Today I tried the new Redington Classic Trout 8'6" 4 piece 3 wt. This rod has a very smooth, pleasing moderate action that felt wonderful. I was able to cast 20-50 ft. with this rod with ease. This rod was not wimpy or a wet noodle and did not fold up when trying for a 50' cast. It also loads up very well with a few feet of line for short casts. This blank is a very nice medium brown color with brown wraps, a good quality grip and a nice seat with a wood spacer. The over all build quality was very good and the rod weighs in at 2.5 ounces. This rod should be able to handle dries, wets and nymphs in sizes from 20 to 10 with no problem.

The person manning the Redington booth was Berry Beck and he stated the CT rods were so nice it was hard to recommend the high end Sage rods for about $500.00 more. The Classic Trout rods are $160.00. This rod would be an absolute blast for small to medium size trout, bass and panfish. If you like a moderate action graphite or glass rod this series may be for you. I tried this rod with a Rio Gold WF 3 F and the combination was great. I was blown away by the rods overall quality, lightness and wonderful casting abilities for a $160.00. There are so many great rods out there for $300.00 and less it is amazing. This is a great time to be a fly fisherman and a rod junkie.

Lanny