Favorite Gear Rods

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For me its a no brainer, I'm a big fan of the Gary Loomis designed mid 80 to early 90 IMX sticks. Have had multiple mod-fast action IMX 1082s, a trusty 1025c and my current HSR 1021c ex-fast action baitcaster.

Really enjoy the lightness of the builds the crisp action, light tips with plenty of reserve power in the butt section. Just have to take care of them and not beat them up, the price of that high performance is a thin blank wall. But then only one I ever broke was a car door victim.

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Depends on what the application is.

If I were to pick one model of rod from my lineup that I consider the best of the best, it's my Shimano Trevala saltwater jigging rods. Just marvels of modern engineering. Not even super high dollar. But for such a light stick, they can do a whole lot. i use them for everything from rockfish and lingcod to albacore.
 
For me it's my lamiglass 8' 6". LHS bait casters. They have the straight corked reel seat so you're not grabbing cold metal and they don't have the triggers that hang up in my Scotty rod holders. I've got an old fenwick HMG that also has the same seat.
 
I use quite a few different models for different uses. I have a couple St. Croix Avid 6'6" two piece spinning rods that I use for trout on rivers and alpine lakes. I also have a G. Loomiis 7'2 Trout series rod I love using with jigs. I've also have a couple Fenwick Eagle spinning rods (6'6 and 7) that I really like as well.

For Salmon and Steelhead, Mainly Lamiglass X11 and Red Line spinning rods. I've got a few Lamiglass baitcasters as well.
 
I gots a bunch of different meat twigs, but my fave is an old Loomis 1pc BB rod I built from a blank and used to use for jigging chinook. Haven't had that bad larry out for about a decade now. I have a few older loomis IM6s as well, and the st1024 is still smooth as silk. Another old twig I like is from the year or two Redington built gear rods - they had a 1pc ex-heavy BB/Plug rod that is a joy to fish. Swims a well-tuned k-16 like nobody's business.
 
I started out as a Lamiglas guy, now I don't really like them at all. Too heavy and slow for my preference. I've had several X11's, a redline, and a new centerspin redline. None of them have impressed me much. The centerspin was kind of fun but heavy for a 12' rod and not fun to fish all day. I will say, last year I did build one of their new blanks, the 'X-Factor' model (imported from China) in a 11' 1/4-3/4 rating, and it's probably my favorite Lamiglas. Pricing is decent on them and it can cast a mile and a half.

My favorite rods are Loomis. Anytime I'm not spey fishing I have my IMX Float (IMX 1264) or my E6X casting spoon rod (E6X 1084). Both are incredibly light, sensitive, and fun to fish. The IMX is heavy enough to handle big spring chinook on the river, but light enough to fish for 10 hours without any issues.

I've also had a couple of Okuma Guide Select Pros that are good rods as well. On the non salmon fishing side, I have a TFO Ultra Fast Ultralight Trout/Panfish rod that is really fun to fish. I caught a 2.5 largemouth on it a few days ago.
 
My favorite gear rod is built on a flyrod blank. I have a centerpin rod built specifically for springer fishing in my home river that is based on a Sage Method 9119 blank.

After the 'pin rod, my current favorite is my most recent purchase (of course) which is a casting float rod built on the North Fork Composites ST1065-2 HM blank. It was built with lightweight carbon grips by custon rodbuilder Jon Lewis of Wasatch Fly Fishing Rods. It's super light and responsive and has replaced my old favorite Sage GHS II 2106 for general float fishing for everything other than springers.
 
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My favorite gear rod is the one in my hand at the time I am fishing. Although I am partial to my G Loomis STR series rod, so light in the hand, and versatile for different styles of fishing.
 
I have a bunch of older Loomis GLX’s and IMX’s. There are so many bass rod manufacturers now and many of them are really good at least for certain applications. Alpha Angler (Spokane) makes one of the best crank bait rods I have ever fished.
 
Haven't bought or fished any of the higher end rods (Loomis, Lamiglass, etc.) though I'm sure I would like them. The Shimano Clarus 9'6" MH spinner was a good purchase (love the reel seat/handle on that one and the newer ones aren't made the same). Need to put a new tip on that one. I've also got an Okuma Guide Select Pro in a 10'6 M spinning that has a good feel. I also quite like the less-fast, softer action of the 10'6 Wright and McGill that I bought super cheap (use it for pitching herring) but hate the reel seat. No amount of teflon tape will keep that nut from backing off. That and the way the handle is designed, there are threads (or a non-cork area) right where your finger holds the line for casting. Any of these beat the hell out of the Ugly Stik I started with. It has very little "feel" and the guides are weird and have corroded more than any others. I understand that Okuma has a new line of their SST out (one that isn't such an objectionable copper color). One of those might be my next beach rod.
 
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