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I have an 11'6" 125 rocket and a 12'6" 130 mystic (24.4 flex). What would make a good transition pole? I also have an 11' 130 mystic, but that should be smaller than the 125 rocket. I was thinking a 12/130 mystic, but am curious about Altius and Essex or even Spirits. Thoughts and suggestions...

mjaubbs40 wrote:I have an 11'6" 125 rocket and a 12'6" 130 mystic (24.4 flex). What would make a good transition pole? I also have an 11' 130 mystic, but that should be smaller than the 125 rocket. I was thinking a 12/130 mystic, but am curious about Altius and Essex or even Spirits. Thoughts and suggestions...

Assuming those poles are all relatively new (within the last 5 years) and hopefully before those companies adjusted their weight rating system, here's how it SHOULD work:

11' 130 = 11'6 120 or 12' 110 or 12'6 100
11'6 125 = 11' 135 or 12' 115 or 12'6 105
12'6 130 = 12' 140 or 11'6 150 or 11' 160

Since you're going from an 11' pole, to an 11'6 pole, to a 12'6 pole, I would get a 12' pole in between. With your 11'6 125 being the same as a 12' 115 and your 12'6 130 being the same as a 12' 140, you have a pretty big gap there, but if you can only afford one pole in between, get something in the middle - a 12' 130 soft flex.

I would go with another Mystic, Rocket, Big Stick, or Skypole, because they're all made by the same manufacturer and will respond similarly - if you switch brands, you may not be able to compare their weight ratings and pole response effectively.

mjaubbs40 wrote:I have an 11'6" 125 rocket and a 12'6" 130 mystic (24.4 flex). What would make a good transition pole? I also have an 11' 130 mystic, but that should be smaller than the 125 rocket. I was thinking a 12/130 mystic, but am curious about Altius and Essex or even Spirits. Thoughts and suggestions...

An important thing you need to figure out is how old the Rocket and Mystic poles are. Gill redid their flex charts in the fall of 2003, which would change all those weight rating by 10 pounds.

Off the top of my head, the flex number from the 12'6 130 Mystic sounds like it is from their old span. That means it might be anywhere from a 140 to a 145 on their new chart and spans.

Same goes for the other two poles.

Your best bet is to write down all the numbers on the top of the poles (one of them is the date they were made), and either PM PVJunkie on this website or call him at 1-800-637-3090 (ask for Bryan Carrel).

They have charts and stuff to convert the old flex numbers, they ought to be able to give you an idea of where your poles fit into their new charts.

If they were all on the old charts, and you ordered a 12'130 on the new charts, it could end up being pretty close to your 11'6 pole and then you'd still have a huge jump to the 12'6 pole.

11/130 mystic #'s: 6335/5? (can't read last digit, maybe a 9?), 11-23-00, 21.9

12-6/130 mystic: 6375/59, 9-18-00, 24.4

The 12'6" 130 seems stiff, especially for a 24.4 flex. My girl is hopefully getting the 11-6/125 rocket from her school and bringing to practice tomorrow, so I will post it's #'s then.

mjaubbs40 wrote:11/130 mystic #'s: 6335/5? (can't read last digit, maybe a 9?), 11-23-00, 21.9

12-6/130 mystic: 6375/59, 9-18-00, 24.4

The 12'6" 130 seems stiff, especially for a 24.4 flex. My girl is hopefully getting the 11-6/125 rocket from her school and bringing to practice tomorrow, so I will post it's #'s then.

Yeah, those were both made before their latest flex chart and span changes.

If the 12'6 130 seems stiff that's because it is. It'll probably be at least a 140 under the newest chart.

Talk to Bryan and he'll get you guys straightened out.

The 11' 6" Rocket must be newer. I can't find a date, but it has a sticker above the label:
model # RS 1125
serial # 200506930
Flex # 18.3
Weight 125 (57)

This is absolutely too soft for her. We decided to go with a 12' 130 mystic.

mjaubbs40 wrote:The 11' 6" Rocket must be newer. I can't find a date, but it has a sticker above the label:
model # RS 1125
serial # 200506930
Flex # 18.3
Weight 125 (57)

This is absolutely too soft for her. We decided to go with a 12' 130 mystic.

I think the first 4 digits of that serial number are the year it was made (2005).

A new 12'130 probably won't be too bad of a next pole(~15 pounds stiffer), just remember that it will be a pretty big jump to the 12'6 pole, and you will probably need another pole in between those two.