Fishing with Rod Discussion Forum
Fishing in British Columbia => General Discussion => Topic started by: Nitroholic on December 14, 2010, 02:45:14 PM
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Looking to buy either a loomis 1263 gl3 or have a custom rainshadow XST1263F built by stryker. I know the loomis rod is pretty popular but does anyone have any experience with that particular rainshadow? Rod will be matched up with a curado 201.
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Nitroholic, I have that Loomis bought in January. Please look for my email to your gmail.
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I've got a Loomis 1263 gl3 almost new gathering dust here shoot me an email if you're interested.
hardnosethehighway@gmail.com
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I think it all depends on you ... i have a loomis and i didnt like the feel of the cork or the plain look on it so i just got the butt cap replaced and the cork sanded down to full wells. I like to for bigger systems.. have no problems with it.
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Bought the Gl3 in September. I'm hoping to try her out on Boxing day..
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GL3 all the way!! also think about the warranty... if u break a loomis, u get a whole new rod. break the rainshadow and u'll just get a blank... it'll cost extra to have the rod built again. also remember that the new Loomis Xpeditor service is hella good.
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the loomis service is ok its not the greatest and its not free its a $75 (i believe) fee ... i broke two rods in the past and took awhile to get one back
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I picked up a Fenwyck 10' 6" {trigger} for $80 at Berry's and it works just fine. Just as good as some of the top brands IMO. Does the job quite well too.
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I picked up a Fenwyck 10' 6" {trigger} for $80 at Berry's and it works just fine. Just as good as some of the top brands IMO. Does the job quite well too.
I'm on board with Bently. High-end fly rods cast better and are more sensitive, I can understand getting an expensive bottom bouncing (the short leader, American river style) rod for the sensitivity, but float fishing in reality requires little sensitivity or a precise action and a cheap blank will do just as well IMO. Most river fishing is done with a float, and the takes are all visual. For float gear, spend money on the reel and buy a cheap rod, sort of the opposite of fly fishing for anything under 5lbs where the reel doesn't matter but the rod is pretty important.
If it were me, I'd save the money to put towards something else and buy a Fenwick HMX, Shimano Convergence, Berkley Canadian Special, or TrophyXL.
I've fished with higher end drift rods belonging to friends, never felt the advantage.
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I'm on board with Bently. High-end fly rods cast better and are more sensitive, I can understand getting an expensive bottom bouncing (the short leader, American river style) rod for the sensitivity, but float fishing in reality requires little sensitivity or a precise action and a cheap blank will do just as well IMO. Most river fishing is done with a float, and the takes are all visual. For float gear, spend money on the reel and buy a cheap rod, sort of the opposite of fly fishing for anything under 5lbs where the reel doesn't matter but the rod is pretty important.
If it were me, I'd save the money to put towards something else and buy a Fenwick HMX, Shimano Convergence, Berkley Canadian Special, or TrophyXL.
Agreed.I fish a Shimano Convergence and a Fenwick HMX,best bang for the buck! Dont need no fancy high priced drift rod to catch fish. ;)
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I sent my broken 1263 GL3 back to Loomis through Nikka, 9 weeks ago and I'm still waiting.
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I sent my broken 1263 GL3 back to Loomis through Nikka, 9 weeks ago and I'm still waiting.
I got my back in 4 weeks but it was 2 years ago. I will go with Loomis instead of buying Shimano. It is like drive Ford or BMW. You can get from A to B using Ford but it doesn't mean you will get the same enjoyment.
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Probably not telling you anything new but....
First off, buy a decent rod which will start off at around 100 dollars. Stay away from the big store combos where you can get the rod and reel for 100 dollars. All of the rods mentioned so far, like the Shimano Convergence, Fenwick HMX, Trophy XL are all decent rods. I've got a Trohpy myself and it's fine. I recall that Shimano is now offering a "lifetime limited" warranty. In other words, if you don't abuse the rod, it should last you a lifetime.
Now - a bit of a higher end rod will be around 250 - 300 dollars. These will be your G Loomis and Lamiglas rods (for example). I have a Looms GL2 STR 1264 and its a fine rod. I think it retails for around 275 - 300 dollars. You'll get a warranty with it, which some guys have mentioned already. These rods will be nicer to cast and hold all day long.
I recently picked up a Sage 2106 and it rocks! Has my catch increaed? No. I can catch just as many fish with the Trophy. However, the Sage is much more enjoyable to use all day long. It's finished beautifully, and it's very sensitive. Plus, it's a factory rod so if it breaks, it gets replaced without me having get it rebuilt. I think the Loomis GL3 rods will be simliar in performance and quality. I haven't tried a Rainshadow, but you already know the risk of getting a custom rod (if it breaks).
I guess I'm recommending to go with what works best for you. I don't think you can go wrong either way. If you're looking for a higher end rod, the benefits will be there - maybe not in catch rates but in pure enjoyment. :)
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i have heard that the temple fork rods are similar to sage rods, any truth to this?
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--Lefty Kreh... former sage designer helped develop the lefty kreh signature series for temple fork but that doesn't make them a sage..
--some of the temple fork models are very good value and have been a good company to deal with.
--Lefty Kreh is one of the better fly casters of all time so I think he could cast a broom stick and make me look bad with a top of the line rod.
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i have many different types of drift rods and i enjoy my fenwick hmx and a berkley series one for the lighter applications needed.
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10'6"Convergance was my first rod, it was good till I bought a Fenwick HMX which imo feels much nicer, untill it broke while fighting a fish. Had it replaced right away last year then the new replacement rod broke aswell, right in the middle of fighting a fish, both rods incapacitated by Fraser River Sockeye..A testament to the Sockeye and not the rods..lol..As far as the analogy used between car manufacturers goes, what you drive usually dictates what species will want to catch a ride with you.heh.
:-*
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Well I run a 12-20lb technium with my Luna 253 right now. Looking for something to make those early cap hoes a little more fun as well as the upcoming pink run. I bet I could cast a spoon a mile with that gl3 and a curado 201.
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I sent my broken 1263 GL3 back to Loomis through Nikka, 9 weeks ago and I'm still waiting.
are you Dean? if you are, the mail guy took the wrong package. they lost it and still trying to find it, so Loomis hasn't received anything yet - haven't sent anything back either... there's another guy waiting to get his rod too cuz his was in the same package. sorry for the delay. Would be pretty quick if they didn't lose anything...
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Well I run a 12-20lb technium with my Luna 253 right now. Looking for something to make those early cap hoes a little more fun as well as the upcoming pink run. I bet I could cast a spoon a mile with that gl3 and a curado 201.
I just bought a gl3 and slapped my calcuta 200 on there and can cast over any part of the river if I had too, and that's with 15lb maxima..12lb would probably be a better line to fish but I already had the 15.
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Well I run a 12-20lb technium with my Luna 253 right now. Looking for something to make those early cap hoes a little more fun as well as the upcoming pink run. I bet I could cast a spoon a mile with that gl3 and a curado 201.
I picked up a Lamiglas certified pro x106MLC line 6-12lbs to match my curado 201e7. It really is awesome, and I'd suggest it as well. It is light and balanced enough where I often one hand cast it. Fred's had the rod on special earlier this month and might still have it. Seriously check it out.
I have handled chum and steelhead with this rod so far, and it is great!
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I picked up a Lamiglas certified pro x106MLC line 6-12lbs to match my curado 201e7. It really is awesome, and I'd suggest it as well. It is light and balanced enough where I often one hand cast it. Fred's had the rod on special earlier this month and might still have it. Seriously check it out.
I have handled chum and steelhead with this rod so far, and it is great!
Lamis all good except for the warranty.. hopefully nothing goes wrong but if you do break it, oh man... their warranty is a pain. to me a bit more money is worth the peace of mind
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Picked up a medium Shimano Convergence on sale at A & N for $75.00, great rod, light, super sensitive, lifetime warranty, and here's a secret...just like high end waders...the fish don't know the difference ::)
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Lamis all good except for the warranty.. hopefully nothing goes wrong but if you do break it, oh man... their warranty is a pain. to me a bit more money is worth the peace of mind
I thought there warranty on newer rods are similar to Gloomis. You pay $80 and they replace it no questions asked.
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, both rods incapacitated by Fraser River Sockeye..A testament to the Sockeye and not the rods..
Are you sure it wasn't the operator ? Seems my convergience can handle red springs in the Fraser no problem . But I have had a rod break due to operator error before , never just a fish .
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I thought there warranty on newer rods are similar to Gloomis. You pay $80 and they replace it no questions asked.
--I used to own a shop and warranty was hit and miss with every brand.... mainly time to get replacement not refusal to get replacement... even the best known and most expensive rods sometimes end up missing the entire season.. yet other times get them as fast as the mail can travel.
--All have been good and most have stories of exceptional service as well as horror stories. I recall when temple fork started out they allowed dealers to replace on the spot rods for $25.. dealers were given replacement rods with their next order and didn't have to send in proof of breakage.. their rod reps would drop by on a regular basis to check them out.. Guess what..some dealers would just sell the replacement rods rather than keep some available and soon customer complaints with no fault to the company which started requiring proof and payment for breakage before sending a replacement.. again dealer was sill supposed to supply you with a rod from available stock but most just blamed the company.
--Enough of this rant its Christmas so believe most warranty claims will be legit and serviced. Remember the fine print..receipt, limited or unlimited all breakage and fill in and send your warranty card when you buy the rod.
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Well I run a 12-20lb technium with my Luna 253 right now. Looking for something to make those early cap hoes a little more fun as well as the upcoming pink run. I bet I could cast a spoon a mile with that gl3 and a curado 201.
If you are looking for something for early Cap coho and pink, also look into Lamiglas X10MC.
I use one with a Luna 253 and I could hold this rod for all day with no discomfort what so ever.
If matched with a lighter Curado, it will be even better.
Besides floating, you can also cast spoons and spinners quite well with this rod as it is a Bill Herzhog design.
However, it lacks back bone to turn any large fish in stronger currents.
So hooking a spring or chum in any kind of current is not fun, as I well found out this past season.
But for light coho and pink action, it is a really fun rod.
However, because it is a Bill Herzhog edition, it is not as stiff or crisp as G Loomis or other float rods rated for the same 8-12 lbs range.
If you are looking for something that could also handle an occasional spring, rods in the 8-17 lbs class is a good compromise.
I use a Trophy XL 9'6" 10-17lb spinning rod or Sage 10'6" 8-17 lbs casting rod as kind of jack of all trades rod.
Very versatile and could handle most situations except strong currents.
For stronger currents, I usually use a 10'6" 10-20 lbs rated casting rod which has more back bone to turn fish in the faster currents, especially targeting springs.
However, this rod is not fun for any salmon less than 6 lbs and I tend to loose more of them if they are jumpers, as I get little help from rod action to keep them hooked.
I have found 8-17 lbs range rods to be more forgiving in keeping jumping salmon/steelhead hooked on.