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Cranking at a Higher Level, the New G.Loomis GLX
Over the last few years G.Loomis has continued to refine and reinvent a
number of their rod lines, and it was just a matter of time until the GLX Series was also due to receive an update. Two decades
after the original GLX rods were introduced G.Loomis took to the task of
reinventing one of the most popular series of rods the bass world has ever seen. |
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From Coast to Coast with the 13 Fishing Omen
OBC73M
At ICAST 2012 in
Orlando there was a newcomer to the scene named 13 Fishing. While en route
to various appointments and meetings at the show, I really caught nothing more
than a brief glimpse of their booth and honestly wasn't even keen to exactly
what they were exhibiting... |
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Ready
for Battle, a First Look on the Water with Phenix's M1 Series
Phenix adds the new M1 rods to their arsenal and offers
them at a surprisingly aggressive price point. These rods retail for under 200
dollars yet make use of Nanotube technology and SiC guides. We take a trip to
Clear Lake with Phenix Prostaffer Vince Borges to see firsthand what these new
rods are all about. |
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Creature Fever : Phenix Gets into Heavy Recon
With the Recon PHX-C715H specifically, I was looking for an affordable, heavy powered stick that I could use during our Creature Fever themed year. Fresh off our introductory session on the water with Vince Borges, Phenix Pro-Staff last fall, the PHX-C715H was just a natural selection but once I had it in hand, it didn't quite feel as stout as I imagined given the
ratings |
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Just in Time for the Holidays, Kistler's New KLX
Costs in the US are just too high these days
to have a finished product built domestically and priced at under $200. There
are exceptions, but that brings us to our second point, components for these sub $200 are usually low level or sourced from off brands because something along the lines of Fuji's Alconite line of components are just too expensive... |
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Denali's Stealthy Noirwood N823FJ Finesse Jig
Earlier this year, in a “Search
for One” spirited review, we took a look at new kid on the rack Denali’s
Jadewood 843WJ, a stick in their entry level series. Naturally, there’s more to
this manufacturer than this one line, and today, we turn our attention to the
other end of the spectrum for a look at their top end Noirwood series. |
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The Search For One: Eclectic Versatility in the 2 Hole.
The G.Loomis NRX 852C
It took a little time, but I was finally able
to pick out a specimen that was acceptable. I chose the NRX 852C JWR because it
was closest in feel to the classic MBR842C GLX that I adore only the 852C JWR
has a slightly faster blank... |
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Savvy Duo:
Dobyns SS733C and SSM733C Micro Guide Rods
The
latest addition to the Savvy lineup includes spinning and casting rods featuring
micro guides. In this review we compare two 733C rods, one with micro
guides and one without, to see the strengths and weaknesses of each.
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Creature Fever : ZBone in the AmaZon
It's been a solid couple of
years since our last in depth look at a Kistler Custom Rods product. Our last
rod review from this manufacturer? The then brand new, ZBone custom order stick
built upon a Kistler specified blank rolled by Gary Loomis's new venture, North
Fork Composites. |
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Creature Fever
: Avid About St. Croix
St. Croix's line of Avid
rods may not be first sticks that come to mind when considering one-piece rod
options for travel, but these mid-range sticks are built to strike a very nice
accord between performance and affordability. |
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Zombies from the Amazon to Alabama
It has been nearly two
years since we originally reviewed the Zombie 7’3” X-Heavy pitching rod and
since that initial review we have spent much more time with the entire series,
including bringing the rods to the Amazon. We take another look at this rod
series in a long term update that explores just how well the sticks have held up... |
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From Rigs to Jigs with the
G. Loomis NRX 873C CRR
The relatively new NRX
series of rods from G. Loomis has been a hot topic of conversation amongst Bass
anglers since their release. While there has been both positive and
negative discussions, the general consensus is that these are some of the most
sensitive rods money can buy. |
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What The Finesse?!? : Feeling Lucky... Craft?
What the Finesse are we talking
about? We're referring to JDM-styled fishing rods, with high end components for a price point that does not break the bank. Introducing our look at a third stick from Lucky Craft's rod lineup, the LCS 701MXF.
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A Touch of Class: The Denali
Jadewood 843WJ
With all models of Denali rods
sporting different types of wood fore grips, they certainly have a unique and
classy look of their own. Their entry level Jadewood series offers both
spinning and casting models from 6'6” up to a 7'6” flipping stick. I was
excited to be able to fish a rod that was entirely new to me and see how it
performed! |
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Fueling the Mainstream, Powell's
Upcoming Diesel Rods
Powell Rods is preparing to introduce a brand new rod series called
"Diesel" in the next few weeks. This new rod series is designed for mainstream
bass anglers and features a new blank material and overall design. |
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Goin' Long With the Lamiglas
Excel XL7116C
The Excel line of Bass rods
breaks away from the conservative appearance, with a selection of bass rods
featuring split grip handles and an attractive metallic copper rod blank. Some
anglers will also be happy with the fact these are made entirely in the USA!
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G.Loomis NRX rods go “Green”
G.Loomis is in
the process of rolling out new additions to their NRX lineup and the first thing
that anglers will notice is that they feature a green finish that gives the line
a completely different look and feel. To better understand exactly what these
new NRX rods are we went straight to the source and reached out to Justin Poe,
Brand Manager for G.Loomis. |
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What the Finesse
: Daiwa's Mega-Where?
At first clutch,
the Steez casting Megatop stick feels like any other rod in the Steez lineup but
snap your wrist with the rod in your hand and it's obvious something else is
going on here. |
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What the Finesse:
Talk about Endurance, Powell’s new Spinning Rod
To celebrate 100 years in the rod building business
Powell introduced their Endurance Series of rods at the end of last year. These
rods make use of Fuji components and stand out from the crowd with a striking
purple finish. In keeping with our “What the Finesse” theme we take a closer
look at one of the new spinning rods from the Endurance first. |
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What the Finesse :
This Legend Has "It"
...if you consider
the science of rod technology, and the research and development efforts that go
into making the blanks that form the basis of your fishing rods better and
longer lasting, it’s difficult to argue anyone makes a more advanced fishing rod
blank than St. Croix. |
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Do You Believe in Micro-Magic? WTF!! : Duckett Fishing's Medium Powered Spinning Rod
The DFMM70MS has the distinction of being the first spinning rod to land at TTHQ with micro-guides. We have ample experience with these guides on casting rods now and for the most part, really like what they have to offer. But to date, we’ve yet to fish a spinning rod with these guides and were very curious as to how it would all work out. |
