Which Are The Best Bottom Contact Fishing Rods? 2024
Diggy reply :
We all know many people love fishing soft plastics and jigs. Sometimes we may spend money on a rod that might be better suited for something else or some may feel it isn't sensitive enough for this application. Please drop some recommendations in any price point, although it would be good to get some in the different ranges based on peoples budgets since not everyone has NRX money.
Quitlimpin reply :
I have owned/used a ton of different brands and models over the years. These are the ones that stand out to me in their respective price ranges.
$100-200--Carrot Stick and Lamiglas Certified Pro
$200-$350--Looomis GLX(pre split grip) and Dobyns Champion Extreme
$350+--NRX--Absolutely electric!
iabass8 reply :
dobyns DX series and the NRX are the best I've ever used followed closely by the legend xtreme.
BradGuenette reply :
+1 Dobyns Extremes
bassinbrian reply :
Out of the rods I currently own the NRX is probably the most sensitive but not far behind is the Legend Xtreme and Steez. That being said, I prefer my Steez due to the fact I think its more comfortable and little bit more refined. If that matters 
ColdSVT reply :
I know the rod is important but line is also.
my GL2s are nice and sensitive and so are my Avids but when switched from mono to flouro is when I noticed a good bit more sensitivity, same on my rods with braid
BrettD reply :
Ive got a couple dobyns champions and my falcon cara t-7 are more sensitive. Ive yet to try a nrx or steez they are out of my budget I try to stay under $250
thehooligan reply :
I got both my cumulus rods for $250 each, it took awhile but deals are out there. Its pretty hard to beat the sensitivity for that money. Next step down would be the older cumaras. I think there very sensitive and you can find them between $140-200 on ebay.
For a cheaper rod, i think the fenwick smallmouth rods are great, and they can be had at $99.
grizzly1654 reply :
I like the falcon lowrider rods. I have a 7' mh and a 7' h that i use for my bottom contact lures.
You can get them for $125-140. They are super light and sensitive. They are very similar to the St. Croix avids, just a little cheaper price.
The Rooster reply :
I've never paid more than $100 for a rod and I bought just two of those. They were the older, full cork handle Shimano Compre rods. They are nice though. I've had no trouble sensing the bottom and all its details through them.
I'll get back to you on another rod though later in the year for one that's less than the $100 range, since your original posts seemed you might be interested in rods covering a broad range of price points. If you're looking for a decent budget rod, I recently bought two Cabela's Tourney Trail rods, retailing at $65 but with sale prices can be as low as $45, which is what I paid. Rods in this range aren't known for sensitivity but these do have some potential. One was just a crankbait rod but the other was bought as a heavy power, fast action for heavier jigs and plastics rigs. I haven't fished them yet, but here at home while dragging a spinnerbait slowly across the hardwood floor, I could feel the little bumps from the wood grain as the bait crossed them. That's a fair indication to me that the rod and line choice (Berkley Sensations) together might be a good one. On a side note, since this rod is the heaviest powered rod I've owned to date, and has a model number of 666, I've been referring to it as "The Devil's Sword". Haha.
38 Super Fan reply :
On 3/7/2013 at 4:23 AM, BrettD said:Ive got a couple dobyns champions and my falcon cara t-7 are more sensitive. Ive yet to try a nrx or steez they are out of my budget I try to stay under $250
+1 Love the Falcon Caras. My LTB is similar in sensitivity, but I like the balance and action of the Caras far more.
kickerfish1 reply :
On 3/7/2013 at 4:27 AM, thehooligan said:I got both my cumulus rods for $250 each, it took awhile but deals are out there. Its pretty hard to beat the sensitivity for that money. Next step down would be the older cumaras. I think there very sensitive and you can find them between $140-200 on ebay.
For a cheaper rod, i think the fenwick smallmouth rods are great, and they can be had at $99.
X2 on the cumulus, cumara, and elite tech! Add another vote for the dobyns championion extreme. For what you pay for phenix recon they are no slouch either.
BigMoneyGrip reply :
I have the Falcon Cara micro finesse jig and love it. I use it for small jigs and weightless plastics. I have the reel spooled with CXX and I can still tell what my bait is doing.
I want to get another rod for bottom contact but I can't find any reviews on what I'm looking at.
Greenstealth reply :
For the money, a carbon light is pretty darn sensitive.
livetofish28 reply :
St Croix LTB are my favorite they run from 250-280
ColdSVT reply :
cant go wrong with a LTB man!
JCiurej34 reply :
I'm also a Legend Tournament Fan, but I would go with the Legend Extremes if I had the money.
WRB reply :
The majority of my rods are custom made using Lamiglas XMG 50 series blanks. Lamiglas stopped making the XMG 50 series about 3 years ago, at that time it was the state of the art. Lamiglas may be reintroducing this blank under the Infinity name, not sure at this time.
The NRX was introduced about 2 years ago at $475 as I recall and very similar to the Lamiglas XMG 50 series blank. I wanted to add 3 more rods 2 years ago and seriously considered the NRX rods, fished with the 844 and loved the rod. I didn't go with the NRX for one reason; $100 return policy.
Looked around and discovered a custom rod builder that used Lamiglas rod blanks and knew of a blank very similar to both XMG50 and NRX; scrimless, light weight and strong. The rod builder was also the Kagin guide distributor that Dobyn's use. The rod builder offered a lifetime warranty, 30 day free trail with satisfaction garrantee, so I ordered 3 rods; 2 at 5 power for jigs and 1 at 4 power for worms. To my surprise the rods are more than expected, same weight (3.8-4 oz) as NRX and exceptional quality, under $250 each delivered.
The rod maker is ALX, contact Alex or contact the sites rod builder Delaware Tackle for his custom rods. When you get into rods over $200 there isn't any reason to go with off the self rods, unless you need to touch and feel before buying and I recommend each angler to pick up and check out a rod before buying, if they are not sure what the rod feels like.
Tom
11justin22 reply :
Don't have a lot of experience with higher end rods but for a hundred bucks my vote goes for the carbonlite. For a little more money the kistler klx looks to be fantastic. I have yet to fish it (hopefully by the end of this week) but it feels great in hand and the blank feels really crisp and alive. I also have a kistler magnesium that is good but I think the klx will be better. Fished with a gl3 before and it was good but I thought for the money it should have been a little better.
Jay Ell Gee reply :
On 3/7/2013 at 8:11 AM, livetofish28 said:St Croix LTB are my favorite they run from 250-280
I was recently loaned an LTB from a board member here and I was absolutely disgusted with the sensitivity.
Makes fishing a split shot rig feel like cheating with 8lb Yo-Zuri.
Capt.Bob reply :
There are a lot of good rods but only one can be the best!! Legend Elite finest fishing rods in the world! If you have a thing against cork they make a Legend Extreme on the same blanks for you. I like fast actions and 6' to 7' with the longer rods for deeper water presentations, for real finesse presentations extra fast actions with lighter rods and lines, Power varies from ML to MH, for bass size fish. Always run braid with Fluorocarbon leaders the structure and technique dictate the Lbs. test..
katmandew reply :
On 3/7/2013 at 4:27 AM, thehooligan said:I got both my cumulus rods for $250 each, it took awhile but deals are out there. Its pretty hard to beat the sensitivity for that money. Next step down would be the older cumaras. I think there very sensitive and you can find them between $140-200 on ebay.
For a cheaper rod, i think the fenwick smallmouth rods are great, and they can be had at $99.
aren't the new Cumaras built with last years cumulus blanks?
thehooligan reply :
On 3/7/2013 at 1:27 PM, katmandew said:aren't the new Cumaras built with last years cumulus blanks?
Thats what i hear...
OkobojiEagle reply :
Lightest weight, balanced, XF tip... you pick the brand and price point.
oe
Quitlimpin reply :
On 3/7/2013 at 8:11 AM, livetofish28 said:St Croix LTB are my favorite they run from 250-280
Granted I have only fished one LTB, but I was less than impressed with the rod that I had. It was extremely tip heavy and just felt like dead weight in my hands. The rod was rated MHXF but felt like XHXXXF. Perhaps I just had a dud, but man, it really turned me off to this line.
roadwarrior reply :
On 3/7/2013 at 2:33 AM, Quitlimpin said:I have owned/used a ton of different brands and models over the years. These are the ones that stand out to me in their respective price ranges.
$100-200--Carrot Stick and Lamiglas Certified Pro
$200-$350--Looomis GLX(pre split grip) and Dobyns Champion Extreme
$350+--NRX--Absolutely electric!
I would substitute this in your $100-$200 category: http://www.pinnaclefishing.com/shop/p-119-perfecta-dhc5.aspx#page=page-1
Here is a reiew on the same series, but a different model:
http://www.bassresource.com/fishing_lures/pinnacle-optimus-xlt-dhc-review.html
38 Super Fan reply :
On 3/7/2013 at 9:50 PM, Quitlimpin said:Granted I have only fished one LTB, but I was less than impressed with the rod that I had. It was extremely tip heavy and just felt like dead weight in my hands. The rod was rated MHXF but felt like XHXXXF. Perhaps I just had a dud, but man, it really turned me off to this line.
My 7' MHF LTB is super tip heavy too, pretty ridiculous IMO for about a $250 rod. I don't like the pool cue action much either, but it is at least a very sensitive rod. Still, overall I actually like my Phenix Recons better, and they're nearly $100 cheaper.
Diggy reply :
any more suggs
skeletor6 reply :
<$200 = Recon or Cumara
<$300 = Cumulus and Dobyns Extreme
<$400 = GLX
<$600 = NRX
My prices are based off of sales that occur often and are not too difficult to find.
Arv reply :
Sub 200 - Phenix M1
Around 250 - Dobyns Champ
Diggy reply :
Any one like the powell max's or endurance rods? I see they are on sale way below normal price.
thehooligan reply :
I've handled the endurance rods and just picked up a 683 max rod, I think you get a lot of value for the money.
Felix77 reply :
Any rod you throw hard enough will make great bottom contact.
<<I know bad joke ... LOL>>
BrettD reply :
On 3/26/2013 at 9:40 PM, Diggy said:Any one like the powell max's or endurance rods? I see they are on sale way below normal price.
I have several endurance rods and for the money they are hard to beat even at $160 but on sale they are a real bargain.
J Francho reply :
Of all my rods, Legend Tournaments and Champ Extremes are the most sensitive. However, I find plenty of sensitivity in my Avids, Eyecons, and my Pinnacle Perfecta may be a little above those.
DaveT63 reply :
I haven't tried the Dobyns yet, but can vouch for the G Loomis GLX and the St Croix Legend Xtreme/Elite. Love both, but I think I prefer the Xtreme just a bit more.
Diggy reply :
I was eyeing a dobyns champion extreme but Flukemastr has me interested in buying a duckett which is a hell of alot cheaper. I may end up with a few lightly used rods it seems.
Hyrule Bass reply :
sensitivity is overrated, the sensitivity difference in many rods is so minimal that its not worth a $200 dollar price increase. buy an ugly stik and save your time...
iabass8 reply :
On 3/27/2013 at 12:27 AM, Diggy said:I was eyeing a dobyns champion extreme but Flukemastr has me interested in buying a duckett which is a hell of alot cheaper. I may end up with a few lightly used rods it seems.
Tw's memorial day sale will be towards the last week of may so you could get a few brand new for 20% off. I'm more a fan of the champ extreme and legend xtreme but those duckets do feel nice in hand. incredibly lightweight. not a fan of the action of them though.
roadwarrior reply :
On 3/27/2013 at 2:03 AM, Red Earth said:sensitivity is overrated, the sensitivity difference in many rods is so minimal that its not worth a $200 dollar price increase. buy an ugly stik and save your time...
And there you have it...
The best bang for your buck, if you have a little patience, is in our Flea Market.
I have bought several reels and a few rods from our members.
Diggy reply :
On 3/27/2013 at 2:56 AM, roadwarrior said:And there you have it...
The best bang for your buck, if you have a little patience, is in our Flea Market.
I have bought several reels and a few rods from our members.
I will patiently wait to get an ugly stick from the flea market 
upnorthbassin reply :
I won't say sensitivity is overrated but there is certainly a point of dimishing return. The difference between a $25 rod and a $150 rod is night and day but the difference between a $150 rod and a $300 rod isn't exactly as dramatic. Even some of the cheaper rods these days are much more sensitive than they used to be.
My dobyns champion is pretty sensitive....and so is my st croix avid. I have only fished it a couple of times but my legend xtreme seems very sensitive. I don't know if I "need" that...but it can't hurt. I honestly don't think I'm a good enough angler where a minor change in equipment would mean the difference between making it or breaking it.
The thing about having nice equipment is that you only have yourself to blame if something doesn't go your way. You can't blame a botched hookset on a rod that isn't sensitive if you're fishing an NRX or a Legend Xtreme, etc.
flippin and pitchin reply :
And it won't break when your wife puts it in the trash compactor.
Uncle Leo reply :
There were many good suggestion made but a rod is just one tool you will use for bottom baits. If T-rigging Tungsten will enhance sensitivity. Also line choice can be considered. Braid and flourocarbon also will enhance sensitivity. Nothing beats a finger on the line though. Consider all these as tools also.
Hooked_On_Bass reply :
I use GLX rods for my bottom contact baits. I'm a big fan!
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