TFO Rods - BigLake411 Members - Try it before you buy it!

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Smoke where do I post my comment on the rod that I demo'd?

[jsmoke222000]

post it here in this thread.

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I got a 7' medium action casting rod from jsmoke a few weeks ago. My boat is in the shop so it took me a few days to get down to the beach & test it out. I put my shimano Curado 200e7 with 14 lb mono on the rod. We were throwing top water lures early in the morning & I could definitely tell a difference in this rod & the ones I am used to using (Allstar). I was able to cast a good bit farther using the TFO rod. I guess it's because of the larger guides on the rod. I really like the feel of the rod. It fits in my hand really well & is very sensitive. The rod held up great to a 26" redfish that I caught on my 3rd cast! I switched to a 1/4 lead head and sand eel. Ended up catching nearly 20 trout and 3 reds with this rod. I also took it fishing in my boat and caught several reds at the weirs. It handled again perfect. Overall I was very impressed with the rod & I would definitely buy one if they were available locally.

[r_jackson]

I finally make it back down to lake chuck & met up with jsmoke to try out a 7' medium spinning rod. I launched @ Calcasieu Point & bought a quart of live shrimp for the trip. We headed to Turners bay & drifted over a few reefs throwing live shrimp under a popping cork. I really like the feel of the TFO rod. It is much lighter than the rods I normally use. I have 2 allstars & a few uglysticks. The rod held up to everything we caught including a 13 lb black drum. I noticed a big difference in regards to how far I can cast with this rod. I use 20 lb mono & it tends to hold a memory because I don't get to fish as often as I would like to. I really can't think of anything negative to say about the rods other than not being able to get them @ Academy. Anything Gary Loomis puts his hands on tends to be top notch, these rods are no exception. I'm looking forward to getting me a few of these rods in the very near future. Thanks for letting me try it out jsmoke.

[jsmoke222000]

No problem man, glad you liked the rod.

[jsmoke222000]

Guys, I ran back to my house this morning & I'll be here for a few hours. I have 2 more TFO rods to pass around. I have a 7' medium action saltwater spinning rod and a 7' medium heavy action fresh water spinning rod. If anyone is going to be around Moss Bluff or Lake Charles in the next few hours & wants to meet up, let me know. Ray, I can drop one off somewhere for you if you want me to. Just let me know.

[Gottogo49]

I tested the TFO Rod SWC 7’ M
Nice rod, good feel.
I prefer Medium Light for most of my fishing.
This rod has 9 guides plus tip vs. 8 on most of my rods.
The guides do not decrease in size as they approach the tip (just an observation).
Maybe it’s just me but the rod seems a little heavy in the tip.
That’s probably more due to the fact that it is a medium action that that the tip guides are larger.
The first two guides are triple footed and the rest are single footed.
I have a couple of rods that have all guides that are triple footed. (maybe heavier but much more durable, I somehow manage to mash the single footed guides.) The hook keeper is nice, I add one to my rods that don’t have one.
I like a bigger fore grip; it’s a holdover from my bass worm fishing days. When fishing corkies or mirrodines, I hold the fore grip with my fingers on the line. You can detect tiny bites that way. Hank Parker does that too.
I like a whole cork butt grip, it feels better to me. I use a double hand butt grip to get more distance from a cast. I have some arthritis in my hands and my grip is not strong with only one hand. The butt cap is too big to fit in my homemade rod holder (a minor thing for sure but could be a problem only for me). My honest opinion is that it is a nice rod and it casts very well but I would not buy it mainly because of the split butt grip.
To each his own, I guess that is why there are so many different rods in the stores. Thanks for letting me try it.

[jsmoke222000]

Thanks for the feedback. Believe it or not, this is probably the most helpful review thus far. Everyone has their own style of fishing & not everyone is gonna rave over a medium action rod when they are used to using something else. Thanks again for the honest review.

[Ray]

I have a big job going on at my house when I get home. I prolly won't be able to fish till after the next 2 weekends are come and gone.
I will holler when I am ready.

[jsmoke222000]

Sounds good. Who ever is up next there is a 7' medium casting rod (Gottago49 is ready to pass it) & the 2 spinning rods I mentioned previously are @ my house. Fishintechnician82 & his brotha-n-law have a 7' medium casting & 7' medium heavy casting right now. I'm sure they will post a review shortly.