Best "Feel" Rod

[Bud Kennedy]

Been reading some posts about wanting a rod that can be used for T Rigs etc but has a great feel.

If I wanted to buy a rod from the Usual Market Place then of course I would be looking for a Dobyns in the 704 category.  However I tend to think that I already own one of the best "feel" rods I have ever held.

My special stick is a Lee Smith Custom Rod that I bought for plastics but as it turns out it is fantastic also for Jigs and small plastic swimbaits.  i was so enthralled with it a few years back that I had to do a video that i have attached at the end of this post.  This rod is on my boat on every trip and would not be on the water without it. 

Video Link Follows"

[Donald Garner]

Without a doubt mine are the (2)  Lee Smith Custom Rods I use for flipping and pitching 

[LgMouthGambler]

The Lee Smith rods are going to vary on what blank you decide on. They are not created equal. That being said, the "creator" is like no other. 

[bmac88]

I went with 703 dobyns last year stritcly trigs felt everything on the bottom loved it had no problems with it but think I'm going to jump up to the 704 this year.

[zippyduck]

Bud,

I really miss the pics of everyone's LSCRs. Mine is all I could have wanted out of it. Something you can't buy off a rack and that is not including the artistry he adds.

[Bud Kennedy]

Perhaps He shall remain Grumpy will get back into production soon.  Also aside from being a fantistic built rod they are true works of art.

[earldogg]

What was the blank you chose for this t-rig "feel" rod? Just interested.

[Capt. BassinLou]

What was the blank you chose for this t-rig "feel" rod? Just interested.

In my case, both my LSCR's are PointBlanks. These blanks are super sensitive.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[zippyduck]

In my case, both my LSCR's are PointBlanks. These blanks are super sensitive.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

2x these are super light also.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[Down4ttown]

LSCR is the best I have used!


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[SFL BassHunter]

I'm hoping Lee gets his production going again, cause it will mean he's healthy again.
Then there's that little part of me that's waiting for a LSCR .


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[Princeton_Man]

My LSCR's are my jig and T-rig rods. Like Rick, I need more too. 

[Lee Smith]

Thanks guys, if I ever get off this shaky medicine I'll be back!!  Probably one of the main things I have been missing in life, other than fishing of course. 

They working on me, soon I hope 

[FloridaFishinFool]

Get well Lee! And back to rod building! Looks like you are getting backed up around here! The line is getting longer for your custom rods!

[loomisguy]

G. Loomis lost Gary Loomis when he sold the company to Shimano 24 years ago.

[FloridaFishinFool]

G. Loomis lost Gary Loomis when he sold the company to Shimano 24 years ago.

After Gary sold his company he continued a strong close relationship to G.Loomis.

But after some time Gary was either approached or approached another company which he joined forces with called North Fork Composites and they began producing Gary Loomis designed rods.

This is why he got sued and this is what ended the relationship, not the sale of the company because Gary continued to advise his former company for years after selling it.

Here is the lawsuit info...

The lawsuit, filed July 2 in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, names as defendants Loomis, North Fork Composites LLC, GLTPRO LLC, Andrey Velikanov and 10 unnamed defendants. It alleges they "conspired" to violate the company's trademark rights, hurting its ability to do business.

Gary Loomis and his co-defendants deny the allegations by his former company. On Aug. 4, they filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the case. G. Loomis Inc. "has its facts wrong" and the company's lawsuit is a "business tactic to keep a competitor from bringing superior products to the industry,"


And he is right! I do believe North Fork Composites today makes a superior rod because that is their goal while other companies might take shortcuts for cutting expenses to increase profit margins.

And I do believe when Gary Loomis owned G.Loomis and ran it he then made the best rod blanks on the planet. But after he sold it other minds took it over and kept making the same old rods while Gary moved on and moved forward to creating some of the most sensitive rods on the planet with North Fork Composites.

Point being, with Gary gone from G.Loomis, so to is his "technology" advances he does not have to share with G.Loomis any longer. So G.Loomis is same old same old, while North Fork is moving forward and ahead as I see it making a superior product exactly as Gary Loomis claimed in court documents.

So as I see it and said it above, Gary did not really "lose" his company, he sold it and remained a part of it for years after the sale until he got involved with North Fork realizing he needed a new outlet for his creativity and did not want to give it to his former company. Good for him!

This is why I go with North Fork today and no longer have any interest in what G.Loomis makes today. I want the superior product Gary makes today- the most sensitive rods on the planet! (Just an opinion)

---------------------------------------I found it!

https://www.columbian.com/news/2010/aug/07/loomis-sued-by-former-firm/

Gary Loomis is a principal owner of North Fork Composites, which incorporated in March 2009. GLTPRO, which formed in January 2003, is a Ridgefield company. Its managers are Lena and Andrey Velikanov. In court filings, the couple argue that G. Loomis Inc.'s allegations are baseless. Lena Velikanov said she and her husband have been distributing products and services in Russia, including fishing rods and rod blanks, since 1993 under a variety of trade names, such as GLTPRO. She said rod blanks they bought from Loomis' company, North Fork Composites, "come with no brand or label" and that North Fork "has no right over what the final rod will look like."

Gary Loomis, who founded the premier G. Loomis line of fishing rods, is considered to have revolutionized the fishing industry with innovations in graphite rod production.

In 1995, he sold the company for an undisclosed sum to Shimano Inc. but he stayed involved with the company for years.

Now, the company he built up is seeking a jury trial and demanding unspecified damages and attorneys fees.

In recent phone interviews, Gary Loomis and Jim Lebson, executive director of G. Loomis Inc., both addressed the difficulty of the situation.

Lebson said the lawsuit isn't personal and that he considers Loomis a friend. "It's a little awkward, but there's business and then there's personal relationships," Lebson said. "At the end of the day, we have some intellectual property we think is important to protect."

Loomis said the lawsuit is unnecessary. He questioned whether it equals friendship. "Wouldn't a friend sit down and talk before they sue?" he asked.

-----------------------And if anyone cares... here is the settlement agreement that ended Gary's relationship to his former company...

http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/106093/12771918/1308352303487/G.+Loomis+Inc.+v.+Loomis+-+Order+granting+attorney

[loomisguy]

As you may know he signed a 3 year deal to be a consultant for Shimano/loomis.
Shimano wanted him for 5 but he didn't think he would live that long.
I believe the Doctors had given him 18 months at the time so I'm sure that last thing he was worried about was getting back into the rod buisness and he figured it was better to leave his family the proceeds from the sale vs a rod company.
The suit was over terms like GL and other names that could be associated Gloomis.
How you can say they are the same ol is beyond me..
Like it or not the NRX is still the standard that others are judged against including the NFC blanks.
Fortunately Mr. Loomis survived and did some promotional work for GLoomis up until 10 or 11 years ago.

[Wizard]

The ultra sensitive rods of today are great tools. Pair them with compatible line and they become quite a weapon. As a word of warning, don't fall into this trap while using them. Because of their sensitivity, anglers start to believe they can feel everything on the bottom AND feel a bass bite. That is the trap---believing you can feel the bite and always set the hook. A bass can inhale and expel a bait faster than your body can react. Entering a "feel" contest with a bass isn't a smart thing to do. Let your mind do the work of detecting a bass' bite. Follow the bait with your mind and set hook on any change in the lure. Using your mind plus the rod is the most sensitive fishing combination anywhere.

Wizard

[FloridaFishinFool]

How you can say they are the same ol is beyond me..

Gary Loomis made G.Loomis what it is. But when he left I think his arc of development went with him. His patents, his engineers patents, etc. all went with him.

Go to G.Loomis website and I don't see anywhere any discussion about new technology, new developments. NOTHING. No engineering info at all. I found no info on rod blank construction.

Go to North Fork website and all you see is engineering details and advancements.

North Fork today is the guts of yesterday's G.Loomis. All they can do is keep making same old same old.

Shimano and G.Loomis failed to stop Gary. I am glad they didn't! I really believe North Fork Composites makes a better rod today than G.Loomis.

Take a look...

https://northforkcomposites.com/nfc-materials/

There is a new standard!

"Our newest material HMx-ray is the latest edition to the NFC material family. HM because it's the highest modulus currently available, x-ray because just like an x-ray machine helps you see things you normally would not, you can feel the slightest vibration with these blanks. These are the lightest, strongest blanks that we have ever manufactured.

· HMx-ray is 20% lighter than our existing HM (which is already insanely light!)

· HMx-ray is more sensitive, and while we understand that "sensitivity" is subjective, it feels like you are receiving a shock through the arm, the ultimate aim is to allow you to "see" underwater.

· HMx-ray comes with in un-sanded, flat matte-black finish, almost pear-like. Sanding blanks makes them softer, the action of these blanks is crisp.

· The resin in these blanks is specifically developed for the fishing industry, and stops crack-propagation (even if you impact the blank and create a microfracture which would normally result in a failure down the road, this amazing resin resists to continuing to crack, extending the life of the blank.

· HMx-ray is a scrim-less material, hoop is obtained by a very fine fiber slit into the other. This construction with a high modulus fiber allows the creation of an equal stiffness part, with less material.

· HMx-ray is currently available in six bass models, but it will get added to every product family that NFC has to offer."

[loomisguy]

So your basing Loomis technology on what you see on the Loomis/Shimano website ?
Then have a look at the conquest and NRX.
When was the last last rod Gary designed for GLoomis ? Probably 20 years ago. Don't forget the TFO rods that used his name.
The NRX, New GLX , IMX pro are under Steve Rajeff I believe.
Shimano never tried to stop Gary . He approached them wanting to sell because his health.
Nothing wrong with the NFC blanks if you've ever actually fished one , The kistlers that use them are fine rods. But to say that GLoomis has remained stagnant for the last 15 or 20 years is well...Wrong.

[FloridaFishinFool]

So your basing Loomis technology on what you see on the Loomis/Shimano website ?
Then have a look at the conquest and NRX.

But to say that GLoomis has remained stagnant for the last 15 or 20 years is well...Wrong.

I want Gary's engineering advancements, not G.Loomis- or in this case Shimano's...

"With G. Loomis' original 'Mag Bass' fast action tapers, and featuring Shimano's Spiral-X Technology, the new Conquest rods – a joint G. Loomis/Shimano development, "

So basically what I am reading there is G.Loomis technology stalled and G.Loomis made a turn, and is today making rods going in the Shimano direction, not Gary's new technology direction.

The science team who made the company's reputation at G.Loomis, and made that company what it was, is now taking it to the next level at North Fork Composites, and I am simply sticking with the best as I see it.

This thread is about who makes the rod with best feel, and well back in the day it WAS G.Loomis. Today it is North Fork Composites in my ever so humble opinion.

[FloridaFishinFool]

The ultra sensitive rods of today are great tools. Pair them with compatible line and they become quite a weapon. As a word of warning, don't fall into this trap while using them. Because of their sensitivity, anglers start to believe they can feel everything on the bottom AND feel a bass bite. That is the trap---believing you can feel the bite and always set the hook. A bass can inhale and expel a bait faster than your body can react. Entering a "feel" contest with a bass isn't a smart thing to do. Let your mind do the work of detecting a bass' bite. Follow the bait with your mind and set hook on any change in the lure. Using your mind plus the rod is the most sensitive fishing combination anywhere.

Wizard

Very true and great advice Wiz!

[loomisguy]

Exactly....your opinion.  What NFC blanks are you fishing ?

[FloridaFishinFool]

DS-760 is one. MB-736-1 is another.

Get Bit Outdoors is just 10 minutes away... maybe today I'll stop in and pick up another one... I have a hankerin' for one of the new rods, a SJ-732-1 or a MB 733-1.

[loomisguy]

You should and one of the new Falcon experts too .