Wanted to Buy: 8'6" or 9' 3 wt fly rod

[Tig]

I have a Hydrogen 9ft 5wt. Best rod I have. Amazingly smooth action.

[NJTroutbum]

I have an Orvis Unsanded Superfine 8'3" 3wt Western I would part with. The Westerns are more of a Medium 3-to-4wt.

[johnstoeckel]

Redington gave me a 50% off promo code and waived the warranty and return shipping fees, so it cost me $150 to upgrade from my 10 year old broken rod to the new Hydrogen. That seemed like a very fair deal to me. So I placed the order and received my 9' 3wt Hydrogen a week or so ago.

I have since lawn cast and fished it a couple of days. I wanted a longer 3 wt for occasional tight-line nymph fishing and I really like the new rod for that. It's got plenty of reach for most of the small streams here in the driftless area and good action / feel for short-line nymphing casts, drifts and strike detection.

I've also fished it with a hopper and dropper. I didn't like the new rod quite as well for hopper / dropper fishing as I did my old rod (which was a little shorter and faster), but it handled the task well enough with a little adjustment on my part.

After two pretty full days fishing, I also appreciated the rods very light weight (Redington specs the rod weight at 2.3 oz). The rod has single foot guides, a skeletal reel seat, and a simple matte black wraps and finish all of which contribute to a minimum of fatigue.

Overall, I'm very happy with my experience with Redington and the new rod. I think the rod will be an excellent all-purpose, all-day rod for fishing small streams here in the driftless. I've got other rods that do certain things better than this rod, but this rod fits the bill when I want one rod that does everything pretty well.