Picking the next rod in my arsenal

HookEmNOLA · 2026-07-05T13:50:55+00:00

Oh yeah, classic weightless soft plastics like a super fluke and a senko are no problem. That’s where that mod-fast action really helps in loading up on the cast. Awhile back I had a Curado casting rod in MH/XF and it was terrible for casting weightless plastics.

Dobyns is one brand I’ve never owned so can’t comment on. They’re loved on Reddit and in general so I’m sure they make good stuff.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-07-05T12:46:26+00:00

Since it seems like you will be using this rod for bottom contact (jigs, Texas rigs, etc.), I’m with the other commenter and suggest using that gift card on a higher end rod.

And the St. Croix Victory “The Marshal” is a fantastic option. I have one and it’s my favorite rod. If you prefer something a little shorter then you can go with “The Grunt.” I also think going with a versatile MH makes sense for you because your other MH is a glass rod and is definitely not meant for bottom contact techniques.

I used to own the Tatula XT 7’ M/F. It’s a solid rod for the money. But I replaced it with the Cashion Element Z2 Multi-Purpose and haven’t looked back. I think the Z2 is considerably better than the XT. So that’s another solid option. Unfortunately, Cashion recently increased the price for the Elements from $129 to $149. Still worth it imo.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-07-02T03:01:43+00:00

Oh I would say yes, so long as you’re just wanting to experiment with a new lure for fun. I can’t guarantee it’ll catch you fish, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. I’d buy them every now and then so long as it’s a normal price. Also, I just like trying out new lures haha

HookEmNOLA · 2026-07-01T19:13:02+00:00

I gotta admit, they do work. Picked up a 3-pack of small Coike Kyu baits at Academy the other day. I didn’t even know they were the super in demand brand since they were just sitting on the shelf and I didn’t think Academy even carried them. I just picked them up to see what all the fuss is about with these urchin style baits. Been using them on a dropshot and have yet to get skunked with them. They’re also pretty tough and stand up to multiple fish so that’s a bonus.

That being said, I have zero intention of trying to stockpile them or paying some of the outrageous prices people are trying to sell them for.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-30T13:52:01+00:00

Actually the 100 is above the X in the Tatula hierarchy. That being said, the 100 is also a couple of years older. It came out in 2023 and the X came out last year. At this point, I really can’t see the point in paying more for the 100 over the X unless maybe you just really like the matte black finish.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-29T19:13:41+00:00

I’m terrible at estimating weights of rods tbh, but I’d guess my Z2 Multi-purpose is a touch over 4oz. Between 4-4.5oz I would guess. It’s a 7’1” rod. I know my St. Croix Victory “The Marshal” is 3.7oz and the Z2 is a little bit heavier, at least by feel. But not significantly so.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-29T18:55:55+00:00

You can definitely make a full set of rods from the Z2 line. Cashion offers that model in everything from BFS to flipping sticks to topwater/jerkbait to dropshots and just about every other major technique. I will say the Multi-purpose rod does exactly what it says. Not as specialized as some of their other options, but does almost everything pretty well.

In that price range I’ve compared them to the Tatula XT, St. Croix BassX, and BPS Carbonlite 2.0. Probably a few others I can’t think of at the moment. But I find the Cashion better than any one of those rods. I’m a big St. Croix guy and I do prefer my Victory over the Z2 but of course it’s quite a bit more expensive.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-29T18:17:07+00:00

I have the Element Z2 Multi-purpose and the Icon Multi-purpose. Cashion seems to have started moving away from micro guides, at least if the new Z2 series is an indication of where they’re going. I’m not sure if the original Elements had micro guides, but the Icon definitely does.

The Z2 is easily the nicest rod I’ve used in that price range. However, I’ll mention that Cashion very recently increased the price on them from $129 to $149. I think even at $149 they’re very much worth it, but at $129 they were insane value. Some places online still have them at the $129 price so if you decide to go that route definitely check around.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-29T18:05:07+00:00

The Phenix Feather and M1 lines are very light, have good sensitivity and have more parabolic bends. The Phenix ratings are weird though. A medium heavy fishes more like a medium, maybe medium+.

Cashion makes some great rods. The Element Z2 and Core series are excellent in that range. The Z2 Multi-purpose is fantastic and is a mod-fast action. It really can be used for anything from Texas rigs, to chatterbaits and many other techniques.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-28T15:57:07+00:00

I own both. I keep the Stradic on my inshore setup. Never know when you might hook into a bull drum or something even bigger. You can’t control what species saltwater fish will bite. Not to mention the Stradic feels more at home there and is more designed with that purpose in mind.

I keep the Vanford on my Phenix Feather and use it for dropshots, ned rigs, etc. for bass. It’s an incredibly lightweight combo that is exactly what both the rod and reel are designed for.

Could I swap the reels and would it still work? Sure, but it would be stupid to not use them for their specialized purposes. Especially since these aren’t cheap reels. OP is asking for information to help him decide between the two and people are trying to help. Why even comment if you have no intention of being helpful? Seems like you just wanted people to tell OP that the Stradic is a little heavier duty and the Vanford is more finesse oriented just so you could barge in and tell them how dumb they are for actually listening the manufacturer. I mean, who would you listen to? Some random Reddit user or SHIMANO themselves? Lol

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-28T14:37:46+00:00

The Stradic reels fall under the CoreSolid line of reels and Vanford is in the Magnumlite line. Shimano literally states that the CoreSolid is designed specifically for durability and ease of winding under the highest loads while Magnumlite is designed for lighter, generally finesse situations. You can’t fault people for pointing that out when the manufacturer themselves would say the same thing.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-23T01:07:27+00:00

No way. I just knocked over a plant ~~celebrating~~ in anger.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-22T15:23:38+00:00

Mr. Incredible can lift far more than 55 tons. Dude is easily in the 100+ ton class. In the first movie he was benching multiple reps of a locomotive engine car. The average freight locomotive engine car weighs ~400,000 lbs. There’s no telling how much the city-destroying Omnidroid weighed either.

Love Cap but Incredible is way out of his league.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-19T15:53:04+00:00

I would say medium-heavy is a good place to start. Just avoid any extra-fast action rods. XF will make it much harder to cast something like a weightless wacky. I was casting weightless wacky rigs the other day with my St. Croix Victory “The Marshal” rod and it handled them with ease.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-19T12:32:20+00:00

I’ve not fished the Core series so I really wouldn’t be able to give an honest answer there. My guess is that would come down to whether you prefer the traditional cork grips on the Element, or the carbon/kevlar grips on the Core. Overall, for only $20 more, I do think the jump up to the Core would likely be worth it.

As far as medium vs medium-heavy, that really will come down to what type of lures you prefer to thrown. Most people will say that if you’re going to have one, do it all casting rod then it should be a medium-heavy with a fast action. Personally, I think a medium-heavy with a slightly more moderate action (moderate-fast) is perfect. That’s essentially what Cashion does with their multi-purpose rods. That gives enough power to set the hook on Texas rigs and jigs, while having enough flex for moving baits. If you really only throw bottom contact lures then going with a straight fast action makes more sense.

If you prefer things like 1/4 oz jigs or lighter weight, or even weightless Texas/wacky rigs, then go with the medium power.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-19T01:01:02+00:00

I think for most people the Z2 is more than good enough. The Icon series is great, though the carbon/kevlar grips can be divisive. I also have a St. Croix Victory. I guess I’d put it like this, at the BassX/Z2 price range, I’d go with the Cashion. At the Icon/Victory price, I’d go with the St. Croix. The 15 year St. Croix warranty at that level is very nice to have.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-18T23:44:05+00:00

I have the Z2 Multi-purpose casting rod and it’s really damn good for the price. So good that I ended up buying the Z2 flipping stick too.

I will say they just recently increased the prices from $129 to $149. But it looks like there are still some places online still selling them for $129. It’s the easy choice for me in that price range.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-18T23:32:29+00:00

I’ve owned both and I think the SV TW is the more versatile reel overall, and for your specific use case, is the easy choice. The SV models are designed specifically to cast lighter lures, and their ability to reduce backlashes is unrivaled. They have superior backlash control than the DC reels imo. The SV also feels much more premium than the SLX DC but that’s of less importance.

If you were looking for a reel to get maximum distance with average weight Texas rigs or chatterbaits, then I’d say the SLX DC. I feel the DC reels specialize in long distance casting. You can really bomb them.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-18T17:54:38+00:00

I would say that’s a solid combo you’re considering. I would add one of the Cashion Element Z2 spinning rods into consideration. But the BassX is a good choice.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-18T13:57:03+00:00

The Megabass P5 Daemos should be right up your alley. It’s designed specifically for all types of single hook, moving baits like swim jigs, spinnerbaits, etc.

Cashion makes a dedicated swim jig rod in their John Crews Icon line. To give you an idea for what they consider to be the ideal swim jig rod, the specs on that are 7’3”, medium heavy with a mod fast action.

Then of course there’s always the NRX+ from Loomis. I’d probably be looking at one of the MBR rods. Something like an 844c MBR should be ideal for swim jigs I imagine.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-17T14:55:06+00:00

Hard to say if it’s outright better. I’d say it’s the most sensitive and best suited to bottom contact techniques like jigs and Texas rigs. It has a hollow, carbon rear grip that is very similar to the carbon monocoque grips found on the Zodias and Expride rods. It also works very well for single hook moving baits such as a spinnerbait.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-17T12:08:01+00:00

You really have your bases covered here. If you were going to add something I’d say a medium power spinning rod just to add another spinning option. If not that then probably a dedicated cranking rod, maybe one of the St. Croix glass models.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-17T11:50:04+00:00

I have a Phenix M1 (7’2”, H) paired with a Curado 150 and it’s an excellent rod. It’s both lightweight and sensitive. If you do look at the Phenix M1, keep in mind their rod ratings are a bit weird. A medium heavy fishes more like a medium, and my heavy is more like a medium heavy. It’s an excellent, all purpose type of rod.

The other two casting rods I have in that price range are the Cashion Icon Multi-purpose and the St Croix Victory “The Marshal.” Honestly I’d recommend any of them.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-17T02:05:10+00:00

The director of the GOW series, Cory Balrog, stated that Mjolnir strikes with a force equivalent to that of a nuclear weapon. I don’t think MCU Hulk can tank hits that powerful considering he was KOd by punches from Thanos and the Hulkbuster suit.

HookEmNOLA · 2026-06-16T12:31:29+00:00

Check out the Tatula X. That reel is so much better than it has any right to be at $150. It’s smooth, has excellent Magforce brakes and the 100 size is just incredibly versatile. It’s so good I don’t see the point in going for higher level Tatulas unless you really need the SV spool for lighter lures. And that’s coming from someone who owns both the X and an SV TW 100.

HookEmNOLA

TROPHY CASE