It's not that I need a new fishing pole...I just decided to treat myself to one.
I have been a St. Croix rod fanboy for a while, but I've decided to spread out into the Shimano rods some. I just went to Joe's Sporting Goods and as usual their selection of rods are sort of dismal. However they did have one rod that I've been sort of wanting for a while. 7' ML in baitcasting rod Shimano Zodias.
Originally I was contemplating about the St. Croix Legend Tournament in 6'10" ML casting rod retailing just shy of $300. Compared to Shimano Zodias 7' ML coming in at $200 retail. The Shimano rod is a bit softer compared to the St. Croix. There was a Diawa rod Chronos 7' ML but it was significantly stiffer in flex compared to the Shimano Zodias. Although the Diawa was cheaper in at $169 Joe's retail, the handle component was also drastically cheaper in quality when compared side by side to the Shimano Zodias.
I also played with some of the Shimano Conquest rods, but at #%@# $600 ouch pearls.
The 7' ML Shimiano Zodias came home with me. Now I just need to pair it with a reel.