Rod, my firm belief is that no matter what anyone tells you, you will go with your gut instinct, no matter what. So, with that being said, I will give you my thoughts on what I have found out, and let you see what you think.
Personally, a lot of the BPS Rods seem great, but then again, not many pros use them. You have Woo Daves, Rick Clunn, and Edwin Evers..........and even Stacey King has a few BPS rods that have their name on them. The return policy might be wonderful, but to me, that throws up a red flag, which means that if the return policy seems golden, that the chances of you taking the rod back because of poor performance or because of malfunction is higher.
The 4 rod companies I have been primarily looking at have been Falcon Rods, All-Star Rods, CastAway Rods, and St. Croix Rods. After looking at the BPS magazine at what they all offered (which is not the entire line-up, mind you) I narrowed it down to CastAway Rods and All-Star Rods. A lot of you know that I did not like All-Star Rods after they refused to replace the rod that I snapped, and I vowed never to use them again. However, my Dad still has the two rods that he bought when he bought my two rods, and I fished with them both, and I wanted to know just how the new ones compared to the old ones.
So, I decided after much deliberation to stick with All-Star Rods.
Now, the things that I look for in a flipping and pitching rod is backbone along with the soft tip. The rod that my Dad has is 7'6" and is telescopic.
One thing that I might advise is that you consider the longer 7'6" rod, because when you start using the heavier weights, you might find that the work you have to do with a 7' rod is a bit much. However, if you are dead set with a 7' rod, I would suggest going to BPS, where you can test out the St. Criox, All-Star, and Falcon Rods, and see which ones you like, along with the BPS rods that you are considering. All of them are between $99-129, I believe. The BPS rods might be a little less inexpensive.
The first thing that I do to ALL rods when I first pick them up is to test them out, as if I was making casts with them. Keep in mind that the addition of a reel is a factor that will change the feel, and the line size and type is another. However, if the rod feels good, then I see just how far down the shaft of the rod it starts to break. I do this by taking the rod, and literally pushing it against the floor. You will know when too much is too much, and the rod is about to snap. I am not saying to go to that point, but when I am looking at flipping sticks, I want a rod that is going to start breaking about 30% down the rod. That ensures that the tip is soft enough for feel, but it also ensures that the backbone is strong.
Another important factor is the # of guides that the rod has. Although you don't want a rod that is loaded with more guides than is necessary, you don't want a rod that has a lack of guides, either. My Dad taught me that you want 1 guide per foot of rod, and then, when you get that #, you want to add 2-3 more guides. So, on a 7' ft. rod, you want 9-10 guides.
If you already have the reel that you want to put on the rod, carry it to BPS or where ever you wanna buy the rod from, and test it out and see how it feels.
These are just a few of the things that I consider when I look at any rod, and I admit that it's not an exact science. LOL As I said, gut feeling about anything will dominate your decision, but I hope that this helps you out when you do decide on the rod.
I can't wait to see what the rest of the guys have to tell you, cause you have some of the best anglers in the US on here. We all won't steer you wrong. ;D
Personally, a lot of the BPS Rods seem great, but then again, not many pros use them. You have Woo Daves, Rick Clunn, and Edwin Evers..........and even Stacey King has a few BPS rods that have their name on them. The return policy might be wonderful, but to me, that throws up a red flag, which means that if the return policy seems golden, that the chances of you taking the rod back because of poor performance or because of malfunction is higher.
The 4 rod companies I have been primarily looking at have been Falcon Rods, All-Star Rods, CastAway Rods, and St. Croix Rods. After looking at the BPS magazine at what they all offered (which is not the entire line-up, mind you) I narrowed it down to CastAway Rods and All-Star Rods. A lot of you know that I did not like All-Star Rods after they refused to replace the rod that I snapped, and I vowed never to use them again. However, my Dad still has the two rods that he bought when he bought my two rods, and I fished with them both, and I wanted to know just how the new ones compared to the old ones.
So, I decided after much deliberation to stick with All-Star Rods.
Now, the things that I look for in a flipping and pitching rod is backbone along with the soft tip. The rod that my Dad has is 7'6" and is telescopic.
One thing that I might advise is that you consider the longer 7'6" rod, because when you start using the heavier weights, you might find that the work you have to do with a 7' rod is a bit much. However, if you are dead set with a 7' rod, I would suggest going to BPS, where you can test out the St. Criox, All-Star, and Falcon Rods, and see which ones you like, along with the BPS rods that you are considering. All of them are between $99-129, I believe. The BPS rods might be a little less inexpensive.
The first thing that I do to ALL rods when I first pick them up is to test them out, as if I was making casts with them. Keep in mind that the addition of a reel is a factor that will change the feel, and the line size and type is another. However, if the rod feels good, then I see just how far down the shaft of the rod it starts to break. I do this by taking the rod, and literally pushing it against the floor. You will know when too much is too much, and the rod is about to snap. I am not saying to go to that point, but when I am looking at flipping sticks, I want a rod that is going to start breaking about 30% down the rod. That ensures that the tip is soft enough for feel, but it also ensures that the backbone is strong.
Another important factor is the # of guides that the rod has. Although you don't want a rod that is loaded with more guides than is necessary, you don't want a rod that has a lack of guides, either. My Dad taught me that you want 1 guide per foot of rod, and then, when you get that #, you want to add 2-3 more guides. So, on a 7' ft. rod, you want 9-10 guides.
If you already have the reel that you want to put on the rod, carry it to BPS or where ever you wanna buy the rod from, and test it out and see how it feels.
These are just a few of the things that I consider when I look at any rod, and I admit that it's not an exact science. LOL As I said, gut feeling about anything will dominate your decision, but I hope that this helps you out when you do decide on the rod.
I can't wait to see what the rest of the guys have to tell you, cause you have some of the best anglers in the US on here. We all won't steer you wrong. ;D
