Better than TFO fore the same price?

[Barry]

I agree with those that posted that you should test cast a rod before you buy it if possible.
That said, IMO, if four tenths of an ounce difference in rod weight wears you out, I'd suggest you spend a little time working out at the Gym. Come on, that's about what 2-nickles weighs (I just weighed them on a powder scale).

[flyfisherjoe]

Barry, give those two nickles a nine foot lever and then compare them. As listed, the diference in the 6 wt is not much but in the 8 wt it's almost two oz. in a nine 9 foot rod. You will notice a difference. I could cast either all day but I like the way the lighter rod feels and it says a lot for the technology that went into it's design.

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Joe

[Barry]

Joe
I was addressing the weight difference of the 6 weights. The weight of those two nickles aren't at one end of the lever, their weight is spread out over the length of the rod.
I don't have a problem with people wanting to keep their outfits as light as reasonably possible. However, experience has taught me that as the line weight of a rod goes up, so does it's physical weight. As well as the weight of the rest of the outfit (IE: Reel, Backing, Line, etc.). So IMO, if the outfit is balanced a couple of ounces one way or the other isn't a big deal.

[old geezer]

The more I read the more I get confused. I hate going to my local fly shop and picking up a sage or any other high end rod and my dealer says lets go out to the parking lot. I am dodging traffic, worried about who am I going to nail on the back cast, because I'm great on the back cast snagging something
.

I really think a casting analyzer is the way to go for the different styles of casting per individual.

I think weight is very important if you are casting all day with a hefty wind, but the kick in the rod has to match ones style. It comes down to feel, not what others think.

I hope I eventually find mine.

Philip

[flyfisherjoe]

Yes Barry, the weight difference is distributed over the nine feet and in fact the main difference is in the components weight. I got that information directly from from TFO. The blanks themselves are much closer and both companies make excellent rods at very reasonable prices. I own rods from both companies.

I prefer a rod that's light in hand; some may like the opposite, others somewhere in between. That's why we have a zillion rod companies each with many models.

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Joe

[RonMT]

I have the ability to try just about any rod made. I have 4 Fly Shops in town and can try just about any rod I would like. I know all of the shop owners and we have a pond in town and they will let me take the rods there and have at it. I do this with new rods just about every spring. I also throw a WF line on them and DT line. What I have learned over the last number of years having been in the business for many of them is that It is up to eash of use to decide what we like.
It also is best to try a rod while fishing if possible. They do fish differently than they cast on a lawn. Add weighted flies to them and that will change the way a rod feels and reacts. Add a WF line and that will feel differently than a DT line will. Add water and they will show a difference in how they will pick up a line.

I do not even know how many rods I own. If someone took some I probably would not know it for some time as I use about 5 of them in a years time. I have ones I like and that is what I use. You can discuss this subject and it is neet to see what others like but it will never tell you what you as a caster needs to know. "Is This Rod One That I Like" Without putting a rod through it's paces you are just guessing. No more or no less.

That is why I try the new rods each year. I then have a good idea if someone ask's me what I think. But I still tell them to try the rod for themselves. That is the best advice another person can give someone that wants and is going to buy a new rod. You may think the sun sets in the butt of your favorite rod but the next guy will think it is good for swatting flies with. And not the flies we use for fishing either. Ron

[lesyoung]

Weight distribution is more important that the total rod weight, in any given range. I play tennis and squash, and one of the tricks sports equipment folks use is to put weight on the handle to make the racquet feel head light. Of course the whole things is heavier. But it feels lighter when you swing it and you can get a fast swing speed, especially in rotation.

(Now, notice I didn't say fly rod companies do this. ) Nawwww - that would be a whole new thread, and I left my Nomex flame resistant suit at the NASCAR track)


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tl
les