Guys I need some help in finding a new rod.

Here are the specs :
- First, American made : if it's made in China I probably can get it in Europe so why bother ?
My ideas : Lamiglas, Loomis... Any other input ?

- Second : has to be 2 pieces. I cut my old rod tube now it's 6 feet long...

- Third I can't go custom : if I don't have it within a week it's useless (shipping + taxes), I need to bring it back with me.

- 8 to 9 feet

- sweet spot is 2 Oz, I suppose the rod has to be rated 1-3 or 1-4 ...

- Action/taper : I like fast action rods, but I don't want a baseball bat either: I already own a Tica 8 feet/1 piece with a cork handle : it does the job but man I'm gonna get a tennis elbow !!!

Any suggestions on that kind of rod ? Any dealer in RI ?

Thanks a lot,
Olivier

MikeCC

SaltwatersEdge

Check with S-B sponsors first.

Thanks Nightfighter, didn't want to mention it but I was at SW yesterday, talked to PeteG, nothing matching available...

Hey Olivier, nice seeing you out on the rocks :wave:

I dont have any first hand experience with it, but the Lamiglass Arra 1084 (9') 2-piece sounds like it fits your specs

Quarrow Green Country ML1.The 9' spinning model is the QS902HR rated for 10-25lb test line and 2-5oz for weight though 1-4oz is more realistic.I have the 10'er and absolutely love it.Made in America with lifetime warranty.They are hard to find around here though.

http://site.quarrow.com/products.htm

Hey Bill,
It was nice meeting you too !!! Got some bigger fish yesterday, one very short of a keeper, on my French plugs (very similar to a Tattoo sea pup, white w/ red eyes)
The Lami was one of my choices, but where can I get it in the area ? I need to hold a rod before I buy !

Norman,
I didn't think about Quarrow, but that may be a good suggestion !
Do you have any moment for fishing today or next week ?
I am at home at the present moment : check your PM and answering machine, you'll find the number if you want to call ;-)

I'm guessing Sam's didn't have anything either since you don't have a new surf stick yet, but on Aquidneck Island that's another place to check. You also have Edwards B+T over on Connell Highway (I think).

A lot of shops on the Island here don't really bring in a lot of rods and reels till May 1st since that's when people mostly start looking for them. Also St. Croix and Loomis don't really make a rod with those specs which took me out of the game since I don't have my spring Lamis yet.

After that, head over the bridges to Quaker Lane and also Wildwood Outfitters. Not sponsors, but local, relatively. John (or other moderators) edit if you want.

I'd call Mike CC tomorrow if you can wait a day; shipping from Cape Cod to here UPS ground shouldn't take more then a day.

I second the 1084 as it fits your description fairly well.

The other option, if you have a couple days to wait, is that I can easily order that Lamiglas. I should be able to get it in the shop Tuesday or Wed. at the latest.

I would call CMS in New Bedford if M&D's doesn't have anything. They might have a 2 piece All Star 1145. It's 9'6 but I think you would be happy with it.

Pete,
Thanks for your help, I guess I can wait, I don't know yet what I'm going to do today. Send me a PM if you can get in touch with Mike (I'm not very good at the phone ...). Well, if you can order that Lami that would be great but I can't assure you I'll buy it until I can get the feel of it...It's up to you to know if you want to order a rod you're not sure to sell me !

Luds, thanks for he suggestion : I checked some All Star at the Sport Authority, but they only had the light tackle ones, not the surf rods. It may be worth checking that 1145 !

Olivier,

We'll take a ride over the bridge tuesday to a couple of shops,then fish.
Call me tonight.

Couple of things. Mike should be getting a shipment of Quarrow rods in sometime this week. I do believe they're made in China, tho, not in the US. They come with a lifetime warranty and for the first two years, it's an over-the-counter, no-questions-asked straight exchange.

Also, I don't think he has any All Star 1445 blanks in stock. Charlie at CMS may have one or two left over. He didn't bring any blanks to the MSBA show, but I know he still has some All Stars left over.

Pete,
Thanks for your help, I guess I can wait, I don't know yet what I'm going to do today. Send me a PM if you can get in touch with Mike (I'm not very good at the phone ...). Well, if you can order that Lami that would be great but I can't assure you I'll buy it until I can get the feel of it...It's up to you to know if you want to order a rod you're not sure to sell me !


I never expect anyone to buy a special order item. If it's not in stock and you can't put your hands on it's our fault. I'll order a few Monday. If you find that rod (or something else you like) somewhere else between now and then buy it, you only have so much time to fish while you're over on this side of the pond.

Couple of things. Mike should be getting a shipment of Quarrow rods in sometime this week. I do believe they're made in China, tho, not in the US. They come with a lifetime warranty and for the first two years, it's an over-the-counter, no-questions-asked straight exchange.

They're made right here in the good 'ol USA.Actually it says "assembled in the USA" on the rod which is true of any USA made rod these days.

I can say this for sure that the fit/finish and overall feel of the rod rivals any of the top factory rods available.

Warranty: http://site.quarrow.com/warranty.pdf

Assembled? That can mean a lot of things. Remember when Abu reels had their "Made in Sweden" stamp changed to "Assembled in Sweden"? Or going back years ago when Quantum advertised some reels as being "Quality Engineered in the US"? Lots of people got a shock when the fine print said, "Assembled in Sweden from components made in Taiwan" or "Made in Korea from components engineered in the US".

The heart of any rod is the blank---and I would almost guarantee you the blanks on those Quarrow rods are made in China. If they assemble the components here, that's great but it doesn't make them "made" in the US. Unlike Lamiglas, who still make most of their blanks in the US. Sure, they're also "assembled" here too, and while some of the components come from Japan, the heart of the rod is made here.

Eitherway for me its all about the warranty,quality and price. Considering all three of those points Quarrow rods are one of the best out there.Assembled or made makes no difference those three qualities are some of the best in the industry and that includes the blanks.

If you can find a Quarrow Olivier go for it.

The rod debate is endless, and custom will always outshine a production rod. One of the site sponser dealers should be able to help you, but I saw the Quarrows at the RISAA show and they looked like good rods, especially the Tide Runner series, which I am told are coming out this week. They offer a 2-piece, 9-footer; Mod Fast; 10-25 lb line class; 2-5 oz lure range; and the retail is $149.95 (I picked up the catalog at the show as well :usd:), it's worth checking out if you can find one. I'm not sure if anyone here is carrying them, you might be able to find a dealer locater on their Web site, as listed above.

Well, thanks everybody for these pieces of advice.
I agree with that : the debate on rods can be endless.

One of the points I mentionned is that I want an American brand; please read "American blank" !
I love Fuji rings they're not American but are present on most quality rods !!!!!

Maybe some more hints to help me chose : as far as action is concerned, I'd like something the "old" TICA 8 feet 3 oz 1 piece rod I already own and the new Dolphin (which are much softer !!! The 5 oz seems to have a good action but is not well balanced, too heavy on the tip)

I also checked a fenwick surfstick at Quaker Lane this afternoon, the 4 oz looks a bit overrated and the action is too soft.

As I said previously I don't think I have time to go custom...

And another question, for my personal culture : who still makes blanks within the USA ? I mean how many plants/workshops really produces some ? I think that in France there is only one left ...

Last time I was at CMS they had at least a half dozen or more two piece customs. obviously if they're already built they're not made "custom" to your specifications but they do a nice job there and the rods will be nicer than any production rod IMO.

really think you should check what they have.

Good shop and Charlie is good people.

Olivier, if you want an American blank, it really comes down to limited choices these days---Lamiglas, or poke around for a place that still has some All Stars on ice. Or someone who still has a supply of Rainshadows built by Cascade Composites. I know Loomis no longer sells blanks, and I'm not sure whether their factory rods are still US made.

Mikecc has maybe one or two All Star blanks left. None in two piece as far as I know, and one of the one piece ones is mine waiting to be built. I think he still has some US made Rainshadows, but what I don't know is whether they're spoken for.

Charlie still has a few All Stars at CMS, I'm told. He'd probably be your best bet right now for a two-piece, fast action rod built on an American blank.

Please don't misunderstand what I said above. For all I know, the Quarrows are great rods. They're priced right and come with top components. But from what Mikecc told me, they're similar in action to the Lamiglas GSB series and don't have the fast taper action you want.

Well thanks (again !) for this precious information.

The all star light tackle I checked looked fine but too light, no surf rod (< 1 oz) : if the weight/action/quality is the same on the surfrods, I may consider paying a visit to CMS !

And I wouldn't mind buying a custom rod, even if it's not made on my specifications, if it fits me.

Where is that store CMS ? New Bedford ?

Exit 4 off of rt.140

M&D Tackle now has the Quarrow Tide Runner series, if you didn't get a rod yet, call them.

Ok Guys,
I got the Lami XRA 1084-2 yesterday with Dennis.
Public thanks to Pete for the work he put into getting one.

It's a sweeeeeeet toy !!!

Olivier

Nice. Enjoy it! :cheers:

I never expect anyone to buy a special order item. If it's not in stock and you can't put your hands on it's our fault.

Mental note to self - make it a point to shop at SWE more often. :kewl:

Kudos to Pete for that kind of customer oriented attitude that too few shops owners have. :claps: :claps: Many places keep thinner and thinner inventories but will gladly order it for you if you pay in advance.:doh:

Pete rocks.Now order more of the doc tackle boy

Yep, that's exactly what I meant !

M&D Tackle now has the Quarrow Tide Runner series, if you didn't get a rod yet, call them.

Uh, actually, they're not in yet. Mike's hoping for tomorrow.

Sweet,I just picked up a XSRA 1204-2.Can't wait to try it out.

Oliver,
good to meet you and dennis on tuesday. How did you like the new rod? Its amazing when you put the right tool on what it can do to those schoolies

;)

jim

Hello Jim,
Yeah that was great. The rod enjoys the schoolies so far.
Went there this morning with Denis and my brother in law Greg, we got a good time... Some fish but no keeper on this trip.

Greg enjoyed it so much that we plan to get there on tomorrow morning; last chance to get a keeper before my take off from Logan tomorrow night ! Everything is packed already but the rod and stuff !

Olivier