Best spinning rod for $100+/- ?

[RavYak]

Originally Posted by Stubb

I am no fishing rod guru by any means so keep that in mind but i've got a few rods in that price range so have a few to compare.

I bought a rod from WS just before they closed and first time using it, it snapped when i was lifting a 3 lb walleye out of the lake. Called Fenwick and they needed the reciept which i never had, offered to send them the rod itself but no dice, no warranty. That pretty much turned me off fenwick.

There isn't a single company that will warranty a rod without a receipt. You guys need to keep your receipts if you expect to get warranty...

You also shouldn't be lifting a 3 lb fish out of the water with your rod... No walleye rod is meant to take that abuse.

[raw outdoors]

I have never tried a fenwick but I have multiple st. Croix and I like them. I have resorted to a few cheap ugly stick GX2 when fishing with the family so my good rods don’t get stepped on.

[Stubb]

Originally Posted by RavYak

There isn't a single company that will warranty a rod without a receipt. You guys need to keep your receipts if you expect to get warranty...

You also shouldn't be lifting a 3 lb fish out of the water with your rod... No walleye rod is meant to take that abuse.

they may not be meant to but all of my other comparable rods do. I'm sure Fenwick makes a good rod, my very first fly rod was a cheap fenwick and i loved that rod. Just sharing my experience with them from last year.

[Poppa]

I have 3 rods....Fenwick Eagle, Shimano Clarus and Ugly Stik. The Fenwick is solid, the Clarus is DYNAMITE and I got a killer deal at Fishin' Hole last year, and the Ugly Stik is my heavy duty rod that I keep around primarily for pike fishing...

[bobalong]

Originally Posted by RavYak

There isn't a single company that will warranty a rod without a receipt. You guys need to keep your receipts if you expect to get warranty...

That must be a new thing as rods with life time warranty never used to require a sales slip. No point with a life time warranty.

[EZM]

I's say at around $100 the best rod out there is going to be a St.Croix Triumph.

One step up to a Eyecon series ($140) and you will never need a better rod.

I have a half dozen or more St.Croix's and twice that many Shimanos, Fenwicks and other brands (none of them cheap rods) and the only comparable rod is my G.Loomis (but it's my most expensive stick and more than twice the price we are talking about).

Solid, light weight, outstanding feel, fast response, great handles, solid seats and smooth guides.

Recent Fenwicks, to be blunt, although soild and sensitive have proven to be brittle and have broken (twice for the same series of rod for me) so I have been a little shy of these lately.

St.Croix is highly recommended.

[Kurt505]

Originally Posted by EZM

I's say at around $100 the best rod out there is going to be a St.Croix Triumph.

One step up to a Eyecon series ($140) and you will never need a better rod.

I have a half dozen or more St.Croix's and twice that many Shimanos, Fenwicks and other brands (none of them cheap rods) and the only comparable rod is my G.Loomis (but it's my most expensive stick).

Solid, light weight, outstanding feel, fast response, great handles, solid seats and smooth guides.

Recent Fenwicks, to be blunt, although soild and sensitive have proven to be brittle and have broken (twice for the same series of rod for me) so I have been a little shy of these lately.

I broke my HMG somehow and I don't even know how?

I bought a St Croix triumph for my son and love that rod too, I'd get one before the fenwick any day.

I lucked out when I bought my last rod, the fishing hole had their big sale and accidentally put the 40% off tag on the GLoomis. I brought it up to the counter and they said this wasn't supposed to be on the GLoomis but honored it regardless. I was pretty happy about that one!

[RavYak]

I've used a few different fenwicks including one of my main rods(Fenwick Methods) and the only one I ever broke was an Eagle and I would expect any ML rod to break if you snag it on a tree walking through the bush. HMG's have limited lifetime warranty so yeah can be a bit of a hassle and will likely cost you a few bucks to get a replacement(think you pay shipping).

Fenwicks might be more fragile but that comes with the territory when you consider what you are buying. These Fenwick rods are like bargain deal walmart equivalents to high end rods, light and very sensitive but cheap. If you treat them like an ugly stik you will break them but if you treat them like you would a high end rod shouldn't have an issue(always the odd lemon though).

Guys have mentioned St. Croix and G Loomis rods, I personally think sensitivity wise an HMG is ahead of Triumphs and Premiers(same graphite material used for both, Premier just has higher quality components and made in USA instead of China hence why it costs more). Avids and E6X's are more sensitive and better rods but you are talking over twice as much to buy those quality of rods.

Sensitivity isn't everything though(except in certain situations like jigging) so yeah check out Triumphs and see how they feel to you. Personally not a huge fan and highly prefer the Premiers feel instead but again you are jumping out of this price range.