Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

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Chode
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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by Chode » Thu Nov 23, 2017 11:31 am

bronzefly wrote:
KP Duty wrote:Did loomis come through for us on balance with the 904? I've wanted a 904 mbr glx for a long time, and I'll shell out for a conquest if the balance is there.
It's good, not "perfect" or "neutral" but it's what I'd call good. I've been fishing the Conquest 903 and 904, on deck with the 893 and 894 NRX a little bit, more time on the water to come. So far so good, and I have been a MBR action fan for a very long time. I'm looking forward to the 905 as well...
would love to hear your feedback as well. thx

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by antoniolopez944 » Thu Nov 23, 2017 9:44 pm

I want to start off by saying the conquest is bueatiful. The craftsmanship was perfect as far as I could tell the rod had no blemishes. I was surprised that the conquest did not come with a rod sleeve like my nrxs, being that the conquest is suppose to be the new flagship rod. Besides the rod sleeve, I really can't complain. I bought the 842 MBR, this rod is light almost disappears in your hand. If you liked the reel seat on the nrx you are gonna love this one. The fore grip is slightly less pronounced and in my opinion slightly more comfortable. The spiral x design looks sweet in the sun. I paired the 842 MBR with a shimano core( yumeya finnese spool, 8lb sniper fluro, and a 1/4oz finesse jig ) and fished for approximately an hour. I own 2 nrxs a 843c and a 853c. I have read mixed opinions regarding sensitivity. In my opinion the conquest is more sensitive, its hard to describe the exact sensation. The bottom on the lake I was fishing felt more crisp. This is where I was taken by surprise the tip on the 842 conquest is soft, its really soft. The conquest also is a little less powerful than I thought it would be. The 842 will probably serve well as a mag finesse rod 1/4 to 3/8 oz. I would say the upper limit would be a 3/8 jig and trailer but that would be pushing it. Although it was less powerful than I thought it would be. Once the soft tip hits the back bone the rod loads really well. The rod blank feels better built and stronger than the nrx.
For people considering this rod over the NRX the main differences I found are
:conquest wins in sensitivity slightly
:build quality conquest wins
: Tip of the rod- NRX has a stiffer tip that leads into a hard back bone- conquest soft tip leads into a perfect backbone(I can't describe it but the backbones of these rods are special) the tip of the rod is personal preference but I feel like the tip is going to be a deal breaker for a lot of people
I will be fishing the conquest with my nrxs to see if I find anything new tomorrow.

Hopefully I could help a couple people looking at this model or rod series in general. Having been an owner of NRXs since there debut, I was easily convinced to get the conquest lol good fishing guy's

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by BRONZEBACK32 » Fri Nov 24, 2017 9:10 pm

My 842 GLX MBR is the same as you explain with the tip...

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by BasserJim » Sun Nov 26, 2017 12:06 pm

antoniolopez944 wrote:I want to start off by saying the conquest is bueatiful. The craftsmanship was perfect as far as I could tell the rod had no blemishes. I was surprised that the conquest did not come with a rod sleeve like my nrxs, being that the conquest is suppose to be the new flagship rod. Besides the rod sleeve, I really can't complain.
Mine was rife with what I would consider to be blemishes in the thread and finish work, but pretty much all production rods are, so......

It’s just sad that they couldn’t spend an extra 5 minutes on their flagship model.
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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by bronzefly » Sun Nov 26, 2017 7:01 pm

BasserJim wrote:
antoniolopez944 wrote:I want to start off by saying the conquest is bueatiful. The craftsmanship was perfect as far as I could tell the rod had no blemishes. I was surprised that the conquest did not come with a rod sleeve like my nrxs, being that the conquest is suppose to be the new flagship rod. Besides the rod sleeve, I really can't complain.
Mine was rife with what I would consider to be blemishes in the thread and finish work, but pretty much all production rods are, so......

It’s just sad that they couldn’t spend an extra 5 minutes on their flagship model.
I've gotten to lay eyes and hands on quite a few of the new Conquest rods. The same goes for NRX, and a lot of other high end rods in general over the years. I've also been fortunate to tour the Loomis factory and have had numerous conversations with folks about the thread wrap issue in particular. What they consider within specifications or "in spec" isn't what I'd expect in an ultra high end rod either. However, the actual blanks and overall performance of the NRX for example, and so far, at least for me, the Conquest rods are world class. Believe it or not, a majority don't look at every single thread wrap on a rod like some of the Tackle Tour enthusiasts, even ultra high end stuff. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely agree that more attention detail could be paid with regard to thread wraps on high end Loomis rods. I haven't seen a Conquest rod that I'd consider "rife with blemishes" but we all have different expectations of course.
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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by Bubbleboy » Sun Nov 26, 2017 7:41 pm

antoniolopez944 wrote:I want to start off by saying the conquest is bueatiful. The craftsmanship was perfect as far as I could tell the rod had no blemishes. I was surprised that the conquest did not come with a rod sleeve like my nrxs, being that the conquest is suppose to be the new flagship rod. Besides the rod sleeve, I really can't complain. I bought the 842 MBR, this rod is light almost disappears in your hand. If you liked the reel seat on the nrx you are gonna love this one. The fore grip is slightly less pronounced and in my opinion slightly more comfortable. The spiral x design looks sweet in the sun. I paired the 842 MBR with a shimano core( yumeya finnese spool, 8lb sniper fluro, and a 1/4oz finesse jig ) and fished for approximately an hour. I own 2 nrxs a 843c and a 853c. I have read mixed opinions regarding sensitivity. In my opinion the conquest is more sensitive, its hard to describe the exact sensation. The bottom on the lake I was fishing felt more crisp. This is where I was taken by surprise the tip on the 842 conquest is soft, its really soft. The conquest also is a little less powerful than I thought it would be. The 842 will probably serve well as a mag finesse rod 1/4 to 3/8 oz. I would say the upper limit would be a 3/8 jig and trailer but that would be pushing it. Although it was less powerful than I thought it would be. Once the soft tip hits the back bone the rod loads really well. The rod blank feels better built and stronger than the nrx.
For people considering this rod over the NRX the main differences I found are
:conquest wins in sensitivity slightly
:build quality conquest wins
: Tip of the rod- NRX has a stiffer tip that leads into a hard back bone- conquest soft tip leads into a perfect backbone(I can't describe it but the backbones of these rods are special) the tip of the rod is personal preference but I feel like the tip is going to be a deal breaker for a lot of people
I will be fishing the conquest with my nrxs to see if I find anything new tomorrow.

Hopefully I could help a couple people looking at this model or rod series in general. Having been an owner of NRXs since there debut, I was easily convinced to get the conquest lol good fishing guy's
It almost sounds as if the Conquest 843 could be described as an NRX 842.5. I love my NRX 843 MBR, but I have sometimes felt the tip is too stiff when throwing some Texas rig craws, and yet when I do so with my NRX 842 MBR it feels like there isn’t quite enough backbone. This new Conquest 843 could be EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for.
Toronto, Ont.

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by fffishing » Tue Nov 28, 2017 6:41 pm

It almost sounds as if the Conquest 843 could be described as an NRX 842.5. I love my NRX 843 MBR, but I have sometimes felt the tip is too stiff when throwing some Texas rig craws, and yet when I do so with my NRX 842 MBR it feels like there isn’t quite enough backbone. This new Conquest 843 could be EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for.

Same thinking about! If you got it before me,I'll be glad to test it :mrgreen: (if you invite me...I'll come with some beer :D )

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by Rodster14 » Wed Nov 29, 2017 3:08 am

I know there are quite a few NRX users (like me) who are enticed by the thought of a rod that is better than the NRX. I bought the Conquest 843c for primarily fishing jigs and worms. The fast action tip is much softer and takes some getting used to coming from the extra fast tips on the NRX. The rod is certainly more versatile than my NRX was, but I wonder how good it will be as a jig and worm rod. Any thoughts? I wonder if I should step up to the 844c so the tip would be a little stiffer.

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by Scuba Scott » Wed Nov 29, 2017 5:34 pm

The 844 would be a better option for you for jig fishing. I own the conquest 844 and have a little time on it. So far I am very happy with it. The rod has typical 844 power but may be a little slower getting to it. The first 1/3 of the rod is a little more moderate to me than the new Glx 844 but once you get to the backbone they are the same. Compared to the extra fast NRX, they will be quite a bit different. As far as sensitivity, they feel very crisp and as some early reports suggested, are on par with NRX but not necessarily more sensitive. I have a metanium mgl XG mounted on mine and have used it only for bottom contact stuff so far. I really like the rod, it is a little different but in a good way. I have plans to purchase the 843 closer to spring. My guess is at some point we will see conquest jwr rods with a faster action.

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by Rodster14 » Sun Dec 03, 2017 9:23 am

Steve,

I sounds like your on the water experience is good so far. Do you have any of the Conquest spinning rods?

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by DChiWildcats » Fri Dec 08, 2017 5:38 pm

Just received my Conquest MBR 903 and took it to my local reservoir today for a test run. Here's my first impressions.

Sensitivity: On par with the NRX. Plain and simple. I have a lot of time with my NRX 893 which has a similar rating to the Conquest 903 but a different taper and the sensitivity to me is identical. Won't say it's more sensitive but I will say it's as sensitive. I dragged a 1/2 oz hula grub on a football head around and loved the 903. I could feel every rock, grass clump, and distinguish hard bottom from soft just like I can when I fish the same bait on my 893. I think what makes the 893 feel like it has a slight edge in sensitivity is that it clearly has a faster taper. This in turn translates minor vibrations in a slightly crisper fashion but the difference in sensitivity is so minute that it's completely negligible. Sensitivity comes down to personal opinion and feel and this fisherman's personal opinion after hundreds of hours put on the 893 and a first time on the water trial with the 903 is they are so close it's a wash. I'm sure some guys will think one is more sensitive than the other but neither answer would be wrong.

Casting: Here is where the 903 did distinguish itself from the 893 in my mind. It is already kinda tough to be really accurate casting to close targets with 7'6" rods but the Conquest loads better with lighter baits which did make it easier to hit my spot right on the money. The Extra Fast 893 is great when I was under hand pitching but when I side armed a chatterbait to cover, the 903 was the clear winner in the accuracy category.

Taper: I am a huge fan of the classic MBR actions. I for one was not a huge fan when G. Loomis came out with Extra Fast JWR actions and always felt the Fast JWR weren't the same as the classic Fast MBR which pissed me off a little because I wanted a 7'6" Medium Heavy and Heavy rod that I could fish a jig if needed but also slow roll a spinnerbait or paddle tail. These are all things I did with the NRX 894 just fine but now I truly feel my Conquest 903 / 904 / 905 will fill all those rolls over my 893 / 894 / 895. Versatility is important to me because I love having a true "set" of identical rods. OCD I know but it's how I am. The 903 is a true Fast action 7'6" Medium Heavy bass rod. It has the power you would expect from a true medium heavy and the taper of a classic Fast. It has a great tip on it but keep in mind, I am not a fan of Extra Fast rods, and never have been. 852 being a different story :lol: .

Hook Setting: I caught one around 2 lbs. on the 903 dragging the hula grub and have caught hundreds in the past on my 893 with the same 1/2 oz. bait. The slightly slower tip on the 903 loaded up great, and then went right into backbone mid way into the blank where you would expect. I was using a lighter wire hook which stuck the fish like butter and left no doubt I got a solid hook into it.

Application: This is where I'm really exciting for my 903 and the 904/905 I have on order. The 903 is what I will be using for a Texas rigged senko unweighted or with a 1/8 bullet weight, dragging light wire jigs in open water, slow rolling a 3.8 - 4.8 keitech with a 1/4 - 1/2 open head or underspin, slow rolling 3/8 - 1/2 spinnerbaits, even ripping a lipless in thicker grass. I can tell these are going to be very very versatile rods because their combination of sensitivity and truly fast taper are going to be fantastic for both bottom contact as well moving baits. I never liked my 893 for moving baits which was kind of a bummer but I absolutely LOVE the 903 for reaction. Any reaction bait you need a longer Medium Heavy rod for, the 903 will do with flying colors. Chatterbait??? Felt awesome to me!

Lastly, it did feel like it balanced a little better than my 893 with a Metanium MGL on it. They are both so incredibly light that the difference was again a wash at least to me but I didn't put them on a scale to test the weight differences or start pulling taping quarters to the back of either. Just, to me, the 903 felt like it had a SLIGHT balance advantage. Oh, did I mention no more recoil guides??? Huge plus to the Conquest in my eyes, as well as a full handle. Bottom line, my favorite rods the last few seasons have been the NRX 852,893,873, and 894. I like the Conquest better and cannot wait for my 904 / 905 to come in. Now I wish my GLX 842, 843, and 844 were Conquests. This is going to be a problem! Tight lines fellas!

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by Chode » Fri Dec 08, 2017 7:41 pm

^^ GREAT review. thx =D>

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by Hobie-Wan Kenobi » Sat Dec 09, 2017 8:25 am

After consulting on the forum and with Gary from The Tackle Trap, I ordered the Conquest MBR 843c from The Tackle Trap. I placed the order on a Saturday night and it was at my door step the following Wednesday. The rod was packaged neat and secure without having tons of packaging or stuffing. The process of ordering rods from there is next to none. I usually will look to the used market or go the custom route for my rods but, buying new, I usually will order from Gary.
DChiWildcats, I will steal your format for comparison’s sake. I cannot speak on sensitivity or hooksetting much, seeing how I haven’t taken it on the water yet. I currently have the NRX 852c and it will be what I will be comparing the Conquest 843c to the most.

Sensitivity:
Doing the typical tapping on the floor and dragging a jig on the carpet indoor stuff, I feel like the 843c has the “it” factor. I know people say its cousin, the NRX 853c, was an ugly duckling n the NRX lineup but, the Conquest 843c is no joke.

Appearance:
The Conquest looks sweet, hands down. The Spiral X wrapping looks sweet and puts a modern, edgy look on an otherwise contemporary looking rod. The thread wrapping is more of an aqua green/blue color than the robust blue the NRX line had. A big issue for the NRX line was the sloppy wrap jobs on the guides. Seeing how I ordered mine the The Tackle Trap, I could not hand select the rod. The wrapping is much better on the Conquest line. My NRX 852c wrapping looks to not be tight in some spots and is overall, sloppy for a $525 rod, or even a $200 rod. The cork has some filler but not a huge amount. I am not a huge fan of cork so, my opinion probably shouldn’t matter much. Guides are straight as well.

Feel:
Balance is what I noticed taking the rod out of the tube. Is it because of the full cork handle or, is it because the blank is reported to be about 10% lighter? I don’t know but whatever it is, it worked. The balance was even more apparent when I mounted a reel onto the Conquest. I put a Steez SV TW on the rod and the combo was complete. The combo balance right at the reel nut and even then, the butt still wanted to dip down a little but. The reel seat ti a lot like the NRX reel seat. There are 2 differences that I noticed right away with the Conquest: 1. The trigger is longer. 2. The reel seat is a little more contoured as well. Other than that, the reel seats are pretty similar.

Taper:
I won’t hit on taper much seeing how DChiWildcats already did and, I agree with what DChiWildcats said. I have a video showing the taper of the rod and other review points (Link below).

Application:

I will be using the Conquest 843c for 1/8oz to 1/2oz Texas Rigs. My rod this past season was a custom K2 714 and I felt the rod didn’t have the guts to handle the job. Don’t get me wrong, the rod was super sensitive and came in at 2.6oz. A dream to fish with but, I did not want to have it end up as a casualty in a battle with a big bass. The Conquest 843c has a reassuring backbone that can stand up to the rigors of pitching and horsing fish from docks (keep in mind I live in Northern Michigan, I'd suggest stepping up a power or 2 down south).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBN3o4tdz2c
Another video will be coming soon once the temperature gets about freezing. I will be finding the rods casting upper and lower weight range and “try” to speak on sensitivity.
IG @hobie_wan_kenobi_fishing

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by Tigerbass » Sat Dec 09, 2017 8:32 am

Thank you for the detailed review. I've always wanted a 7'-6" Loomis "MBR GLX" type of rod. Sounds like the Conquest line is that and more!!!

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Re: Shimano Loomis Conquest rods

Post by PBP » Sat Dec 09, 2017 5:41 pm

Thank you for the review and video!

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