$64.95 Loomis*!!!!

[steve(IL)]

Want a Loomis SJR721 - 722 jig rod w/ GL3 or better sensitivity(*) w/o Loomis prices? Go compare a Quantum Energy IM7 EMS702M* or other model depending on the length you're looking for. The Quantums are extremely light too! That's right, I'm saying a 2 pc Quantum IM7 is as sensitive or more sensitive than a GL3!

I may be subjecting myself to some name calling - but I'm confident in saying this. Check them out side by side and decide for yourself. Here's an in-store comparison you can do - grab a GL3 SJR721 or 722 and this 7ft Quantum - notice how light they both are? Nice! Next, find something w/ a slightly textured surface like cardboard, oak wood grain, the nylon on a soft sided tackle box, the orange rind surface on some tackle boxes or bait buckets, etc. Hold each rod w/ your index finger pointed so that it lightly rests on the rod blank and rub/graze each rod tip very lightly across the surface. Feel the vibrations?(just like those transmitted by Fireline - ahhhhh!:-)) Try it on a variety of surfaces and see the different responses you get. Next, very lightly tap each rod tip on a hard surface to check the response - for me, this simulates when me jig hits hard bottom.

Are Quantum's built to as high a standard as Loomis? Perhaps not, but high enough for my needs certainly.

Match this rod up w/ a Shimano Sedona(good anti reverse) and some green 1/4 or 2/10 Fireline and you'll have a killer jig rig for just over $100 bucks! (Clear water fisherman need to tie on a piece of leader/tippet - in stained water, I tie fireline direct w/ no reduction in bites)

Lastly, these Quantums are fairly stiff which I like for a good hookset. Just my $.02.

(Note: I still may break down and buy a Fenwick Techna AV if I can find 'em on sale).

[steve(IL)]

Oh yeah - I almost forgot.... they're made in America too!!

[River_eye]

Very interesting observation. Out of all those rods in the shop, there must be a bunch that perform almost exactly the same as another. How did you come across this, by accident?

River eye

[Hook-out]

I think all this proves is that there are a lot of rods out there that are as good a Gee "I paid to much" Loomis. This rod thing with Loomis is ridiculous, tell me how many people out there really think they could tell the difference between 10 rods put side by side without names, and then pick out the Loomis rod? If you big spenders out there think you could, I think most of you are pretty much "full of yourself". I think we have a product here that is full of it's oun name, and has the fishing public BS'ed into believing that it is "head and shoulders" above everything else out there.

Go ahead and take your shots at me, but I think there is more people that would rather spend $70 to $80 on a good rod, than there is people that feel the need to spend $175 to $280 to have the logo GLoomis on the shaft.

hook-out

[GANGGREEN]

I guess I agree with you to a degree. I can't justify paying 2 or 300 bucks for a rod so I don't own a Loomis. I own two Fenwick HMG rods and a St. Croix Premiere I think, all around 80-100 bucks. These are the best rods that I own along with a lot of mid-priced $40-60 rods. Although I think that these are decent rods (you could probably get a decent rod for less than this), they aren't as good as the only Loomis that I've ever fished with. A buddy had a GL3 in my boat once and I asked him if I could use it, he agreed. It was far more sensitive than any other rod that I've ever used. I still don't own one so I guess you have to balance how good a rod is versus what you're willing to spend. Maybe I'm wrong but in my experience the Loomis rods aren't just hype.

[Jesse-WI]

I can think of a very specific spot in Lac Seul where a small rock shelf falls into some rock rubble that then transitions into fallen timber with an occasional stump.

Using 1/4 fireline and a 1/16 oz jig and my GLX rod I can sense every transition point and only snag the jig about 1 in 50 casts.

If I use my very nice IM7 rod the ratio becomes about 1 in 10 casts.

[dan]

Fish for smallies on a lite bite and you'll see the difference. I rode the escalator for a while and ended up with loomis. If I would have started there, I would have saved myself a lot of money in those other rods. I know I would have caught more fish. Same goes for flipping sticks. There's no comparison. I tried to convince myself otherwise for many years. I finally buckled. I like them the best, I can tell the difference and after all, that is really all that matters anyway right?

[hook-out]

You know what I think, I think I could build a rod from a 7' medium/light model 2S70MLF SCII St.Croix blank, with Fuji Hardloy model BUNAG guides, and a 11 inch cork handle with Fuji reel seat, and 3 1/2 inch for grip (built for around $90.) and you couldn't tell any difference from the Loomis. Of coarse I can't prove that, but for the money spent on the Loomis, and the money you would pay me, you would be so much more satified with my rod.

But you know what, I can't fight a "mind Set", and I think this is what most of this is.
What ever you fish with, I truely hope you have tight lines, good luck.
Hook-out

[steve(IL)]

By accident? Hmmmm.. The fact is that I travel a great deal for work which leaves me with free time in the evenings away from home. One of the things I like to do is go to sporting goods stores - Cabela's, Bass Pro, Galyan's, Scheels, Thorne Bros, Capra's, Galyan's, Ed Shirley's, Dunham's, Sportmart, Sports Authority, etc. - it beats sitting in the hotel room or a bar! After endless comparisons and just learning how to compare rods for sensitivity(!!) and action/ flex(!!) - I came up with this Quantum IM7 vs GL3 721/722 match up. I wouldn't call it an accident at all. I was looking for a medium/fast tip jig rod and wanting great sensitivity w/o forking out Loomis bucks. My goal was to find something as good or better - also in the running were the $200 Fenwick Techna & $100 Fenwick HMG(?). The Techna's feel great and I still want one - when I find 'em on sale(and they do go on sale - just like Loomis). For the length, weight, feel, and flex that I was looking for, the Quantum was it.

You should go do the comparison I mentioned. You might just be surprised - by accident? Just remember, I'm talking medium/fast taper(fairly stiff) jig rods - you must compare apples to apples. All bets are off if you're talking about another application.

[Jesse-WI]

You could be 100% right. For me, I know that the simple tests in a store are not good enough for me to truely test a rod. I need to pull a light lure with light line across a real structure.

Will I ever buy another Loomis, to early to tell. I do plan on buying an Avid this year and hope to test it in the same spot.

If I find something cheaper($) with close to the same feel, then I will have to decide just how much one or 2 extra fish are worth($).

It helps that it was my birthday present last year from my wife.

[steve(IL)]

Funny you should mention snags :-). My two favorite places to fish completely snag infested. Since I've been using the Quantum, I've noticed my jig consumption is way down too!

[Jesse-WI]

The number of fish being caught from this great funnel spot increased by a factor of 20x. The jig was in the water being fished more. We could feel the bites better. We could more safely fish the structure better. It got to the point of where we would catch 4-6 inch perch attempting to steal our bait.

[steve(IL)]

Jesse - we're both up too late on a Friday :-). If I was fishing your pile, I'd probably pull out my Loomis GL3 SR783 (bought on sale for under $100!).
It's sooo sensitive, I can tell if my Fathead has gas, if the tree at the bottom is cedar or oak, and whether the rock is quartz, limestone, or granite! :-) I'm just funnin' ya' :-). I know the Loomis rods are awesome - I own one. I'm also saying that for $64.95, the Quantum's awfully nice too. What model Loomis do you have?

[Jesse-WI]

SRJ782 GLX

I know what you mean on senitivity. The first 4 hours I used it, I set the hook on my bait alot. That was something new I had to learn. What do I feel when the minnow it twiching verus a real bite. It is kind of funny sometimes when you reeling in and suddenly the minnow starts twiching and then wham.

On another note, there is a shallow mud flat where I perfer one of my IM7 rods when using nothing but a hook and single split shot. In this case, I can outfish my Loomis with a $85 rod.

In general, I believe Loomis to be superior in specific situations for a specific rod. I myself will not be buying 10-20 Loomis rods to have everything covered.

[Pops]

Hi Guys,
After reading all the posts so far I believe it all boils down to what you can aford and what you like.
Me personaly, I can not justify spending over $100 for a fishing pole. Yes, I too have tryed them all out and like the feel of the high end rods.
My wife has an old 7' Zebco with an old Zebco 33 reel. She catches more fish than I do with my so-called "good" rigs. No, none of mine are what could be considered "high end" but, for my budget they were not cheep either.
The moral of the story?
Just go fishing and do not worry about what you use, just have fun. :-)
Keep your rod bent!!
Pops
P.S. I have tryed to get her to let me buy her a new "better" rig but she asks "why, when she catches more fish with what she is useing?". Hard to argue with that point. :-)

[Jeremy]

I picked up a GL2 SJR721 at Cabelas Bargain Cave for $60, nice rod, but still fish the most with my IMX. I was surprised by the durability of these rods, broke a cheaper graphite rod setting the hook on a 26 inch sturgeon on the wisconsin river. Pulled in a 48"+ paddlefish with the IMX earlier this year at Sauk City I'll try posting the picture. Here's a link to pic

http://www.mwt.net/~jrb972/bigun.jpg

[Smitty]

Last year I bought a Falcon graphite spinning rod at a tackle shop in Alexandria for about $85 that is also extremely sensitive. While I have never fished with a Loomis (another one who can't justify the $), I'm not really sure how much more sensitive you can get.
On the same note, has anyone had the opportunity to try one of the new Cabela's walleye rods ($99)? From the feel I could get in the store they seemed pretty good.

[AquaMan]

Steve, sounds like you got a great deal and should be happy with it.

In defence of Loomis and their owners, Loomis makes a great rod that is not, nor ever was intended to compete in the middle of the pack. The Loomis goal was to cater to the fisherman with a little extra. Those that pay for that rod, whether you or I can justify it does not matter, can afford to step up to the better image and quality. With a life time warranty and a very well built rod, you get what you pay for in more then one way.

Its like a Jaguar or a Mercedes. We all can't afford one and I am not sure they are better built than some other less expensive cars, but those that can aford them, do so with a air of class. Nothing wrong with that. If you got it....

In the end, get the best you can afford and still have money to fish with. I know a lot of guys that buy the best and dream of fishing from their office chair while their rods collect dust in the corner. In fact I have seen the dust on those big Loomis, high end St. Croix and Custom Hand Crafted rigs in the offices of some of the Twin Cities biggest CEO's. I see the pride in their eyes as they show them off. And as I leave their office to take the kids or some buddies up to the cabin for a another weekend of fishing, I know that rod will be there in the corner for years to come...collecting dreams.

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

[dan]

I think your claim on "fight the mindset" is a two way street. Some would say that those who say you paid to much or brand x is just a s good is a mind set. I thought the same thing you did for years. My father used loomis, I used quantam, phoenix, lamniglass, fenwick , shimano, daiwa to name a few. But when I would pick up one of his GL2 GL3 GLX rods, I could feel the difference. As I said I fought it for years.....which was mindset. I gave in. I can afford it, but wish I would have figured it out earlier so I would have skipped the others that I spent good money on too. Those other rods are good, but for the fishing that I mentioned that I do up above in my previous post, I can tell the differcence blinfolded, literally.

[PFMN#1]

Just a little thought on G.Loomis made in USA comment. They are made here but owned by a Japanese company. I would rather have a rod made overseas by a American company. Just a little ironic. Also I have used Series ones for years and they are every bit as good as the low end loomis. They retail at under $100 bucks also.

[jeff reed]

Loomis has ALWAYS been overpriced. I believe they go after the "arrogant rich boy market" to satisfy the ego guys who are more concerned about impressing people than catching fish. A good example of this is GM's Cadillac Escalade when a GMC or CHEVY Yukon is the same vehicle. Escalade is made for the arrogant SNOB boys looking to be better than everyone.

[jeff reed]

Loomis has ALWAYS been overpriced. I believe they go after the "arrogant rich boy market" to satisfy the ego guys who are more concerned about impressing people than catching fish. A good example of this is GM's Cadillac Escalade when a GMC or CHEVY Yukon is the same vehicle. Escalade is made for the arrogant SNOB boys looking to be better than everyone.

[River_eye]

Loomis was bought out by Shimano, right? Don't worry, the rods will still be engineered and tested by Americans, so that's not a factor. But I do agree with you in a sense, I'd buy a product manufactured in Japan before I'd buy one manufactured in the US.

River eye

[Gunga Din]

When you pay for the Loomis name you're buying into the company that leads the industry. Without doubt, all fishing rods are better because of what Loomis does. Sure it's cheaper to copy the original. And there are some great Loomis imitations out there for less money. But Loomis is the company that sets the mark, raises that mark, funds the R&D, and drives the industry. So buy 'em or not, you should at least be grateful for their impact on our sport.

[Chuckles]

What always bothers me in these type of posts is we never hear how much the person already has wrapped up in boat, trailer, etc. I fish from a jon boat which cost me $400, my '74 Johnson 15 hp cost me 600, and my trailer was 225. I have a custom made 723IMX which I love and I made a 783 GLX cut down to 5'10" this winter which ran me about $360. My boat gets me where I need to go behind my '78 Fairmont with 160k miles. Your boat won't catch fish for you, your rod can. Moral of this story is put your money into what you enjoy - then watch the guys with Loomis rods catch the most fish. They work better than any others out there and I had to scrimp and save to get that level of performance. Spend as you wish, I'll be busy releasing fish... Chuckles

[eye crosser]

Jeff,
If you fish a "Lindy Rig",use an IMX-8400,AN THEN OPEN YOUR MOUTH!These rods are the best rods I have ever used!It's not the price I worry about,it's the sensetivity an feel that makes the rod.So keep buying your Zebco's an telling yourself that they are just as good!!!

P.S. I'm not rich or a "snob" I just know what a better rod feels like, so price is not the issue!

[Fisherfool]

Fishing skills will catch you more fish regardless of the price you pay for a rod. I own Gloommis, Fenwick and Figrig rods. These rods are all very nice to use but I have caught many limits of fish with 40 dollar rods. Many times I have caught more fish on a dead stick because I didn't take the bait away from them when they hit. I don't think expensive rods make you a better fisherman but they are a pleasure to use.

[MR.Pike]

To me it's like this; A golf club is a golf club, but too a GOOD golfer there is a difference! So too with a fishing rod, to the average fisherman a rod is a rod,but someone who uses that TOOL many hours on end, There IS a difference. Not to cut on anyone but you get my drift. There is a" feel" that a quality rod has that just says "AHH!!". Good fishing everyone!
<;{{{{{{<<( Mr.Pike

[Fin Addict]

I disagree. I think a high end rod will improve catch rates. My son (13) is a case in point. With $40 rod he rarely caught fish when jigging. Got him a Fenwick Gold Wing last year and what a difference. He not only catches more fish but he gets fewer snags and has more fun because he can feel what is happening on the other end of the line. Give me a $300 Loomis and I'll do better still. While price isn't always an indicator of quality, I find it usually is. Reputations are earned and if a Loomis was less than expected at that price point, they would soon be either cheaper or out of business.

Gunga Din has it right here, we don't all have to spend the $ for a Loomis but if a company is willing to spend the $ in R&D to push the edge they should be rewarded for doing so.

[jeff]

Wrong again RICH BOY, your're arrogant answer proves my point completely. I do have that Loomis and its no more sensitive than a my Shimano Fighting Stick. I'll use the Loomis to prop the back door open. The rod has comparable quality of other rods in the 40 buck catagory, but at least you can boost your ego and throw that "I got a Loomis and I'm better than you crap at them", because I aint buying the more sensitivity garbage. Your argument is just a smokescreen for stroking your ego and Loomis sales at the same time.

[dummie]

I know this is not going to set well with some of you,but why don't you also try fishing for other species which take the lure with authority and run with it tearing your line right off the reel at break neck speed. Even some times the drag dosen't slow them down. Hence line breaks, fish lost, but what a thrill. Good fihing, God bless.

[eye crosser]

Jeff,
Tie a 1 foot peice of line to the end of Shimano & do the same to the Loomis! Now touch the bottom of that peice of line with your finger! This will tell you all you need to know!
Shimano is a great spining reel company,they are the largest gear company in the world!But what is a gear company having rods made for?

Try this in your favorite sporting goods store an then PLEASE respond back!!

[jeff]

Berkely did that dog and pony trick years ago with the introduction of their Lighting rod vesus fiberglass. Any IM6 graphite rod you can feel the vibration not just the Loomis I've tried it with all of them.

[eye crosser]

Jeff,
I see your in your own world when it comes to every topic on the board,so there is no use trying to tell you anything!hope I see you on the water sometime, with all your wisdom I could learn a lot from you.

[Cranks]

Your comments summed this all up. We fish a Ranger, but between you and me, I am jealous of you guys with total wingdam contact control. I enjoy the power but miss the finess. Good rod selection, you must now how to get it done.

Steve(IL) raises a solid point.

Rod technology has progressed a great deal in the last few years from mergers and secrets leaking out. Cripes, I picked a couple of IM6 cabela 6 footers so the puppy wouldn't step on/break the custom Loomis 621's....the IM6's are excellent.