Fly Rod manufacturers

Over the years I have formed personal opinions of fly rod manufacturers, based on my experiences with lots of purchases--some good, some bad, some in between. I have had Diamondback, Loomis, Sage, St Croix, Fenwick, Hardy, Orvis and others (including Winston, which I inadvertently left out of the original post). I have tended to buy rods that were mid-priced or expensive, so I have not sampled bargain brands or bargain rods within the major brands. My favorite over the years has been Sage, but I have been disappointed with their recent offerings, and have had to rethink my preferences recently. In this rethinking process, I have decided that in 2013, my personal favorites are:

1. Top-of-the-line, expensive rods: Loomis LP
2. Expensive (but not the most expensive): Hardy Zenith
3. Mid priced: St Croix Legend Elite

I am not saying that I can defend this listing--only that is my current view of relative quality in these price categories. I should also add that I am speaking about fast action graphite trout rods, such as a 9' 5 wt rod. I know little about 2-3 weights or 7-8 weights, and my stated preferences do not reflect what might be available in such light or heavy rods.

I am curious about others preferences and biases in rods today. Please share your preferences and biases in rods that are available for retail purchase in 2013.

Interesting.

I have always been a Winston guy. Surprised Winston not mentioned.

When the Hardy Zenith came out and got great reviews from George Anderson, I bought one. It is a great rod.

A year ago, I was letting John juracek of Blue Ribbon Flies cast my new Zenith. He wasn't too impressed. He likes a more moderate flex rod. He suggested I look at a Sage ZXL.

Today, the ZXL (recently discontinued by Sage) is my very favorite rod. I still fish my Winstons and my Zenith, but the ZXL is my all-around favorite. It is a 9ft 5wt. version.

One has to adjust his cast to the differing flexes in rods. I think some of us are most comfortable with a rod which does not require us to adjust our cast, but fits our "natural" casting stroke................

I have recently (in the last few years) fell in love with fiberglass. Most of the time, I am rigged up with an Eagle Claw 7ft 5/6 weight and it fits my fishing style perfectly.

This is a very limited opinion and not one on which to base any purchase.
I'm not a price-tag junkie and almost every rod I've had was either mid range or one I made from low-mid range priced blanks. However, the one 'expensive' rod I did have (I got it at cost) was the Loomis GLX in 9 foot 5 wt. That was maybe 20 years ago. It was a canon and I wasn't ready or able to take advantage of its capacity for speed and distance. I wish I still had it. I believe it was the best rod on the market at the time and I doubt any company, including Loomis, has improved on the performance of the GLX.

Allan

I agree. I still have a 9' 5 wt GLX Classic, and it is one of the finest rods ever made...in my humble opinion. The new Loomis LP has a little more delicate feel in close, but the Classic is a cannon that handles big flies and Wyoming wind with great aplomb. I fish it often.

Tom

I will stick with my Sage rods. Do I have 'A' favorite? Nope. I have several favorites, depends how I am fishing.

I have favorite nymphing rods, and dry fly rods- both for windy days and calmer days- and streamer rods- yep, several favorites.

Back a number of years ago there were only a few good rod builders out there then the other companies started upgrading their rods and now there are many very good rod companies out there. They cast good and feel good. So, find a rod you like and fish it.

Larry ---sagefisher---

Larry

My affinity for Sage rods was based on the SP, the XP, and the Z-axis, and I still fish all of these rods with great enjoyment. However, I feel that the newest offerings from Sage are not up to their historical standards. That is why my current favorites are from other companies. I do, however, agree with you that there are a number of other companies that are currently offering excellent rods, and I agree that personal preference is key. My initial post offered my current preferences. No doubt my preferences will continue to evolve.

Tom

Has anyone tried the Sage ZXL. Like the Sage LL which I really liked, they discontinued both lines........

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Originally Posted by Byron haugh

Interesting.
One has to adjust his cast to the differing flexes in rods. I think some of us are most comfortable with a rod which does not require us to adjust our cast, but fits our "natural" casting stroke................

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I think this is spot on. The younger folks I build for seem better able to adjust to a rod with a different stroke than what they are used to but old f@rts like me are stuck on a particular action. I like the MHX 9'5w the best of any I have cast. A lot less money than the Winstons I build and yet a very fun rod that does exactly what I want it to.

Byron,

I used a Sage VPS Light 5 wt for years, it was a medium action rod but Sage only made it for a couple of years. Then they came out with the ZXL and I bought one of those, in a 6 wt, for my dry flying on the larger western rivers casting big dries on stronger winds. It is a great rod. I was sorry to see Sage end that line.

However, they came out with a true soft action rod, the Circa and I bought one of those in a 5 wt, what a fantastic rod. It does have some limitations when you hook into a large trout in heavy running water, but then I would be using my ZLX for that.

Tom, I carry a Sage 5 piece 9 foot 6 weight SP as a back up rod, it is great for dries and yet can chuck a streamer or a nymphing rig.

My main nymphing rod is a Sage XP, an 11 foot 4 piece, 6 wt. I use it all the time for deep nymphing. I love the rod. I also have an 11 foot 6 wt Z-Axis that I rig us as a back up for nymphing. It is an excellent rod, not quite as fast as the XP but very close.

As mentioned by Byron, you have to adjust your cast with each different rod, especially when I am switching from a fast action XP to a medium action ZXL to a soft action Circa. But they are all a blast to cast.

Larry ---sagefisher---

Great Larry!!!
Cannot immagine an 11 footer........Although I once cast a 10 ft. 5wt and it was a method of placing a fly about a mile away....................

I think each rod has it's application. I have a 7'3wt lamiglass Glass rod that is perfect for those small streams. It's slow, and to Byrons point it takes me about 15 minutes when I first hit the stream to adjust my casting stroke to it. But it is perfection for the right application. It is not a rod to be fighting western winds with big dries.

I am partial to Orvis with roots in the original unsanded line. But do like the St Croix rods alot. The Imperial is a great little rod. I like Sage....but nothing grabs me since the LL series.

I find myself fitting into the IM6 rods and the casting strokes they offer for daily use.

Ralph

My favorite right now for warm water fly fishing is a TFO BVK. Very versatile rod.

Winston guy here. My first - and still favorite - is an 8-1/2' 5wt WT; since then I've been fortunate to acquire several more; I love that WT/IM6 action. That said, Winston seems to be succumbing to the higher/faster/farther pressure with their newer models, so if I buy any more it'll be on the used market.

It appears that there isn't a lot of enthusiasm out there for the newer Loomis rods. I wonder if this is because people haven't tried them, or because people don't like them?

Has anyone fished with or tried the Sage one elite?
Any thoughts about it?

I myself prefer Sage rods. I have many, but the ones I use often are 590-4 SLT and a 490-4 ZXL for dry fly fishing. For streamers and windy days I prefer a 590-4 XP or 490-4 Z-Axis. I haven't tried their newer series, but tempted to check out a 6 wt One series. I hear good things about them.

2 wt is an 8 ' Green River rod.
3 wt is a 7 ' Winston IM6 3 pc
4 wt is an 8' Winston IM6
5 wt is a 8'5" Winston WT

an Orvis Hydros 8'6" for 4 wt has become my favorite small streamer rod.

Those are the graphites I enjoy fishing most and tend to reach for most often. That said, T&T LPS, Diamondback classics , Orvis superfine "Far & Fine" ,what's not to like.
Best,
Steve

Maybe cosmetic appearance shouldn't be an important factor in buying or liking a rod but as of late it has become very important to me. I'm tired of fly rod manufacturers making an effort to 'bling' their products. St. Croix' horrendous dull silver reel seats, Loomis' fish skeleton reel seat, Sage's odd choice or colored blanks and red reel seats. If I buy an off the shelf rod in the future it'll be a Winston or a Scott based on their continuing to offer a traditional looking rod. Better yet a rod from a small builder. I know they are targeting the younger crowd coming into the hobby but they are forgetting about the older, conservatively traditional angler. A few years ago I switched to fly fishing largely because I was sick of what conventional brands were throwing in my face, now fly brands are doing the same, full force.

I may get beat up over this, but I have become a real fan of Echo fly rods. I now own 5 of them & am ordering #6 this week. I won't take a thing away from the high end rods already mentioned, but these rods are a great "bang for the buck". These rods offer excellent performance at a very reasonable price. As Warren is want to say, "Just my opinion".

Mike

Mike,
I have an Echo rod and got one for my son as well.

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Originally Posted by ohiotuber

I may get beat up over this, but I have become a real fan of Echo fly rods. I now own 5 of them & am ordering #6 this week. I won't take a thing away from the high end rods already mentioned, but these rods are a great "bang for the buck". These rods offer excellent performance at a very reasonable price. As Warren is want to say, "Just my opinion".

Mike

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I have a Martin Mohawk River 7'6" 3wt that's paired with the small Mohawk river reel. I think the rod was around $100 and the reel maybe $50, if that. In all honesty it fishes about as well as any of my rods. Not sure they offer them any more, which is a shame.

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...g/IMG_0334.jpg

I have a strong opinion of the large rod makers. I have watched many rods that I thought could not get better be discontinued to put out a new line to generate sales. I understand this and when you base your business model on selling 10's of thousands of rods a year it is a necessary to continue to replace product lines. Some of these discontinued rods fetch quite a price on Ebay and are snatched up very quickly.
A good friend and I, after talking about the very issue of being on a prostaff and promoting a rod is the best thing ever and having to tell all the same people that thats no good you need this every other year, Decided to do something on our own.
We teamed up with an established local blank maker and set up shop. We now are building our own dream rods. The rods that we want to fish with in each line weight for the species of fish we use it for. Not a line of similar feeling rods but a specific feel for each line weight. We think we have achieved our goal on a line of 10 rods but have 3-4 more rods we we like to design and build. Most fishermen would think we took it to the extreme but we felt passionate enough about casting to invest our savings into it. we will see later if it was the right thing to do.
-Jeff

Jeff,
That is very interesting. Good for you!
I have a question though. Take the Hardy Zenith, for example. I have one and really like it. Suppose it turns out to be one of those "top 10 rods of all-time" - I'm not suggesting it will, but just pretend for a moment. Can your blank maker make the Sintrex blank?
I have always wondered how and where the "local blank maker" gets his wrap material. Any idea?
Thanks,
Byron

Byron,
I don't want to hyjack the thread, this could easily change into a different topic and I don't think promoting a business is fair to the forum without paying for that right. As you see I have been a member here much longer than my rod making career of a couple years.

If you do have that special rod that feels like you could cast it blind folded and feels like an extension of you keep it!

as far as reproducing rods it would be something that no ethical rod maker would do and with the technology advancements in graphite you would not want to. the feel you get in a rod is a combination of modulus and taper and you vary both of these throughout the rod to get the feel you are looking for. In a nut shell buy lots of mandrels and multiple materials, do lots of math to get flag dimensions and when you get close spend lots of time fishing and casting and don't compromise until you get it just right even if its gonna cost more money in development. All the companies being talked about above have done this to some extent and that is why top fly rods cost so much money. If someone would have told me that it would take as much money to start as it does I would have never tried it.
-Jeff

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Originally Posted by ohiotuber

I may get beat up over this, but I have become a real fan of Echo fly rods. I now own 5 of them & am ordering #6 this week. I won't take a thing away from the high end rods already mentioned, but these rods are a great "bang for the buck". These rods offer excellent performance at a very reasonable price. As Warren is want to say, "Just my opinion".

Mike

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Excellent rods by an excellent caster and fly fisherman. Great sense of humor too. What rod are you thinking of getting? Inquiring minds like to know.

Birddog....on your point, and that of others. The Orvis original unsanded Far-and-Fine is a perfect example in my book. They have built, and will build alot more rods....but they discontinued their finest to date.

Jeff

Could you tell us a little more about your rods? Are they for sale? Where?

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Originally Posted by TyroneFly

Excellent rods by an excellent caster and fly fisherman. Great sense of humor too. What rod are you thinking of getting? Inquiring minds like to know.

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Here's the lowdown..I already own (and LOVE) 1-Echo2 3wt, 1-Echo2 4wt, 1-Echo3 4wt, 1-Echo Edge 84 6wt, & an Echo Ion 9wt. Just last week I had the opportunity to cast & fish a 2wt Echo Carbon & that's the rod I ordered today ($130.00 SHIPPED from http://southholstonriverflyshop.com ). Btw, they also have a couple weights of the Echo3 for $195.00 shipped (retail= $349.00). The 1st rod I purchased from the owners, Rod & Matt Champion, was a 3wt pre IPC St Croix before they were discontinued, so I can vouch for these guys.
Mike

I from the beginning of flyfishing started with a diamondback american 8' 5 weight and have tried everything I believe since.Hold your breath here we go.Loomis fr904 in glx,gl3,imx,east fork.Sage xp,SLT,SPL,ds2,txl.Thomas and Thomas LPS,Diamondback american,VSR,Classic.Gatti,Redington,St Croix imperial,legend ultra.Winston Wt.
Now the sad thing is with trying all of the above the only rod I still have that was one of the first is the fr904 glx and I have since bought the gl3 on eBay and the east fork in same model.There is one rod I traded for 8-10 years ago for a 3 weight glx and its a sage SPL 743 that has the warranty card filled and sent in my name but the seller wants 400.00 for it and I just can't see spending that to get it back.

The morale to the story make sure what you buy because in today's market it is harder than hell to resell it without losing your but on it.

Thomas

Yet another vote for the original Loomis GLX. This rod has withstood the test of time.

Best rods I have fished:

Light line - Sage LL (a 2 weight) and Winston LT (a 3 wt)

Medium line - Sage ZXL; Hardy Zenith; Winston LT (All in 9 ft. 5 wt.)

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Originally Posted by jgrossing

Jeff

Could you tell us a little more about your rods? Are they for sale? Where?

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