Cabelas XML/Shimano Symetre Combo -- Which rod??

[iatag]

I've decided to take the edge off a cold & snowy winter by splurging on a Cabelas Fish Eagle XML and Shimano Symetre combo. This will be my first decent rod, and I'm a little confused as to which of the rod choices would serve me best.

I will fish this rod mainly in 20-40 feet of water with 3/4 oz. bottom bouncers or 3/8 - 1/2 oz jigs, both tipped with live bait. I am usually either slow trolling or drifting. The walleye bite is often "light", and I am hoping the added sensitivity of a good rod will help me keep better track of the bottom and detect light bites. The rod choices I am considering are:

Medium light power - X-Fast action
Medium power - Fast action (I'm leaning toward this model.)

Rod lengths vary from 6'0" to 7'0" (I typically use the 6'6" models.) I generally like to get by with the lightest equipment possible.

Does anyone have any comments about which rod would be the best compromise for the applications described above?

[Jim O]

I have found myself gravitating away from my M rods to MLs. I like the St Croix rods, but would guess that for practicle purposes, the differences in M vs ML would be similar.
I feel the ML allows a better opportunty to read to lite biters.
IMHO
Jim Ordway

[BigPointer53]

I just got 2 of the xml med weight 6'6' long and am really am impressed. Cabelas has a combo deal going with the symetr too. I always use the 1000 model. This deal is in the Tackle Shop catalog 2001. I have a couple Loomis rods that I use for lindy rigging but these will be great too. Saves you 80 bucks because the sale is 134.00 for the combo, the rods sells for 139.00 by itself so the reel is free. Cool Hey!

[IaCraig]

Hey IaTag

It won't matter, save your money and buy a perch rod. If your in the Phantom, I'll use my new Pinpoint 7520 to position the boat so all the big eyes will be at my end and the perch & redeye rockbass will be at your end. HaHaHa

:-)No more big-uns for you, you've had your share! :-)

Hurry up ice out....
IaCraig

[Magnum]

I have the same combo with the 6'6' medium. I think that
would be the best choice for those jig weights. It is a
very good combo for the money. I like mine very much.

[MarbleEye's]

Since fishing wasnt going to well today I headed down to cabelas in Owatonna to browse for a few hours. I had this same combo in mind and I tested it out on all three rods and also tested it out with the cabelas brand reel it came with for $30 cheaper. All I can say is WOW, with either the shimano or the 1500 cabelas brand reel it ballanced near perfectly on every rod. I personaly like the 6'6" model and will probley be getting one later this spring. The 6' model was on the light side and I didnt like the tip on the 7'.
The difference in the reels is a small one, and from feel the only difference is a slight pause before instant anti reverse engages on the cabelas reel, not a big problem. On the technical side the cabelas reel has more BB, and can hold more line. Both of these reels are spectacular, just take your pick.
Hope this help you out a little bit, MarbleEye's

[iatag]

Jim, are you able to effectively fish your ML St. Croix with 3/4 oz. bottom bouncers? On very windy days, I might even be forced to move up to 1 oz. bouncers.

What do you sacrifice when using a rod with lure weights slightly greater than recommended on the label?

As I stated in my post, I don't have a lot of experience with sensitive equipment, and am afraid that I might overwhelm a ML rod with this amount of weight. Any thoughts?

[iatag]

Hey MarbleEyes,

I spent most of last Saturday wandering around the Owatana showroom and didn't get around to checking these rods. The combo caught my eye when looking through the magazine after returning home.

My main concern is the stiffness of the ML vs. the Med. power rods. Do you think the ML would hold up to the weight of a 3/4 oz. bouncer?

As for the reels, I recently had a bad experience with a Cabela's reel and would be hard pressed to purchase another. I'm sure they make some good ones, but the line-counter I bought crapped out quickly while pulling planer boards. I just replaced it with a Diawa after reading the favorable posts on this site.

The fishing budget is disappearing fast this year!

[iatag]

That sounds like a good plan. It shouldn't take you too long to scare those big fish my direction. Problem is, they'll probably have a full belly by the time they come my direction.

Pay attention to these replies...After seeing this new equipment in action I'm sure you'll be shopping for a similar rig this summer! ;-)

[Eyez]

If I were you, I'd lean more towards the M action for bouncers and heavy jigs. An ML rod is typically a light jigging or rigging rod, and by putting a heavy bouncer on it, you'll be putting a lot of bend in the tip, and killing a lot of the sensitivity.
sounds like a good combo, I might have to pick one up and try it sometime.

Dusty

[Marble Eye's]

I think it all depends on your presentation most of the time. The ML would be able to handle the bouncer at slower speeds, mainly if you rarely fished with a 3/4 bouncer. For all around with that lead down there id go with the M rod.
As for the reel it felt equal to the shimano (both on and off the rod), and talking to a guy at the desk (I realize not the best insight) who had guided most of his life and had both of these reels he said it was an equal trade off between the reels, the cabelas brand is just cheaper, has more bb and line capacity. I know both shimano and cabelas stand by their gear 100% so if you did have any problems they would be eaisily taken care of by these companies.
Hope this makes your decision a little bit eaiser,
MarbleEye's

[iatag]

Thanks for the insights, guys. I decided to play it safe and go with the 6'6" medium with a fast tip. Ordered it this morning.

This should be quite an improvement over anything else that I've used. It will be interesting to see if this translates to any better success.

This was my first post but I've been following this site for about a year. I really enjoy all of your remarks.

Thanks!