I agree with GRN. Go with an 8'6" 5wt. There is an Orvis shop right in Last Chance. You say you already have the Orvis reel, check out the Clearwater. Full 25 yr guarantee (no questions asked) and there is no difference in the rod weight between a 8'6" 4wt. or 5wt. they both are 3 oz. Plus in the 5wt. you have a choice of 6.5 mid flex or a 9.5 tip flex with 2 pc. running $159. and 4 pc. running $189.
Just a thought.
FG
i have never cast the cabela's stwaway but i have the scott SAS ( the old style A2) ina 5wt, a TFO pro in 8.5' 3 wt and 9' 5wt. the TFO's are 4 pc and SAS 3 pc. i love each one. i owned the scott 1st and just love it to death. it is a very versitle rod, i use it throw weighted streamers to size 20 dries and it doesn't miss a beat. ir is a med/fast action tending slightly more to med. the TFO's i bought to take out west because they were 4 piece and packed well. the 1st time i fished the 5wt was in Washington on the spokane river, it's a big river. i was very surprised at how well the rod performed, again throwing stramers, nymphs and dries easily to 60' and further if i was able to back cast. the rod is a med/fast also but slightly leaning to the fast side. the 3 wt is great for 75% of my trout fishing and use it when i don't plan to use big streamers.
as said before you should definately consider a 5 wt to give your son a wider range of uses and don't worry about the weight difference, the difference is at most 0.5 oz.
there are many other rods out there but i only have direct knowledge on these 2 and high reccommend either. well i have also used a sage FLi and found that to be a very nice rod too and worth considering. but best thing is to let you son handle as many rods as he can and let him mach the choice. the idea of taking him to the shops around yellowstone is a very good idea and the rod will be even more special to him because he will have picked it himself. now that would be a special gift indeed. and hey while you there i'm sure you can swing a rod or 2 also.
the "fly shop" in redding ca. has a great deal....your choice of fly shop rod with 2 tips a large arbor reel and your choice of any sa. line except sharkskin for 299.00 its their 30th aniv. special. ive bought alot from them over the years ....great company. their rod is basically an echo 2
Ditto on the TFO Finesse as a real value. I cast a couple and compared it to Orvis' Troutbum/Superfine, Sage SLT and a nice Scott( don't remember model but pricey). Overall I was impressed with the castability of the Finesse compared to these other pricier rods. For a first rod, you will not go wrong and chances are you'll hang on to it for a while. The biggest detractor would be the less than gorgeous facade, lack of a tube and it's dollar value. Get it if you want value.
Have him cast one of those Echos. I really like them. Even though I very rarely fish graphite, I do have the Echo classic in th 7'6" 3 wt. and it's very smooth. Does he have to have a graphite? If he prefers a slower rod, check out some of the modern glass builders such as McFarland or Steffen. I have one of Mark Steffens rods in an 8' 5/6 wt. configuration. He can build just about any size you want and they are VERY smooth!!! Plus, price-wise, they won't break the bank. And, in my opinion, for trout fishing, they are hard to beat (the feel is just incredible)...Originally Posted by jeffnles1
anyway, there's my 2 cents...
~Randy
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