Brand Loyalty? 2024

jsh32 reply :

How many people have a large amount of loyalty to a certain rod/reel/line/lure brand? Ive been trying to find a certain brand for all my stuff so that I know what I have and how it reacts to a certain situation. For example I tried out a few different brands of reels and really like Diawa Tatula CT's, in fact 3 of my 5 baitcasters in rotation are not Tat CT's. I have been looking for a good rod company that makes quality rods at the $200 and less price range. Just bought a Diawa DX-Bass rod for light T-rigs and Weightless plastics and I really like it the small amount that I have actually got to use it.

So basically how loyal to a brand are you? What would make you switch? Any suggestions on a rod company that makes quality rods in my price range(preferably cork handles, made in the USA, large selection of models)?

TIA

d-camarena reply :

Im also trying to find that one company i can stick with for rods and reels. I used to be all abu garcia but a couple reel failures put me off. Lately ive been fishing shimano rods and reels and really like them. I just wish they made xh swimbait rod

bigturtle reply :

I buy whatever I feel is good, and at the moment I like Daiwa for reels, Megabass and MajorCraft for rods.

Junk Fisherman reply :

I am brand loyal to Daiwa and Dobyns. I started using Daiwas about 15 years ago and have stuck with them. I know that others make great reels but I have had great success with Daiwa so why change?

In terms of rods, I was a Loomis and St Croix guy for a number of years until I bought a Champion spinning rod a couple years ago. It was clearly more sensitive than my St Croix Avid. 4 Dobyns later and I am continuing to turn my rod arsenal over to Dobyns. Their spinning rods are great and the 703 Champion I have is nearly as good as my GLX and it's $100 cheaper.

QUAKEnSHAKE reply :

I dont have any unconditional loyalties to any brand they dont pay me enough. What I take a liking to I will buy. Dont think any one brand can cover all areas.

fishnkamp reply :

I do not have one brand, but like some models from several rod companies. My favorites for what they do is an Irod IRG 703CC and a Falcon Bucoo Micro Trap Caster for cranks, traps, square bills etc. For 1/4 to 3/4 bottom contact baits it is a Powell Max 683CEF. For Frogs it is a Dobyns DX 705C. As a general rule I really like the Dobyns, Powells and Irods best. They develop rods that are designed to do certain jobs and tell you what they are best for. I also really like the Abu Garcia Ike series jerkbait rod I purchased about a year ago.

If I had to go with just one I would probably go with Dobyns or Irod. I own 3 Irods and they all feel good.

tander reply :

On 1/24/2017 at 8:29 AM, jsh32 said:

Any suggestions on a rod company that makes quality rods in my price range(preferably cork handles, made in the USA, large selection of models)?

TIA

Check out Falcon Lowrider Rods. They are made in USA, have cork handles, and the cost is $160. I own three, great rod IMHO.

jsh32 reply :

Ive been looking at Falcon. I like them and powell the most right now I think. But I have never help either of them. Next time I can get to a store that carries them, Ill try to take a reel with me and see how they feel and look and all that good stuff

Knightiac reply :

Not too long ago I realized most of my soft plastics are Berkley, mostly the Havoc line. Subwoofer, grass pig, beat shad, bottom hopper, juice worm, the jerk, chigger craws, I think that's all of them LOL.

Angry John reply :

i have a lot of favorites but only a few loyalty brands. I like daiwa for reels and maybe thats because i fish there high end stuff. I am sure if i spent as much on a shimano they must be good to.

For rods i like Dobyns and st croix the most for quality selection and customer service.

For hard baits strike king and lucky craft have what i need between them and DUO for that Japanese feel. Duo is my high class baits and you get JDM quality without the megabass funds.

braided Line is suffix all the way. I like the performance braid the best but 832 is also in the rotation.

Flourocarbon is either sunline or P-line 100% The only real sunline i buy is sniper.

Hooks are gamy or owner only.

Soft plastics are a free for all and my bag is mixed with bps stick-o's netbait packa craws keitech swimbaits, and the list goes on.

Large swimbaits are the same way, ms slamer hudds black dog shell cracker and punkers Mattlures hard gills and more.

Jigs are serbert outdoors only. He will make you exactly what you want or need and his normal selection is way above average!!!

RoLo reply :

The older I get, the less brand loyalty I have.

Nothing is carved in stone; the wise consumer will stay abreast of the ever-changing market scenario.

Roger

Yudo1 reply :

With reels, I use only daiwa/shimano. With rods, I'm more open to multiple brands although right now I'm mostly loomis, kistler and megabass.

Columbia Craw reply :

I think i'm more brand satisfied than brand loyal although the performance and service I have experienced from my preferred rod brand have been as good as could ever hope for.

MIbassyaker reply :

Some brands show up in stores near me so I can handle them, others don't. Some brands I can get at a discount occasionally, others I can't. If I can have a look at it in person, like what I see, and I find a way to get it at a discount, I'm sold.

It's probably just by accident of opportunity, but this has made me gravitate toward Berekley, Fenwick, St. Croix, an unmentionable number, Pflueger, Daiwa, & Lews. And since I am familiar with these brands and their features, I end up looking to these brands first when I'm in the market for something.

mwh33 reply :

I mainly use Daiwa and Shimano reels. Other than that, I have 1 okuma reel.

As for rods, I mostly use 3 brands: Dobyns, G. Loomis, and Megabass. I have a few other rods sprinkled in, but only a few.

Lures I don't have as much brand loyalty. I do prefer Megabass, Lucky Craft, Strike King, Gare Yamamoto, Zoom, Rapala, Reaction Innovations, Keitech, Dirty Jigs.

DaveT63 reply :

For rods its mainly St Croix and G Loomis. For reels, I like Shimano and Daiwa, although I'm close to ring out a Lews.

ww2farmer reply :

When they start paying me to be loyal, I'll be loyal. No one brand offers everything I want or like to use

I have Abu, Daiwa, Pfluger, Lews, Quantam, and Shimano reels

Berkley, Abu, Falcon, St Croix, Fenwick, Shimano, custom built and Kistler rods

I use VMC, Mustad, Berkley, Gamakatsu, Strike King terminal tackle

Power pro, Seaguar, Spiderwire and Berkley line

Berkley, Yum, Strike King, Zoom, Robo worm, Netbait, BPS, Big Bite Baits, z-man soft plastics

Strike King, Storm, Booyah, Berkley, crank baits, lipless baits, jerkbaits, topwaters, and frogs

Strike king, Booyah, Boss, Terminator, outkast, z-man jigs and other skirted baits

I have a tracker boat, a minn kota TM, a jeep for a tow vehicle and Lowrance electronics

And Hanes or fruit of the loom underware.

bigfruits reply :

nope. i fish st croix, loomis, megabass. would love to try dobyns and kistler.

youd think i was brand loyal if you saw my shimanos but i keep trying other stuff and coming back.

lonnie g reply :

I would consider warranty ,and what ever feels good in your hand. keep on reading and learning ,theses guys have great knowlage, great ideas! never know what you might like after you feel it

CTBassin860 reply :

On 1/24/2017 at 8:50 AM, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

I dont have any unconditional loyalties to any brand they dont pay me enough. What I take a liking to I will buy. Dont think any one brand can cover all areas.

This

Darren. reply :

To one brand, no. To several, perhaps.

Reels: Shimano, Daiwa with the nod going to Shimano,

but I appreciate the design, ergonomics, engineering

of both.

Rods: St. Croix, Shimano, Bass Pro, others... Whatever

feels the best to my hands are on the menu, quite frankly.

rippin-lips reply :

I'll only buy reels from Daiwa or Megabass which is just a Daiwa that's been worked over. Reason for that is the large amount of aftermarket support available. You have so many options for spools,handles, and other cosmetic parts. There's 12 spools just from Zpi in the 001 size. Not to mention the ones they'll be releasing soon. There's also the limited aspect of it all. There's reels that not a lot of people will have due to limited numbers available or the price tag. As for rods I'm wasn't brand loyal but now all my rods are Megabass. The reason for that is they just flat out work for what I want in a rod. I'm sure there are others out there that will too and if I would of tried those first I'd have a stable of those instead.

jsh32 reply :

I guess since I started this I should chime in on the few things I have found that I like to use the most of the brands I have.

Rods: I have Daiwa, Lews, Shimano, and Abu. Edge going to my one Daiwa here, but still looking..

Reels: I have 3 Daiwa Tatula CT's, a Lews Mach 1 and a Lews CarbonFire. Forgot how much I liked that Mach 1 until i threw it the other day but I like my Tat CT's better so I'm gonna stick with the Daiwas for the T wing and feeling for now.

Cranks: Squarebills I love the SK KVD 1.5 and have a few of the 2.5, haven't tried many others but have been very happy with what they give me. Medium divers I haven't really used all that many of them, but I do like the Rapala lures I have and I'm looking to try some of the new Wiggle Warts soon.

Soft Plastics: I love the Yamamoto Senko, I know they cost more but I started with the Dinger and the Senko has out-preformed it in every pond I have fished. I like the BPS Stik-Os when they go on sale for like $15 for a 50 pack. I like Zoom for brush hogs and lizards. I also use SK for craw style baits and trailers, but not super set on them yet (If I do well this year I will be though). I also plan to pick up some of the Z-man TRD's and other Ned Rig style baits soon.

Frogs: Ill let you know when I can finally get one to walk like I want lol.

Line: Fluro is Seaguar all day. Braid Im leaning towards the sufix 832 but have some P-Line I got on sale from TW this year I wanna try out. Mono I really don't use as much as I should, so I'm not loyal to any brand there but I have a lot of Berkley mono (Its most available where I am)

Dont have a boat so who knows what company is gonna take all my money when it comes to that down the road but I love my Ascend FS12T kayak right now and am looking to get a fishfinder for that, leaning towards Garmin for that.

RichF reply :

Def not 100% loyal to 1 brand but I do like to stick to only a few, but that's mainly because I'm anal and like my stuff to match.

MassYak85 reply :

I'll defend a brand if I've had good experience with it but I don't ONLY buy one brand of anything.

Jrob78 reply :

After much experimentation I now only buy and use Daiwa and Shimano reels. Everything else is a bit of a mixed bag.

Loomis13 reply :

Well I am partial to St.Croix rods because the place I work sells a lot of them and I can get good deals on them. If I had to buy most of my rods at retail I would probably stick with St.Croix and Dobyns. Haven't used a dobyns but curiosity is killing the cat. Reels: I am slowly turning into a Lew's guy. Had a revo s gen 3 and hated it. It got replaced with a Lews. Want to try a Daiwa Tatula type R and a Curado 70 but have no reason to buy any more reels.

kickerfish1 reply :

I am excusively in the Shimano/Daiwa camp for casting reels. For Rods I am all over the place... customs, Loomis, Kistler, Daiwa, Fenwick, Megabass, ALX, Kistler, Dobyns, Powell, Majorcraft and Shimano.

How I look at it is for reels Daiwa and Shimano provide the best quality and longevity plus you know that they will hold their value. For rods there are so many quality rods out there that it is incredibly tough to pick one.

Unless some company wants to fork over so much money, products, and advertising pieces, I have no reason to be 100% committed to one rod and one reel brand. The only advantage would be when change between outfits the type of cast and adjustments would be the same.

QUAKEnSHAKE reply :

On 1/24/2017 at 12:07 PM, Loomis13 said:

Well I am partial to St.Croix rods because the place I work sells a lot of them and I can get good deals on them. If I had to buy most of my rods at retail I would probably stick with St.Croix and Dobyns. Haven't used a dobyns but curiosity is killing the cat. Reels: I am slowly turning into a Lew's guy. Had a revo s gen 3 and hated it. It got replaced with a Lews. Want to try a Daiwa Tatula type R and a Curado 70 but have no reason to buy any more reels.

BLASPHEMY you speak

Loomis13 reply :

On 1/24/2017 at 12:19 PM, QUAKEnSHAKE said:

BLASPHEMY you speak

I only say that because I am a college student...otherwise no such blasphemy would be spoken

Raul reply :

I'm loyal to ----> myself

Onvacation reply :

I absolutely love my new Fitzgerald rod so I will be replacing some of my old rods, Reels I have nothing but Shimano spinning, although my wife has a Pflueger I do like. BC is a mix of Daiwa and Lew's.

blckshirt98 reply :

I tend to buy anything with strong reviews that are on sale, but I do have a preference to brands.

For reels I like to stick with Shimano, but do have a few Abus and Daiwas mixed in. No Lew's or Pflueger's though I know they both get great reviews and recommendations.

For rods I started out with a preference for Shimanos, but after their warranty change I became a big fan of Phenix and St. Croix. I've got a few one-offs from other companies as well but Phenix and St. Croix.

If all my fishing stuff got stolen and I had to start from scratch, I'd stick with Shimano reels, and Phenix/St Croix rods.

I did read a pro write somewhere that you should try to stick with one brand so you can get familiar with how to cast/adjust it since there are differences between brands. This makes sense in the way that when you drive your car you get familiar with it where it feels like an extension of yourself and you can drive it almost with your eyes closed; and then if you have to drive say a rental car, it feels foreign when you first drive in how it accelerates/where the features are/adjusting the mirrors/etc.

Robert Riley reply :

Nah, I use whatever. Jk I'm a sellout fan boy to Dobyns and Lew's. But hey, I'll admit it. I've used a couple rods here and there, SC, Loomis, Abus, Lew's, TFO, Fenwick, just like Dobyns and their stuff. For reels though, its a different story, I've had awful experiences with Quantum, low end Shimano, and Abu (funny right?), never had a single problem with a Lew's reel (that wasn't my fault). I also work in the fishing retail industry, so I see a lot more and hear from a lot of customers and that influences most of what I will say on this forum.

EllisJuan reply :

95% of the time every setup on the deck is; Shimano reel, G Loomis rod, and Power Pro line.

Junk Fisherman reply :

Columbia Craw said it well- brand satisfied.

I buy Dobyns and Daiwa since I am extremely satisfied with their products and I have confidence in ordering their products based on reviews. I am not a gear junkie and I don't shop for rods and reels in stores. I use Tackle Tour and forums such as this one to research and then I order most of the time without ever handling the rod or reel beforehand. But I would buy a Shimano or Kistler rod if the need came up and they had a product that was drawing rave reviews. One other thing- I do like having the majority of my tackle from one company rather than a hodgepodge. I'd like to have all matching rods and reels but that is not realistic.

In terms of lures and lines, I have no brand loyalty. There are certain companies that I have confidence in, Zoom, Berkley, Jackall, Yamamoto, ect... but I'll try and use anything.

Bluebasser86 reply :

I have my preferences, but no brand loyalty.

clh121787 reply :

For the last 10 or 11 years all I've bought is shimano reels. Some days I wish I could trade in all my shimanos for the equal diawa counter part. And see what I like

Snipe Hunter reply :

Typically Shimano spinning reels. I do a lot of smallmouth fishing so I don't have nearly as many baitcast reels and they tend to be whatever feels right on a rod. As far as rods, I don't have two alike I buy what feels good. I'm not the tackle snob as I used to be.

"hamma" reply :

I fish,....alot, when im not disabled,...lol

Bass, trout, pickeral, crappie, perch,....stripers, flounder, and even for saltwater bait, as in herring (when allowed), mackeral, pogies, squid, etc.

I own alot of gear, some for shore fishing, and some off a boat.

I do have a preferrence for shimano reels, they do their jobs well, last a long time, and offer features that I believe give me some edge

That's not to say I have "only" shimano's, as I do have a couple abu garcia rounds, diawa's. and penns

As for rods? again no real 100% loyalty, but I do have mostly shimano rods, with several berkley's, a couple diawa's.

The thing is this,... what fits?,.. you dont buy a wrench to screw in a screw.,.... as in tackle? lies the same criteria.

yeah,.. snap on tools are undoubtably the best, and they offer just about anything, but are you going to buy them exclusivly? in a pinch craftsmans tools are just as good, and are much less expensive, which I have many of

again the same goes with tackle. The "best" isnt necessary,..maybe nice to have, but not "needed",....get what you need to fit the bill is my creedo here. If what the job calls for med action slow rod,..a ugly stick, my do just fine,...but if you need to have alot of sensetivity, its my last choice. a good graphite blank and a spot for your fingers to touch the blank may be all you "need",..Be it a expensive kistler, or g-loomis,..or even a much less expensive berkley, or bass pro shops.

The "choice" is yours,. go with what "you" like/need.,..

Bass care not of our social status, financial well being means nothing. All the fishing gear and stuff I've bought in my lifetime would amount to a crapload of money. But, a kid on a dock with a canepole, 15' of cheap mono line, and a single hook, can catch the same bass I may pitch towards.

And then yet,..everything considered?.

Brand loyalty in the fishing industry, is a option in some instances. But rarely possible/feasable in all,.... other than maybe shimano, or penn. Think about it,..from 2 pound test line to 300 pound test,...is there another company thats got it covered? Not that I can think of at this moment, considering im highly medicated, that may not be a long stretch, but a point to think of still

burrows reply :

No brand loyalty here, I only use shimano reels but I wouldn't mind trying out Diawa reels.

I have purchased abu rods duckett, st croix, Powell and the company that shall remain nameless but I look forward to trying dobyns next I haven't found that one company that I will completely stick to like I have with my shimano reels.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Burros
Mistake

Team9nine reply :

On 1/24/2017 at 5:52 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

I have my preferences, but no brand loyalty.

This goes for me too. Not brand loyal, but definitely have brand preferences. ?

-T9

new2BC4bass reply :

As others have state, no brand loyalty but I do have preferences. Majority of reels are Daiwa although I have a lot more variation in baitcast reels because I own a lot more of them than spinning. I'd probably be a bit more polar if I fished several times a week because then longevity and familiarity would play a bigger role. I would have more Primmus reels if they made them in LH and more than one ratio. Been a fantastic reel for me so far. Love the Helios Air as well.

Rods are all over the place...on the lower end. I'd have higher end rods if I could afford them. A fellow member gave me a great deal on a Diablo Spec R and 704CB Glass. Sweet rods. my friend. As for rods I do have, I like the original Tatula, Elite Tech Smallmouth, Expert, Aetos, Endurance, Rainshadow and believe it or not my Redbone and Quantum Tour Edition and Superlite.

Most of my lures come from Dick's when on sale so a lot are Rapala and Strike King. I got a few of the Yo-Zuri 3DB lures and so far they have been good to me. No favorites in plastics.

LBASS01 reply :

I prefer Lews rods and reels. I also really like the Berkley Lightnin Rods

IndianaFinesse reply :

I only buy rods and reels when they're on sale, that limits my choices somewhat but I can afford much higher end stuff that way. It's easy find stuff on sale for at least 50% off with just a little patience. That being said I do prefer St. Croix rods, pfluegar spinning reels, and either daiwa or shimano casting reels.

junyer357 reply :

I am beginning to switch to all daiwa reels for baitcasters and have been using pflueger exclusivly for spinning reels. Its more of a comfort and familiarity to me, so that no matter what rod i pick up the reel feels and casts the same. There isnt as much of a diffrence between them and im not having to remember diffrent features are.

For rods im a bit more open having st croix, dobyns, and denali i use regularly.

Line its powepro slick 8 for braid, suffix seige mono, seaguar floro for cranks and spinnerbaits, sunline shooter on worm amd jig for now but am switching to braid with leader when i get more comfortable and confident with a flouro leader.

Lures its more open, depends on quality and price for the most part. All my cranks do get upgraded to mustad kvd hooks, but worms i like mustad ultrapoint or gammy.

Scott F reply :

I fish smallmouth the majority of the time and my most heavily used gear is spinning. I've been using nothing but Quantum spinning reels for almost 25 years. I always like their better reels and have never had a reason to change. I'm not nearly as picky about my rods a many of the guys who post here are. I just can't feel a big difference between quality rods. A while ago, a good friend of mine got into rod building and he only charged me for the components to put them together. When he quit building rods, I switched to St Croix. In my mind, the rods are high quality, do what I need and, I spend time fishing not far from the St Croix store so I can purchase the rods often at discounts not available anywhere else.

WIGuide reply :

I'd say I'm in between brand loyal/brand satisfied. As far as rods go I've really come to like what St. Croix offers. I love the way they feel as well as their build quality and their customer service is incredible. It also helps in my case that their factory is about an hour and a half from my front door. For some that might seem like a bit of a drive, but when you live where I do and it's literally an hour drive to get ANYWHERE, 1.5 isn't bad at all. It allows me to put a hand on any rod I'm interested in and see how it feels. That's not possible for me with many other rods as tackle shops around me don't have much if any of a selection. In the past that had left me ordering blind and hoping the power and action were what I was looking for and with every company having their own standards when it comes to both it can make ordering pretty tough. Sticking with one brand has allowed me to know what I'll be getting even if I do just pick it out of a catalog.

As far as other companies I'm brand satisfied by are Trokar hooks, Berkley (especially line), and Eco Pro Tungsen. I'm not opposed to trying something new and often do, but I find myself coming back to them over and over again.

Fishing Rhino reply :

What? Not a single shout out for this?

Ratherbfishing reply :

I'm less brand loyal than I am brand shy. But these brands are usually geared to the low end consumer market and not for the semi-serious to serious fisherman.

Jagg reply :

I guess I'm brand loyal, but only because their brand "opener" models were so good and customer service was so good, I saw no need to stray a lot. That and I agree with others have said on this post about if I buy rods and/or reels from one or two companies I know exactly what to expect and how it's going to perform and feel.

I have strayed from the companies below once or twice, but end up coming back because of feel, performance and/or bad customer service.

Spinning reels: Pflueger. The first spinning reel I bought was a Trion and have been Pfluegers all the way since. Have tried Shimanos and Diawas of friends of mine, but don't fit my hand well like Pfluegers. They used to offer spare spools too when others didn't. That was a big selling point.

Casting reels: Shimanos and H2O's (Academy house brand). Shimanos are what we grew up fishing on the coast and they are basically bulletproof, comfortable and perform well. I like the H2O's because they used to have them on sale for about $25 for an $80 reel and that was hard to pass up for just trying them out. Now I like them and anything goes wrong, I can just take it back to the reel bar for a replacement. Only had to do that once so far.

Rods: St Croix, Falcons and old All Stars. All Stars are more for inshore fishing than anything else, but will cross them over every once in a while. When I was getting more into freshwater, and especially into bass fishing, I tried a lot of brands including All Stars freshwater stuff. All Star sold mostly heavier gear than what I wanted and the light stuff wasn't up to par. Opening models for Shimano were good, but the higher I went in models, the less I liked them. I was fishing a lot of finesse stuff and fishing for panfish when I really started to research and ask around what others who fished the way I fish tend to like. A lot of St Croix came my way. Texas boy; never heard of them. Started to handle them in BPS and decided they were worth a try. Best spinning rods out there IMHO and I like their casting gear quite a lot too. Probably in transition from my Falcons to SC in casting gear also, but Falcon does heavier casting a little better and has their heavier models more keyed in, but that is changing.

Line: Berkeley although I am trying Gliss out this year and I like P-Line for the Coast.

Soft plastics I like certain brands for certain things. Kalin grubs. Yum tubes and craws but liking SK Rage for craws and Menace grubs more and more. Zoom and Yum worms. Z-man and BPS stick worms. Keitech, BPS and Lunker City for swimbaits/boot tails.

Hard baits: Pradco and Rapala. Couple Academy and BPS house brand models.

Jigs and skirted baits: Northstar for what I can and still looking for buzzbaits and bladed jigs. Yum right now.

Mostly go with what was in my local retailers and mom and pop shops unless they weren't working for me or if I got a lot of recommendations/reviews. I like what I like but don't mind trying something better if the price is right.

Sam reply :

Very loyal to brands.

On all levels, in and out of fishing.

Used to love Sears basketballs when I was growing up. Great on concrete surfaces.

Dixie Beer was a fun drink.

Bike Athletic has closed their doors.

Many products that I was loyal to while growing up and learning bass fishing are gone.

But that is life.

S Hovanec reply :

I pretty much stick to one brand for each category.

Rods: almost all are custom St. Croix

Reels: all are Shimano

Soft baits: most are hand poured by a friend, the rest are Jackall

Hard baits:. Smorgasbord of Rapala, Lucky Craft, MegaBass and Duo.

Hooks: Owner

Weights: my own pours.

Jrob78 reply :

On 1/25/2017 at 3:58 AM, WIGuide said:

I'd say I'm in between brand loyal/brand satisfied. As far as rods go I've really come to like what St. Croix offers. I love the way they feel as well as their build quality and their customer service is incredible. It also helps in my case that their factory is about an hour and a half from my front door. For some that might seem like a bit of a drive, but when you live where I do and it's literally an hour drive to get ANYWHERE, 1.5 isn't bad at all. It allows me to put a hand on any rod I'm interested in and see how it feels. That's not possible for me with many other rods as tackle shops around me don't have much if any of a selection. In the past that had left me ordering blind and hoping the power and action were what I was looking for and with every company having their own standards when it comes to both it can make ordering pretty tough. Sticking with one brand has allowed me to know what I'll be getting even if I do just pick it out of a catalog.

As far as other companies I'm brand satisfied by are Trokar hooks, Berkley (especially line), and Eco Pro Tungsen. I'm not opposed to trying something new and often do, but I find myself coming back to them over and over again.

I'm a St. Croix fan also. If I lived that close to their factory store and could handle all their rods and possibly buy blems at a lower price, that's probably all I would own too.

Mr. Bassin II reply :

On 1/24/2017 at 11:17 AM, RichF said:

Def not 100% loyal to 1 brand but I do like to stick to only a few, but that's mainly because I'm anal and like my stuff to match.

This is me as well. When I find something I like better than what I am currently using, I'll sell off the old and replace it with new irregardless of manufacturer.

BigGame0892 reply :

On 1/24/2017 at 9:07 AM, jsh32 said:

Ive been looking at Falcon. I like them and powell the most right now I think. But I have never help either of them. Next time I can get to a store that carries them, Ill try to take a reel with me and see how they feel and look and all that good stuff

Both of these companies make very good rods for the price. For reels, I stick with Shimano. Its what I know and I even prefer to have them all the same model, but with different gear ratios. Little to no adjustment needed when I switch between different lures/presentations.

NYWayfarer reply :

I am brand loyal until I find another brand I like

A-Jay reply :

I'm definitely Quality Loyal ~ Many Brands have it.

I'm faithful to the Brands that I have tried and found to have the Quality I need & like.

A-Jay

Bait Runner reply :

I don't only buy one brand of anything, really. Although, I feel more closely associated with certain clothing brands than I do anything in my gear set up. As someone who tans faster than is probably scientifically normal, I need some lightweight, UPF protection style shirts that are going to block the sun.

mllrtm79 reply :

I suppose I am rather brand loyal, depending on the product involved...

I have more Abu rods/reels than any other, mainly because of the quality/price, but my favorite spinning reel is a Lew's.

I am cheeeeep, but I was given a Huk fishing shirt by a customer (they had sponsored something down in OC MD) and have since added them to the list of brands I like (now I have another shirt, a sweatshirt, and even a pair of their boxers).

Gammy hooks mostly, Suffix line mostly (other than backing), and GYCB.

If I am turned onto something that works well most of the time I stick with it, not chasing the next new or improved thing more than brand loyalty.

In bowling it is Ebonite, I have only bought one ball other than an Ebonite in the past 12 years or so.

Chris186 reply :

I try to be, but for me, not the brand. I like Lews reels and Megabass rods, but I'm actually going to try a Hammer rod and see what happens. I need to replace 3 rods this year, and at $285 a pop, I'm Looking for a less pricey alternative to the Orochi XX rods I have.

.ghoti. reply :

I am a bit brand loyal in some things. With one exception, all my casting reels are Diawa. I just prefer their centrifugally activated magnetic braking system. It works for me, so I've stuck with it. The odd man out is an Abu Record 50. A good friend of mine gave it to me, and it is my beast mode reel for anything big.

Spinning reels are Diawa and Pfleuger.

Rods, several each Diawa, St Croix and Setyr, with a few one-offs. It wont be too long and all my rods will be one brand. Mine. When I get my planned quiver of my own builds finished, I will be selling off most of my existing factory sticks.

Line, it used to be exclusively Trilene XL. But, when they screwed up the formula a few years ago, I started looking for a replacement. Have yet to make that decision.

Plastics, Rage Tail, and GYCB far outnumber all others, but I have a few items from other brands I continue to use.

Crankbaits are a totally mixed bag. More Rapala than any other.

Jerkbaits are all either X-Raps or Pointers.

Spinnerbaits are a mixed bag with a strong preference for Sieberts double willow. Love those things.

Terminal tackle is a mixed bag. More Gammy and Owner than any others.

The one and only Megastrike.

Delaware Valley Tackle reply :

I see the logic in the uniformity line of thought but I think you lose out to some degree as no one can be all things. Each brand/ line has models that excel at certain things and others that , not so much.

BrianSnat reply :

For spinning reels I'm pretty much all Shimano, except for 2 UL Pfleuger Presidents. I like the Quickfire trigger and as far as I can tell Shimano is the only mfr. who offers it, so Shimano it is. Baitcasters I search for good deals, so I have Diawa, Lew's and Shimano. Rods, again it's more about finding the right rod at the right price. I have Shimano, Berkley, St Croix, Bass Pro Shops and Fenwick rods.

So I'm basically only loyal when it comes to spinning reels and that's because Shimano has a feature I like.

Mosster47 reply :

I have rods from a lot of the major manufacturers, but most of my rods are Phenix and most of my reels are Lew's.

Finances had no impact on this. After a long period of trial and error with many different brands that was what I liked using the most for my fishing style. Those aren't overly popular brands and aren't super high end, but that's not always a factor.

RB 77 reply :

I'll admit it, as far as reels go, I'm a posse member. Haha. Rods are a little more all over the place. G Loomis, Shimano, and Falcon make up the bulk. I has some other stuff in the arsenal as well. Saltwater sticks are all Calstar and Batson.

JDNKC reply :

Shimano on reels. I know others are good, but I have all shimano. Rods I have duckett and shimano, but have switched to Gloomis and probably won't go back. As for line, I am very partial to Seagaur, but would like to try sunline.

PatrickKnight reply :

95% of my fishing is done with spinning gear:

Reels: are all Shimano because the line lay is better than any other brand I have tried (I might give a high end Daiwa a try this year)

Rods: I am not really loyal but I have been very impressed as of late with Fenwick they seem to give you a lot for the money

Line: Power Pro

Lures: whatever catches the fish

DubyaDee reply :

I'm not very brand loyal, but I am very loyal to keeping a setup within that brand/region. For example, I picked up a Shimano poison adrena and needed to pair it with a shimano metanium. My daiwa spybait rod needed a diawa reel and some jdm flouro. It matters more to me mentally than anything.

Steveo-1969 reply :

I guess the only brand loyalty I have is with fishing rods. But it's easy because I only use 3 rods: a baitcaster I only use 6 days a year on vacation, another baitcaster I use the majority of the time and a spinning rod sprinkled in here and there. If I was to buy another rod it would only be this brand.

For everything else fishing related all brands are fair game.

crypt reply :

reels I like Abu Swedish reels, older models. rods a mixed bag until few years back when I started making my own. about half of my rods are of my own making. line,trilene big game for mono.power pro for braid.mixed bag for terminal tackle, always tweaking it to try and get it right. that'll never happen!

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