Whats the best 10.5 foot mooching rod?

searun said:
I have both Techniums and Rapala North Coast Classic Moocher. Both are excellent, with it's predecesogood action. Like the handles on the Classic Moocher better. Busted 2 Techniciums and 1 Classic Moocher over the years, so no rod is bullet proof - no matter how good it is.
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X2 on that one Searun.

There is a nice alternative though. I'll get to this later.

I have broken Gloomis in a guide environment....2 of them and I can't say that Gloomis has any advantage over anything else...and I was mooching with an 8 oz and a cut plug!!! Since then, I have never gone back to Gloomis and having invested thousands in rods over the years, that is telling.

Used to have a really nice set of Sages which I sold when I got out of full time guiding....love those rods! You get what you pay for.

The third generation Shimano convergences are total crap now, but offer over the counter warranty and that tells you something....cheapo.....cheapo... The first generatin Convergences had a couple of structural faults on some rods....more a manufacturing issue than anything else....the 2nd generation had sme similar issues....and the 3rd generation is nowhere near its predecessors.

The alternative I would recommend which no one has said yet is the Trophy Titan (blue in colour) and they can be had on special for $189.99....love the seats, the cork, and the action....identical to the Sage!!!! 10'6" in 3 or 4 power!!!
 
Ive Been running the Trophy Titan (Blue 3106) for 2 seasons in the guiding enviroment and they have been excellent ,the corks have withstood the scotty cork eating rod holders and the reel seats with the double locking system works great,ive used every rod at some point in 25 yrs and these rods are by far at this point your best bang for your buck,IMO
 
Fighting a big Spring on a Sage is better than anything else I think. Used Shimano Convergences and find they break pretty easy.
 
I have custom sage and have started using the g loomis 1265 bc it's a good rod. I have used convergence and used them well them nothing ever broke or snapped. I snapped my custom sage twice.I love the sage though and the g loomis I will buy more loomis's just cause there cheaper. I sold all my convergences .
 
Trophy XL cant be beat for the price. The Shimanos next. I would NEVER buy a Sage/Lamiglas/Loomis for the boat. Far too many opportunities to get turned into matchsticks.
 
Cuba Libre said:
Trophy XL cant be beat for the price. The Shimanos next. I would NEVER buy a Sage/Lamiglas/Loomis for the boat. Far too many opportunities to get turned into matchsticks.
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Now that IS funny...and true. Can't beat what you can get right off the shelf for $150 or less, and when they break it doesn't hurt quite as bad as it would with a Sage...which I have in stock but now never bring out except for special occasions. With the quality of the Classic Moocher and Techs its really hard to tell the difference between them and a comparable Sage for action so why spend the extra cash.
 
Very true. Cannot beat sage warrenty but all mine are customs and that's a ***** lol as they only send you the blank. If they stock sages its not a problem. I think g loomis changed there warranty aswell.
 
Can I ask which sage blank you recommend?Anytime I get to fish the chuck is special occasion so a quality rod would just add to the experience.
fh327
 
Are you mooching or using it for a downrigger rod Pescador?
If mooching, I'm with Balls Deep, old fibreglass Hardy 1010, or a 10 footer.
Don't know of a similar rod that has a tip sensitive enough - even down to a 1 1/2 to a 2 ounce weight.
Occasionally come available (thought I saw one somewhere in the buy/sell section last week or so.

If for a downrigger rod, I'll defer to everybody elses opinion.
 
pescador said:
Just picked up two new MR2's I want to match them with a couple of new rods. Looking for what you guys think is the best mooching rod out there. I've been using Trophy XL's the last 6 years. I'm happy with them, but, the quality doesn't match Islander. Kinda like putting a Kirkland battery in your new 450SL. What do you think is the best rod out there for downrigger fishing on the West Coast?
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Really depends on how much you fish and how much you want to spend. All the above mentioned rods are great and will work wonderfully with your Islanders. Check warranties for all models, love my sage but hate waiting weeks for it to be fixed. My convergances if they break I can take them to the store and get them replaced immediately rather than sending them to Shimano myself.

Also hurts a little more watching a guest break a Sage than Shimano. If you go with the convergance or Technium make sure to get the medium action, much more fun on a 20lber than the med heavy.
 
Heard good things about the Lamiglas x1064 as well, 10ft 6 with moderate action and heavy power... anyone else hear anything about them?
 
Very informative first post medherring. Welcome to the site. Please continue to contribute as that is how this forum grows.;) eman
 
medherring said:
Really depends on how much you fish and how much you want to spend. All the above mentioned rods are great and will work wonderfully with your Islanders. Check warranties for all models, love my sage but hate waiting weeks for it to be fixed. My convergances if they break I can take them to the store and get them replaced immediately rather than sending them to Shimano myself.

Also hurts a little more watching a guest break a Sage than Shimano. If you go with the convergance or Technium make sure to get the medium action, much more fun on a 20lber than the med heavy.
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I disagree...medium heavy at a minimum....a 20 pounder will own your a$$ with a medium and it'll be just that much longer to play the fish out while a rock dog decides it'll move in on it to slurp it down like a sardine...or Harvey the Happy Harbour Seal decides he'll take it off your line. Mediums do not have enough backbone to take it off the release clip when it is buried in the clip...and reeling in just a flasher is even painfully slow. In the Shimano line Techniums or Convergences.., the difference between the medium heavy and heavy is rather subtle thing....especially when paired with reels that have a large cork drag system like an Islander, Trophy, Etc...

A medium heavy is the most popular...and the heavy adds extra power especially when you're pulling in the larges.... ;)
 
fishin_magician said:
I disagree...medium heavy at a minimum....a 20 pounder will own your a$$ with a medium and it'll be just that much longer to play the fish out while a rock dog decides it'll move in on it to slurp it down like a sardine
A medium heavy is the most popular...and the heavy adds extra power especially when you're pulling in the larges.... ;)
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yup ^^^^
made that mistake with my medium HMX. I have troubles when tight to the boat trying to net with long leaders.
 
fishin_magician said:
I disagree...medium heavy at a minimum....a 20 pounder will own your a$$ with a medium and it'll be just that much longer to play the fish out while a rock dog decides it'll move in on it to slurp it down like a sardine...or Harvey the Happy Harbour Seal decides he'll take it off your line. Mediums do not have enough backbone to take it off the release clip when it is buried in the clip...and reeling in just a flasher is even painfully slow. In the Shimano line Techniums or Convergences.., the difference between the medium heavy and heavy is rather subtle thing....especially when paired with reels that have a large cork drag system like an Islander, Trophy, Etc...

A medium heavy is the most popular...and the heavy adds extra power especially when you're pulling in the larges.... ;)
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I would rather use a winch than a big meat stick, and if I get sealed, so be it. ;-) I do however understand that you certainly don't want to over play any fish in case you are releasing or it comes unbuttoned.

If you are guiding and have newbies on board and they want meat in the box, you as a guide should use whatever setup will accomplish that goal.

For me, I get out a half dozen times a year and I like medium action, sometimes a 10 weight fly rod too!
 
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