In need of enlightenment

[Ray Kunz]

I've been fly fishing for over 50 years and need to be brought up to speed. Having used bamboo, fiberglass and modestly priced graphite I am at a loss when trying to justify the price of the premium graphite models. The difference in the quality of fittings and workmanship I can understand but when it comes up to actual performance differences I come up short. A popular phrase used is, "You haven't lived until you tried a good rod." (or something like that). Can someone explain to me what is going on beyond marketing bull.
At a local sales event, by Sage, I tried one of their premium rods after being set up with an assortment of sensors and was told that I did well but needed some improvement in a couple areas. This was nice to know but I could have cast just as well with a $100 rod from Cabela's. What is the real story? Thanks.

[Preston Singletary]

Hype, hype, hype! As the writer of a product review column for a fly fishing magazine, I've had the opportunity to cast some of the most expensive rods from some of the most prestigious manufacturers and I've become convinced that it's all bullcrap. This is the best time in the history of fly fishing to buy a fly rod; it's actually pretty hard today to find to find a bad rod and some of the best-casting rods are not the most expensive. As my old mentor, Les Johnson, used to say, "... it's only fishing".

[sagefisher]

Sorry it is not all hype. Does a $100 bamboo rod cast and last as well as a multi-thousand dollar bamboo fly rod? I doubt it, at least I sure hope not or all those master bamboo crafters will be very irritated.

The same can be said about graphite and fiberglass rods.

Buy what you can afford and what casts well for you.

That is the only thing that matters.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[Ray]

It's not hype. Generally speaking if you have cast bamboo & Fiberglass rods for years a high end rod will not be to your liking. High end rods typically have a high end finishes as well as a light weight fast action, the opposite of bamboo & glass. However fishing in the salt with a little wind you will not be able to throw the tight controlled loops necessary with glass or bamboo. I'm sure when you tried the Sage high end rod your timing was a little off.

[Byron haugh]

Ray K,
I don't think its all hype either.
There is a lot of research done on the tapers and new materials incorporated in the new rods.
It's not fully appreciated by all, as it often requires slight adjustments to your casting stroke to enjoy the full benefits of the rod.

I would recommend reading some of George Anderson's "5 weight shootouts". I think they do a good job of discussing and rating the better rods out there and why they are "better".

[WarrenP]

Your questions are difficult to answer, at least for me. I honestly feel there is a difference between a high end rod and a lower end rod. That difference is in the material used to build each rod. For my fly fishing, I prefer a fast action rod because my casting stroke, for now anyway, is a fast stroke due to spending 30+ years as a bass tournament fisherman and making hundreds of casts per tournament and trying to "beat the clock" before the tournament ended. Lower end rods are just to slow for me or my fishing pace is to fast. I am not one for going to the river and finding fish and just spending 2-3 hours casting to those fish and then going home. I like getting to the river and moving either up or down the river and making many casts and exploring as much of the river as daylight will allow. It is not unusual for me to be a couple miles away from my vehicle at day's end and have to hike back. I enjoy the exploring as much as the fly fishing and a slower action rod would just not be for me.

Now as far as the cost of higher end rods go, I feel that a person can purchase a good quality rod and not spend the money that the "name brand" rods are bringing. At the present time I have in my vehicle a 4wt, 5wt and a 6wt and they are all fast action and are made from a material that makes them "light in the hand" and a crisp action and a real joy, for me, to fish with all day and each one can be purchased for $100 and there is no name brand on them. I feel each one is "equal" to the fast action rods I own of a well know name brand which cost me $300 and more. Those $300 rods are collecting dust at the moment. I searched for quite some time to find these rods and the time spent was well worth it as far as I am concerned. They do not have a "written" life-time warranty, but, after I have used them for 3+ years, I feel I have gotten my monies worth from them and can afford to replace them if something happens to them. Some, not all, people put a lot of importance on being seen using a "name brand" rod and that is not what is important to me. I just want a rod that "fits" my casting style and a real joy to use and, so, I am using rods with "no name" on them. Just my opinion and nothing more....

[Byron haugh]

http://rackelhanen.se/eng/10359.htm

[NJTroutbum]

Is it 100% hype? No. But is it mostly hype? I think so. I have an LLBean 8'6" 4wt, and an Cabelas LSI 6wt that I would stack up against most of the top end rods costing 3-4 times their price. Then again, I have a late model un-sanded Orvis Far-and-Fine 5wt that I feel beats every rod in the test that was posted. And it's over 20yrs old. LOL I've bought and sold a lot of high-end rods over the years. Most failed to justify the cash required. There are a good number of $250 rods that cast and fish right along with anything out there. IMO.

[redietz]

Does a $100 bamboo rod cast and last as well as a multi-thousand dollar bamboo fly rod?

Well, sometimes. My SB 290, for which I paid $100 last spring has already lasted 60+ years, and casts as well as rods costing 10 or 20 times as much. Don't get me wrong, it's not much to look at, and has clearly cheap hardware, but it's hard to beat as a practical fishing tool. (Not that don't also own and fish far more expensive cane as well.)

If you're paying $1000 for graphite rod vs. $300, you're mostly paying for cosmetics, name brand recognition, a warranty and possibly a "made-in-America" label. Yeah, all these things (except maybe name-brand recognition) are "better" in some sense, but they won't catch you more fish.

[whatfly]

Answer has not changed since the last time this was asked. Yes, there is a difference...and a bit of marketing as well. If you cannot tell the difference, then there really is no need to worry about the higher end rods. All decent casters I know can tell the difference between the lower and higher end rods. You are not really saying you cannot tell the difference between a Cabela's Three Forks and a Orvis Helios, are you?

Regardless, fortunately one does not have to spend nearly as much on a rod as one used to, in order to get reasonable performance for a reasonable price.