Hmm... He talked you OUT of that rod , huh?

Well, at any rate, I'm glad he did, because it's sitting right next to me..

My buddy is convinced that I cannot effectively fish spoons and drift gear on the same rod. I will be tossing drift gear more often than spoons but I want to gain more confidence in spoons as well so there will be pretty dedicated spoon fishing days in my future. I just don't have it in the cards to have a dedicated rod for each method I'm into, nor do I want to carry a bunch of rods with me everywhere I go. I use my SRT1163S for drift fishing and float and jig fishing and i've started tossing spoons with it as well. I'll be getting the STR1265S that will be my designated float rod and will double as my heavier rod for kings, and I want the casting setup for drift gear/spoons. It's just a real pain to be float fishing and then decide you want to switch over to drift gear and have to re-rig and then maybe you'll switch back to float and jig a while later and have to re-rig again.

Thanks,

Drew

First off, don't buy a Lamiglas XMG for a spoon rod, that's just dumb. And don't buy a blank-by the time you properly build it you could have bought a decent rod off the rack at the store.

You need a rod that is longer, something along the lines of 9'6 to 10'6 with a line rating of at least 12 lbs up to 15 or 17. The tip must be sensitive enough so you can feel the thump of the spoon when it swing correctly and is working the water. The longer rod is so you can mend the line to get you spoon working sooner that later in the swing. The rod MUST have good backbone--DONT'T BUY A MEDIUM ACTION ROD FOR SPOON FISHING! you need it to be a fast action rod for quick hooksets and moving the fish if need be. Any $60 and up baitcaster will do nicely at first as you are throwing at least 2/5 to 3/4 oz in weight. They will all do this nicely. Longer rods are great for spoon fishing as they cast further and mend better. Now if you are fishing some creeks, by all means hook up an 8'6. You want the heavier line rating and fast action with a stiff but so you can do battle with any native bastard that comes your way. Its true, BIG steelhead hit spoons. I battled a Steelhead that weighed at least 23lbs on the Cowlitz this past December that I hooked with a spoon. He took me to the woodshed and spooled me. Some of these fish do not play games. I fish spoons 90% of the time and have for 20+ years since I was a little pup on Chambers Creek.

+1 on the XST1264 bad@ss drift/spoon rod!

i prefer bottom fishing blanks.

what is team RVRFSTR?

Really? I am looking into getting another . These are excellent rods and that 10 footer will fish spoons just fine.

you don't need their so claimed super sensitive,XMG ultra light graphite for a spoon rod. The certified pro graphite is just fine. You want a rod for spoon fishing that will blow the XMG aways..Get a St croix Avid 10'6 12lb casting..its smokes the lamiglas any day anywhere. or take a look at the G loomis STR1084C GL2--super sick spoon, spinner and drift rod.

Lamiglas is a good rod, but the people behind the company are shady and don't give two shits about their customers confidence. I have found so many Lmaiglas rods that should never been shipped for sale. They have BAD quality control and don't really care. Believe it, I have spoken with John Posey himself concerning the issue. I would be really hard pressed to buy another of their rods ever again. St croix and G loomis are really the only way to go. Fetha Styx has a bunk warranty on their Homewater rods, they are only covered for 3 years, and thats after you pay them an additional $75!!! for it.

Really? St Croix has a crappy warranty program and their rods feel dead in my hands,and ever since G-Loomis got bought out by Shimano tehir quality control and warranty suck ass. So I guess it's just a matter of personal preferance,experience and opinion? Either that or this dude has no idea what he's talking about. Bet I outfish him any day of the week. Buy Lami,screw the rest.

I have personally dealt with Lamiglas and St Croix on behalf of their warranties on rods. St croix had a no questions asked, send the rod back and we will put another in the mail for you. I paid them $20 for a Avid replacement that i broke in the hatch of a suburban. Lamiglas jerked me off and wanted $70. The Avid series St Croix rods are the best rods on the market you can buy for that price tag. Fish one, try a 10lb spinning or casting...they smoke just about anything out there except an IMX or a Steelhead series loomis. I have owned them all. I do have two lamiglas rods I like, but they are just not as good as the Avids. personal choice is what it comes down to. I still love my Im7 buzz ramsey 12lb casting rod.

you most likely would out fish me for the same reason I detest sports. I don't compete against other people. That's for wankers right?

There's a reason there's 9-12 rods in the back of my drifter everytime I launch. And there's a reason all but the two plug rods are Lami's!

Just sayin-

9.5' St. Croix Avid, 8-17lb. Mount a green Curado on it.

Gotta agree on a few points. St Croix does have an excellent warranty and service after the sale. The new Loomis STR series is sweet. And yes...people who make fishing a competitive sport are wankers. Lastly, "wanker" is an awesome word that I have not heard in awhile and I need to use more.

Hardware Rod

I'm not sold on the need to feel the thump all the way to handle. However, I do have a custom spinning rod built on a 9' 8wt Fenwick HMG that sports a classic action that does this. I'm not a spinning guy so I rarely use it.
My thrill is watching someone else hang a fish on it.

In choosing a dedicated hardware rod, I would give up a little fish fighting power for good launching capability.
I use hardware that weighs in at around 1/2 oz and I want a rod that will achieve peak loading with this weight.
I like to fish big water and I will give up some fish fighting power for casting range.
With a stiff, fast or extra fast rod you (likely) won't get that premium loading on wind up and you will have to use more arm when longer casts are needed.
Not all rods listed as "fast" will be "stiff", especially In the longer lengths. Try before you buy.

On smaller water where casting range is not important, less than ideal sticks will suffice for hardware.
When you're really hammerin' it on big water (step casting and slam-dunking on feather flickers), you need efficient gear. A rod that doesn't load properly will simply start wearing out joints (on you!).

One of the best hardware guys that I know uses a Fenwick (USA) FS83 to this day. It's Fenglas which was probably the best application of fiberglas in a fishing rod. Shortly after its introduction it was overshadowed by HMG and its associated hoopla.
It's got a unique blend of reserve power and launching capability.

Terry's one of those guys that reefs on a friggin' snag sometimes and I cringe, wondering if it's gonna take it. It always does....they were tough.
I built three of those in 1988 and I should have kept one, dammit.

Presently using a 9'-6" Certified Pro for hardware.

+1

Should be mandatory for a question like this....... and/or a search of the archives.....this very topic has been talked about "lot's".

Are you a "meat fisherman"????? or a "fun fishermen"....the older I get the more fun it is for me to "use ligher and lighter gear". I can also afford just about any rod or reel I want.....bottom line, many of the less expensive rods "fish so close in feeling" to a $350.00+ rod, that if blindfolded, most fishermen really couldn't tell the difference. Just my opinion, no scientific study to back this up.

Lot's of fishermen, boats, in my area......people should be fishing......my days are comming.

I gotta 6'6" lami lingcod rod that would work out for just fine for ya, all set up with a penn 321 on it.Killer drift/spoon rod on smaller river's/creek's.Let me know if ya want it.Oh,it's got 50-60# braid on it.Good luck,
SZ

Just offering my two cents here. I recently decided to add a new baitcasting combo, and ended up going with the 10 foot, 8-15 fish eagle II, on sale for $40. Even at the regular price of $80, the feel of the rod will surprise you. Not blow you away, but surprise you.

The medium feels just right swinging a 2/5 ounce spoon. The rod loads nicely on the cast, too.

And I picked up a Curado at an online sale price of $155.

If you decide $200 is your limit, I am not sure you could do much better than that combo.

And at only $40 for the rod, why not? At worst, it is a decent rod. If you can't find a use for it down the road (guest rod? back-up?), you can probably throw it on here and get your $40 back in a couple days).

I remember a GL fab guy telling me back in the day....
"Hey, we're running some rods for Cabelas....Fish Eagle II"

That was a long time ago, and who knows where they come from now.
Cabelas is very, very secretive about their private label stuff.