Sometimes you just want something. I tell my kids you have to have that one thing you save for. It keeps you going to work.

Shimano Expride are another excellent mid range rod 👍🏻

The thing about high end gear is that it’s so easy to get deep discounts on them. Especially with American Legacy’s whole used deal. I got my first NRX+, an 853c from them for $450 and you couldn’t even tell it was used. It has been the ultimate 3/16 oz Texas rig setup so far

Great video Mitch. I appreciate your honest review.

thanks for your honesty!

Good video with educated opinions. You saved me the time and money! Thanks

One of the most honest and straight forward reviews I have seen in awhile. By the way, your review on the Rebellion rods sold me on buying two of them, fantastic rods. Thanks for the videos and very well done.

Solid vid. Agreed, poison adrenas and exprides will definitely get the job done. But as a snob, i love fishing with my conquests,NRXs, AGSs,and P5s. Lol. Always will. The sensitivity is just too much fun.

Thanks !

Totally agreed dude. I have some high end stuff because I’ve been fishing for a while and maybe buy one or two combos per year. For newer guys, absolutely zero need to go high end. I’ve seen KZfaq videos of guys who only co angle or bank fish fishing with multiple 1000 dollar combos. Priority should be getting a kayak or a boat and getting off the bank first to really help your fishing out imo.

Good vid bro, i whole heartedly 100% agree with you. 👍 when i started fishing as a kid my dad got me the good old Uglystik like when i was 10yrs old cause i probably wouldn't break it 😅 . I actually still have it. it's more sentimental now. Now i that im older, I have much nicer rods but i caught tons of fish on that 50$ Uglystik. I see rods like cars they all get you there one way or another just some are nicer than others is all. Def buy and use what u can afford. And also if you can definitely treat yourself sometimes. If you find something really nice and its at the right place, right time, right price do it. Dont look at numbers to much it only takes away what you enjoy in the first place, which is FISHING!

Well said 👏 👌. Was looking at nrx plus and this video popped up. Thabks. I'm having 2nd thoughts. Thanks

Without a doubt, the best no-fishing fishing video I've seen in a good while! I'm big on value shopping...I do sometimes gravitate towards the top shelf, but mostly buy gear based on need, functionality, durability, and price point. All of my GoPro cameras I use are actually sub-$100 knockoffs, for example...are they as good as a GoPro? Maybe, maybe not. I've never owned or messed with a GoPro, so I couldn't say for sure. I can say that I've seen a lot of KZfaqrs remark about their cameras overheating and shutting off, etc., and I can say that I've never had one of my knockoffs or my Drift cameras do that. Rods and reels? I have a mishmash of them...some way more expensive than others, but most around or less than $100. I do a lot of ultralight fishing, and would LOVE a $150 St. Croix panfish series UL rod...but I actually use a $30 Okuma Celilo UL. I can tons of fish on it, and I'm pretty sure none of them have figured out they were caught on a budget combo! Subbed...Stay Safe!

You really brought a great topic here ! I have a swath of about 30 rods and 17 reels from multiple brands, but I have never had the nerve to spend more than $300 on a fishing rod/reel .I felt it was an overkill and the added value for a non- pro angler like myself means nothing. Let alone spending a good amount of time milking sellers on eBay like ALF and Summerland to get the lowest price. I cannot justify to myself keeping a $ 625 rod on my rack if I will go fishing only during the weekends and official Holidays, because my profession as an engineer would not allow this extra time - Always liked your videos Mitch - Thanks

Great video. I agree 100%. I have around 10 or 11 Shimano Exprides. I have 3 higher end rods. Megabass and a G loomis. For the money and every day fishing the Exprides pound for pound hang with those others that are nearly if not a full double the cost. I don’t mean this ugly, i merely mean to say this to prove your point but add a little flare to it. If you can’t feel the bites on a $200 dollar rod. You in my opinion need to fish more and learn more instead of buying a NRX. I like high end stuff, but i like to have 1 rod to 1 technique. So i can’t have 15 NRX’s.

Well said

I sometimes go down the rabbit hole of stats on reels especially. Casting distance , bearing count and all that. But honestly my best days fishing are when I forget about what's in my hand and concentrate on my technique.

This really is a great video. I’m a gear junky and love high end stuff, but it won’t make you a better angler. I fished a team tournament last year with a guy in my club. We were fishing late summer smallies which in my area calls for a drop shot. Long story short that guy with his Dobyns champion 702sf put me and my nrx+ 822dsr to shame.

I agree 100%. And not only does this rule apply to Rods but also fishing reels as well. Yes I own that same NRX ccr for my football jig setup. But the other day I was trying out the Okuma TCS guide select Jig Rod for $150 side by side and hardly could tell any difference. Yes I could count more rocks on the bottom with the NRX but never once could I not detect a bite on one rod and not the other. And that's truly the real goal. I was actually blown away by that Okuma TCS. And they are only about a half an ounce more in weight than an NRX

I agree I have two of the 7-2 h poison Rods and they are dam good, I have two nrx+ rods 873 an 893 and 9 times out of ten I pick up the poison rods. I now have every model they make in the line and they are my primary weapons. Good video.

turned notifications on! been watching your gear review videos a ton man🤙🏽

Loved the video Mitch. As a recovering 'high end rod enthusiast', there really are levels to your experiences as an angler. If you have the chance, should you fish an NRX+ and give it a shot? Hell yes. They are one of the standard bearers for premium rods, and with good reason. But can you get 80 to 90% of the same user experience from a $200 rod? I'd say so too. Between the Shimano Zodias, St. Croix Victory, Daiwa Rebellion, Ark Essence, Falcon Expert, and even varous Dobyns models, you can find SOMETHING you love to fish that provides a great experience for you as an angler.

I have to say Shimano and Jackall absolutely knocked it out the park with the poison Adrena line! I own multiple Megabass Evoluzion and P5 models as well as NRX+ and absolutely LOVE the Poison Adrena line.

The real hammers can catch them on any gear. For the longest, I wouldn't spend more than $100 on rods. Now, decades later, after owning many rods, I'm in the $200-300 price point. I agree, this is the sweet spot, where the companies dump their best tech into. I find myself having a hard time getting rods outside of the Zodias lineup. They're sensitive, light, and the durability is good. I still try other rods, but I know if I just get that action and power rating in a Zodias I'll be happy 😂

Good video!

Saw a guy a couple weeks ago fishing with a $600 Van Staal reel on a $500 Lamiglas rod. Well a fish hit while he wasn't paying attention, and ripped $1100 out of his hand and into the ocean, never to be seen again. Dude was quite upset. My most expensive rod and reel setup is probably $250, and serves me just fine.

I completely agree with everything you said. It's funny, I used to be a strict $2-250/combo guy. Now, most of mine are in the $4-500 range (still have some of the cheaper ones) and I can absolutely tell the difference in quality and performance. I do have a few high end combos ($700+) and the difference between them and the mid tier combos is not anything substantial... they're great combos, but for that much additional cost, I don't find it necessary or justifiable. I'm personally happier at the mid tier, and so is my bank account. Cool video man.

So well put my friend. I have everything from Kast King to Mega Bass, from Lews to Loomis and I enjoy them all. I have looked at a St Croix legend that's at that $650 price point but haven't pulled the trigger. You just don't get mega benefit by spending mega bucks. It doesn't exist beyond a certain price point, at least with rods. Now if you can get mega priced gear at a sharp discount and you can afford it, go for it. But I have rods under $100 that I thoroughly enjoy. One is a Berkeley emotion that I just love. Great video!

G-loomis la mejor caña. Saludos de monterrey n.l. mexico.

Occasionally, you can find some some really good rods around $100 bucks, especially in lighter action rods. But it seem like their made by accident then they normally discontinue them fast.

I’ve been converting my lineup from bass pro rods to Dobyns champions, retail $270 but they have enough sales to never have to pay more than $210. Rods still way above my skill level 😂

I got tired of upgrading, so NRX it is for me. I’ve always got them 30% off, never pay retail. Fishing as a co-angler I need all the advantages I can get, feeling bites on a slack line in 50 ft of water is one of those advantages. I use the Adrena for moving baits & 1 tourney I fished a t-rig on it (7’3mh model) & sensitivity was above avg. That nrx+ 873 is my fav rod, have 2 of them. The new Metaniums match perfectly wit the Nrx 🎣

I can't afford that higher priced gear, that's why I own picifun, and kastking gear. Affordable innovation!!

"You don't need to spend 100's of dollars on gear to have a good time." Agreed. However, spending money on quality gear will enhance that good time. There are plenty of options in the $150-$300 range that are quality.

With how well Expride's are made and how incredibly balanced they are(even Expride's like the 7'7" heavy is perfectly balanced) I find it hard to justify spending much more. St. Croix can't figure out balance even with their $400+ Legend Elite/X rods lol.

Easy to sell the high end stuff though when times are tough . Somebody will alway's buy top of the line second hand

What would be a versatile rod to pair with a Shimano Metanium for mostly bank fishing small lakes and ponds mostly with occasional river fishing in upstate NY state?

But they sure feel good when you pick them up. Lol

Yes, you don't need high end gear to catch more fish. But is it more fun to fish it? Heck yeah it is!

Talki g rods when youre holding 2 $600 reels. I wanna enjotmy myself when i fish and i like decent light gear myself.

Absolutely 💪😋👍 🎣🎣 🇯🇵🇯🇵🏆🏆🥇🥇🐠🐠

Is it accurate that all NRX are for chatter bait ???

If you have x amount of budget. Where would you spend most of it, reel or rod?

Get what you pay for so you want sensitivity and quality , performance you'll need to pay the price .Want cheap it's what you will get ! 700. Rod has everything that a 300. rod doesn't have .Straight up ! Put a 700.-900. rod in your hand with a quality reel you'll never want a 150. rod .Real facts ! I've owned enough high end rods to know the difference

The first time anybody had the @#$$to say what u just said thanks alot

Well said. $200 gets you 95% the way to perfection. $600 buys you another 3% or so. Worth it? Not to me.

I’m telling you right now I got some 500$ g loomis rods an a bass pro carbonlite is just as sensitive balance an as light for 129$ 🤷🏼‍♂️

If you aren’t competitive fishing or putting food on your table, the only reason you need to spend a lot of money on equipment is for your own enjoyment. Of course, you benefit those that sell expensive equipment. But, you can get enjoyment fishing and put food on the table reliably without spending extra money. I see people doing just that with absolute “junk” and home-crafted gear. Let the people that need fish finders and live scopes to enjoy fishing or “win” tournaments spend the extra cash.

My skill level doesn't care about how much I spend, I have 3 exprides, 2 adrenas, 4 zodias, 8 dcs, 2 chronarch mgl, 8 curados, 3 mgls, scorpion mgl, Scorpio dc, etc. I'm a broke ass gear nut

NO, a better bottom contact rod sure but for the rest $150-200 rods work.

Buying Nrx for building quality 😂😂😂

Mitch the difference is in the wording between 'want' and 'need', do you need an expensive rod and reel to catch fish, no. If you have the money and want the best go for it. What I find though is all these KZfaq videos with people showing off catching fish with 'sponsored' expensive gear, hoping you will rush out and buy the same so you can catch fish like these guys do. I used to play golf and when buying clubs I said if I had Tiger Woods clubs I wouldn't play like Tiger Woods and if he used my clubs he wouldn't play like me. So you have to be honest with yourself, if you are not a fanatic and just enjoy fishing, you don't need to buy expensive gear, if you have the money and want to buy expensive gear that's up to you.

If you consider rods made by Shimano high end, more power to you. I personally DON'T!!!

I have a better idea. Why don't you pass your NRX rod around to all your viewers so everyone can take turn using it, so it will solve the problem of wondering what's it like. Telling us it's not worth it is not as convincing. We should all experience it and make that judgement. So ship it to me first, then I'll use it for 1 month and then I'll ship it to the next viewer. After everyone uses it, you get it back. Everyone wins. 😊

Just spoil yourself with 500 bucks a year for rod and reel.

You fail to mention that the NRX is lifetime warranty, but the funny thing is that you people who can owned $10k+ boat is telling us that $600+ rod or fishing gears is too expensive, which I find pretty confusing, how the hell you buy that boat in the first place, although you’re right about you don’t need a expensive fishing gear to fish I’ll give you that … 😂

It's not worth it

I’ve caught over 100+ fish on my youth pole ugly stick that I’ve had for the last ten years I bought for 50 bucks for a Christmas gift. The fish don’t know what kinda pole they are gonna get drug in on 😅

All out fish all of you with my Walmart ugly stick combo🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Amazing clips !!! #1 subs provider -> 'Promo SM'.