First off, Timberman, Loomis did sell out majority interest in his company. I work with his son in law and he's pretty much into a working retirement from what I've been told. I was hinting at my coworker to set me up with some rods and he said for most part it isn't his company anymore. He's hired out to do promotional appearances, but that's about it. I do agree they're good rods, I own a couple. But, I find nothing wrong with Lamiglas's Pro Graphites. I've landed some big Kings on "Steelhead" rods and handled them tremendously well. It's not the rod that makes the fisherman, it's the fisherman (or woman) themselves that do. It's just you have a little more of an edge with a loomis, but not alot if you truly know what you're doing. I use my Kunnans (which I hear gripe after gripe about) and my Lami's and catch as much if not more fish then alot out there (and I have the pictures on wall to prove it). I keep my loomis's to say I have them, but don't dwell on using them exclusively. Oh well, it's a "chevy vs ford" thing anyways. And before anyone says a word about "if you used a loomis more you'd catch more fish" the best fisherman I knew never used anything except his custom made fenwick glass rod. It was about a nine foot old cream colored blank tied up as a baitcaster. It was big, cumbersome, but boy could he hit fish and limit no problem. I remember right before he died a couple years ago he was outfishing everyone on the bank of the chehalis (most of these guys were using high end loomis's and lami's). I cried when he died and when they gave his rod to his son (who basically threw it in his truck and did god knows what to it). So, give me experience over the rod anyways (YES, I know this veared from the subject, but just putting my .02 in)

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you haven't lived til you've rowed a cataraft. Friends don't let friends run Outcasts.

[This message has been edited by Steelheader69 (edited 07-09-2000).]