expensive fly rods

[joe west]

I recently got a deal on an expensive fly rod. Never wanted to spend the big bucks before; and I believed like some others that there couldn't be that much of a difference in a high priced rod and a mid range rod to justify the difference in price. I was wrong. My casting improved immediatly with the big bucks rod. The big money rod improves timing by allowing you much greater feel and it just performs better too. Wow big difference. My son tried it and he improved as well.

[MontanaMoose]

....welcome to FAOL, mind if I ask which high-ender you picked up?
And yes, it does make a difference though some would argue with that.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[deathb4disco]

Expensive rods are nice but nothing will improve your casting like PRACTICE.

[ducksterman]

True ...but casting with bad equipment isn't good....ask a golfer...

Of course now we need to define ..."bad equipment"

[RS1]

Expensive rods are nice but nothing will improve your casting like PRACTICE.

Practice makes perfect yes, but a well built rod (upper end) will help make the learning curve a lot shorter and more enjoyable.

[MontanaMoose]

Expensive rods are nice but nothing will improve your casting like PRACTICE.

....nothing will improve your casting quicker than practicing with an expensive flyrod.

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[vargoje3]

I would have to disagree. I own several sage and scott model flyrods but find that I do 90% of my fishing w/ an 86 buck cabela rod and a couple st. croix, native, and elkhorn rods. I find that I cast just as well w/ a cheap rod then I do w/ a more expensive rod. I could be biased though b/c I fish nymphs 99% of the time which never really requires a lot of accurate controlled casting. Personally I wont spend 700 bucks for a piece of graphite. Picked up all my sage and scott models after they were discontinued and at least half price if not less.

[birddog]

not all great casting rods are expensive but I will say that with price the chance of getting a dud is greatly reduced. I have a bottom of the line sage about 8 years old that is one of my best casting rods. I have also casted other weights of the same rod and was not very impressed. Most rod lines have sweet spots and in the case of my sage the 8'6" 5 wt. is it. I also have a 7'10" gander mountain 5 wt ($50)for my son that casts really nice.
-Jeff

[pszy22]

I'm just curious, when people say it improved my casting, what do they mean?

- more distance
- can hit a tea cup
- tighter loops
- less tangles
- rod casts itself
- all of the above ???

Also curious, did it improve your fishing? (i.e. I now catch more fish than before)

Of course the bottom line, it sounds like it improved their enjoyment, which when all is said and done, what it's all about.

[Apachetrout]

There are allot of very good rods on the market for around $300 and less, that cast very well. Knowing how to cast and properly use your equiment is worth it's weight in gold. I run accross allot of anglers with very expensive rods who do not know how to use them and seem puzzled that they can not cast better and farther with their high end stick. I also think that matching the right line to a rods action will make or break how a rod preforms. Having said all that I assemble most of my rods and have or had rods from TFO, Rainshadow, Pac Bay, Orvis, Sage and a host of others. I do enjoy using my TFO TiCrX and TiCr rods and for what the blanks cost they preform very well. I have a Z Axis and a VT2, I assembled and recently got a killer deal on a Orvis Helios and can say the middle to lower end rods are not even in the same universe as a high end rod, from one of the top rod makers. I agree I would never pay what a high end rods goes for today. Even the high end blanks are getting to be out of reach. I guess the moral to the story is take some casting lessons then go buy a rod. In the end it's just fishing, so go out and have fun!

Lanny