Fenwick HMG 5'6UL

[Ace]

I don't know if any of you ever look at FFO but the have the 5'6 HMG ultralights for $50 bucks! Price is too good to pass up so I ordered two! Fenwick has always been a sentimental favorite of mine, first higher end rods I ever bought. I'll let you know how the perform once I get a chance to fish them. Link below if you are interested.

http://www.ffo-tackle.com/detail.cfm?PassProdId=5679

[Smead]

Has Fuji Alconite guides on it as well!

[Ace]

Ok got to fish a little this weekend and try them out. Fished them with Pflueger Medalist reels in size 25 and 4 pound test nanofil. First impressions, a little heavier, in weight, to some of the other rods I have. Could be because they are two piece blanks. Weight wasn't objectionable but noticeable. Blank is moderate to moderate fast. Casting was good with 1/16oz jigs. Caught about 10 crappies of varying size, sensitivity was good as the fish were biting light. Overall for the price it is a good buy and I saw on the hot deals sections that there are discount codes you can get even more off on them.

[Smead]

Do you know how heavy the rod is??

[Ace]

Not sure what the exact weight is, no way to measure it and they don't list the weights on the website. Not objectionable though.

[Doc UL]

I have several older HMGs and they are very light. Can't tell the difference between my one piece HMG 5' UL and my one piece 5' UL St Croix Avid (which is only 1.9 oz). However, I have the HMGs with the traditional cork handles whereas the newer ones have a composite, which looks like it might be heavier. Also, don't forget that Medalist reels are strong but not very light...are you referring to just the rod or the rod and real in combo? I use a President Micro 20 size or a Shimano CI4 1000 on my 5' ULs, which are light reels. I like the way they balance on the rods. The President Micro may be a bit small for your 5'6". Of course the larger and the two piece HMGs will be heavier. I do know they are strong rods so don't be bashful about catching big ones with them. For $50 they're an awesome rod, that's about 1/2 price or less.

[Ace]

I also have the 4'9 rod in the HMG series and HMX series and they are very light weight, comparable with St Croix and G Loomis in the 5ft length. The reason I put the medalist on these rods is that the lighter reels like the president in a size 20, stradic C4, kinetic PT 05 just did not balance well with the rods. That being said for $50 you would be hard pressed to find a better rod.

[Doc UL]

You're absolutely right. They are great rods to begin with and at that price you just can't go wrong. Enjoy them. I thought balance would be the reason you went with the Medalist. I note your mention of the HMX. The 5'6" two piece HMX UL is one of my favorite go to rods. It can cast ultralight spinnerbaits like crazy and with great accuracy too. I primarily fish for large and small mouth bass (some perch too) but I also get a kick out of catching the occasional northern pike on these UL beauties. It's such a blast bringing them up to the boat with an UL rig and it still amazes me how these UL rods can handle it.

If you're able to compare them, let me know how the HMG 5'6" compares to the HMX 5'6". I never had the chance to try the HMG UL in that length.

[Ace]

Sorry, I only have the HMX in the 4'9 length, not the 5'6.