Best spinning rod for $100+/- ?

double gun · #1 05-23-2018, 09:40 AM

Looking for a new spinning rod primarily for walleye/pike. I was leaning towards the Fenwick hmx series but after reading a bunch of reviews I'm having second thoughts.

Is it possible to find something decent in this range?

HowSwedeItIs · #2 05-23-2018, 10:45 AM

I'm sure you'll get different responses based on what you're using it for, but I've heard good things about the fenwick hmg. I looked at getting one a couple of years ago but ended up buying the Aetos. Was it $80 worth of improvement over the HMG? Probably not

Stubb · #3 05-23-2018, 11:00 AM

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.

The rod that i was really impressed with for the price is the Pfleuger combo. It's on sale right now and in my mind you can't go wrong. here's the link.

https://www.cabelas.ca/product/10646...spinning-combo

honker_clonker · #4 05-23-2018, 12:02 PM

I like the new shimano Convergence rods, they run around $80 and you can get them on sale periodically too. Nice and light, good components, sensitive and the 7'0'' which I like has a long rear handle.

Penner · #5 05-23-2018, 12:07 PM

Huge Fenwick fan. Have several of their rods. Great rod for the price.

ETOWNCANUCK · #6 05-23-2018, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penner

Huge Fenwick fan. Have several of their rods. Great rod for the price.

Yup same here.

Mine is paired with a Shimano Symetre 4000 with 50 # braid/ 50 # fluorocarbon leader. Pike Rod.

Anomaly85 · #7 05-23-2018, 03:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stubb

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.

Similar thing happened to my Fenwick rod 2nd time out, and they wouldn't help me without the recipe, which I couldnt find

Looking back over the past 3 years, the only rods I've broken have been Fenwick, so I can't really recommend them.

RavYak · #8 05-23-2018, 04:23 PM

Fenwick HMG($120) or Shimano Clarus($110) would be the 2 I would look at in that price range. HMG is much nicer then HMX imo and very good reviews reflect that too.

Anything noticeably better is a significant jump up in price(like double or more).

Walleye101 · #9 05-23-2018, 04:24 PM

Fenwick HMG.

RavYak · #10 05-23-2018, 04:30 PM

Quote:

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 · #11 05-23-2018, 04:36 PM

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 · #12 05-23-2018, 04:40 PM

Quote:

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 · #13 05-23-2018, 05:12 PM

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 · #14 05-23-2018, 06:04 PM

Quote:

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 · #15 05-23-2018, 06:18 PM

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.

trophyhunter · #16 05-23-2018, 03:40 PM

Another Fenwick fan here, I have the elite tech and like it a lot. Shimano’s in the $100 range are a safe bet as well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

SamSteele · #17 05-23-2018, 05:21 PM

Okuma Rods often get overlooked. I have a Dead Eye that I picked up for $60 on a sale that is a really decent rod.

dustinjoels · #18 05-23-2018, 05:42 PM

The st. Croix triumph series is right around that price point. It’s the lower end of the st. Croix rods, but I would say it is still a good rod in that price range and comparable with the HMG or the convergence.

My choice would be between those three and would come down to personal preference of the style you like. Do you like cork or felt handles? Solid or split handle? A long butt or a short butt? These are all things you should consider. Go into the store and feel out a few of the ones mentioned before you buy. It’s amazing how sometimes you just wont like the way a rod feels in your hand at all.