Not much too ask?

 

I'm looking at anything from okuma x factors to t-curves.

 

Anyone used the Team Daiwa Sol 8-14lb Rod? Looks nice and not as much of a noodle as the t-curve 3-6kg

 

 

I won a Daiwa Sol and love it.. great action.  The rod will be on trademe soon as I get my hands on my new custom rod

 

I have about 10 softbait outfits, ranging in cost from pretty cheap to moderately expensive.  I've fished almost only SBs for the last 3 years.  On most expeditions I spend only about 3-4 hours on the water at a time, though that's at least once a week.

 

I catch reasonable numbers of good snapper, floating about on the dinghy or kayak and fishing exposed reefs and relatively shallow reefs, so there's a lot of rocks around.  In the last year, I've boated and put back in the sea something like 2 dozen snapper over 80cm in length.

 

Also on the victims list have been kingis, JD, kahawai, blue cod, trevally, and some bloody huge red scorpionfish.

 

My favourite (and most effective) rods for hooking, playing, and landing any and all of the above have turned out to be my blue 2-piece Catanas, 732s, in both overhead and spin format, presently being remaindered in most places at <$100.

 

So, why do I need anything more expensive?   What's so much better about the action and durability?

You must have some idea as to what you like in a softbait rod as you own softbait 10 setups?

I have a few,and I love my offshore 6-12kg it is pretty grunty and does the job.

 

A few nice sets or 10 cheapys?

 

The X-Factor was a major disappointment, as for me it lacks the power to set a hook well.   And a heavier rod tip does not make detecting bites any harder than something fold-away like my X-F.

 

My favourite set is one of my Curados on a Catana.   

 

But my question is: why is a top-of-the-line rod top of the line?   ie what makes it superior?

 

Ultimately:  how will I be more successful and have more fun by using one?

The Cantana bait casters are quite different to the noodle like spin rods in my experience..I find the spin waay too soft and gutless.

 

For me I like a stiffer more powerful rod that can handle big fish and is senstitive enough to snag a shy winter snapper.

Also the weight of the rod nice and light,I use a 2500 size reel on my offshore and find it very easy to use.

 

End of the day you will get a personal preferance from everyone,time on the water and results are what really count.

 

Rated 6-8kg according to their labels (just went and checked).  Almost all my lines are Stren or Sufix 4 or 4.5kg; only 2 reels now with Fireline on them.

 

Damned if I know why, but regardless of the reel on it, that rod doesn't seem to catch fish.  Its action seems OK, you can detect bites...strange.

 

 Anyway, yeah, we need to be sure we're comparing like with like.  The model name isn't all.

 

 

My handline when I was a kid ate kingies for breakfast.

 

Is this so hard to answer?

 

More expensive rods generally have a better finish, better components.  In the case of Offshore and Synit, well, theyre not mass produced rods made in China....

All rods can catch fish - whats best for you is up to you. I personally prefer my Offshore over any of the T-Curves/Catanas/X-factors Ive owned....

Every rod is different - what you think is perfect someone else will hate - no one rod is "superior" to another.

but i do love the one peace t curve's as well

How many people drive a skoda to work each day while leaving the V8 in the garage but tell everyboby they prefer to drive the skoda from A to B.

I seriously hope you brought the $100 rod last before you came to this conclusion otherwise I wont be the only one wondering "why" you are asking this question. 

 

I have tackle aquisition syndrome, buying more expensive rods just feeds my addiction and makes me feel so much better lol.

 

So far, the responses are "It puts a smile on my face"..."I see disappointed people with the cheaper rods"..."My rod rocks"..."You won't get the answer you want"..."It's like a Corolla compared with a Jaguar"..."Better finish, better components"...  None of those actually tell me what the answers are (not least because as a long-term Jaguar owner, I can assure you that the feel-good factor keeps you with the bloody things, but objectively, they're rubbish).  So what do all of these things do to help you catch fish and have more fun?  Do you just feel warm inside?

 

I bought the cheaper rods after shelling out for the more expensive ones, getting the Catanas originally for rod-smashing friends and family to use.  And so far I cannot discern their inferiority.

 

Oh, and I've discovered that many of the cheaper rods are more durable in my uses, too - not necessarily in softbaiting, but certainly in fishing off the rocks.

 

(Mind you, I'm also the guy who's owned >100 motorbikes, and discovered years ago that the exotic bikes - many of which I have owned and used -  don't live up to their billing on the road or on the track...so I have a degree of cynicism built in.)

 

Ferrari vs Corolla - whats the better car.....

 

Cheers.

 

Thats exactly how I feel about the ambiguous Rangie and Discovery but I still have one  and I would rather drive it to work then the 3 door mirage of the same year

 

The closest I can explain why I like a custom / top shelf rods over most cheaper shop brought is,

 

1. Use your cheap rod to its full extent all day wether it catching mouse kingies or what ever, without ever putting it down, except for stopping to eat, actually a pie can still be held in one hand & rod in the other,

 

2. The next day pick up the custom rod that will have a lighter & heavier range. Now use it all day past your old rods extent on rat kingies etc & notice how much a pleasure on your body & arms it is to use.

 

3. The lack of fibreglass to give a rod its sturdiness has to be taken into account when taking a high graphite (& other rod making stuff??) on the rocks or bashing them about. So this all relates back to 1 & 2.

 

The bling factor is the same as the rap singers with gold all over them, it makes them feel good but is useless in the big picture.

 

That should be clear as mud now.

 

HOWEVER if you have 39 (40 now with a jigging trip ) rods like I do then all hope is lost   

 

 

We could argue about quality of components and how much power the new more expensive materials have but you get everything you need from your favourite cheaper rod. 

Cheers

Captain   

You might as well sell em up mate, the smith will do for starters. I have whanau on the navy ships & they could pick em up when over there to save postage  

Offshore Illusion or T-Curve. The Sol would look the dogznadz on the Illusion. 

And the quality of the reel seat and grip glueing and eyes and binding, when I hook a good fish I dont want to lose it because of gear failiure or the fact that the rod doesnt inspire confidence in me when hooked to a potential trophy.

Just my opinion

 

You could substitute "Most" for "Best"...

 

I sorta have the feeling that folk have been misinterpreting the idea behind my core question.  I really want to buy something top of the line, but I need reasons to go ahead and do it. 

 

I admit that I was a bit scared off in that my one SB rod that cost over $400 is the only one that has suffered a failure: the line guide on the rod tip broke whilst I was playing an average-energy 5kg snapper.  So much for "top quality fittings".

400 is a lot to pay for a soft bait rod Im sure it was replaced under warranty

 Everybody has their own ideas why they feel this rod is better than that rod - Hell, I wish I could be happy with a cheap Catana but i'm not - I think the Offshore has a better action, better build/finish and better components..

 

 

Serious part - individual preference need not have anything to do with price or specification, which I think this thread has demonstrated amply to its originator by now.

 

So I think the collective advice would have to be to go and check alternatives out personally, and be prepared to make a purchase or two that you'll later have to fix by buying something that suits your own style better.  (How else would I have 10+ softbait sets?)

 

Cheers, all.