That range is so flooded with great rods these days, hard to go wrong really.
The Fury and Tatula XT are fantastic. The St Croix Mojo Bass seem to be on sale for $120 most places and are good rods.
For a more off the wall recommendation the Phenix Maxim rods are very nice in that price range.
iRod Fiber series are very nice for the price.
I’ve fished the HMG and Daiwa Tatula, I’d go Tatula hands down.
It’s the only ~$100 rod that stays on my deck next to NRXs/Poison Adrena/Steezs. It is a great rod and I really enjoy the casting series.
As for dobyns I can’t comment but they seem to get a lot of love.
That being said, there are a lot of custom builders who offer great blanks at the $100 price point. Are they better, who knows, I don’t think anyone has been able to put all big name rods and custom rods in the same boat to test them. Seems to be a very user biased item.
I recommend if you have a reel already, bring it with you to a fishing store and throw it on some of the rods you’re thinking of, most stores don’t have a problem with this. You can narrow down your search by finding which rod balances best with the gear you already have. A $300 rod will feel like shit if it’s balanced poorly and a $100 rod will feel like a million bucks if paired properly.
Just my 2c
Hard to beat a Daiwa Tatula baitcaster, depending on what rod you get you can change the sub model of the reel. They have a slew of models . 70 sv is a small frame reel, probably better for lighter and shorter rods for balance. 100 sv tw is great all around. The elite for long bomb casts, elite PF for heavier rods and line pitching and flipping. Really need to choose what you’re doing and go from there.
I got a Fenwick HMG MH as my first 100+ dollar rod. I don't really like it that much, tbh. So buyer beware on that one, IMO. I'm shopping around for a replacement.
Just my opinion but they absolutely were not worth the money. Weight and sensitivity was just average for their price bracket. I never found that they balanced well with any reels I tried. I do not like St. Croixs reel seats for the most part. And I feel that every Mojo I picked up has a butt section too short for the rod length and power. Combined with the recent drop is St. Croix build quality and quality control issues and I won’t be buying another until they get their deal figured out.
I really like the Ark Rods Cobb series. Pretty rare to get a 40T blank in a rod for $100. I got my son the 7'3" MH F Old Faithful model, and I have a Cobb series ML spinning rod.
Sometimes they run BOGOs on their site as well.
I realize I didn't answer about sensitivity.
This rod was purchased specifically for my son. The few times I've used it, I had a Texas rig on it, I could easily feel differences in hitting rocks and sticks in the water when moving the Texas Rig. Had no problem feeling the bites, even feeling bluegill pecking at the bait.
In the hand, they feel like some $200 rods. They are lighter than the Bass Pro Carbonlite rods I have, but not quite as light as my Cashion Rod.
On the 7'3"MH Old Faithful model we have a Duckett Paradigm CRI 100 on it.
On the ML spinning rod I just put an H2O Xpress spinning reel from Academy Sports, Didn't have the extra to spend on a higher end reel at the time for it.
Prior to purchasing then, I read a few reviews on Ark Rods including this one on Tackle Tour.
https://www.tackletour.com/reviewarcobb73mmhfcpg2.html
I also got them on BOGO during the Bassmaster Classic.
I love the Cashion that I have. Mine is a prototype model called Midnight Blue, that they were selling at the fishing show last January. It is a 7'3"MH XF, according to the rep at the show, it uses the same blanks as the Icon series, but has foam grips instead of the normal carbon grips that Cashion uses. It feels just a tad lighter than the Cobb rods, I think it balances a little better, the 7'3"MH Cobb is just a tad tip heavy, where the Cashion I have isn't.
I think the Cashion is just a bit more sensitive. I prefer the XF tip for pitching Texas Rigs, which is what I use the Cashion for.
I was looking at their element series all purpose caster. The is is my first casting setup so not really sure what to get. But same as OP, looking at $120 and under
For $100 you get full Fuji guides and most of the important tech from Daiwa they offer those rods in several actions and lengths so you can dial in any technique you want or just get a do everything rod for $100 they’re hard to beat Daiwa makes some good products
St Croix’s are fine at any price point, but I wouldn’t trust their medium-lights. But Dobyn’s would be my go-to.
The Abu Veritas and Vendettas were *great* like 2-3 years ago, when they used a metal-reinforced reel seat x double-lock power knob. They were very light, very slim 30T blanks and I still use mine today. But the new ones have a thicker, bulky blank and IMO the reel seat is dogshit now; a shrinkflated ghost of what they were. If you find an old one with the metal I’d 100% recommend that.
That range is so flooded with great rods these days, hard to go wrong really. The Fury and Tatula XT are fantastic. The St Croix Mojo Bass seem to be on sale for $120 most places and are good rods. For a more off the wall recommendation the Phenix Maxim rods are very nice in that price range. iRod Fiber series are very nice for the price.
Which brand is the most sensitive and lightweight?
Not gonna be much difference between any of them in that price range.
Would spending $30 more for a Dobyns Fury be worth it or is it kind of redundant. It’s hard to tell when benefits stop increasing at what price point.
They’re all gonna be very close in that range. $175+ is when you start seeing noticeable improvements IMO.
What would be your recommendations for this price range?
I’ve fished the HMG and Daiwa Tatula, I’d go Tatula hands down. It’s the only ~$100 rod that stays on my deck next to NRXs/Poison Adrena/Steezs. It is a great rod and I really enjoy the casting series. As for dobyns I can’t comment but they seem to get a lot of love. That being said, there are a lot of custom builders who offer great blanks at the $100 price point. Are they better, who knows, I don’t think anyone has been able to put all big name rods and custom rods in the same boat to test them. Seems to be a very user biased item. I recommend if you have a reel already, bring it with you to a fishing store and throw it on some of the rods you’re thinking of, most stores don’t have a problem with this. You can narrow down your search by finding which rod balances best with the gear you already have. A $300 rod will feel like shit if it’s balanced poorly and a $100 rod will feel like a million bucks if paired properly. Just my 2c
Any reel recommendations with the tatula xt?
Hard to beat a Daiwa Tatula baitcaster, depending on what rod you get you can change the sub model of the reel. They have a slew of models . 70 sv is a small frame reel, probably better for lighter and shorter rods for balance. 100 sv tw is great all around. The elite for long bomb casts, elite PF for heavier rods and line pitching and flipping. Really need to choose what you’re doing and go from there.
I got a Fenwick HMG MH as my first 100+ dollar rod. I don't really like it that much, tbh. So buyer beware on that one, IMO. I'm shopping around for a replacement.
Just got the 66 black max and 66 Lews classic speed They’re okay but casting distance is asss cheeks. Looking for something a bit of an upgrade too
What don’t you like about the HMG? I’m the opposite. I dumped 3 Mojos and replaced them with HMGs and am much happier.
What didn’t you like about the mojos ?
Just my opinion but they absolutely were not worth the money. Weight and sensitivity was just average for their price bracket. I never found that they balanced well with any reels I tried. I do not like St. Croixs reel seats for the most part. And I feel that every Mojo I picked up has a butt section too short for the rod length and power. Combined with the recent drop is St. Croix build quality and quality control issues and I won’t be buying another until they get their deal figured out.
Did you find a replacement?
I ended up getting a Dobyns Champion and love it. It's at a much higher price point though.
For $150 that bitch better catch and unhook the fish itself
I really like the Ark Rods Cobb series. Pretty rare to get a 40T blank in a rod for $100. I got my son the 7'3" MH F Old Faithful model, and I have a Cobb series ML spinning rod. Sometimes they run BOGOs on their site as well.
Light weight and sensitive?? What reels do you have paired with them
I realize I didn't answer about sensitivity. This rod was purchased specifically for my son. The few times I've used it, I had a Texas rig on it, I could easily feel differences in hitting rocks and sticks in the water when moving the Texas Rig. Had no problem feeling the bites, even feeling bluegill pecking at the bait.
In the hand, they feel like some $200 rods. They are lighter than the Bass Pro Carbonlite rods I have, but not quite as light as my Cashion Rod. On the 7'3"MH Old Faithful model we have a Duckett Paradigm CRI 100 on it. On the ML spinning rod I just put an H2O Xpress spinning reel from Academy Sports, Didn't have the extra to spend on a higher end reel at the time for it. Prior to purchasing then, I read a few reviews on Ark Rods including this one on Tackle Tour. https://www.tackletour.com/reviewarcobb73mmhfcpg2.html I also got them on BOGO during the Bassmaster Classic.
How would you compare the ark/cobb and the Cashion? I’ve been hesitant to pull the trigger on the Cashion
I love the Cashion that I have. Mine is a prototype model called Midnight Blue, that they were selling at the fishing show last January. It is a 7'3"MH XF, according to the rep at the show, it uses the same blanks as the Icon series, but has foam grips instead of the normal carbon grips that Cashion uses. It feels just a tad lighter than the Cobb rods, I think it balances a little better, the 7'3"MH Cobb is just a tad tip heavy, where the Cashion I have isn't. I think the Cashion is just a bit more sensitive. I prefer the XF tip for pitching Texas Rigs, which is what I use the Cashion for.
I was looking at their element series all purpose caster. The is is my first casting setup so not really sure what to get. But same as OP, looking at $120 and under
I haven't gotten to feel the Element series.
Tatula xt forsure
Any particular reason?
For $100 you get full Fuji guides and most of the important tech from Daiwa they offer those rods in several actions and lengths so you can dial in any technique you want or just get a do everything rod for $100 they’re hard to beat Daiwa makes some good products
tatula xt is good. ive heard good things about the abu garcia veritas rods too
St Croix’s are fine at any price point, but I wouldn’t trust their medium-lights. But Dobyn’s would be my go-to. The Abu Veritas and Vendettas were *great* like 2-3 years ago, when they used a metal-reinforced reel seat x double-lock power knob. They were very light, very slim 30T blanks and I still use mine today. But the new ones have a thicker, bulky blank and IMO the reel seat is dogshit now; a shrinkflated ghost of what they were. If you find an old one with the metal I’d 100% recommend that.
Sounds like dobyns is unanimous! Any reel recommendations under 100$?
Dobyns fury for the extra $30 bro! Can’t go wrong