Advise needed for a new fly rod
Hello everyone,
I'm looking for a new fly rod for a 3wt and approx 8 - 9 feet.
And thought about a st. croix 3 wt imperial 8.6 ft. Does anyone have experience with this rod? I've got an st. croix Ultra legend 5wt 9ft. that rod is my favorite rod, and that's why my thougts are for an st. croix rod.
Or does anyone has got some other advice? The price is my only limit. (max ?$200,--)
Brand or used does'nt bore me, i need only a good rod......
Thanks for your advice!!!
I own a Legend Ultra in a 4 wt and compared to my the Legend Elite in a 4 wt, it is a much slower action. Given that rod is your favorite rod, I would not suggest you look at a fast action rod. It depends on what you already own of course. If you have enough rods to know which action type you prefer buy one like that. If the Ultra is your only rod and that makes it your favoirte, cast some faster action rods and expect it to be different but cast them with an open mind.Originally Posted by inderk
Many prefer a particular action type and I find this is more important than model number on any rod for me. If you can't tell, I love the fast action blanks. While timing is much more critical I can power through wind and gain distance. Your preferences may be quite different.
Clay's right about action. Test cast an Imperial if you can. You might like it. If you decide a softer action rod is the way to go, TFO's Professional series is a good rod at a budget price (generally aroud $150). The St. Croix Avid in a 7'9" 3wt is hard to beat, but will put you a few bucks over budget.
If it swims and eats, it'll eat a fly.
Might want to check out Cabala's they have The Sage FLI on clearance for $169.00.
Sweet casting rod.
Remember we all live down stream
For real nice 3wt rod on a budget I would try the Cabela's Stowaway in a 5pc (not the 7pc. it doesn't feel as nice to me.) A real nice feel for a not so expensive rod.
On sale right now with a reel and line for only $140!
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...set=ISO-8859-1
The FLi is a fast action rod. If you like the Ultra, that might not be the rod for you. My friend owns an Avid 3 wt and it is very slow action rod indeed. I, on the other hand, have a Reddington CPS that will just stomp that Avid in the wind. I can double haul with that little 3 wt and shove 50 foot cast in the wind where the Avid is way too whimpy for me. By the way I also own an Avid in a 4 wt and I have relagated its use to my 12 year old if that tells you what I think of it. If you like the Ultra, you might actually enjoy the Avid. I don't like my Ultra either, that one the wife fishes with.
You can see it really isn't about price point as much as it is about matching your casting style to the rod. End of the season last year I bought a 6 wt, fast action rod for under $50 from Gander Mtn. I would much rather fish that rod than a $500 soft action for my style of fishing.
The real trick is figure out early what type of action you really like. Sometimes, it's about going with what you are use to or learned on. But if you can cast and actually fish with different action rods for more than a day or so, you will develop some strong likes or dislikes. Good luck on whatever you decide.
How about the GRXi
Most of the 3 weights are going to be on the moderate side as far as action goes. I don't think there's a need to spend much on some high end graphite stick.
What's hot in our shop right now in the "reasonable" price range is the Hardy/Grey's GRXi. It's one of the hottest in Europe and the 8' 3/4 is just $160. Ok, I know that's a plug, but we really like the rod!
Ron
I have a 9' Imperial 3/4 and enjoy it greatly. I also have and Imperial 7' 3/4 and enjoy it, too.
Thet are not fast rods....more medium, I'd say. I wish I had one in an 8' configuration.
I second the fact that if you love your Legend Ultra you probably won't like an FLi - it's like a pool cue compared to the Ultra.
It also depends on the vintage of your Ultra. I have a 2nd generation (it has only one of the ART and IPC, though I don't remember which) and had a 1st generation pre both of those. They are very different rods. I'm not sure how the current generation compares to those. I think also that the new (current) Imperial models are much faster than the older ones before the interlude of the Reign, so you'll want an opinion on the just released models.
The new Imperial models for 2009 are fast action rods, definitely faster than the older models for those I have looked at. I haven't tried the 3wt though. I cast an Elkhorn 8' 3wt a couple of years ago and was impressed. It had a more moderate action. Same for a TFO Pro series 8'6" 3wt. Both of these are less than $200.
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