I'd like to try different rods before I made another one, but I'm at least an hour away from the closest fly shop. It's an Orvis dealer and carries Orvis, Sage, and G Loomis rods mainly, and only a few of those.
The other fly rod dealer is ProBass, 40 minutes away. But the last I looked they carry their store brand- White River. I'm not sure that they would let me cast their rods anyway, even if I brought my own reel.

My favorite rod, and I only have 2, is an older G Loomis IM6 8 1/2' 4wt. I also have a Cabela's PT 6'6" 2wt. This was factory built.

I would like a blank a little faster than the IM6 or at least no slower. And I think 7' to 7'6". I would like good materials used in the blank, mainly quality resins for durability. (At least my research has led me to believe that the quality of the resins have a lot to do with the overall durability of the blank.)

Like I say, I fish small freestone and tailwater streams, 100' wide or less- like 15'.

You know, I DO live in salmon and stealhead country...but that's another game entirely!

Charlie