FigRigRods....nice!

[AquaMan]

I know that a few of you have been waiting for my reply and so here it is....

I knocked off early from a deck project on Saturday and scooted down to a local lake for some crappie with my new FigRig rod. It arrived with great anticipation after a few shipping snafus. The rod is well balance and very light and very well made. I purchased the Fiber Pro 662 (Medium, 6'6") mainly for jigging and rigging for walleyes. However, I rigged it with Trilene XL 6# green and tipped it with 4 feet of 4# Vanish and a red/white fluflu for this trip.

The fishing was slow at first and picked up a bit as the sun made its way to the horizon. What I really noticed was the sensitivity in the tip and the very fast action of the rod. I think that I could have felt the minnow relieving his gastrointestinal issues...J/K. (For those that are not aware of this rod, there is a fiber optic line that runs from the tip to the handle butt inside the hollow core of the rod. This transfers tip/line motion more quickly to the hand) The soft tip was supported by a very strong mid section. I can imagine that with bigger fish, this will really improve hook set. For the crappies it was fun and gave me a real good sense for the performance of this rod. I also had identical setups on my St. Croix 2S66MF and my Berkley Onyx. Both graphite rods are medium 6'6" and all three are fitted with Shimano Spirex 2000 reels.

After about 2 hours, I got a good preliminary feel for the rod, albeit with smaller fish, and I really enjoyed the FigRig Rod. I am under way with another, the Fiber Pro 661 (the medium-light sister to the 662) better for the crappies I think.

Sorry for the long winded post. E-mail me if you have more questions, but so far, thumbs up!

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Mac]

Good report. Keep us updated.

[Skeeter Boy]

I drove the 120 miles up to Grand Rapids yesterday to see these rods first hand. I haven't fished them yet but was able to handle them and they do seem to be extremely sensiteve, they're light and look well built. I looked over some thirty rods from 6ft. jigging to 7 foot musky and decided to have him build me two to start. One fo jigging, one for rigging. Should have them in my hands in 2 weeks, I cann't wait to get something tied to the other end!!!
Skeeter Boy

[Randy Simko]

Nice report, I'm not a pro however I consider myself an above average walleye fisherman. Last
week I went to the Detroit river with 3 friends of mine who frequent this spot on a regular basis,
out of 300-400 boats several had no fish some might have had a half a dozen or so and we caught 55! Our guide who is very well known in the area had 35 by himself. My question is this: do you
think a very good quality rod and line make that much difference?? I was using a loomis IMX AND
8# TRILENE (i was embarrased at how many I missed)
and caught 3!!!! Like I said earlier I'm a good walleye fisherman with a 12#-2oz. to my credit,
(not trolling either) the guide was using a St. Criox elite($300.00plus) and 10# fire line.

thanks, Randy

[fishin_fool]

If I was getting beat up that badly I would have switched to fire line! :)

[Ron]

Do you have a site for FigRig Rods? Was in
Gander Mtn this past week end and they do not
have them in stock. Who stocks these in Minnesota?

[stewart]

Last summer I noticed a huge difference between anglers using really low end fiberglass rods for jigging, and one other who was using a decent outfit. The difference is probably greater between a 20$ rod and a 60$ rod than a 150$ rod and a 300$ rod though.Have never fished with a really high end stick, so take that into consideration.

Could there have been other things that the guide was doing differently?. Sometimes it's subtle differences in presentation more than just the equipment.

[MarbleEye's]

They have a banner on one of the sites ( i belive the general discussion actualy)

[twogun]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-11-00 AT 09:09PM (CST)[p]The Loomis and Elite by St.Croix are great rods. You both had good lines. The mono you used and the fire line he was using are very close in sensitivity. I use a St. Croix with mono. This is what I believe, that success with a rod is 50% equipment and 50% is the hand that holds it.

[AquaMan]

LAST EDITED ON Apr-12-00 AT 09:04AM (CST)[p]www.figrigrods.com

Not sure where the line is drawn for performance related to equipment, However, I know that there is a difference between the $20 Combo and a $200 setup. At least that is what the MFR's are hoping. Perhaps they are catching more fisherman then fish. But you would all have to agree that quality does play a major factor in a fruitful day.

On the other hand, these FigRig Rods are not that expensive, when compared with G. Loomis or St. Croix. They range in price from $99 to $182. The fact that these are hand made here in MN was another factor in my purchase. Don't get me wrong, I would not retire my Croix, but this FigRig Rod is very intriguing and certainly deserves credit on the quality and ingenuity. Will I boat more fish? We'll see.

Like the other post so aptly pointed out: 50% gear, 50% hand.

As far as where to get them: To date, I think that you have to order directly but shipping is free I think.

I am heading to the cabin Easter weekend to do some serious crappie fishing. That weekend will really push the limits...hahahaha. Will keep the feedback coming as the summer wears on.

AquaMan~~~~~~~~~~~~~