River Raider. It's an awesome rod

Surprisingly, both designed by Ian Miller:blink: That man knows how to design a rod;)

And I have also learnt alot and not understood alot from this thread, so keep the info (not insults) coming:)

[Cando]

Ian does make some great custon rods aswell, with the price to go with it :blush:

O' if you are going too the barra con and want to have a few cast with a loomis dropshot 1-6lb/shakyhead 6-10lb just ask.. just don't brake them lol

Noel

[ellicat]

Cando wrote:

Ian does make some great custon rods aswell, with the price to go with it :blush:

O' if you are going too the barra con and want to have a few cast with a loomis dropshot 1-6lb/shakyhead 6-10lb just ask.. just don't brake them lol

Noel

I'm not sure if that's a generous offer or a ploy to get a replacement:P :laugh: (Just jokes)

[Cando]

ellicat wrote:

Cando wrote:

Ian does make some great custon rods aswell, with the price to go with it :blush:

O' if you are going too the barra con and want to have a few cast with a loomis dropshot 1-6lb/shakyhead 6-10lb just ask.. just don't brake them lol

Noel

I'm not sure if that's a generous offer or a ploy to get a replacement:P :laugh: (Just jokes)

lol...... as long as they bring them back after the few cast :laugh: :laugh:

[Cowfish13]

Cando wrote:

Ian does make some great custon rods aswell, with the price to go with it :blush:

O' if you are going too the barra con and want to have a few cast with a loomis dropshot 1-6lb/shakyhead 6-10lb just ask.. just don't brake them lol

Noel

Thanks for the offer:cheer:

I'll have a look at them atleast

Thanks:)

[basskid]

Kevin,

Having a manufactured rod ie megabass in a factory buy people who probably dont know what a rod is one thing but having a rod the feels good in the hand that can have as much bling as he or she wants and is a peice of artwork that atcuallt means alot is another .... HGave a think if you buy a megabass u have a reputation of having a megabass so what(not an atack) what if you arent happy with it ... and you relise its all a name .. alot of other people will buy megabass and you wont be the only one with t ... where as custom each peice of work is individual if it is one builder who hand crafts it it can never be the same therefore is unique ... megabass made in factories ..... proper aussie rod builders who know there stuff Can make a rod that megabass cant .. a rod to suite excatly what you want .. you can never get exactly what you want out of one rod thats made indusrtialy when you take it seriously ....

Have a think about it

[fishyman]

cant agree more mate.

to have the perfect rod to suit your reel and your feel custom is the way to go

[brisbane_boy]

do u make ur own rods tom ?

[fishyman]

sure do.

Slater Sticks, Tom slater custom rod creation and repair

[AngGoLee]

After all this discussion an different views , i realise that there is no better rods over another one. Japanese rods like major craft , evagreen or even megabass is beautiful and unqiuely made while Rods like Loomis are not as nice on the outside but they are known for it's quality products. I have never seen or heard of a Loomis that breaks while in use on the other hand i have Heard of megabass rods that breaks while being used. I just cant justify paying so much for a megabass rod that doesn't have warranty ( unlike Loomis which has it's lifetime warranty ).

Kev when u mention that loomis is changing warranty and losing quality can u please elaborate more on that?

I know some people who likes to have the look good factor on their tackle and they collect some high end stuff like megabass or evevagreen but when it comes to catching fish they can't even catch anything on their so called high end tackle

At the end of the day it's what you are comfortable with paying and using that really matters not what people say it is or feels .

Maybe someone can correct me if i am wrong in some of the things i said, since we are all here to learn.:laugh:

[kriso]

i feel the best rod comes is what the consumer feels the most comfortable/best for there needs and wants it maybe a custom rod it might be a rod made on the production line somewhere only that person will be able to say what they feel is the best rod for them.

in other words the best rod will be in the eye of the beholder.

[AngGoLee]

basskid wrote:

Kevin,

Having a manufactured rod ie megabass in a factory buy people who probably dont know what a rod is one thing but having a rod the feels good in the hand that can have as much bling as he or she wants and is a peice of artwork that atcuallt means alot is another .... HGave a think if you buy a megabass u have a reputation of having a megabass so what(not an atack) what if you arent happy with it ... and you relise its all a name .. alot of other people will buy megabass and you wont be the only one with t ... where as custom each peice of work is individual if it is one builder who hand crafts it it can never be the same therefore is unique ... megabass made in factories ..... proper aussie rod builders who know there stuff Can make a rod that megabass cant .. a rod to suite excatly what you want .. you can never get exactly what you want out of one rod thats made indusrtialy when you take it seriously ....

Have a think about it

Agreed.. Local rod Builders are good. I have a friend who had his rod builded by a local rod builder,Gary Howard and it's one of his best and favourite rod .

[Mack_attack]

AngGoLee wrote:

After all this discussion an different views , i realise that there is no better rods over another one. Japanese rods like major craft , evagreen or even megabass is beautiful and unqiuely made while Rods like Loomis are not as nice on the outside but they are known for it's quality products. I have never seen or heard of a Loomis that breaks while in use on the other hand i have Heard of megabass rods that breaks while being used. I just cant justify paying so much for a megabass rod that doesn't have warranty ( unlike Loomis which has it's lifetime warranty ).

Kev when u mention that loomis is changing warranty and losing quality can u please elaborate more on that?

I know some people who likes to have the look good factor on their tackle and they collect some high end stuff like megabass or evevagreen but when it comes to catching fish they can't even catch anything on their so called high end tackle

At the end of the day it's what you are comfortable with paying and using that really matters not what people say it is or feels .

Maybe someone can correct me if i am wrong in some of the things i said, since we are all here to learn.:laugh:

Some very good points there:)

[kevinchen19870316]

loomis's now loomis-shimano and the quality of the looms rods has dropped dramatically when shimano takes over loomis.

i can't see any tournament anglers using ugly sticks basskid. lol

[kriso]

kevinchen19870316 wrote:

loomis's now loomis-shimano and the quality of the looms rods has dropped dramatically when shimano takes over loomis.

i can't see any tournament anglers using ugly sticks basskid. lol

i think your missing what he is saying mate, he not saying megabass is crap. he is saying that believes you will get a better rod from a custom builder cause they build a rod how you want it, where as megabass,shimano etc you buy what they have made and may have to sacrfice certain characteristics you want in a rod that you feel is best for you, not every angler will like the same features in a rod.

[rayke1938]

I think you have to take with tongue in cheek what a lot of the tournament anglers and indeed the pro journalists recommend as most of them have sponsorship deals.

I never and probably never will have the pleasure to use some of the really top end gear.

I have one egrell and 4 loomis rods that I have picked up at second hand.

My personal preference is for the egrell. Maybe it is because I have it matched with a good reel, I dont really know.

I suppose it is what you are comfortable with and what you can afford.A lot of the lower priced gear performs nearly as well as the more expensive and the question is whether the extra money is worth the difference in performance.

It is much the same as a set of golf clubs will a thousand dollars improve the performance of a week end social player/fisher.

Cheers

Ray

[fishyman]

haha the good old golf anallergy HEHE.

ray makes some good points here, its entirely abotu the fisho and how much they are willign to spend.

and for the record my golf clubs set me back about 2500 bucks HEHE

[bigtez]

Careful with the golf analogy ray. There are golf clubs made to suit amateurs better and can improve the game of the average hack.

I think I have to agree with basskid. I wouldn't be forking over the rediculous sums of money some manufacturers are asking for off the shelf rods when I could have a rod that suits me and my reel perfectly from a custom manufacturer. I have a penn international reel that dad found at a pawn shop for about 10% of its actual value. He then took it to gary howard and had a rod made up to suit it and I have yet to find a better matched rod and reel combo no matter what the price tag is.

Terry

[kriso]

fishyman wrote:

haha the good old golf anallergy HEHE.

ray makes some good points here, its entirely abotu the fisho and how much they are willign to spend.

and for the record my golf clubs set me back about 2500 bucks HEHE

mine cost 50bucks from a garage sale and still will smash a toad for miles! (dont know how they go on the balls havent hit one with them yet lol):laugh:

[Do$tylz]

^^ hahahaha. yep my 10 degree, titanium driver has hit more toads than golf balls.

I think the only way to settle this is everyone bring your most pimpin' rods to a meet, and everyone have a go at each one. Whichever one gets the most "oohs" and "ahhs" after a play wins???

I'll bring a broomstick.

[Dinodadog]

I have a Pflueger president Im8 6 to 12lb and a Pflueger criterion Im8 2 to 4kg that I am fishing the crap out of at the moment and while they are catching fish Ican't see any sense in spending big bucks on high end gear. Don't get me wrong I like the feel of good gear,I have several raider rods but choose to use the above rods most of the time. The best way is to use what you are confident with, because in fishing confidence is NO 1

[rayke1938]

O could do a snap the top off test. :X :X :evil: :evil:

Cheers

Ray

[Cando]

AngGoLee wrote:

After all this discussion an different views , i realise that there is no better rods over another one. Japanese rods like major craft , evagreen or even megabass is beautiful and unqiuely made while Rods like Loomis are not as nice on the outside but they are known for it's quality products. I have never seen or heard of a Loomis that breaks while in use on the other hand i have Heard of megabass rods that breaks while being used. I just cant justify paying so much for a megabass rod that doesn't have warranty ( unlike Loomis which has it's lifetime warranty ).

Kev when u mention that loomis is changing warranty and losing quality can u please elaborate more on that?

I know some people who likes to have the look good factor on their tackle and they collect some high end stuff like megabass or evevagreen but when it comes to catching fish they can't even catch anything on their so called high end tackle

At the end of the day it's what you are comfortable with paying and using that really matters not what people say it is or feels .

Maybe someone can correct me if i am wrong in some of the things i said, since we are all here to learn.:laugh:

Kev, I would like to no too mate ,,, what are they changing???

Thanks

Noel

[Dan23]

I read some articles not long ago about the downgrade in quality of Loomis rods since they have become so mass produced. I think the comments were mainly on the little things like guide wrapping and glue being neat from what I remember. The blanks are still great though and they feel weightless.

[Dan23]

What does everyone think of this?? I'm starting to prefer Daiwa over shimano rods but this one looks sweet.

/>http://www.tackletour.com/reviewshimanocumara68m.html

[rayke1938]

Reads ok wonder what they will be worth here when they finally arrive.

Cheers

Ray

[Dinodadog]

I use a 6 to 12lb spin for casting 3/4 oz s/baits from the bank

[Dan23]

Most I've shelled out for a rod is $200 just because I think I might break one. That said, I'm thinking about spending some coin on a nice bait casting combo soon.

[Cowfish13]

Most I've personally spent is $119 for a Pfluegar Trion, but for christmas I got a T-curve Tournament so thats about $220-240 I think:S

Both are very good rods (obviously:silly:)

[basskid]

Everyone,

I am not saying that high priced gear is the only option .... i am saying custom is a better option .. rhink about it .. a beatuful custom hasting with eva or cork grips with nice trims and all fiji components will set you back as much as a GL2 .. i know what i would go for ... custom all the way .....its persdonal preferance guysif you can afford a custom you should try it out .... you should not be stuck in a little corner thinking "megabassmegabassmegabass" no names mentioned and also kevin what satisfaction do you get out of using hardsbodys with 20lb for bream?

[basskid]

kevinchen19870316 wrote:

loomis's now loomis-shimano and the quality of the looms rods has dropped dramatically when shimano takes over loomis.

i can't see any tournament anglers using ugly sticks basskid. lol

wtf are u on about ..... :dry: and when it happends it happensd it hast happened yet so who cares

[ellicat]

Remember to respect other peoples rights to their opinion and no personal attacks.

Some members are getting a bit out of this thread, so let's not destroy it with bickering.

Don't forget the pm system.

[shortie]

basskid wrote:

Everyone,

I am not saying that high priced gear is the only option .... i am saying custom is a better option .. rhink about it .. a beatuful custom hasting with eva or cork grips with nice trims and all fiji components will set you back as much as a GL2 .. i know what i would go for ... custom all the way .....its persdonal preferance guysif you can afford a custom you should try it out .... you should not be stuck in a little corner thinking "megabassmegabassmegabass" no names mentioned and also kevin what satisfaction do you get out of using hardsbodys with 20lb for bream?

Ye but why would anyone use a gl2. There are way better rods out there a whole lot cheaper. At this end of the market your paying for the name.If ya get a custom rod at least have feel of the blank first. Sometimes this can be a problem as the blank is ordered in specially for you. Cause your idea and the makers idea of what you need will be different.

I would prefer an off the shelf as then you know exactly what you are getting for your money. With a custom if you order it your usually stuck with it after its finished weather it feels ok to you or not. Trusting somebody elses judgment on what they think you will like just doesnt always work.

My next major rod purchase. Mega Bass F2-64XS Multi-player

If someone can make me a rod with similar components on the same blank a lot cheaper then i would consider it.

[kevinchen19870316]

i am not saying custom rods r no good, i am saying that most custom builders r not qualified enough to build a rod as good as any megabass rods even given the same components! as far as i know, most rod builders r still playing with budget blanks and components but that's not custom build rod's for! i will probably let some US guys custom build a rod for me but that's not for saving bucks, but for the availability and personal requirements.

for ages, i have seen ppl holding wrong ideas when custom building rods and then go back to production rods for their gun rods. for those who ONLY OWN CUSTOM RODS, i don't think they really know what they r doing. without a depth understanding of JDM high end rods, i doubt rod builders can build anything near as good as a bottom of the line megabass or evergreen.

shortie, if ur looking for MB rods now, let me know i can import them cheap for ya.