Quote Originally Posted by StantheMan2567 View Post
The X-ride is a beast, I use it to snatch Crappie out of 20+ft water vertical jigging with the braid. I get right over the top of the brush, find them on the electronics and drop a 1\32 oz jig in their face and wait for the thump. The fight is brief but fun and the sensitivity is great for that bite. I have not tried the X ride for Bluegill as I have other weapons. The Drift intrigues me but that price tag is just crazy......is it worth that much more?
That question comes up on a lot of these rods. Keep in mind my thought process now is after the fact of purchasing around 2 dozen JDM rods. I was nervous as anyone could be on my first few rods. I have become a huge fan of Graphiteleader rods. The Finezza Prototype is simply amazing and its cost is similar to the Ice Cube Drift. I dont want to give either of them up. The Drift is just a unique rod. While the Japanese know nothing about crappie this rod is the ultimate cast and retrieve crappie rod. The feel in the Drift is different than any other rod I own. It excels in what the Japanese refer to as the off bite. Imagine how I felt buying the Drift with really no clue as to what over 400 dollars would get me. I was nervous....until I fished it. As I have stated many times we dont need these rods to catch fish. But no matter who you are....how many fish you catch...they will give everyone who uses them a distinct advantage. The Tict Ice Cube series of rods all excel at bite detection. The Drift is at the top. Once one passes the 300 dollar mark on JDM UL rods it can get to the point of splitting hairs. The number of guides on the Drift is 10....vs 8 for the Finezza. The Drift weighs in at 74 grams vs the Finezza at 68 grams and the butt on the Drift is 8mm vs 11mm on the Finezza. Of course the Finezza is 1 inch longer also. Im always worried that I am getting rods that end up overlapping, and so far that has not happened...which I find amazing. The Drift is also a ton of fun on bluegill. Now the Tict Rods are not made in Japan.....I have no clue what country they are built in. As to fit and finish the Graphiteleader rods get the nod.....along with TenRyu the build is just impeccable. Ive gone a long way around to answer your question Is it worth it? To me it is.


Regards


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