Who is the MOST over rated ?

[KP Duty]

Steez Compile X for sure. Dead in my hands. St. Croix Mojo and Rage. Hated the way they fished.

That steez came to mind instantly when I read the thread. Apparently by the reviews on tackle warehouse, people still pay the money for this model.

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

Steez Compile X for sure. Dead in my hands. St. Croix Mojo and Rage. Hated the way they fished.

Agreed. I wanted to love that rod so much but couldn't. The Steez AGS rods are a HUGE improvement in my hands. I don't want to brand bash, but there have been some good points made on this thread already. I've been fishing some Croix Legend X, Elite, Extreme, and Tournament rods and have been very happy with them, but haven't fished the Mojo or Rage series, so can't say much there...

How is the 8ft AGS (MH or H) compared to the 8ft Compile X flipping rod?

This is for anyone, not just Gary.
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On topic, I felt the Conquest was "blah" in a sense. It was definitely a high end rod. Not up there with rods like the NRX, Archangel and definitely not the K2. I feel the K2 has been the best Ive felt so far.

[Obz]

In my opinion the 7'1H compile-x is catching too much heat. Its one of the most versital rods I've ever fished; powerful, light, well balanced and has an awesome taper. If you could somehow impregnate nrx sensitivity into the compile x it would be the the best bass rod ever made. Daiwa steez racing design 7011 hrb jigga stick!? I guess I have to try

[timinmo]

Of the current rods the E6X, in my hands, is no better than the current list of $100 rods. In the $100 list the SLX feels much better than the Exage or the BassX, to me. The top end St. Croix I like but not a fan of the lower end. Liked the Shimano Crucial not the Clarus. So I guess for me it is not necessarily brands but lines within brands. Some of the Falcons I like but certainly not all.

[jpmoney]

Dobyns for me. Bought a whole bunch in 2014 and sold them all off within a year. Poor quality, guide inserts popping out, bad cork, and sensitivity lacking. I fished the savvy, champions and champion extreme in various spinning and casting. I think if you are someone who fishes HARD in tournaments, steps on his rods daily and throws them around on the boat then they are the right rod for you as they have a good warranty.

[DirtyD64]

What price point are we talking? I wouldn't expect $100 range rods fished hard to look so great after a while. Ironically, the Abu Veritas (originals that broke so bad) looked brand new when I sold it and began chasing higher end tackle. I have really enjoyed my St. Croix Avid X, other than the risen micro guides, they seem to choke casting and don't pass leader knots at all on the tip.

Glad to hear this about Dobyns rods though, I have been wanting to upgrade my arsenal for a while and they were a brand I considered, especially for getting a first bigger swimbait rod (Fury series). I have felt and used the E6X some and it sort of gave me a null impression of Loomis, never really had time with a higher end one.

This throws me off because Dobyns and St. Croix were the 2 brands I looked at for replacing 7'Medium, fast tipped rods for general purpose like TX rigging and small swimbaits.

[Johnny A]

Steez Compile X for sure. Dead in my hands. St. Croix Mojo and Rage. Hated the way they fished.

That steez came to mind instantly when I read the thread. Apparently by the reviews on tackle warehouse, people still pay the money for this model.

What will this be? #5 for the Steez 7'1" disappointment? I watched a bass pick up a jig off the bottom and I didn't feel a thing. Someone accused me of having "dead hands". I have been and can be correctly accused of many detrimental things, one of which cannot be, dead hands.

[ShimanoFan]

I wouldn't expect $100 range rods fished hard to look so great after a while.

I have rods that are 30 years old, cost less than $100, and fished hard for decades and still look almost new. And I have 30 plus year old lightning rods that look better after 30 years than a Dobyns fury does after 3 years.

Says a lot about lack of quality these days.

[Cracker]

I recall receiving a Rage 68MH rod as a promotional rod at one point. (It was a deal, buy two Extremes and get one Rage)
And it was a decent rod for the retail price ($149), caught a lot of fish on it.
Sensitivity was good. In general I like higher end St. Croix sticks for sensitivity, don't see any difference compare to NRX line.

[Hobie-Wan Kenobi]

Of the current rods the E6X, in my hands, is no better than the current list of $100 rods. In the $100 list the SLX feels much better than the Exage or the BassX, to me. The top end St. Croix I like but not a fan of the lower end. Liked the Shimano Crucial not the Clarus. So I guess for me it is not necessarily brands but lines within brands. Some of the Falcons I like but certainly not all.

Good point. I think companies have products that build their reputation (quality, price and such) and they also have money makers, relying on their reputation to produce sales for lower end products (i.e. Daiwa RG and their other "OEM" reels). They make more money off of selling lower end products to the masses than selling the creme de la creme to the enthusiasts crowd that fuels the reputation for the quality the company is known for.

Joe Schmo sees Ish Monroe using Daiwa and boasting about Daiwa. Joe walks into Walmart and gets a Daiwa Arid combo. Joe is blown away and justifies Ish Monroe's claims. Joe tells a few of his buddies about the Daiwa experience he had. The buddies go out and do the same and so forth.

I used to work for an outdoor retailer and I saw similar to above everyday, usually without the pro influence. Trying to convince someone a Gen 1 13 Fishing Omen on clearance is a better rod at the same price than an Ugly Stix for jigging walleye is tougher than you think. He was convinced I was getting a commission from 13 Fishing because I was so adamant. Also told be the Ugly Stix is more sensitive. He does know better because he been fishing longer than I have been alive. It was probably one of the most frustrating conversations Ive had.

[ShimanoFan]

Trying to convince someone a Gen 1 13 Fishing Omen on clearance is a better rod at the same price than an Ugly Stix for jigging walleye is tougher than you think.

Interesting.

The Ugly Sticks earned their reputation as unbreakable. You know, bend the tip all the way down to touch the handle kind of thing and will not break.

Try that with an OMEN!

I have been in the buying and selling of used fishing equipment for more than 30 years. And I have yet to find not one single OMEN in the used market that did NOT have a broken off tip! In all my years I have only found broken used OMEN rods. Repaired OMEN rods.

I always wanted to try one, but I won't buy broken rods, even if only one inch off the tip is missing. Don't want it.

So that broken tip issue has kept me away OMEN and I was curious if your OMEN rods were whole or have you broken off any tips?

[Finnz922]

Trying to convince someone a Gen 1 13 Fishing Omen on clearance is a better rod at the same price than an Ugly Stix for jigging walleye is tougher than you think.

Interesting.

The Ugly Sticks earned their reputation as unbreakable. You know, bend the tip all the way down to touch the handle kind of thing and will not break.

Try that with an OMEN!

I have been in the buying and selling of used fishing equipment for more than 30 years. And I have yet to find not one single OMEN in the used market that did NOT have a broken off tip! In all my years I have only found broken used OMEN rods. Repaired OMEN rods.

I always wanted to try one, but I won't buy broken rods, even if only one inch off the tip is missing. Don't want it.

So that broken tip issue has kept me away OMEN and I was curious if your OMEN rods were whole or have you broken off any tips?

My father in law has at least 6 Omens and none of them have ever broke. Both Green and Black. He also has 2 Envy's and no breaks anywhere. Maybe he's just lucky.

[DirtyD64]

I wouldn't expect $100 range rods fished hard to look so great after a while.

I have rods that are 30 years old, cost less than $100, and fished hard for decades and still look almost new. And I have 30 plus year old lightning rods that look better after 30 years than a Dobyns fury does after 3 years.

Says a lot about lack of quality these days.

Another Gary Dobyns issue I simply can not get around is the fact Gary is skipping out on American labor to make his rods. All he cares about is profit, and not about the country he lives in, or our quality of life here. The only labor he wants in USA are salesmen.

This is why I respect Gary Loomis so much is because he never sold out to China and won't make his rods in China.

As a member of AFL-CIO union I support American labor, not people who claim to be American while building a for profit business off the backs of hard working Americans in China, but won't support hard working Americans needing work and jobs INSIDE this country.

I view what Gary Dobyns does as treasonous in some ways. Same for Falcon who is doing the same thing. This sort of thing does not earn Gary Dobyns any respect here. Quite the opposite actually along with a fair dose of anger.

When American companies turn their backs on American labor I TURN MY BACK TO THOSE COMPANIES and boycott them. Dobyns is boycotted. Chinese made Falcon rods- boycotted.

That is why I went on to explain I TOO had experienced cheaper rods that lasted fine, even the evil Chinese manufactured made ones. Isn't G Loomis owned by Shimano? I am glad either way if Loomis leaves jobs in America, just sad that so many lazy Americans don't want jobs and would rather leech off of welfare. Trust me, you aren't alone. I went to Tackle Warehouse to read some reviews on the Champion XP series (again I considered a Dobyns for a bit) and sure enough, the reviews concerning guides breaking and quality control are showing more and more. Cheap labor outsourcing can really tank a company.

[Good351]

I used to work for an outdoor retailer and I saw similar to above everyday, usually without the pro influence. Trying to convince someone a Gen 1 13 Fishing Omen on clearance is a better rod at the same price than an Ugly Stix for jigging walleye is tougher than you think. He was convinced I was getting a commission from 13 Fishing because I was so adamant. Also told be the Ugly Stix is more sensitive. He does know better because he been fishing longer than I have been alive. It was probably one of the most frustrating conversations Ive had.

Been there done that.. I've done part time retail for archery and now fishing at 2 different stores. These customers you just shake your head and agree with them, let them move on with their purchase. Customers that come in with an open mind asking questions are my favorite, you can have a conversation with them and put something in their hands that meets their needs and price point.

As for the original post.. In my limited experience with a few rods from a few manufacturers.. I've found certain rods within a line to be great, while others were not to my liking.

Shimano Cumara (original version) Love my CUC-711XMH, CUS-68M, CUS-72M. Hated the CUC-74H.
St Croix LTB: I pro-delt 3 rods at once.. Jig & Worm, big cranker, Carolina Rig. Only the Big Cranker remains, the other 2 felt dead in my hands. But I did have a Drop Shot Casting built that is absolutely wonderful!
St Croix Legend Extreme: the handle kills this rod for me.
Dobyns DX701C & DX702C: I was underwelmed with their sensitivity.. They looked great! But performance was lacking..Sold.

[smalljaw]

I agree with Dobyns rods being overhyped. The Saavy looked fine but had a major sensitivity issue for the price point. My biggest issue with Dobyns rods are they are making them overseas yet charging American made prices, now if they knock $80 to $100 off the champion and champion extreme then the price would fall in line with performance.