What is your impression on Steez rods?? by pobigred

[Micropterus salmoides]

This thread was originally posted by pobigred on Thu Feb 17, 2011.

By pobigred:

I see a lot of posts about Megabass, Evergreen and some of the other enthusiasts rods I have never heard of, and then lots of posts on Dobyns, St. Croix, Loomis, etc.

But I have seen very few posts on the Steez rods. Other than price, are there issues? Do you love them, do you hate them. Which ones are your favorites?
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By Jason Penn:

I've got the 7' MH SVF and the 7'1" H Comp-X and love them! I use them for jigs & plastics and they're the only rods I own that I can't figure out how to upgrade. They're light, sensitive, and very comfortable. I just have a thing for Daiwa's rods, I love their reel seats.

This has nothing to do with the rods themselves, but my personal best was 7lbs 2oz caught on the 7' MH last summer. Yesterday I caught a fish that I truly feel would go 8+ lbs on the Comp-X and 1/2 oz blk/blue jig, but the batteries were dead in my scale! Like I say that has nothing to do with the rods, but it's very nice catchin your largest fish on the rods that were the largest purchase.
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By ryan391:

My impression is that the Compile X rod is freakin' awesome. I own two of them in the 7'1" length. I read on TT that they are less sensitive than other rods. I have not really found that to be the case. I have owned Dobyns DX rods, Loomis BCR rods, Falcon, St. Croix, and Powell; all in comparable length and action. The Dobyns and Loomis rods are very comparable to each other and really blow the Powell, Falcon, St.Croix away. It is really a coin toss to me which one is better of these two.

The Steez rod has a whole different action. I have not felt that I could not detect the bottom or a bite with the rods. I fish mainly in Missouri and most of our lakes are rock bottom. I use Tungsten and fluorocarbon almost exclusively. I am sure that has a lot to do with the feel I get. But these are bottom bouncing sticks for me. I usually have a jig on one and a soft plastic on the other. When I first got the rod I had gotten rid of a Loomis BCR 893. That is an awesome rod, but the action is so fast that it makes it hard to cast, especially in the wind on the lighter side its spectrum. When I switched to the Steez I noticed that it was a slower action, which made it easier to cast for me. What really made the difference is when I hooked up with a fish the rod took on a whole other action. It is hard to explain it had a lot of flex and give like a much slower action rod but when I needed the power to set the hook or horse a fish away from some structure it was there. In Cal's review he addresses this as a characteristic of many Megabass/Highend JDM rods. I have never owned any Megabass rods so I cannot comment on that. But the fish stay buttoned.

It was hard to really tell how big the fish at the other end was when I first got the rod. all the fish felt like monsters it was hard to discern a big fish from the little fish. The more I fished with them the more I could decipher what was being transmitted. If I am fishing for fun I will always have a Steez rod with me. I also fish tournaments as a non-boater, which limits me to how much I can bring with me. I usually limit myself to five combos. The Steez rods sometimes have to pull double duty. I recently used one to fish a skinny dipper with great success. I have not tried it with spinner baits but I am sure it would work as well. I would consider the 6'7" or the 7' next.

One last thought is that the price of these rods is outrageous. I paid no where near retail. I bought mine on ebay, used. On one of them the reel locking foam came loose. I sent it to Daiwa and they sent me a new rod, with tags. No questions, no receipt. In my travels I have only seen one other person even own a Steez rod. If you can find a good deal on a rod, I think it is worth it.

I hope this helps.
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By big_gee:

I would have to echo what the other guys have said. As far as people saying they are not as sensitive. I would have to disagree. I feel more with these rods then I ever did with G-Loomis rods I used to own.

IMHO the frog rod is the best frog rod I have ever used. I liked it so much I bought another. I have also used it for some picthin and punchin. The thing is just awesome.
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By artiea:

I have six steez rods and love the 7'1" for jigs, the 7'11' flippin stic is great for beavers and soft plastics but for whatever reason I do not like it for jigs, I recently purchased the frog rod and think I will like it. I have never had any issues with sensitivity with the steez, and I was was totally a glx man prior to using these. I let a co angler use one of the 7'1" with flouro for jig fishing and he was constantly setting the hook on air because of the improved sensitivity, said it was the greatest thing he ever had in his hands.
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By Jason Penn:

The Steez rod has a whole different action. I have not felt that I could not detect the bottom or a bite with the rods. I fish mainly in Missouri and most of our lakes are rock bottom. I use Tungsten and fluorocarbon almost exclusively. I am sure that has a lot to do with the feel I get. But these are bottom bouncing sticks for me. I usually have a jig on one and a soft plastic on the other. When I first got the rod I had gotten rid of a Loomis BCR 893. That is an awesome rod, but the action is so fast that it makes it hard to cast, especially in the wind on the lighter side its spectrum. When I switched to the Steez I noticed that it was a slower action, which made it easier to cast for me. What really made the difference is when I hooked up with a fish the rod took on a whole other action. It is hard to explain it had a lot of flex and give like a much slower action rod but when I needed the power to set the hook or horse a fish away from some structure it was there. In Cal's review he addresses this as a characteristic of many Megabass/Highend JDM rods. I have never owned any Megabass rods so I cannot comment on that. But the fish stay buttoned.

I'm with you on this. I have a 7' MH Zillion that I use for pitchin also and I just don't care for it the way I do the Steez, although the Zillion is a very nice, light, sensitive rod. It is harder for me to cast as accurate and I don't feel as confident when I stick fish. The action is just faster than I prefer. If I'm gonna miss fish it's usually on the Zillion.
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By Micropterus Salmoides:

Love my 7'1" Compile-X. Lightweight, crisp sensitivity, beautiful. Matched with a Steez reel it's incredible to fish jigs and soft plastics with. I wish I had one more, but considering the deal I got on mine, and the price increase since, I'll have to be content with one. I would love to try the Steez frog rod, but it's out of my price range for a frog rod.
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By pobigred:

WOW! The early verdict appears to be very positive. I was lucky enough to pick up 4 steez rods this winter that are all immaculate showroom condition for far less than retail.

7' 1" Compile X H
7' 0" SVX MH
6' 8" SVX MH
6' 3" SVX MH
And I bought another 6' 3" SVX MH today. I was amazed on my post about favorite jerkbait rods to see this one come up multiple times.

As a result I got rid of multiple GLX and IMX rods - still hanging on to the IMX 843c's for awhile - absolutely the most versatile rod I've ever thrown. The real kicker - I have yet to fish with any of these - not very good ice rods. With your comments in mind I may add one or two more. Thank you so much. I feel much better about my leep of faith decision now.
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By mundo:

I've got the 7' MH SVF and the 7'1" H Comp-X and love them! I use them for jigs & plastics and they're the only rods I own that I can't figure out how to upgrade. They're light, sensitive, and very comfortable. I just have a thing for Daiwa's rods, I love their reel seats.

This has nothing to do with the rods themselves, but my personal best was 7lbs 2oz caught on the 7' MH last summer. Yesterday I caught a fish that I truly feel would go 8+ lbs on the Comp-X and 1/2 oz blk/blue jig, but the batteries were dead in my scale! Like I say that has nothing to do with the rods, but it's very nice catchin your largest fish on the rods that were the largest purchase.

Jayson,

I do also have a 7 1 compile X and absolutely love it, could you please elaborate on the differences between this rod and the 7 MH SVF? It is a rod I am very interested in and want to know if it is different enough from the Compile X as to justify having both.

Thanks,

Mundo
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By froteur:

I have seven Steez rods. Of these my favorite is the 8 footer (compile-X). Next is the 7'1" compile-x (have two of those). I find these rods as sensitive as the GLX rods that I have.

I just acquired a coupla Phenix rods. Haven't fished them much yet but, so far, like the feel a lot. They are of different action and power than my Steez's so it's going to be hard to do a direct comparison.

Perry
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By Jason Penn:

Jayson,

I do also have a 7 1 compile X and absolutely love it, could you please elaborate on the differences between this rod and the 7 MH SVF? It is a rod I am very interested in and want to know if it is different enough from the Compile X as to justify having both.

Thanks,

Mundo

To me they're not as different as I have read people on here make them. Seems like a lot of people don't feel the 7' MH is nearly as sensitive as the comp-X, but I haven't really noticed a difference. I'm using 15# fluorocarbon with both rods. They might be different if I used mono or copoly I would feel the difference.

I use the 7' MH for T-rigs and 5/16 & 3/8oz finesse jigs. 1/2oz+ jigs and big T-rigs & C-rig is the comp-X.
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By pobigred:

Jayson,

I do also have a 7 1 compile X and absolutely love it, could you please elaborate on the differences between this rod and the 7 MH SVF? It is a rod I am very interested in and want to know if it is different enough from the Compile X as to justify having both.

Thanks,

Mundo

As I said, I haven't even had a chance to fish with them yet, but I could clearly tell the difference in terms of one being H - the Compile X and the SVX being MH - which would change how you might use one rod over the other with regard to certain baits. But they are both light as heck and both seem to have great backbone. I cannot wait to use these rods. If you go to Tackle Warehouse and read the few comments on each rod they get outstanding reviews for each one. I would say a similar comparison might be to compare a GLX 7' 0" H with an IMX 7' 0" MH. The GLX is slightly lighter. I own both - don't notice the difference in sensitivity much, but the difference in overall versatility is clear. Despite buying these Steez, I kept 3 of the 843c's because it has been the most user friendly versatile rod in my arsenal. But if I want or need more power, I got up to the 844. I think the same will apply to these Steez Rods. And while 1" is not a lot, the additional length, along with the additional power rating on the Compile X should make a fairly significant difference when using heavier baits or fishing heavier cover. At least, that is why I bought both.
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By ~>V{e}N{o}M<~

I picked up the 6'8" compile x spinning rod from cabelas 2 yrs ago for $298. I could'nt pass up that deal and I am glad I did. I love this line of rods and I also agree they are as sensitive as my glx's. The balance of this rod is perfect. I think you will be very happy with them.
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By DavidSA:

Is the graphite or something different in the compile x???

I have the 6'3MH and really like it but not as a bottom bouncer. I don't believe it to be as sensitive as my GLX rods.

I've found the action of my steez to be hard to describe. It apprears to have some trampoline affect I don't feel in any other rod. By this I mean I can feel the rod flex back straight when fiighting a fish. Hard to desribe. I think this snapback affect makes it very good for topwaters and jerkbaits.

Maybe because of flex, maybe some other factor, but I can cast the 6'3 a mile. In fact, it has become my dedicated topwater rod in Fall because I can cast it far. In fact, I can throw it as far as any 7ft rod I have and because it is so light and balanced (truely has both qualities) it can be fished all do with little physical energy.

It took me a long time to figure out what the 6'3MH was good for and I'm glad I did not sell it before I found that combination. While down at Guntersville last spring, I found 1/4oz pop-R's over the grass was the ticket. With a 6'6M rod, I could not land 25% of the fish. Switched to the steez and problem was solved, gave up no distance on that light plug either. In fact, may have gained some distance.

I like the revo premier on that steez. Grips match the rod handle and the premier is a do anything reel. Good combo. If I drop down to more of a finesse reel the rig is lighter but I can't burn blades or throw buzzbaits.

[Jason Penn]

Glad you saved this info! I have thrown a spinnerbait with the 7' MH and it works pretty good. I like slower, MH-powered crank rods for spinnerbaits and had no problems using the Steez. I have been wanting a 7'2" MH FlexLite for this but I'm not sure it'll fit in my rod box.

I'm intrigued by the 6'3" MH. I have read posts about the action seeming to change from a fast to more flex like a mod-fast. I had kinda figured this would be a good topwater rod. I might try to pick one up this year and try it for topwater/buzzbaits & lipless cranks with braid.

[JDLaman]

I thought I posted in the original thread but maybe not. I own the 6'3" mh and really like it for it's versatility and unique qualities. Like others have said it seems to slow up nicely under load but feels quite fast while working a bait. Unlike others, I think the sensitivity is great and use mine for senkos and some of the Yamamoto creature baits. I have also used mine for walking baits, hollow bodied frogs, and jerkbaits. It also excels at throwing spinnerbaits. It uses top notch components, but I think the greatest feature is the reel seat. Oh so comfortable!

[Micropterus salmoides]

I thought I posted in the original thread but maybe not.

I used Google cache to retrieve the page by typing tackletour.net steez in Google Search.

Direct from Google:

"This is Google's cache of http://forums.tackletour.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=57714. It is a snapshot of the page as it appeared on Feb 20, 2011 09:03:04 GMT. The current page could have changed in the meantime."

So, if you posted after Feb 20, 2011 09:03:04 it wasn't included.

[Tigerbass]

I have the 7'-1" compile-x and the 6'7" SVF rods. Both are exceptional when it comes to ergonomics (extremely light, VERY comfortable reel seat, nice feel), components, and they look stunning.

I really like the 7'-1" compile-x rod. I mainly use if for dragging football jigs and hula grubs around 1/2oz on points and rocks (a primary pattern on my lake). I think the sensitivity is on par with my loomis glx rods. I get good hooksets and it plays the fish well.

I haven't used my 6'-7" svf as much, but I was a little underwhelmed with the sensitivity for bottom bouncing lures. It's not horrible, but not what I would expect from a rod of it's price range. I use a loomis bcr803 glx when I want to fish jigs and plastics with a rod in this length range, and in my mind there is no contest in terms of sensitivity between these two rods. However, I've found the 6'-7" steez to be a great spinnerbait rod for side-arm casting around cover. Very light and very accurate. The action feels fast and pretty powerful to me. I'm sure I'll find more uses for the rod as I continue to fish it.

As far as price, they are definitely a little high in my opinion. I paid full price for my compile-x but had a bunch of BPS gift cards that I needed to use, so I didn't come out of pocket very much. I bought the 6'7 used but in very good shape.

I am very interested in the 6'-3" svf rod for smaller spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, topwater poppers, and smaller jerkbaits like the pointer 78 and x-80 trick darter. I probably wouldn't pay full price for one, but if I could find one for a deal I would consider it.

[JDLaman]

I thought I posted in the original thread but maybe not.

I used Google cache to retrieve the page by typing tackletour.net steez in Google Search.

That makes sense. Thanks for clearing up the confusion on my part and retrieving some of the lost information.

[E73Bass]

I too am interested in the Steez 7-1"Compile-X and wanted to know its versatility.
As a co-angler for the time being--I am trying to limit myself to 5 rod and reel setups.
Know that I will always have my special 5" senko rod and shaky head rod and a MH crankbailt rod.
But wanna keep another rod that I can throew jig, soft plastics, buzzbait, spinnerbait, small 6" or less swimbaits/hollow belly's, horny toads. with and want to know if this will do the trick. Does this rod have a pretty soft tip? I know that if I am in grass mats I will need a heavy rod and will allow for that to be my 5th rod. IE, punchin or frog rod.
Also wondering if anyone knows where the best price is for this rod.
Will pair up with my steez 103sha---thought the red highlights would look cool with this rod.

[Micropterus salmoides]

E73Bass, check out the TT review of the Compile-X. It should answer some, if not all, of your questions regarding lures and weights. Don't be dissuaded by Cal's disappointment about the sensitivity. This rod has all the sensitivity you'll need. I believe Cal still used or uses them so you know the rod is good. http://www.tackletour.com/reviewdaiwacompx.html

Take particular note of the RoD Deflection Chart. The Compile-X is very similar in power to the MBR844C GLX, particularly when under a light load. As the load increases, ie a fish is on, the rod has slightly more power than the MBR844. Though it has a little more power it is not as fast in action as the MBR844. Considering that many people use the MBR844 for all of the lures you mentioned and more, I think the 7'1" Compile-X would work for you.

As far as where to find the best price I would definitely put up a WTB (Want To Buy) post in the For Sale/Wanted/Trade section. Other than that you might get lucky on ebay.

Good luck.

[froteur]

I too am interested in the Steez 7-1"Compile-X and wanted to know its versatility.
As a co-angler for the time being--I am trying to limit myself to 5 rod and reel setups.
Know that I will always have my special 5" senko rod and shaky head rod and a MH crankbailt rod.
But wanna keep another rod that I can throew jig, soft plastics, buzzbait, spinnerbait, small 6" or less swimbaits/hollow belly's, horny toads. with and want to know if this will do the trick. Does this rod have a pretty soft tip? I know that if I am in grass mats I will need a heavy rod and will allow for that to be my 5th rod. IE, punchin or frog rod.
Also wondering if anyone knows where the best price is for this rod.
Will pair up with my steez 103sha---thought the red highlights would look cool with this rod.

I've used my Compile-X for all of the baits that you mention and it worked well for all of them. In an "emergency" I've also used it to throw frogs and, one time, used it to punch --- not the best rod for punching but it worked for the short time I was doing it.

Perry

Oh yeah ..... I've used it to fish Senkos too.

[DrPerf]

I too am interested in the Steez 7-1"Compile-X and wanted to know its versatility.
As a co-angler for the time being--I am trying to limit myself to 5 rod and reel setups.
Know that I will always have my special 5" senko rod and shaky head rod and a MH crankbailt rod.
But wanna keep another rod that I can throew jig, soft plastics, buzzbait, spinnerbait, small 6" or less swimbaits/hollow belly's, horny toads. with and want to know if this will do the trick. Does this rod have a pretty soft tip? I know that if I am in grass mats I will need a heavy rod and will allow for that to be my 5th rod. IE, punchin or frog rod.
Also wondering if anyone knows where the best price is for this rod.
Will pair up with my steez 103sha---thought the red highlights would look cool with this rod.

The 7'1" Compile-X was my first baitcasting rod and at one point I had three of them. Currently, two are in use and the third was traded for the 8' Compile-X. There is always at least one with me for both club tournaments or 'fun fishing'. Generally used for the size swimbaits you list, jigs, weighted plastics, or horny toads. They generally paired with either a Steez 103HLA or 100HLA, depending upon the intended use.

The tip is soft enough that I have been able to cast a 1/4oz plug 70-80' with the appropriate reel/line combination (Pixzilla/8lb FC or 18lb braid). The rod should perform well for the techniques that you list.

Doc

[froteur]

DrPerf: Ahhhhhh...... the 8' Steez. That is my favorite rod!!!

Perry

[vuehouaxiong]

too expensive for a rod

[forgetaname]

I love Steez rods. I wish they would come out with more. If they made a compile x in a 7'6 I would probably replace every rod I have. They are super light and sensitive. Fantastic rods hard to beat.