rod help....

[rich]

good morning.  i'm having trouble deciding on a new spinning rod for gills (and crappies).  my fishing is done by wading shorelines and back bays so i don't want something overly long.  i'm not sure whether to go with a light power or ulta lite.  length is also a question mark.  i probably will go with a st. croix premier series as the avids are not in my budget.  i have read some reviews on the daiwa spinmatics and they were somewhat impressive for such an inexpensive rod.

any ideas or suggestions will be appreciated.

rich 

[Badgerloader]

Rich: Those glass Conlon rods are no doubt obsolete and therefore possibly unsafe. In the interest of your personal safety, I volunteer to take them off your hands. :-)

[rich]

too old to travel, sorry...lol.  the blue 3 star was born in 1968 and the brown four star in 1972, the year i graduated high school.  i will say that the 72 model brought to hand tons of smallmouth over the years.  what a neat little rod.  while loading my canoe 30 years ago, the rod was overlooked, only to be found by a kind park ranger and returned four days later after a descriptive phone call.  how i miss american made rods with names like garcia, shakespere, heddon, st. croix and fenwick.

[dick tabbert]

Amen on that one Rich.

[rich]

it was fun going into the independent dept. stores back in the days before wal mart.  the selection of fishing equipment was ten times better and quality could be had for a decent price.  i remember buying mitchell 300s, made in france, for ten bucks on memorial day every year at one store.  my 408s were a bit more at fourteen or fifteen dollars.  the only lures over two dollars were muskie plugs.  though i really like the modern equipment, i still long for the days when a buck got you a whole lot more. 

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

Thanks Carl for the kind words .... I try to be the best I can be at Rod building and bug making .......

[carl hendrix]

rich   you need to join tooty;s old farts blog!!!  if you remember;; Ma and Pa Kettle;;  francis ; the talking mule;; rin-tin-tin;;  roy rogers with gabby hayes  ------   your a old fart!!

[rich]

sigh....lol.

seems like yesterday i was playing ball, drinking beer and driving nice cars.  now my drugs of choice are preparation h and ibupropen, aarp is harassing me, and i still miss black and white tv. 

[Badgerloader]

Roy Rogers and his horse Trigger, his dog Bullet; Dale Evans and her horse Buttermilk.

[carl hendrix]

gene autry-- cisco kid-- red rider- hop a long Cassidy  --lone ranger with tonto-( tonto horse was named scout)   

[roger keith wray]

at 65 yrs young, I was feelin pretty good, til I read this post! I can remember all those things, but even back then I spent more time fishin than watchin TV! Ol Arthur visits me quiet often,too, but he still has to dress up an go fishin with me! Rich, I've been usin the Shimano Clarus UL 6 ft rod for crappie several yrs now an really like it. But I got a "Strat" from the Ohio Rod Shop stictly for Gills an feel in love all over agin! Its a 2wt flyrod with spinnin guides an handle! makes a 6 incher feel like a two pounder! It was expensive but I ain't takin my SS checks with me when I leave here! HY YO Silver, and away!

[Tony Livingston]

I'm a big St Croix fan. I love my Avid series, but they are pricey. The panfish specials are very nice also.

[rich]

i ended up receiving a 6.5 foot light power st. croix premier with a shimano symetre 1000.  this will handle the occasional smallie and the little trout fishing that i may do.  my wife sure knows how to shop...lol.   well, Christmas is only five months off and i may need just one more ultra lite.  just one more.  i'm thinking a 5.5 footer, two piece premier.  i'd love to get back into fly fishing but my hands and back will just not permit it.  ultra lites are the best option.

that being said, i do have a question.  are the fenwick eagle or hmg ultra lites any good?  i've one hmx fenwick steelhead rod but i'm not familiar with their other models.