Got something in the mail the other day. Well, not the mail – UPS, but you can’t get something “in the UPS.”
That’s it right there in the picture. It’s a titanium feather topped with a reelin’ machine designed by Tony Stark.
Yep. A G. Loomis NRX853C Jig & Worm rod (7′ 1″, med-heavy, extra-fast tip) with a Shimano Core 100 casting reel (6.2:1, magnesium/aluminum). Left-hand retrieve because I learned that way up here in Jersey, and I ain’t changin’!
I was assured by friends at Loomis and Shimano that I “won’t find a lighter, more sensitive outfit anywhere on the planet.” I believe it. Can’t verify it – maybe the guys at Tackle Tour would know for sure – but dang!
I don’t know for sure because Loomis doesn’t weigh its rods and I don’t have a way to weigh something that light. But since the reel weighs 6.1 ounces, I’m putting the entire weight of the combo at 6.2 ounces.
More on the NRX
Here’s more on the rod from Bruce Holt at Loomis: “The NRX rod represents a trend towards improved resin systems that help us create stronger, more durable blanks that allow us to use higher-modulus materials than we’ve ever used before.
“It allows us to tease the edge of the envelope with rods that are not only extremely light, but radically sensitive. Because we now have a blank that is so much lighter, we can employ the split-grip handle configuration to give it perfect balance.”
[The fact that Loomis rods keep getting lighter is pretty incredible, and makes me wonder how much lighter fishing rods can get. There has to be a limit, right?]
He added, “The trend towards split handles came about as a method to help reduce overall rod weight, but many [other] rods are tip-heavy and don’t balance well, even when the reel is in place.”
[I don’t design fishing rods, but found it interesting that one Loomis designs rods in part by testing reels on them. (Btw, the NRX rods were in development for 1.5 years.)]
“We design our rods with a tactical swing-weight, taking into consideration the reel position as well as its weight,” Bruce said. “We want the rod to feel as light as possible in the angler’s hands.
“Ultimately, the goal is to make the cast and the hookset to be effortless. The less weight you have to move in either direction provides the most efficient use of the blank’s dynamics.”
NRX Stories
Bruce is a heck of a fisherman, and has handed my a** to me on more than one semi-competitive occasion. Even if that’s not too tough (lol), he never lets me forget it. Anyhow, here are a couple stories from him about the testing of this rod:
> “When I first tested these rods I fished smallmouths in the Columbia. I pitched a tube up into a little stretch of quick water that ran between two humps in pretty good current. The tube hit the bottom, bounced a couple of times and then there was a slight tick. I knew I felt something, but it wasn’t [a normal bite]. I set the hook anyway. It was a 4 1/2-pound smallmouth, and I’m confident I would’ve never felt that fish on any other rod – including our GLX rods and that’s one heck of a sensitive stick.”
> “As for toughness, I’ve been fishing for big tiger muskie here locally. More learning than catching, but I had one of the new NRX854C JWR [Jig & Worm] rods rigged with Power Pro in my boat so I tied on a swimbait and went to the lake. I figured if that rod could handle one of those big critters it could handle just about any bass that swims. Caught a 30-pounder that day and have caught several more since, all on that NRX casting rod. It handled those fish exceptionally well and never faltered.”
Testing on Other Bass
I’ll be testing “my” NRX/Core combo on Jersey coastal stripers this spring. I’ll be super lucky if I catch a 30-pounder, but that really doesn’t matter: If the rod lets me fish deep with more sensitivity and get the hook in there better, I’m super happy. I need all the help I can get with these fishes.
I say “my” because here’s what happened when the rod and reel arrived:
That’s my son. He ripped open the boxes (literally – before I even saw them), put the reel on the rod and promptly dubbed it “his.” I gotta say – I loved it.
I let him do a couple air hooksets with it until he smacked a ceiling fan blade, then coaxed it away from him. Hope I get to fish with it….
More on NRX Weight
> Just to put the weight (or lack thereof) of these NRX rods in perspective, here’s an example from Bruce Holt using fly rods: “A 9-foot #8 NRX fly rod feels like a 9-foot #6 GLX fly rod, both in swing weight as well as physical weight. That’s the equivalent of reducing the rod weight as much as two full line-sizes.”
40 Comments
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Terry Bone
March 30, 2011 at 10:36 am
I think my Shimano Core (right handed model of course) and Kister z-bone rod combo will give you a run for the money in weight and sensitivity!
Tumblebug
March 30, 2011 at 10:52 am
Geez would I like to have one of those…..
carl h
March 30, 2011 at 10:55 am
I’m convinced, I need to get my hands on one of these bad boys.
Martin
March 30, 2011 at 11:18 am
Ceiling fans and fishing rods don’t mix. Remove those fans or send me the rod.
Mike Fillmer
March 30, 2011 at 11:24 am
SWEET!!!
David X
March 30, 2011 at 11:26 am
Nice combo!
Ed Schumske
March 30, 2011 at 11:37 am
That sounds logical to me, I reel with my left hand!! I might have to check into those bait castin reels.
Austin L.
March 30, 2011 at 11:40 am
I want gimme gimme.
Rett
March 30, 2011 at 11:48 am
NICE!!! Now, if only I had $700 to drop on the combo.
Brandon Sitzler
March 30, 2011 at 11:49 am
My heart would have sank into my stomach watching that rod hit the ceiling fan! Awesome having a son thats into fishing isnt it! Too bad hes a giants fan though jk jk jk lol
Jody White
March 30, 2011 at 11:59 am
Shweet!
Jeremy S
March 30, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Yeah, ceiling fans and high modulus graphite don’t mix.
Hopefully the office manager will get me a new keyboard since this one is covered in drool.
Skeeter VD
March 30, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Would LOVE this combo!
Dustin Wrona
March 30, 2011 at 12:51 pm
Very nice!
The Bass chronicles
March 30, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Seriously Jay, what’s it like to have a $450 rod and be incredibly good looking?!
Congrats on the new rig. Snawsome.
admin (mostly Jay)
March 30, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Dude, you are scaring me…rod…good-looking….
John
March 30, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Great looking rod and reel. Thanks for sharing!
Randy
March 30, 2011 at 1:22 pm
I pitch and flip left handed. This combo would be a great fit for me. It would also be a great rig to pass on to my 4 year old grandson when the time comes.
Trevor Trousil
March 30, 2011 at 2:01 pm
Is there a reason loomis doesn’t weigh there rods? I would think that would be a big selling point. Hard to imagine something that is that much more sensitive than a GLX.
Rick Ford
March 30, 2011 at 2:58 pm
I’ve actually broke the tip off of a rod in the ceiling fan, needless to say the rods don’t come into the living room anymore.
Jason Douglas
March 30, 2011 at 3:16 pm
Nice looking combo!
Joe
March 30, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Very nice combo.
5bites
March 30, 2011 at 4:04 pm
I wish manufactures or retailers like Tackle Warehouse would put the rods weight in it’s description. Why not?
I’m going to take an archery scale to bps and do some weighing sometime hopefully soon.
hippie
March 30, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Iwould like to get my hands on one of those feather sticks.
Bass Pundit
March 30, 2011 at 4:23 pm
Like the Camper Van Beethoven sings “When I win the lottery” although I wouldn’t want that “hunk o junk Shimano Core”. I’d put a right handed Daiwa on it.
Rich Arnold
March 30, 2011 at 6:03 pm
OMG!!!! The dynamic duo….or…the new dream team?
Jesse Hall
March 30, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Ya, that’s a pretty sweet lookin’ rod! I would love to have something that sensitive for a jig rod.
Chad Keogh
March 30, 2011 at 6:50 pm
I’m sure rods will continue to get lighter. I’m sure they’ll get to a point where they will start filling them with a helium-like gas that will actually make them a negative weight…
Steve
March 30, 2011 at 7:04 pm
That’s the stuff!
Chance C.
March 31, 2011 at 7:13 am
Nice! I hope to win one some day!
Jason_Komo
March 31, 2011 at 11:10 am
I still have a spot open in my rod rack for one of these bad boys.
Mark Curtis
March 31, 2011 at 12:00 pm
haha that would probably have been me when i was younger
Allen Jackson
March 31, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Very nice set up I would love to have a setup like that some day.
Dan
March 31, 2011 at 7:16 pm
Sure would be nice to own one of those. A bit out of my range.
Jay
March 31, 2011 at 7:57 pm
Pretty sweet. I… who am I kidding? I’m just posting I can get my name in the drawing.
Jeremy Adair
April 1, 2011 at 4:17 pm
Sounds like a dream setup. C’mon April 6th! …or whenever the next drawing is.
samuel groves
April 1, 2011 at 6:19 pm
NICE!
So nice in fact,I would keep that outfit locked up in the gun safe when i wasn’t using it.
YankeeBasser
April 2, 2011 at 5:54 pm
Haven’t had a new rod in quite a long while. Since pitchin’ and flippin’ are my forte I’m sure that I could find room for an awesome stick like this. For me personally, I do all my reeling left-handed. Switching hands after a cast even if it only takes a second adds up to lost time over the thousands of casts I make per year. And less casting equals less time with your lure in the water which in turn translates into less fish in the boat. At least that’s what Kevin VanDam says. But then again he uses right-handed baitcasters, so……..
MNAngler
April 5, 2011 at 11:22 am
It’s amazing what they can do with rod technology these days. I’d love to try it out. 🙂
MTW
April 6, 2011 at 9:43 am
Feelin’ lucky today!