Edge Rods

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Kelly Ripa
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Edge Rods

Post by Kelly Ripa »

In my never ending quest for a new rod to replace my favorite 20+ year old Loomis dropshot rod I did some research after my replacement rod got to me. I then took my brand new replacement to a local tackle store and put it on consignment as I now consider G Loomis rods (aka. Shimano) high priced junk until you really fork out the cash for the highest tier available.

In my research I found out that Gary sold the company when diagnosed with cancer. In the sale he was not allowed to use his name for 5 years. After that he must have whipped cancer as he has been a busy boy. He has designed/made new machinery and is now involved with edge rods right down the street from his old factory. If you go to the Edge rod site you can see a couple of videos with explanations of the new rods.

When I saw the rods and the carbon fiber handle I was all in. Back in 1988 I bought Loomis rods from a tackle store in Santa Barbara that were customized Loomis blanks by the owner Glenn Cantello with carbon fiber handles which were Tennessee style. You used electrical tape to put your reel exactly where you needed it for balance. Those rods won me angler of the year that year because of the sensitivity and the handle. The handle makes a bite ring like a bell vs. cork.

I ordered and got a Black Widow Rod with the following specs. 6' 10"...4-10 lb...1/8-1/4oz...I have been fishing with it for a month now. I find that rod in my hand all day long now. It has made my hook set scary good with not only hooking fish in the upper lip almost always but the ratio went up as well( nearly 100%). I have found I can feel fish I did not or would not have known were there on a regular basis. I have caught fish with it in 2 feet all the way to 52 feet with a 3/16 oz. sinker. Right now at Casitas I am able to parachute a worm down on meter marks and catch fish straight under the boat. It kind of reminds me of the guys who fish small mouth on the St. Lawrence I have seen in Tournaments on Television. I tried a 1/4 oz. sinker just to satisfy my curiosity and the fish would not eat the baits...However the rods response to the heavier sinker was zero as it felt the same in my hand with that weight.

I still have another 20+ year old Loomis dropshot in my arsenal but it seems heavy and clunky in comparison. I truly could go on forever about the rods other features and I wanted to pass on my experiences so far. I got the rod on a Black Friday deal and that was 4 weeks ago and is still going on. When sensitivity is an issue in your bite I would consider putting one of these rods in your hands as they far exceed my expectations and that is saying a lot.
I give it :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen: 5 thumbs up.
Rip
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milehi
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by milehi »

Been using tennessee handles since the 70's, only way to go as far as I'm concerned.
johnb
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by johnb »

where did you get the drop shot rod from and what model is it . Thanks John
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Kelly Ripa
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by Kelly Ripa »

Go to the edge rod website click on bass rods. Mine is a Black Widow. So it's a 6100-1. It's normally 450 I got mine on sale 6 weeks ago at 10% off at 340 shipped. They are now 30% off at 265 you cannot miss this sale....Dang now I gotta by another. :lol:
Coming to me as of this morning
Silver Widow MBR 736-1 on the way $346 vs MSRP $675..... the 30% is this weekend only from what I saw
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vipcob
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by vipcob »

I have been wanting to try these rods for a while now. This is the first positive review I've seen in quite some time. I've done a lot of research and all I see on you tube and on BBC is nothing but horrible customer service and weeks if not months before the rods get delivered. I want to give these a shot since they look the part but man, I'm skeptical. Kelly Ripa has been around a long time and I value his opinion..... What to do??? Has anyone else had any dealings with Edge rods, good or bad? Let's here it please!
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Kelly Ripa
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by Kelly Ripa »

Well I've not had to deal with anyone at this time from Edge. I am still waiting for an expediter rod (7months now) from G Loomis and will never go back to The old G. Loomis (AKA Shimano) company again. I ordered my first rod from Edge expecting a 3-5 week build as that's what it said on the site when I purchased my Black widow. 10 days later it was at my doorstep. I have no experiences with the "Company" that weren't positive and I don't see any down the road as the workmanship on these all USA built rods is truly first rate. This is my new rod company until they take over half a year to respond. :lol:

Rip

I had second thoughts about spreading the word on these rods but I figured I would pass along my experiences (all good). Why give my competition any of my found advantages in these rods but since I no longer compete I wanted the nutcases here to benefit. If anyone is unhappy with the product I would be very surprised.
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Smokie
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by Smokie »

man o man... i agree the new loomis suck compared to the old school... I'm trying to talk my old pard outta this castaway he has that was my favorite jerk bait rod till he took it back... nothing ive picked up i liked as much, and this is one from the 90's from a bud who was heavy sponsored by castaway back than... I got big into drop shotting way back and tooled around until i fell upon rogue rods, took a steelhead trip and learned of their exsistance. I fell in love with my dropshot rod from them, i had a med light 7ft ds rod and boy did i love it, it fell in the lake and i went swimming for hours, but my luck was i was up a river arm with massive undercurrent and never got it back, my uncle got some laughs and good pictures watching me try and cry i even went back the next day trying to find it down deep. i caught the rogue rods going outta business sale and bought the last three mediums they had, but the medium light i loved so much was sold out and id be hard pressed to find that exact rod from somebody that dont want theirs, i love love love my mediums i replaced it with, i put one up in case i ever snapped my work stick, but the med light was it... I also learned about cush its and will never have that problem again since all my expensive rods now float :lol: thanks shaw grigsby videos, goooooollly them things work and i like the balanced feeling they add as well... I just heard about edge recently and was wondering what some of you wingnuts thought about em as I was really sad to see rogue rods close their doors, i own a decent assortment of their work and love their big swimbait rods immensely... so very few companys are true american made when it comes to rods and i found my happy with rogue rods till they shut down sadly but im glad to see gary not giving up but going a different direction im def gonna have to keep my eye on them
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ash
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by ash »

I get it Rip, I felt the same way when i first had my Evola Drop Shot rod. It's getting tired now after 20yrs of service and I am looking to switch it to the Fenwick WorldClass rod. I have a Fenwick World Class casting rod and it's so well balanced and sensitive it puts a smile on my face when I use it. and i think that's what your ultimately speaking to, having a rod that just sings for you. :)
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missinglink
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by missinglink »

Kelly Ripa wrote: Fri Nov 26, 2021 8:40 pm Go to the edge rod website click on bass rods. Mine is a Black Widow. So it's a 6100-1. It's normally 450 I got mine on sale 6 weeks ago at 10% off at 340 shipped. They are now 30% off at 265 you cannot miss this sale....Dang now I gotta by another. :lol:
Coming to me as of this morning
Silver Widow MBR 736-1 on the way $346 vs MSRP $675..... the 30% is this weekend only from what I saw
Sorry for the resurrection, google search came up with this post.

Did you get that Silver widow, what do you think?

Thank you!
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Kelly Ripa
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by Kelly Ripa »

It's okay to resurrect this one. :D I did get a Silver Widow to add to the BlackWidow dropshot rod. I do believe there is some kind of electrical thing going on with it as when you get bit on it. It feels like you've been crushed. The vapor deposition of nickle to the handle must create this feeling.It is an Edge LMX MBR 736-1/fast/med heavy 7'3" 8-16 1/4-3/4oz.It will do anything I want to do exceptionally well. My best overall rod in my possession with my blackwidow it's win/win. A nicer better rod will be tough to find...I'll probably post about my next edge rod :wink:
Rip
by the way they are on sale now except 2 different rods everything they make is on sale in such a way as you get more savings the more you buy. It is my experience that it averages about 6- 7 weeks from your order. That's what I like about them as they feel like it was built just for you.
LET'S GO BRANDON
Remember ...What the Dormouse said...Feed your head!
missinglink
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by missinglink »

Kelly Ripa wrote: Mon Nov 28, 2022 12:46 pm It's okay to resurrect this one. :D I did get a Silver Widow to add to the BlackWidow dropshot rod. I do believe there is some kind of electrical thing going on with it as when you get bit on it. It feels like you've been crushed. The vapor deposition of nickle to the handle must create this feeling.It is an Edge LMX MBR 736-1/fast/med heavy 7'3" 8-16 1/4-3/4oz.It will do anything I want to do exceptionally well. My best overall rod in my possession with my blackwidow it's win/win. A nicer better rod will be tough to find...I'll probably post about my next edge rod :wink:
Rip
by the way they are on sale now except 2 different rods everything they make is on sale in such a way as you get more savings the more you buy. It is my experience that it averages about 6- 7 weeks from your order. That's what I like about them as they feel like it was built just for you.
Precisely why I had been asking, thank you for the feedback.
basshol
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by basshol »

Well I have the new edge rod and I gotta say the rod is f****** great but the tip is s*** They have some funky design on the tip and when you have line running through it you hook a fish the tip folds over So basically I can't even use the rod just worried that it's gonna break one of these times I keep bending the tip back
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Kelly Ripa
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by Kelly Ripa »

Don't know what you bought as I have never had anything like that happen and I use braid which can be wicked for looping onto a tip but that's just just an operator error on my part ...very rare. How do you bend a ceramic guide on a rod?
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JVGondal
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by JVGondal »

I have been fishing with edge rods for some years
Actually I have purchased the blanks and build them myself (north fork blanks)
I have 2 black widows as well

Hands down best rods I ever owned

North fork banks is edge rods.
Right now the black widow blanks are 87 dollars

If you wrap your own rods it’s impossible to beat

Yes at times customer service has been terrible for me as well.
However once you get through about a rod that’s taking longer than expected they will credit your money back immediately if you choose not to wait any longer for the finest rod built

If you want a rod from edge rods quickly it’s best to call them and order over the phone as you will get what they have on hand in a week or 2

Order online and it might be a long time before you see a rod

It may be better now as they were or are a company with growing pains and short handed

Gary Loomis rod blanks are the greatest on the planet in my opinion

If you have patience you will be very happy and never look back

Remember these are Hand made rods in America out of a smaller businesses run by Gary Loomis

Not some China junk
I myself refuse to buy to China Rods
I beilive Kistker rods use north fork blanks
That just one mans option
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Kelly Ripa
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by Kelly Ripa »

If you are buying blanks what handle are you using?
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JVGondal
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by JVGondal »

I use cork rings to make a handle.
North fork sells handles as well

Truthfully I like cork The black widow handle is very nice but I find it slippery
The handle is more sensitive but with the cut out in the reel seat my finger rest on the blank
Can it get any better than that ?

I see you dug deep enough to know about how edge came to be. Before edge Gary had only north fork blanks. If you wanted a true Loomis rod ordering a blank and building it or having it built by Somone was the only way

Some where out there is a video tour from 2011 or so. In it Gary Talks a machine that rolls the graphite tighter than anyone else. A method kept secret
JVGondal
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by JVGondal »

Also the industry is looking at new handle material because cork is becoming hard to obtain and expensive
Even the wine industry
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Kelly Ripa
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by Kelly Ripa »

Any opinion on the titanium wire single foot guides? Then I'll stop bug'n ya :wink:
Last edited by Kelly Ripa on Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JVGondal
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by JVGondal »

Are you talking about the guide without an insert?
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Kelly Ripa
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by Kelly Ripa »

Yes. I was reading about the new Epitome rods and they are using them from stem to stern on that rod and he now has a way to use air for scrim instead of paper or chopped nano carbon.Keep it coming is all I can say... :wink:
LET'S GO BRANDON
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JVGondal
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by JVGondal »

I like the guides. I have a edge rod for drop shot with them. Light and No inserts to pop out
Braid makes a noise when reeling in. Not bad
I would buy those again.
JVGondal
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Re: Edge Rods

Post by JVGondal »

Here is the rod
I use it for crappie trout and drop shot in clear water lakes
Attachments
This is the rod with said eyes.  I love it
This is the rod with said eyes. I love it
38F95203-F60E-4375-91B9-C900A2557711.jpeg
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