Carrot Stix. Okay now that it has been out for a few months, opinion??

[Dug]

I have a chance to buy an E21 Carrot Stix for 120 plus shipping, a great price as far as I can tell.  it's the M/H 7'3" model.  Is it a good buy?  What are your opinions?  I am thinking of using it for vibrashock fishing, or shakey head fishing.  What do you think?

Dug

[rory4fish]

Hey Dug-

Glad to hear your thinking of a Carrot Stix. I don't have the rod your considering, but that will be my next purchase. I'm currently using the 6'9" parabolic, and have paired it with a Daiwa Steez 100HA. Spooled with 12# mono, this combo weighs 9.4 oz. which makes it a favorite. I use this combo fishing jerks, cranks, spinners, and hard swimbaits. Most of my fishing is from the bank and often in some dense areas, so I suspect my rods may take a little more abuse than than other folks'. As a baseline for comparison, my other casting rods are the Daiwa L&T series and Shimano Cumara.

Overall opinion of the Carrot Stix:

I've fished the rod for 5 months, and in a nutshell, the LTX is a GREAT rod. As I've posted earlier, I find the rod to be extremely sensitive, maybe more sensitive than the Cumara. I'm really blown away by how strong the blank is. For a rod so light in weight and sensitive, I really expected it to be fragile or brittle (snapped the tip on the Cumara the 1st week I fished it), but this rod has taken some abuse smacking limbs while setting the hook, and bounced off concrete/ground/docks when blown over. The Thermalon foam grip has held up to extreme cold well. On two occasions the grip froze solid fishing in freezing rain, with no apparent impact. I think the lifetime OTC warranty is the best in the industry.

I do have two issues with the design of the rod. For me, the grip behind the reel seat is too short. I don't palm my reel, and with large hands I'm holding a lot of blank. I questioned e21 if the grip could be modified, made longer, without violating the warranty to which they replied no. The other issue I have is the style and location of the hook keeper - too high up on the rod for using StickJacket rod covers. So I added a Fuji EZ Hook Keeper. Again, these are personal quirks with the rod.

Bottom line: Carrott Stix = EXCELLENT!

P.S. Lived in Normal, IL for a few years working for Funk Seeds International. Where do you fish in the Bloomington area?

[Dug]

Rory,

  Thanks for the response.  Rather than waiting for an answer that didn't seem to come, I went ahead and got the deal.   Hope to have it in my hands Saturday, if not then When I get back from Florida next week.     I am sure glad your review is positive.

   I fish Evergeen a lot.  I love that lake, I also fish the Mackinaw for smallmouht (My favorite bass) and occasionally bloomington, or clinton. 

Dug

[illinoisbassfishin]

I have one of the 6'9" MH ltx casting rods, and two of the 7'3" MH casting rods and love them.  I had 2 of the cumara 7'2" MH XFast rods and the carrot stix is a LOT better than the cumara.  Cumara the threads on the reel seat were too long plus that annoying ass piece of foam in front of the reel seat makes it to where I couldn't put my fingers on the rod directly.  When I grip my rod and reel the trigger goes between my ring finger and my pinky finger so I have no troubles with the foam grip being too short, but I could understand how some people might have troubles with it.  Very sensitive and seems to be very strong also.  I've tested it by swinging in some 4 lbs and it handled that no problem.  My dad has a 7' Heavy GLoomis IMX and he is soon to try and get a couple of carrot stix cause he likes them better than his Loomis.  He has had it a year and a half and had to have it replaced cause it's broke 3 times setting the hook on fish and I've had no troubles with my carrot stix yet.

[Kreecher]

One of the reasons I plan to get one is the really attractive warranty.  It seems to have both an unconditional lifetime warranty through mail and OTC.  I couldn't compare any other company.  I also combined the fact that the rods are pretty innovative in using other resources to build their rods.

[TightLinez]

Sounds like a GREAT deal to me. Congrats on the smart buy

[Dug]

Finally after the USPS ran over and crushed the first rod I ordered, I finally have the 7'3" Carrot Stix and fooled around with it in the yard yesterday in between chasing around my grand daughter and I LOVE IT!! What a great rod, for a shore bird, it's gonna be a great fit, I can fling it half a country mile.  Paired it with an old Curado and put a weight in the butt, it's balanced and feels very sturdy.    This may very well be my favorite new rod.  Current the best rods in my arsenal are a ST Croix Legend 7'6" mh, a 7' Grandt spiral wrap M and the Arcadia P series MH and this blows them all away (at least in the yard test).   Without great effort, I have to say I was able to throw a 1/2 weight easily 100 yards, and more importantly exactly 100 yards fairly accurately.

Dug

[Dug]

Got to take this rod out today for a water test on the lake.   No fish, but OMG what an incredible rod.  I have fished With Karl's Gotstafish vibrashock and with the Karu Vibrashock but today I felt something I  had never felt before.  The vibration of the lure as I killed the retrieve.  I could actually feel the fading thrummng of the blade as I stopped reeling and let the lure die.  I don't think I am expressing this well, but the last thump.   I could feel every rock, stick etc....  Not even with my St Croix could I feel this so well.    A+.... Now if I could just catch my first fish of 08........  Oh by the way I paired up this rod with a Daiwa Capricorn.  Not the greatest reel, but a nice color match, and the reel actually is pretty nice.  Got it on sale at Dicks for 79.99 marked down from 135.00.  I think this is the Dick's sporting goods version of the Daiwa Procaster.    Just a little lighter than the Curado's I am using and of course it's orange like th e carrot stix.

Dug

[basser86]

I bought one of the 6' 6" medium action LTXs this past January at the Richmond Fishing Expo.  I am currently using it as a light crank / jerk rod with a Daiwa Exceler.  I agree that the rear grip is a little short for my hands, but all in all it has been a great rod.  I am toying with the idea of tossing a shakey head with it since it seems to be very sensitive and extremely light in weight.

                                                              Good Luck,
                                                               basser86