Hi guys, those of you who had the chance to test the newest and /or the best things on the market, can you point me towards a blank which can rival the G.Loomis NRX blanks in sensitivity ? Let's say I am interested in a 7'0'' long with a 3/16-5/8 casting weight in M or MH for bass and Walleye jigging. What I actually want to know is , if it is worth it to strip down a NRX an customize it to my likings or I can find a blank to buy (equal or better when it comes to sensitivity).Thank you.

kingofbeasts custom rods

The Rain Shadow - Eternity blanks are awfully good, sensitive and very light blanks.

[www.rainshadowrodblanks.com]

Try one and let us know your comparison to the Loomis blank.

Good luck

How is "sensitivity" measured or is it a matter of opinion? If it's a measurable quality [a fact] I would be very interested in learning these measurements. Opinions? Not so much.

Phil,
I would take the position that - depending on how and for what you are fishing - you could say that a sensitive rods puts more fish in the boat than another rod that is not so sensitive.

So, you want a measure, count the number of fish that are boated by the different rods in the boat.

Yes, there are a million other reasons why one rod catches more fish than another and sensitivity is just one of those things.

----------------
Your comment hits the mark with respect to a conversation that I just had 30 minutes ago.

A couple of weeks ago, our UPS delivery man named David - had stopped by the house and asked if I happened to have an extra rod that he could borrow for an upcoming Canadian fishing trip with his son and others.
I went down to the shop and found a rod that had been used a bit and had been sitting ever since. I expected that the rod, would be about the perfect rod for the fishing that he was going to be doing for fishing for walleye with 1/4-5/8th oz jigs.
Since I had known David for years and he was always happy, smiling and prompt with his service, I suggested that he simply keep the rod. Then, as long as he was getting the rod, I grabbed a reel and loaded it with the line of his choice and sent that with the rod as well.

Now, fast forward to today. David again stopped by to drop off some parcels. He wanted to show me some pictures of his son catching fish on the rod in question. It turned out that his son had outfished everyone else in the boat by a wide margin. David borrowed the rod back for a couple of hours and he explained to me as to his ability to feel the bites that he had not idea that he was getting on his other rods.

So, I have to think that - at least compared to his other rod, the rod in question was more sensitive.

Fun to see such a happy smile on the faces of the folks and as well as the nice fish that they landed on their Canadian fishing trip.

Best of luck

I always felt that a modern high quality graphite rod will enhance the fishing experience of most anybody who is used to fishing lower end rods .

When i first experienced it i was blown away , not only was i able to cast considerably further with it i was able to fish much longer with it being lighter in weight and the sensitivity was clearly better . Sensitivity was a part of the experience why it was better but was far from the main reason i was able to catch much more fish over time with it .

A high quality graphite rod changed the entire game for me and to this day i am convinced it's the single biggest factor in improving ones fishing experience and success . Sure cheap rods catch fish but to those that think rod quality is not a big factor in the whole experience and ones success i couldn't disagree more.


NFC has a series called X Ray that sounds like it may be the most sensitive blank ever made , who knows but it's worth taking a look .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2018 06:05PM by herb canter.

We have arrived at a point where the top end rods from most of the blank suppliers are generally about equal in sensitivity. Nobody has leapfrogged anyone else, by much, lately.

So the real trick is to dial the right action and power for what you want to do, all the while staying with a top level blank from any of the respected blank makers.

...............

A tournament fishing friend of mine had me strip down and customize his 5 NRX Rods to his liking. There were a number of things he did not like about the off the shelf NRXs once he started fishing them and decided to have me redo them. He liked the rebuilds, but it was a very expensive way to get a custom rod. He likes the GLoomis rods produced by Shimano but their blanks are not available to rod builders, so I suggested using NorthFork Composite HM blanks. NFC is owned and operated by Gary Loomis and their blanks are very high end and made in the USA. My friend stated that the NFC rods compared very favorably with the NRX rods. So give them a try, there is a half price sale going on so you really have nothing to lose. Three other very light and ‘sensitive’ blanks are Point Blanks, Rainshadow Eternity, and St. Croix V blanks. All are excellent.
Norm

Northfork hm and now XRay, Phoenix K2, Batson Eternity 2 and St. Croix SCV

Norm, I’m curious what modifications your friend had you make to the NRX Rods?
Thanks,
Ray

Ray - He wanted a10” full length all cork handle with a specific diameter on all of them; he did not not like the split grips or their diameters. He also disliked the recoil guides and wanted KR guides and a hook keeper of my design, which I had used on some other rods I had built for him. He knew exactly what he wanted and was willing to pay for it. I should mention that the NRX rods were fairly easy to strip down because the paint job was of very high quality and did not chip or scratch, making them a dream to cleanup the epoxy residue.
Norm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/17/2018 11:49PM by Norman Miller.

Carol your mention that the Phenix K2's may be closest seems to be an accurate statement after reading the below comments from another forum who compares them to the NRX:




My Phenix K2 Review...


Rod: K2 Spinning 713ML
Reel: Stella FI C2000S
Line: 10# Daiwa J-Braid, 8# Seaguar Tatsu Topshot
Lure: 1/4oz Shakey Head


Wow, this rod is light, sensitive, and has a true fast taper. I feel like it is on-par with an NRX. I fished a SYR822s and found it to be just as sensitive.

I fish mostly with a fly rod where sensitivity is not much of an issue but action and power are. Is sensitivity the same as power, or action, or both? When I fish with bait I use circle hooks exclusively, so I do not rely upon rod sensitivity to set the hook. In what fishing situations is sensitivity important?

doesn,t the type of line and size of line have as much if not more to do with sensitivity than the rod..

As stated in a previous post, sensitivity is measured by a matter of opinion. I personally "Feel" that the newly introduced, MHX Elite X Rod Blanks are as sensitive as any rod on the market. You can find them here -- [www.mudhole.com] -- When you scroll to the bottom of the page, there is a box in the lower right corner to click on for page 2. Thank You

Bob McKamey
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
bobm@mudhole.com

Norman Miller Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> He also disliked the recoil guides and wanted KR [...]
> Norm

This is a common request since those recoils are very noisy specially when you fish with braid. With a 15lbs Power PRO you feel like a saw is going trough your guides .

Bob McKamey Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As stated in a previous post, sensitivity is
> measured by a matter of opinion. I personally
> "Feel" that the newly introduced, MHX Elite X
> Rod Blanks are as sensitive as any rod on the
> market. You can find them here --
> [www.mudhole.com]
> mhx-rod-building-blanks/MHX-Freshwater-Rod-Blanks/
> MHX-Elite-X-Freshwater -- When you scroll to the
> bottom of the page, there is a box in the lower
> right corner to click on for page 2. Thank You

Sorry Bob but unfortunately, as far as I am concerned, Mudhole is not exactly an ideal business partner . I have a case open which nobody bothers to answer and until that one is solved my future business with the company is on hold (regardless of the quality of the products they sell).

ben belote Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> doesn,t the type of line and size of line have as
> much if not more to do with sensitivity than the
> rod..

Many factors have an impact on sensitivity but here I was trying to keep it to blank vs blank and that's it. Just consider all the other factors to be identical for the comparison's sake (so same wire , same guides, same construction and so on on both/all blanks to be compared).

Phil Ewanicki Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In what fishing situations is
> sensitivity important?

In my particular case deep finesse jigging (when I say deep think about something between 30 to 120 feet). it is very important to feel the bottom (hopefully even the type of it) and to feel the slightest bite.

kingofbeasts custom rods



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/18/2018 10:19AM by carol staiculescu.

Carol - I truly understand and sent you a e-mail message about your back ordered items. Thank You

Bob McKamey
Mud Hole Custom Tackle
bobm@mudhole.com

Ok Bob, thank you very much, I already answered it.

kingofbeasts custom rods

I am very surprised no one has mentioned the great Point Blanks into this feed. Almost all of my customers that use them come back for more. Very sensitive and versatile.

Ernest, the reason for that is they r not that great compared to the other blanks listed. A fine blank they are but not in the same league as the others IMO.

Not trying to start anything just voicing my opinion

Thomas - I have used all of the blanks named above, and the Point Blanks are one of my favorites, I did mention Point Blanks as an option in my first post above. I total disagree with you about them not being in the same league with the others. They are great blanks, very light with a unique feel that I really like. I do not use Phenix K2s any more after a couple of them exploded in the hands of a couple of my friends while fishing. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I am also not trying start anything, but I do not want people reading this thread to think that Point Blanks are not a high end quality blank, which they are.
Norm