# The IMPORTANCE of good Graphite



## GetSharkd (Feb 1, 2012)

G'day all

Just curious to know what others think regarding TOP quality graphite rods , as an essential tool to catching more fish.

I've had my G-Loomis GL-2 for a couple of months now and I'm sure I've caught more fish per session than ever before. I'd always baulked at spending the hard earned on a fairly expensive rod ( didn't want to break it accidentally ) , but I'm now convinced , *that top quality graphite is worth every cent !* Bite detection and feel is unreal, I used to love my shimano T-curve ( which is a good rod ) but this G-Loomis leaves it gathering dust in the man cave with the rest of the collection  . 
*EDIT : I should have mentioned 90% of my fishing is with lures/ plastics for my reasons above 

Would love to hear others experiences/thoughts on *TOP SHELF Graphite Rods *








_The set up_

Cheers and tight lines 
Brent


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

You're obviously after comments about top shelf rods only and I've never owned one nor used one. That probably explains the reason why I'm considering going back to a cheap and nasty glass rod after destroying a graphite one on the weekend.


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## GetSharkd (Feb 1, 2012)

Barrabundy said:


> You're obviously after comments about top shelf rods only and I've never owned one nor used one. That probably explains the reason why I'm considering going back to a cheap and nasty glass rod after destroying a graphite one on the weekend.


Ouch! That was always my fear


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## bildad (Jun 20, 2011)

Hey BB how'd you bust it?
I busted one of mine just giving the lure a couple of reefs to get it off a snag, now I am back to the trusty 27yr old Ugly Stik. I did like the stiffness of the Graphite rod though.


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## Nbh00d (Feb 12, 2012)

I broke 3 graphite rods in last year alone so now just using sub $50 rods. I would love to own a G-Loomis rods but the fear of breaking them steers me away from them. However, if I ever able to test one of these and compare them in real life then maybe I will change my mind.


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

I'm hearin' you Getsharked, but I personally would never buy an expensive graphite rod. I landed an 85 cm snapper on a graphite rod (didn't even know it was graphite at the time) - see viewtopic.php?f=17&t=54851&hilit=Qld%3A+Up%2C+down%2C+up+and+up+...+my+arms+are+sore.

A week later, demonstrating to Beekeeper in a carpark about how far the rod had bent when fighting the snapper, it exploded into 3 pieces (high sticked). No biggie and little fiscal damage...I went back to KMart and bought 2 more of the same (Jarvis Walker) for $ 15 each. How good is that? (apologies to Getsharked). It appears you just cannot get away with high-sticking them, whereas glass is much more forgiving.

trev


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## Jenko (Jan 31, 2010)

I found regardless of price, any graphite rod with cork grips has more "feel" when it comes to detecting bites than graphite rods with eva grips.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Mine was a $70 Tsunami 3 piece baitcaster rod (Christmas present). The line weight on the rod says 8kg and I was using 14kg. I know this almost double the rating of the rod but figured the reel has a max drag of 7kg so it should be not too bad a match.

I had the drag screwed up as tight as any reasonable person would tighten it without going close to stripping the thread but up near where you'd expect max drag to be. Fish drags me into timber and I try and pull it out like any other rod (I have another light graphite rod). There was no warning creaks like fibreglass, it just went snap and the top section broke in 2 places. I wasn't high-sticking it but possibly the combination of close to full drag and some friction between the line and the guides would have put it over the 8kg if the drag was a bit jerky?

Anyway, for feel they are unbeatable but, considering the previous rod was a $15 bargain bin special, I'm thinking I'll look for another cheap shitty rod as a replacement because I'd rather lose some feel than be worried about having to replace rods every 6 months.

Maybe the high end rods punch above their weight, I don't have any experience with them to know.


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## paffoh (Aug 24, 2006)

GL2 is nice, far from high end graphite though (Australian edition aside)...

You didnt tell me you highsticked in a carpark Trev, that is just silly and would have been great to watch.

:lol:


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## GlenelgKiller (Mar 13, 2012)

I picked up a Berkley Pro Tournament graphite last week as it was on special. It feels great and have already landed some good fish on it. Im still nervous when really getting stuck into the fish to get it away from a snag though. Is high sticking where you bring the rod back behind 90 degrees?


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## kayakone (Dec 7, 2010)

According to Nezevic yes. He explained what happened to my rod in the car park. Demonstrating, I was holding the rod near vertical and bending the tip down a long way. Of course with the pull of the snapper, this never happened as the rod was much flatter, with the last foot or so often in the water.

With glass (say Ugly Stiks) you can bend them almost double, so they're better for novices like me. They may not have the finesse, but I wouldn't know the difference. They still catch fish, cause the fish doesn't think about the rod, only the bait presentation.

trev


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## scater (Nov 24, 2007)

paffoh said:


> GL2 is nice, far from high end graphite though


Yup.


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## Berger (Aug 13, 2012)

Its nice to have a cheapy for when you're likely to go A over T. But since I mainly fly fish, high end graphite is the norm, because so much of the enjoyment is the feel in the casting. I was keen on Sage rods, then went mad with Loomis for quite a few years, and now prefer Winstons and bamboo. My go-to salt water fly rods tend to be a stash of old fav IMX and GLX Loomis, which are workhorses.

I've only ever broken two graphite rods. In both cases, by slipping and stepping on it while trekking into a remote river.


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## ArWeTherYet (Mar 25, 2007)

I love my GL2, had it for over 4 years. 
Every Chinese made rod I have ever bought is now broken, I think theres about 20 of them, took me awhile to wake up and stop wasting my money. Better to spend a little more and get something half decent. Same goes for reels.


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

GetSharkd said:


> G'day all
> I've had my G-Loomis GL-2 for a couple of months now and I'm sure I've caught more fish per session than ever before. I'd always baulked at spending the hard earned on a fairly expensive rod ( didn't want to break it accidentally ) , but I'm now convinced , *that top quality graphite is worth every cent !* Bite detection and feel is unreal, I used to love my shimano T-curve ( which is a good rod ) but this G-Loomis leaves it gathering dust in the man cave with the rest of the collection  .


Depending on what sort of T-Curve you have I wouldn't necessarily say one is better than the other, or better graphite. Just different. The T-Curve T Series has a fast/medium action which goes parabolic under a little strain, while the Gl2's have a faster action and are a little stronger through the butt section than the T-Curve. I'd say they're different rods for different applications. I run the T-Curves for hard body's and GL2 for plastics. Both nice rods, but both overpriced IMO.

Like was said above. Gl2's aren't really high end graphite, they're the entry level blends in Loomis stable. Don't get me wrong I love mine, I have 3 of them, but I wouldn't rate the graphite quality above my GL-IMX which was roughly the same price.


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## GetSharkd (Feb 1, 2012)

BrettoQLD said:


> Depending on what sort of T-Curve you have I wouldn't necessarily say one is better than the other, or better graphite. Just different.


 Definately agree with you there, absolutely nothing wrong with my T-Curve Ian miller Tournement 2-4kg , caught some great fish. It's purely feel I get through the G-Loomis that I'm extremely happy with whilst lure fishing.



Berger said:


> Its nice to have a cheapy for when you're likely to go A over T


 Always a worry with good gear in a Yak 



GlenelgKiller said:


> Is high sticking where you bring the rod back behind 90 degrees?


 My understanding is, lifting the rod tip pointing vertical 'ish' , placing too much load on the tip with the direction of pull causing a big OOPS! ;-) .



paffoh said:


> GL2 is nice, far from high end graphite though (Australian edition aside)...


Agreed, but I would be really interested to hear of any one who owns a quality rod just to hear thoughts if they are worth the investment. Is the diference noticable ,like comparing a Hyundai to a Posche for example. 


kayakone said:


> How good is that? (apologies to Getsharked).


Aceepted :lol:


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

Hi mate, i love my IMX loomis rods. They seem a bit more forgiving than lesser graphite rods. One of my 2kg spin rods must be close to 15 years old and has landed heaps of fish from stripey tuna to bream to big atlantic salmon. I don't high stick them or bash them against things and they are all still intact. I have tripped over on trout streams with it and hit it a few times but it is still going strong. I buy them from this ebay seller http://stores.ebay.com.au/Allegheny-Angler. They are very cheap with the good exchange rates and the postage is fair. They come in a length of plastic conduit so they arrive undamaged. I recently scored a GLX loomis blank for $50 from a rod builder which i need to build up. I was also lucky enough to get a SCIV St Croix for blank from the same price from him so i am looking forward to getting to use these two new toys. Some silly prick had ordered them to be built, paid a huge deposit and then never advised him what colours ect they wanted so after a year or so he got sick of them hanging around and sold them on another forum.


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

This will sound snobby, but until you have used rods built on proper high end blanks it's hard to understand the difference. I think that in some scenarios my high end rods help me catch more fish - some of the time they probably don't make a difference. But they are always a joy to use (light, sensitive, crisp) - honestly it is hard to go back to factory rods rolled on low-mid range blanks after you have been using a Miller/Duff/GLX etc. One example I can give where a high end rod might give an advantage over a lower end one, namely fishing plastics and detecting hits on the drop when fishing a slack line - you will be watching the slack line for ticks which will indicate a fish has grabbed the plastic, I have a couple of rods that are sensitive to the point where you actually feel really light hits when the line is slack - I find that really impressive. Another example is being able to feel the pulsing of plastics with small paddle tails, to tell you that the lure is swimming properly.



Scott said:


> I recently scored a GLX loomis blank for $50 from a rod builder which i need to build up. I was also lucky enough to get a SCIV St Croix for blank from the same price from him


Bargain!! :shock:


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

BigGee said:


> Scott said:
> 
> 
> > I was also lucky enough to get a SCIV St Croix for blank from the same price from him
> ...


The blue blank is very sexy i can't wait to use it in the sun. Unfortunately i now have to build a pair of customs. I haven't built a rod for a very long time so it will be interesting. I am builging a basic rod bulding rack at the moment and have just purchased a D cell drying motor.


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## Artie (Dec 19, 2011)

Almost all my rods are graphite, Ive broken 2 graphites in the last 6 years and both were my fault and one glass. Of the graphites, one was from me falling into the stink while getting out on a slippery bank on the Darling and A over T back into the boat and stepped on the rod while clipped in the rack.

The other was recently with the rod in a holder in the yak, I bent the tip down so I could reach the lure....snap....

The glass snapped under load with something BIG attached to the hooks and towing me out to sea... I tightened it all up and applied some hurt and the thing went BANG.

So Ive lost 2 graphites due to my stupidity and one glass through actual useage.... Im happy with graphite and all my own creations are lovely to fish with....


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## Berger (Aug 13, 2012)

Ouch to the above!

I met Gary Loomis at a tackle fair, and it was easy to see why his rods shot to fame. He had focus and passion. He was also obviously a damn good business man. He left due to health concerns, though I guess everyone here knows that. It was about then that I lost interest in Loomis rods. They seemed to me to have all the hallmarks of having been put together by a committee. I've been out of touch with the tackle industry for a long while due to death in my family.

Have Loomis rods picked up their reputation since Gary's departure?


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

Squidder said:


> This will sound snobby, but until you have used rods built on proper high end blanks it's hard to understand the difference. I think that in some scenarios my high end rods help me catch more fish - some of the time they probably don't make a difference. But they are always a joy to use (light, sensitive, crisp) - honestly it is hard to go back to factory rods rolled on low-mid range blanks after you have been using a Miller/Duff/GLX etc. One example I can give where a high end rod might give an advantage over a lower end one, namely fishing plastics and detecting hits on the drop when fishing a slack line - you will be watching the slack line for ticks which will indicate a fish has grabbed the plastic, I have a couple of rods that are sensitive to the point where you actually feel really light hits when the line is slack - I find that really impressive. Another example is being able to feel the pulsing of plastics with small paddle tails, to tell you that the lure is swimming properly.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I picked up a 2-3kg combo from Rays outdoors for $50 the other day - I needed a light rod for SP work as my last one was broken by someone who shall not be named treading on it. I'm running 15lb braid and 30lb leader and have no problems feeling the paddle tail working on 4" paddle tail minnows. I've also felt hits with slack line but they were from barra so probably a bit bigger hits than trout or bream.
However, my 2 T-curve rods (I had 3 but dropped one in a river in Tassie) have performed for over 5 years now and are still a joy to use. Nothing in the cheap end of the scale has lasted this long.
I can appreciate that really good and more importantly - light - gear can make fishing more enjoyable, but I'm yet to be sold that it causes enough of a diference to the number of fish you catch to be worth while for me. $500 for a rod, it'd need to catch me at least 2 extra fish per outing to be worthwhile.


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## Artie (Dec 19, 2011)

Squidder said:


> This will sound snobby, but until you have used rods built on proper high end blanks it's hard to understand the difference. I think that in some scenarios my high end rods help me catch more fish - some of the time they probably don't make a difference. But they are always a joy to use (light, sensitive, crisp) - honestly it is hard to go back to factory rods rolled on low-mid range blanks after you have been using a Miller/Duff/GLX etc. One example I can give where a high end rod might give an advantage over a lower end one, namely fishing plastics and detecting hits on the drop when fishing a slack line - you will be watching the slack line for ticks which will indicate a fish has grabbed the plastic, I have a couple of rods that are sensitive to the point where you actually feel really light hits when the line is slack - I find that really impressive. Another example is being able to feel the pulsing of plastics with small paddle tails, to tell you that the lure is swimming properly.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Maybe I need to spurge one day and find these things out for myself.


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## GetSharkd (Feb 1, 2012)

Squidder said:


> This will sound snobby, but until you have used rods built on proper high end blanks it's hard to understand the difference


No worries at all Squidder, your comments was exactly what I was curiuos to know. I fish plastics/lures 99% of the time & I'd always baulked at the idea of spending big $$$ on a high end rod , figured I was catching fish so didn't need one , although not "high" end , having used this G-Loomis GL-2 for a while now , I personally could now certainly justify going for a TOP Shelf graphite rod in the future if this G-Loomis is anything to go by. *I suppose it's like a tradie and his tools, GMC will do the job but a Makita should do it better *


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## GetSharkd (Feb 1, 2012)

Artie said:


> I have to agree, BUT, there is no way Im going to pay those dollars for those rods... thats why I did the research, made a wrapping lathe/table and make my own seen here.... I can make a rod that would typically sell for over $400 for around $150 to $200, and I do.... plus I get a LOT of satisfaction from doing so....
> 
> Even my first atempts are credible rods and I still use them... on top of that I can create exactly what I want from a rod without having to compromise


Nice set up there Artie. By the way , do you do orders ? ;-)


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## Artie (Dec 19, 2011)

GetSharkd said:


> Squidder said:
> 
> 
> > I suppose it's like a tradie and his tools, GMC will do the job but a Makita should do it better[/i] [/b]


Not necessarily better...just for longer...... :shock: As for orders...god no.... I say this as I am making one for a mate......but its for his birthday....


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## Bretto (May 23, 2010)

GetSharkd said:


> Squidder said:
> 
> 
> > This will sound snobby, but until you have used rods built on proper high end blanks it's hard to understand the difference
> ...


If you're going to go down that path there's a cheaper option than buying brick & mortar retail. One is to check out a couple of Aussie eBay sellers selling Loomis rods far cheaper than you'll ever see in stores. I got my IMX off one of them for about half of what my local was selling it for. I'll be grabbing one of the TSR's off the same guy towards the end of the year.

The other is to check out the classifieds on Breammaster for the second hand stuff. I'm not trying to give a free plug to their site, however what I will say about their members is that there are a lot of guys over there that sport the philosophy "its only money, if you have it, spend it, and spend it on the best you can afford... and sometimes can't afford". Many of them are constantly switching, upgrading and downgrading. There is a lot of high end Loomis, Daiwa, Shimano & Megabass equipment that gets sold each week.

Just make sure your homework before you buy anything (same as any place I guess). You have to watch out for the occasional head scratching moment, like the fella trying to flog off a Daiwa Fuego for $200 when you can buy them new for about $120.


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Junglefisher said:


> I picked up a 2-3kg combo from Rays outdoors for $50 the other day - I needed a light rod for SP work as my last one was broken by someone who shall not be named treading on it. I'm running 15lb braid and 30lb leader and have no problems feeling the paddle tail working on 4" paddle tail minnows. I've also felt hits with slack line but they were from barra so probably a bit bigger hits than trout or bream.
> However, my 2 T-curve rods (I had 3 but dropped one in a river in Tassie) have performed for over 5 years now and are still a joy to use. Nothing in the cheap end of the scale has lasted this long.


Gday Craig, in my experience 4 inch paddle tails put out a hell of throb, I was talking more about little 2 inch jobbies, but I hear what you're saying. I think in terms of longevity the mid range rods usually far outlast the high end ones, as high modulus graphite is notoriously unforgiving for high sticking and other mistreatment.



BrettoQLD said:


> The other is to check out the classifieds on Breammaster for the second hand stuff.


Yes, I agree, I bought my Miller second hand on BM for about half what it cost the original owner. I have since bought 3 other rods with no probs. The turnover of gear by some of those blokes beggars belief :shock:



BrettoQLD said:


> You have to watch out for the occasional head scratching moment, like the fella trying to flog off a Daiwa Fuego for $200 when you can buy them new for about $120.


 :lol: I have been watching that thread. A lot of posts were deleted, which I assume were people pointing out this fact. I love it how he keeps coming back with "come on guys, this is like half retail price!" :lol:


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## brant78 (Jun 24, 2012)

Having been lucky enough to have had a few casts with Squidders rod I totally understand what he is talking about.
There is no noise of the line shooting through the guides and sometimes (matched to a quality reel), it feels like you aren't casting a lure at all and even question whether you cast it off!! :lol: 
Certainly for the super sensitive fishing requirements on ultra light SPs in clear, glassy water, the difference is profound.
That said, I can't afford them at this stage of my life but understand why people pay the money for them.


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

Well I just came back from the tackle shop where I bought a new 2 piece fibreglass Jarvis Walker 5'6" baitcast rod. I told the mrs I got ripped off, paired double what I was expecting to pay, 30 Bucks, do you believe it!! Last one only cost me 15. She laughed and thought I was mad.

Told the guy it was replacing a graphite one and he told me that I shouldn't be striking with a graphite rod, just let the fish put the tension on the rod. Never heard that before.


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## Artie (Dec 19, 2011)

Nope me either


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## GetSharkd (Feb 1, 2012)

Barrabundy said:


> Told the guy it was replacing a graphite one and he told me that I shouldn't be striking with a graphite rod, just let the fish put the tension on the rod. Never heard that before.


 :?: That's a first . 
Wasn't one of the those know it all "expert" guys usually found in a big chain store was it ;-)


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## Thegaff (Apr 19, 2011)

Im going to have to agree here with occy i have a "go to" snapper plastic but is it because its a better plastic or because i use it more oftern?


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## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

GetSharkd said:


> Barrabundy said:
> 
> 
> > Told the guy it was replacing a graphite one and he told me that I shouldn't be striking with a graphite rod, just let the fish put the tension on the rod. Never heard that before.
> ...


Maybe, maybe not. It was the teenage son of the owner, both of who I would consider very keen fishos not just business owners. Does that mean he was right....dont know? That's the first I've heard that you don't strike with a graphite rod when a fish bites. Probably a "disclaimer" in case I was about to put the warranty word on him. I didn't buy it off him but he wouldn't have known that as he didn't see which rod I was referring to.



Occulator said:


> I've got several graphite rods (most were relatively cheap ones bought new on special, but I also have a couple of older second hand top shelf models which I picked up for a song. They are much nicer to use than bog standard glass for sure, but I have to say the notion one can catch more fish with them just because they are graphite is ridiculous.
> 
> IMHO the quality/cost of your gear has absolutely nothing to do with how many fish you catch. It's all about the quality of the angler I reckon. I've seen guys who swear by hand lines, and I have no doubt some of them catch more fish than most people do with rod and reel. So go figure.
> 
> More than likely the explanation for your situation lies in the fact your graphite gear gets out more often.


The graphite rod I broke was bought for Christmas and is the first graphite baitcaster I've ever used. The feel of the new cheap shitty glass rod is disgusting having used the graphite one for a while now. The reason I thought I'd try a glass one again is that the last one (sticker engineered version of the Jarvis Walker I bought today!) cost be $15 and caught me more fish than I've ever caught in my whole fishing time till now. I would have caught a tonne of fish on that rod and deliberately pulled in a few crab pots too! The fish don't know what rod you have in your hand and the fisherman is the single major determining factor in being successful in my opinion. The extra feel you get through a graphite rod with cork grips is definitely un-matched by glass but I don't really care when I'm about to get bricked in a root ball and want to skull-drag the fish out of there.....and I've got two weeks of that coming up.

I'll still keep my light graphite stick for bream, flathead etc as being able to feel the fish pick the lure off the bottom is a pretty damn usefull!


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## GetSharkd (Feb 1, 2012)

Occulator said:


> They are much nicer to use than bog standard glass for sure, but I have to say the notion one can catch more fish with them just because they are graphite is ridiculous.


I can only speak of my own experience, and yes , my new graphite rod definately has resulted in more fish reason being , I prefer finese fishing plastics/lures for Bream and Jews 90% of my time on the water, so feel through the rod is important for detecting the slightest of bites and setting the hook. Definately not saying you need one but it certainly helps in my situation for fishing.

As for hand lines, totally agree, but again , I think it comes down to that direct feel to the hook .



Occulator said:


> It's all about the quality of the angler I reckon





Barrabundy said:


> The fish don't know what rod you have in your hand and the fisherman is the single major determining factor in being successful in my opinion


Couldn't agree more, that's why I'm still learning


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