Falcon HD

Started by cport, July 27, 2017, 11:55:02 AM

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cport

Somehow I've managed to break all 3 of my spinning rods in the course of 2 weeks, the last one being my Penn which snapped between the tip and the first guide  ~rant So I've been looking at Monster Tackle's line up, and armed with my $40 GC (thanks, UB) and a bit of extra money in my budget, I believe I am going to go with the Falcon HD series. Does any one have any commentary or opinion about this rod, or Falcon rods in general? (I know, asking UB members if they have an opinion is liking asking if Obama has leftist political views  lo ) Thanks in advance.
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FloridaFishinFool

#1
I collect Falcon rods. I love them with the exception of their inshore line.

I prefer the Bucoo micro series for my curados and modified two of them into spiral wraps.

Very light rods, extremely sensitive. And out of my 70 plus rods, the Falcons are among my top favorites.

I also have Low Rider rods, and my frog rod is a JCC-73JW  Jason Christie signature series Falcon rod 7'3".

I have never broken any of them or had any issues with them other than loving them on the water.
Words are the exercise for the brain. Words are life expressed... without words we die a slow meaningless death. Silence to the grave is no way to go! So live! Use words! Power of the pen is sharper than any sword! Make it so! Mom said don't surround yourself with idiots! Fly higher than the Eagles... and don't run with the turkeys! Deus Vult!

cport

Thanks FFF. I was looking for the Bucoos, but they don't carry them at Monster. The HD is right in my price range, and they have the length and power that I want for bank fishing. I know I'll lose casting distance, but I need a 6'6" instead of the 7' because a lot of the banks I fish have heavy brush and trees, tough to get a back cast in those conditions. I snapped my nicest spinning rod (Shimano) on a backcast that caught a branch, almost cried.
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LgMouthGambler

Quote from: cport on July 27, 2017, 01:17:37 PM
Thanks FFF. I was looking for the Bucoos, but they don't carry them at Monster. The HD is right in my price range, and they have the length and power that I want for bank fishing. I know I'll lose casting distance, but I need a 6'6" instead of the 7' because a lot of the banks I fish have heavy brush and trees, tough to get a back cast in those conditions. I snapped my nicest spinning rod (Shimano) on a backcast that caught a branch, almost cried.

Ever try doing a roll cast?
My wife says she is gonna leave me if I go fishing one more time........lord how I will miss that woman.

cport

Just looked it up, I'll give it a try, thanks.

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FloridaFishinFool

#5
I am sure you will be as happy and satisfied with Falcon rods as I am.

And the nice thing about them is they are made in America!  ~bb

I avoid those made in China rods! Ugh!  ~b~
Words are the exercise for the brain. Words are life expressed... without words we die a slow meaningless death. Silence to the grave is no way to go! So live! Use words! Power of the pen is sharper than any sword! Make it so! Mom said don't surround yourself with idiots! Fly higher than the Eagles... and don't run with the turkeys! Deus Vult!

LgMouthGambler

The Bucoo is a great rod for the money. Would be my choice.
My wife says she is gonna leave me if I go fishing one more time........lord how I will miss that woman.

Smallie_Stalker

I used Falcons exclusively for a bit back in the 90's and liked them a lot. They also had great customer service. I have no experience with the newer models, but if they are an improvement on the older ones and the company still treats folks the same then I would say at that price go for it.

Dobyns has a new series that will retail at just $10 more than these Falcons. If you have any experience with Dobyns and like them it might be worth a small wait time while Monster gets those in stock.

Just a thought, but like I said Falcons are a good rod for the price point and i don't think you would be disappointed.
Dobyns Rods   Titan Tungsten   Abu Garcia  Berkley  Pflueger  Spiderwire

cport

Quote from: Smallie_Stalker on July 27, 2017, 03:42:38 PM
I used Falcons exclusively for a bit back in the 90's and liked them a lot. They also had great customer service. I have no experience with the newer models, but if they are an improvement on the older ones and the company still treats folks the same then I would say at that price go for it.

Dobyns has a new series that will retail at just $10 more than these Falcons. If you have any experience with Dobyns and like them it might be worth a small wait time while Monster gets those in stock.

Just a thought, but like I said Falcons are a good rod for the price point and i don't think you would be disappointed.
You're telling me that there will be a line of Dobyns for $80? The Falcon HD I'm lookin at is 70. I'll wait of that's the case.

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LgMouthGambler

Quote from: cport on July 27, 2017, 08:08:05 PM
You're telling me that there will be a line of Dobyns for $80? The Falcon HD I'm lookin at is 70. I'll wait of that's the case.

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Yes, it's being discussed in the Dobyns section.

<")))>{

My wife says she is gonna leave me if I go fishing one more time........lord how I will miss that woman.

loomisguy

I love Falcons and have a dozen or so Cara's and Lowriders . But the HD doesn't do much for me.
Unless your looking for strickly a moving bait rod, I would say save up another 30 bucks or so and get the Bucoo.

Also the new Denali Fission is a great rod at $90 bucks or so.

cport

Thanks

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Smallie_Stalker

Quote from: cport on July 27, 2017, 08:08:05 PM
You're telling me that there will be a line of Dobyns for $80? The Falcon HD I'm lookin at is 70. I'll wait of that's the case.

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When I looked at the Falcon on Monster I thought it said $59.99 - My bad.

The new Dobyns will be $69. It's called the Colt Series. Here's a link to the thread with Gary's post in the Dobyns Rods Forum http://www.ultimatebass.com/bass-fishing-forum/index.php?topic=136968.0:)

Dobyns Rods   Titan Tungsten   Abu Garcia  Berkley  Pflueger  Spiderwire

cport

Thanks SS

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cport

Quote from: loomisguy on July 28, 2017, 04:58:07 AM
I love Falcons and have a dozen or so Cara's and Lowriders . But the HD doesn't do much for me.
Unless your looking for strickly a moving bait rod, I would say save up another 30 bucks or so and get the Bucoo.

Also the new Denali Fission is a great rod at $90 bucks or so.
What don't you like about the HD?

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loomisguy

#15
I don't hate it but like I said , If your going to use it for dragging anything I think the Bucoo is a more sensitive blank for not a whole lot more money.
I have a older medium powered casting rod I used to throw 1/4 oz. spinnerbaits with and for that deal it would be fine.
For jigs , shaky heads or ol ned I'd make the step up if possible. all depends what your looking to do with it.
There's a trend to lower priced rods so you will have a lot of choices .

kadas

Quote from: FloridaFishinFool on July 27, 2017, 02:12:59 PM
I am sure you will be as happy and satisfied with Falcon rods as I am.

And the nice thing about them is they are made in America!  ~bb

I avoid those made in China rods! Ugh!  ~b~
The Falcon HD and the new Bucco SR series rods are in fact made in China :(   

FloridaFishinFool

#17
Quote from: kadas on July 29, 2017, 08:28:48 AM
  The Falcon HD and the new Bucco SR series rods are in fact made in China :(

What is the source of this statement?

I did a google search on it and I do find some statements like this on fishing forums, but is that a confirmation it is true? If it is true then I won't be buying any more "new" Falcon rods. Shame.

I found these comments online:

"The only Falcon rod series that will be made in China is the HD series. All the Originals, BuCoo's, Lowriders, Coastals, Caras and Experts willl still be made in the USA. The only reason the HD's are made in China is too keep the retail down in a struggling economy. The HD series is $69 retail and has a very aggressive warranty. St Croix, Shimano, American Rodsmiths, BPS, Castaway, Kistler, All Star, Duckett, E21, and Eagle Claw all are either made purely in China or at least one series within the brand is made in China. If you want to buy an American made product, you still have plenty of options with Falcon."
   
"Like has been said already. They are not making any of the CURRENT models that have already been made in Oklahoma in China. Nobody in Broken Arrow Oklahoma is losing their jobs. The ONLY rods that are being made in China are a NEW series of rods called the HD. Like also has been said, they are an entry level rod with high quality components for a lower price point. If you want to continue buying great American made rods just keep buying the Lowriders and Caras that you have always liked. If you want a low priced but still quality rod then look at the HD Series."

On the Falcon website it says this:

http://www.falconrods.com/index.html

"Quality starts with the finest components and materials in the world.  On our American-made rods, we start  with USA-sourced aviation-grade carbon fiber and craft the blanks ourselves in-house. This hands-on process and decades of experience gives us the unique ability to fine tune actions. But quality doesn't stop there.  We finish each rod with the finest components available--100% Fuji guides and reel seats.  New for 2017 is the latest generation of BuCoo—the BuCoo® SR.  The new series features innovative cross-directional carbon fibers  with "Cobra Cloth™" reinforcements, achieving a lighter and stronger blank. At Falcon the tradition of performance and quality through craftsmanship and innovation continues."

I just sent them an email requesting confirmation of one or the other...
Words are the exercise for the brain. Words are life expressed... without words we die a slow meaningless death. Silence to the grave is no way to go! So live! Use words! Power of the pen is sharper than any sword! Make it so! Mom said don't surround yourself with idiots! Fly higher than the Eagles... and don't run with the turkeys! Deus Vult!

Sandman7925

I love falcon rods. Inadvertently hooked a 6 foot gator on a frog with  a 7' lowrider. Fought it for about 5 minutes before the line broke. Rod held up fine.
Current favorite setup is a falcon lowrider Carolina lizard dragger with a shimano chronarch on top.



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Montyb64

I have a low rider and a classic from back in the day that is super short and I discovered the hd series a while back and bought 3 casting rods the mh are as expected the med that a bought it superb I use mine for pretty much everything and they have worked excellent. I want to say the hd is made in China but so is everything else not really but that's the way it seems sometimes... the cabelas near me had em super cheap but they are now carrying dobyns  so in sure before too long I'll have some in the boat.

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Smallie_Stalker

Quote from: Sandman7925 on July 29, 2017, 06:54:32 PM
Current favorite setup is a falcon lowrider Carolina lizard dragger with a shimano chronarch on top.
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I used to use that rod for pitching and skipping jigs. One of my favorite Falcon rods of all time.
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FloridaFishinFool

#21
Quote from: kadas on July 29, 2017, 08:28:48 AM
  The Falcon HD and the new Bucco SR series rods are in fact made in China :(

Well Kadas, Falcon rods has come clean on this subject and admitted 4 of their rod line series are now made in China including the bucoo SR just like Kadas said. Really sad. I will now avoid these made in China rods from Falcon and keep the ones I now have that are made in the USA and I will continue to collect the made in the USA rods from Falcon, but I won't be buying any new rods from them. I will avoid the made in China rods as best as I can... including other "popular" brands also made in China.

I am glad the Falcon Bucoo Micro rods are still made in the USA. That series is where I shall concentrate on. A fantastic rod... really lightweight and very sensitive. I love the ones I have and there is always room for more of them for sure.

Here is the reply email I received from Falcon rods today:

"We do have four model series that are made overseas, yes. The HD, Coastal, Bucoo SR, and our Slab series.

Thank you,

Sam Philbeck
Falcon Rods
Customer service/Promotions
1823 W. Reno
Broken Arrow, Ok 74012
(918)251-0020-Fax(918)251-0021"
Words are the exercise for the brain. Words are life expressed... without words we die a slow meaningless death. Silence to the grave is no way to go! So live! Use words! Power of the pen is sharper than any sword! Make it so! Mom said don't surround yourself with idiots! Fly higher than the Eagles... and don't run with the turkeys! Deus Vult!

SteveTX

I know where a Med/Hvy Falcon Bucoo is sitting and I am pretty sure its at least several years old, maybe 5 or so. I saw it but didn't actually handle it but the owner said it was a great rod and he would let it go for $50. If its a American made one I may be interested now.

How and where would it be marked if I go look at it to tell if its was indeed a non China made rod. Besides the obvious Made in USA on it in plain sight how would someone know? It may be marked clearly but in case it isn't is why I asked. 

Thanks and sorry for taking the topic off course a tad.  :surrender:

FloridaFishinFool

#23
Is it a Bucoo Micro guide series? If so, then it is a made in USA rod and $50 is a good price for it if it is in good condition.

The micro guide rods retail new for $129.99 to $159.99 depending on model. Even on the used market they still command upwards of $90.00 used.

With over 40 years of fishing and over 30 years buying and selling rods and reels- and making my own- I have collected up a ton of rods, but the Falcon Bucoo Micro rods stand out from the pack. They are a unique rod- at least the older ones I have- because of the way they are made being thin walled rods makes them extremely lightweight under 4oz. and extremely sensitive to use.

My favorites in the series are the 6'10" MH and the 7' M. And when I go fishing, a Falcon is usually in my top 5 pick of rods to use right along with some of my custom rods... They are a pleasure to use.

The 7' M is the only medium powered rod in the series. All others are MH, H, and EH.
Words are the exercise for the brain. Words are life expressed... without words we die a slow meaningless death. Silence to the grave is no way to go! So live! Use words! Power of the pen is sharper than any sword! Make it so! Mom said don't surround yourself with idiots! Fly higher than the Eagles... and don't run with the turkeys! Deus Vult!

SteveTX

Thanks I'll go take a closer look and see if it is a Micro guide series.