Fly Rod Opinions

[woodnwacko]

Figured this would be the best place to hop right in and ask, whats your favorite fly rod? I have been offered a couple really nice custom rods, and am just looking for general opinions on personal preferences. I love fishing streams, backwaters and spring creeks, is it really worth the 1500 for some of those nice custom rods? What holds best resale? Thanks in advance! :shrug:

[AndyK]

I have used several brands of fly rod and have even wrapped a few.

Right now my favorites are G. Loomis, especially the GLX models. They load fast and are a pleasure to cast. This is from a fly fisherman who fishes four to five days a week! I have G. Loomis rods in weights 5, 6, 7, 9 and 12.

I also have a couple Lamiglas. They are less expensive and will work for “backup use”.

The big advantage to both G. Loomis and Lamiglas is that they are both located in Woodland, WA. I have broke rods of both brands and find it convenient to drive to Woodland to get a replacement. On this matter, Lamiglas has been much more customer oriented. Sage is great, but they are located further north and are less convenient for a quick exchange.

[drbfish]

1500 as in dollars? I hope you are talking about bamboo! Even so you can get some of the best, top builders in the world, cane rods for about $1000 and you can get GREAT used cane rods for the old time builders for $700. I have about 12 cane rods and 12 graphite rods but right now my favorit is a $50 fiberglass rod! To learn about cane go to Clark Davis' Website. It all depends on what you want. I would never fish a $1500 rod because I would be too worried about damaging it.

[lilnorthfork]

You know the old saying..."if you have to ask, you probably can't afford it." If you are willing to consider a $1500 fly rod, you probably can't afford to waste your time asking for other people's opinions. :grin:

[woodnwacko]

I've heard alot of good things about the G. Loomis and Sage rods and recently have stumbled across Jenkins fly rods. They look extremly nice and I'm sure they feel like a dream, but bottom line is the quality of use verses price. I used an old fiberglass rod years ago, and it brought me 'good' luck, especially for 40 bucks. I wonder if those more expensive rods hold a less 'sloppy' feel. I must agree though, walking through trees or balancing on a rock with a 1500 rod, can't be much fun. Thanks for your comments drdfish and AndyK!!!

[yooper]

Hey folks, I work for a marketing company and we "really" know how to sell our product to consumers. We'll do whatever we can to make you think you can't live without our products. Make a name for ourselves, monopolize the markets if possible, and sell high!!!

Okay, now that we know the motives of any corporation in America, let me put my two cents on this one. :-)

Most consumers get caught by the marketing versus the "need". Only buy that piece of equipment becuase you really "need" it to make you a better fisherman. And only if that piece of equipment could do the job!

As you can tell, I get tired of seeing people suckered by the machinations of corporate marketing machines. Once your on the inside of a company that specializes in marketing you realize how disgustingly good at marketing they can be. :-)

Fly fishing is technique, technique, technique. Not equipment. In the old days of Fly Fishing people used large wooden poles that weighed up to 15 pounds and still caught fish....

I'm not promoting we go back to the old days, but it wasn't the gear that caught them fish back then. It was technique.

A one or two ounce lighter rod means nothing if we spend 40% of our time false casting all day. A double haul will give more distance to a single haul. No piece of equipment will make us better fly fisherman until techniques are mastered. There are times when certain equipment is a better match to an applied technique. ( E.g. Fast Action Rods throw tighter loops and are great for Small Dry Fly Presentations and fighting wind. ) That's the time to consider what your requirments are in buying a new piece if equipment. You then buy the required equipment based on your technique requirements... And get the best deal!!!

Side Note: I do get paid because of how well this marketing machination works, so I'm thankful for those who also don't take this advice. :-)

Enjoy..

[Slow and Low]

If your new to Fly Rodding look at the DS Sage. The entire line up is nice. My understanding is they are doing away with the line up. A very good time to buy these lifetime guaratee rods at a discount.

I have several sage, g loomis, st croix, scott, ect. They are all nice. What I can tell you is that g loomis is one of the few rods without an unconditional guarantee.

As far as high dollar rods go...that's a personal thing.

[woodnwacko]

Seems to be what I'm finding out. I wasn't sure if there was a hidden meaning to those 1500 rods or what. Thanks again to those who gave me supportive ideas, think I might spend the weekend doing a lil rod shopping!!! Thanks again!

[lilnorthfork]

Thanks for your comments drdfish and AndyK!!!


What, you didn't like my advice? :shrug: :grin:
I guess I did sound like a bit of a wiseguy. The fact is, though many flyfishers dream of owning a supersweet rod, I would venture a guess only a small handful would even dare dream of fishing a $1500 rod. But, I could be wrong... maybe we should take a poll or something. For the money, I can't see how a rod in that price range would improve upon the flyfishing experience. Maybe I am just shortsighted because I can't afford one. lnf

[Stew]

I guess I did sound like a bit of a wiseguy. The fact is, though many flyfishers dream of owning a supersweet rod, I would venture a guess only a small handful would even dare dream of fishing a $1500 rod. But, I could be wrong... maybe we should take a poll or something. For the money, I can't see how a rod in that price range would improve upon the flyfishing experience. Maybe I am just shortsighted because I can't afford one. lnf



You sound like a wise guy???? naw..... :laugh:
I would never think about fishing a $1500 rod because I would be too paranoid that something would happen to it.
However I really do believe that if you look good out on the river then you'll fish good :wink: :jester:

[Two Fister]

Woodnwacko,
I think you need to backup a bit. Figure out what weight rod you want first. If you like fishing spring creeks and still waters for trout, I would probably go with a 4 weight.

Next you need to spend some time casting different rods before you start worrying about how much you are going to spend. It doesn't matter how much you spend if you don't like casting the rod. I have some very expensive rods that I almost never fish because I don't like the way they cast, and conversely, I have a couple of really cheap rods that you'll have to pry from my cold dead fingers. Go to a few fly shops and have them string up a few different rods that all are rated for the same weight line and cast them in the parking lot. Don't look at the price or the manufacturer until after you narrow down the field.

It's only after you figure out which rod fits your mechanics the best that you can figure out how much you need to spend.

Good luck and let us know what you end up with! :cheers:

[Gizmo Man]

The best rod is the one you can afford and feels good PERIOD.

As was said earlier marketing and keeping up with look seems to dictate what you are seen casting.

One of my favorite rods is a 4wt glass rod that I bought and built for about $40.00.

I also have some $600 rods that sit in the closet as they are too stiff and I am concerned about leaving them in the van while fishing.

Don't be suckered into the "more you spend the better it is" mentality.

Giz...

[steelhead86]

I learned how to cast with a bamboo fly rod that was
given to me by my step Grand-father. Bamboo forces you
to learn good technique which in turn makes using
any graphite or fiberglass rod much easier to cast
with. In my opinion - accuracy is much more important
than distance. Wish I had a Bamboo fly rod that could
handle Steelies/Salmon! Got to find a new career
first LOL.

:cheers:

[5-Cents]

I have Sage RPL's, Sage LL's, a Thomas & Thomas and a Scott. Out of all those rods I like the Thomas & Thomas best. It's a little slower action than the rest but it loads up great and I can cast the thing a mile. It's the main trout rod that I use. The Sage LL series and the Scott would be tied for my second favorite. :cheers:

[lilnorthfork]

Powell has a great deal going on their Advantage Rods. Right now they only have 8wt. 2 piece rods left. I'll let you know what I think when it arrives this week. pm me or do a search to find it. lnf

[Nate L]

I like a faster action rod and fish two Sage XP's (4wt & 6wt) for trout and a Powell single hand rod and RL Winston Spey rod for steelhead. I used a friends G Loomis for steelhead for a while before I broke down and bought my own rod, I really liked it too.

I think one of the advantages of the higher priced rods is the built-in insurance that you get with the warranties. I've heard a lot of stories about guys that have lost rods when their drift boats flipped/sank and they lost all their gear but sage or loomis hooked 'em up with new rods. I'm sure many of the other high end companies have similar policies.

But $1500 bucks? Whew...that's a chunk-o-change for a rod!

Nate

[Slow and Low]

I agree $1500 is too much for a rod. But what about rod real, extra spools, shooting heads, multi tip lines. The whole package is what counts.

Heres a little story about cheap rods. I bought a Cabellas 8/9 spey rod for $180, bought a redington RS29 $99, Airfow multitip speyline $150. For $429 dollars I was Spey fishing. I fished this rod all last summer and fall on the decshutes. Prior to owning this rod I nymph fixed exclusively, period. Since I started spey fishing I don't use a one hander. I catch a lot of steelhead.

Last winter I came into some extra money and bought a Sage Spey Rod, expensive reel, extra spool, ect. I am in it for $1300. I have been fishing the Sage all summer and am coming into fall looking forward to fishing this rod exclusively. I sold my Cabelas last week after casting for a day. There is a big difference in the fishability of my Sage...but it doesn't cast farther or catch more fish.

The moral of the story is start out cheap. If you decide you are not that into it your ok. If you go nuts like I have for 12 years...you will find value in many upgrades. Over the years I have sold lots of quality equipment to my friends and continued to upgrade.

Take it for what it's worth. :nerd: