Gander Guide Series

[GRUBB]

Limited budget this year - just got my Gander
flyer in the Sunday paper and they have their
guide series rods on-sale. Anyone have any
opinions on these rods. Cannot afford the St Croix - Loomis this time around. Looking for a
rigging rod to match up with a symetre 2000.

[jeff reed]

Excellent rod series, priced right, lots of bang for the buck, Correct me if I'm wrong but they are made on a Diawa blank. I have two Musky Rods and the only problem I had was a guide came loose due to my rough handling and they replaced ( 2 year warranty) it with a new rod no questions asked. Cant tell the sensitivety difference at all and I have those expensive rod brands.

[Trophy19]

Here is the skinny on the Gander Guide Series rods:

Blanks are made by a company called Aboss(not sure on spelling) out of San Francisco. They make all of the rod blanks for private label companies such as BPS and Cabelas.

A few years ago IM8 was top of the line. Now you can get an IM8 with a cork handle and Fuji Harloy guides for $50.00. All backed by a two year warranty.

Made my decision real easy.

[John in MN]

I looked at these rods and compared them side-by-side with the Loomis and St. Croix and couldn't tell the difference. In fact, after trying several rods of each brand, I thought the most sensitive one was the Gander Guide Series IM8! When I need to replace a rod, I'm going to get one.

[Fin Addict]

Picked one of them up last year for my kids to use. VERY NICE FOR THE $! Find myself using it quite a bit. For the $ I would definitely recommend this series.

[Lund_Dude]

You guys are right...Great bang for the buck. They are all $10 off this week.

Take this for what it is worth: A regional buyer for GM told me that the rods used to be built by StCroix and labeled specifically for GM and "others" (presumably BPS or Cabellas). They are now built on Fenwick blanks by an offshore supplier.