Redington RS3

[lastchance]

Is everyone happy with their Redington RS3 fly rods? I'm in the market for a 9-foot, 5 wt. I have no experience with them and I'm shopping around. You can contact at my private box if you wish.

[PaGuy]

I have the 9ft 7wt I like it alot, I would buy another if they made blanks for building. Anyway I think redington puts nice components on their rods and the cork is nicer then TFO they also come with a case (tfo dosnt). Oh and they Have the best craftmanship of ALL the rod building companies out there. Hope this helps

[lastchance]

Thanks, PaGuy! I build rods, too, although I'm not a professional. Speaking of rod building, how do you know what you're going to get in a fly rod blank before you build it? I mean you can't go into a store and cast it like you do with a factory model. I've built about 15 rods and I'm beginning to wonder if it's worth it. It seems as though it's a crap shoot as far as knowing what you're going to get when you buy a blank.
Thanks

[HideHunter]

I like the 'fit and finish' on my 7 1/2' RS 3 3wgt - but - it is much 'stiffer' than any other 3 (and even most 4s) that I have fished. It didn't really start feeling good until I went to a 5 wgt line.

I'd trade it for an RS 2 in a heartbeat.

[brhokla]

I have a 8'6" 4 weight in the RS3 and it's by far my favorite rod. Loads well and feels nice. It has good sensitivity and for the price is a hands down awesome rod. I have cast it's bigger brothers the Sage rods and unless you open the wallet the Redington is a strong competitor. I have owned many rods and never felt a rod this good in the price range it is in. I also own a RS3 in a 5 weight... I must like them.

[PaGuy]

Lastchance, regarding building I mostly build higher end blanks that I can test in the stores then order a blank, but with the lower end rods you are kinda casting in the dark, thats why I buy my cheaper blanks on close out (ebay) and then it dosnt hurt the pocket book to much

[cea]

lastchance: I don't know about everyone, but I know my wife is quite happy with her RS3 rod. It is the 9 foot 5 weight. I like the rod quite a bit also. Its casts just fine, and has for me the right amount of flex for playing a fish.

[Bill Hanneman]

lastchance,
According to the Universal Rod Rating System, the rod in question is rated as 5 : 4 : 9 . It has an ERN of 5.1 and an AA of 62 degrees. Of all the 5-wt rods currently offered by Redington, it is the most "user friendly" having an "X factor" (a rating of the experience or expertise of required of the angler to obtain all of the performance built into it by its designers) of 5 (on a scale from 1 to 15).

I recognize these numbers will mean nothing to most of the participants of this forum. You, however, as a rod builder should be familiar with the CCS. You can also check out blank properties on the CCS Data site.

[brhokla]

For the money a Sage Launch is a really nice casting rod also. Starting at only $179.00