Fishing Rods

I personally want to invite you to voice your opinion about our rods during our upcoming series of poll questions. THE FIRST OF MANY:
If you or someone you know has ever owned or used a Helium LTA or Helium LTX from 2004-2008 model, you are just the right person to ask. I am doing my best to make sure quality components are used on our rods and this poll will help me continue to make changes that help us make the best rods on the market. We are looking into a quality issue on the guide and tip ring inserts both blue and copper found on both Helium rod lines. If you have ever heard of someone or you personally had a problem with one or more of these rings popping out not due to abuse or misuse, we want to hear about it so that we can know the facts and fix it. If you know someone who could join our poll, please ask them to help us out. I want to say thank you to everyone for giving us their honest and candid opinion based on facts. We appreciate it and look forward to hearing from you on many more polls in the future. We want you to be a part of our success.

Trey,

I have had two of the blue ring inserts on the 2007 Helium’s pop out on me in all 15 rods I think I carried that year. Honestly that is the only guide related problem in the last three years that I have experienced. I will say I am impressed with the SIC Guides on the new Helium’s with both looks and performance.

I have been using the 2008 Heliums and 2008 LTX and have seen a few issues with the guides. First the Heliums seem to pop out the rod tip guide on all three of the heliums I own. I have not experienced any issue with the copper guides on the LTX. From what I hear the blue guides have the most problems. I love the idea that you have gone to the new guides on the 2009's. Hopefully I will have a few of these on my boat soon.

I personally have not had a problem with any of the 2004 rods. I do know a couple guys that have had the eyes pop out on 2004 Heliums. I have 3 or 4 heliums from that year and I have not had any problems with them. And since you changed the design on them I have not heard of any problems from the guys I know that have 2005 and newer models.

I have only had one rod that the end eye popped out. The rod is a HE76HC, I'm not sure how to tell what year the rod was made.

I have not experienced any problems with the tips or guides or their inserts in any of the Kistler Rods I own.

My take on this issue, is that I have seen on other rods that I have used and even built. It's not the quailty of the tip taht I have seen, but at times I have see the weight (tungsten) creep up the line and hit tip .

All the Magnesium rods that I have used and have. I haven't seen an issue, but again I've had the weight creep up the line and hit the guide.I'm always watching for the weight hitting guide on the tip. Even when sweeping hook set and you getting the fish close to the boat I have see the hit the tip.

I know the poll was on the Helium line but I wanted add my two cents.

I've only had the guide ring pop out on one LTA and that was a 2007 model. That's one rod out of more than 20 over the last three years. No problems at all with guides since that one rod.

Trey,
In all the 8 Years of using Kistler Rods I have never once had a eyelet/insert pop out or ever seen one pop out, Period. Even my 2004 LTA's are still kicking like the day I purchased them and even after years of competitive fishing and fun fishing I have yet to run into a problem or have one of my Kistler Rods let me down. Maybe its the great care I take of my rods or just good luck, but I have not yet had a problem.

Thank you for Building the most advanced,cutting edge and lightest rods on the market and taking risks to evolve the Fishing Rod buisness and not relinquish to the status quo. Kistler rods has changed the way rods are made today world wide and we as fisherman have only benifited from your beliefs. Thank you for your courage to be the cutting edge and I look foward to fishing Kistler Rods, the Finest Rods Made today.

Rob Bogin

I have two Heliums and 3 Magnesiums; never had a ring fall out.

I DID just finish repairing a Dobyns that the tip ring fell out of though!

Had about 15 rods and 2 did have eyelet (blue) ring problems...
they seemed easy to knock out...had to Super Glue them a time or two...fit seemed off...rest of rods were fine...
do not recall length or action, its been a while...
not a 2009 problem for me...2008 I think...only owned LTAs.

Doug in Vidalia, La. 71373

I had one tip eye insert fall out of a Helium rod after 3 months of use.

I've been using Kistler rods for about 5 years now. I currently own 16 rods. Mosty LTA's and have not had any issues with the guide inserts on them. Only insert I have had pop out was on a Graphite Plus, at the tip. I repalced the tip with no problem.

I've heavily used about a half dozen LTA rods since 2005 or so in both fresh and salt and have not experienced any issues with the guides with any of them.

FYI: Over this last year I've also been using some Graphite Plus and very recently some Carbon Steel rods with no problems either.

Trey,

I have had one guide issue. I believe it was n '05 on a Helium LTA.