Okay, I saw the ad in American Angler for the St. Croix Mojo Bass rod. At $150, seems good to me. The other rod in consideration is the TFO Clouser Rod. The St Croix is 7’ 11’, huh not 8’, and the newest TFO Clousers are 9’. Anyone have some thoughts on either or both?
Thanks,
Mike
The 7’11" length is for guys that want to use the rods in bass tournaments that have rod length restrictions. St. Croix and TFO both make fantastic rods, IMO and experience. I’ve heard good reviews of the TFO Clouser. TFO has a pretty good warranty, too.
Yes … both of them. 
If you’re throwing BIG flies, you might also consider the TFO Mini Mag. Never fished one, but I’ve heard good things.
Thanks for the input so far. I was thinking 8wt but might go for a 6 or 7. ARRRGHHH, these decisions we must make!
Thanks,
Mike
I am sponsored by TFO, but haven’t used the Clouser or Mini Mag. I have recently switched the the TFO BVKs and really like them. I have them in 6, 7 and 8 weights. Great rods for the money.
I really like the BVK’s too. Have them in 5, 6, and 7 wts.
I like BVK too!
Lot of love for the BVK here. I have owned and used a variety of fly rods over the years. Have to say I like the BVK above all others. Great rod for a great price. I have them all matched with the very nice BVK reels. Lefty did a great job designing these rods and reels.
Full disclosure: I do not own and have never cast a BVK. From the online comments I’ve seen, though, I’ve come to two conclusions:
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The BVK’s are the lightest, prettiest, best casting rods TFO has ever produced.
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They tend to break a lot.
In all fairness, I hear more “I love my BVK” stories than “I broke my BVK” stories. (This thread is typical of that.)
I do hear a lot of breaking stories, though.
Rod breakage…
We have broken quite a few ourself…our fav, of course means most used, has endured 3 trips for replacement sections. In all fairness, it was always our fault…CLOUSERED rod, loosened and unattended to ferrule, high sticking, car doors…etc. Clousering a most common and least admitted to malady, takes MANY rods. Rods are very good at enduring the stresses they are DESIGNED for but not some of our applications.
Our MOST durable is still an old fiberglass Fenwick.
…lee s.
The only criticism I have ever heard of a TFO is they are a little tender. Before I left it in the Hooch while doing half barrel rolls in my float tube I had replaced my 3 wt. once and the tip was shortened when lost. They do not seem to abide abuse as well as some other rods, but they do honor their warranty, no questions ask, the only other rod I had ever broken was a St. Croix fiberglass spinning rod which came with a lifetime warranty. I never was able to get a replacement rod from the company.
The TFO Clouser and the St Croix Mojo do things differently well
The Mojo excels at closer range fishing (50 ft or less and often inside 30 ft) or in tighter quarters. Shorter rods can be more accurate. Also, fishing rods are essentially class 3 levers with the angler at the fulcrum and thus at a leverage disadvantage compared to the fish. Shorter rods like the Mojo are better at pulling fish from cover than longer rods as you get more pressure applied to the fish compared to a longer rod. I have several of the similarly sized Sage BASS series rods and use them a lot for fishing bass bugs and other flies in and around thick cover as well as using them for saltwater species around kelp beds. I have friends who use them for baby tarpon around mangroves. I also prefer shorter rods when fishing from float tubes, pontoons, and kayaks ( if you keep your back cast up it will not hit the water).
Longer rods like the TFO Clouser are better all around rods in my opinion where the Mojo is more of a specialty rod. The longer length can help with long distance casting and with mending line if that is important. You do have a leverage disadvantage compared to the shorter rod but that will only come into play in some situations.
When I go bass fishing I carry both long and short rods. If I can only take on I pick based on water I am fishing. A lot of thick cover or fishing from a float tube, yak, or pontoon then use the short rod. Otherwise it’s the long rod.
Regarding the comments on TFO breakage. I haven’t noticed that most TFO rods are more prone to breakage than any othe company’s rods. However the BVK is very light weight and is more prone to breakage than other TFO models. But the breakage is almost always traced back to user error when I query customers. We sell a lot of TFO rods. We see more broken TFO BVK rods than any other, but we sell more than any other. Proportionally , we don’t see any greater breakage with TFO compared to other brands. Other company’s high end lightweight rods also seem to break more often than their lower cost heavier rods. I have been fishing a number of TFO rods for 15 years for trout to tuna and never broken one.
The TFO Mini Mag rods that were mentioned in some replies are very tough and powerful rods and popular with customers chasing tough fish in cover. They are made with a combination of fiberglass and graphite that makes them very strong though a bit heavy compared to all graphite rods. But I don’t have a problem fishing them all day.
Whew! That exposition from tailingloop is awesome! I will be using it for kayak, actually my NuCanoe, so size is important. But I have the higher seat so I’m up more than some. I would also like to take it on vacation to Maine to use up there, so 4 piece is a must. I am getting to like the TFO Clouser more and more. I can use an all around rod more than a specialty rod, unless of course I sell some here so I can buy another!
Thanks tailingloop I will read that two or three times more to really understand and appreciate!
Mike
I haven’t broken a BVK (knock on wood). This is news to me. Never heard about a breakage problem.
Just a small sample. I’d post more, but there are only so many hours in a day.
“I personally have yet to break a BVK but word on the streets from our guides is that they break easier than others.”
“I just bought the BVK 10ft 5wt about a month ago. Within the 2nd time of using it I somehow broke the 3rd section while trying to unsnag my fly that was caught on something. The section broke into 4 little pieces, I have never had that happened to me before. I sent it back to TFO with the $25 and it was promptly returned fixed. Now 2 weeks later I broke the 3rd section again over this past weekend by barely bending it to untangle the line. This time it broke at one of the line guides. I am very frustrated that this happened AGAIN. I own 3 other TFO rods, a pro series, sig series, and an axiom. I have fished them all hard for multiple years and I have never had any issues with them like I have with the BVK.”
http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/forum/threads/sending-back-my-tfo-bvk-again.80070/
"The bvk is a nice rod casts very well but not as well as the xi3.
Also tfo has good service. Very quick turn around time. And trust me you’ll need it. They break very easily."
http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/forum/showthread.php?t=96274
"Had an 8wt and absolutely loved casting that thing.
For some reason, however, I just couldn’t stop breaking it. After the 3rd break, I sold it."
http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/fly-rods/302480-tfo-bvk-one-sweet-rod.html
“Unfortunately I joined the 2015 Broken Rod Club early by snapping my new 7wt TFO BVK on a meaty trout late Wednesday.”
“TFO are famous for broken rods , a friend new a guy who had spent several thousand dollars for a trip to a Salt trip early on the first day of his trip he broke a BVK …”
"Over 5 years of heavy use, the Sage One 7 and 9 wt. have been worked the most and broke the least. Honestly, the least fragile of those mentioned.
TFO - 5 and 9 wt. BVKs and the Mangrove, used the least and broke the most. Like casting a bamboo rod compared to the Sage One…"
http://littleriveroutfitters.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17959
“TFO BVK rods are a terrific value. They easily can compare to a lot of rods selling for twice the price. TFO also has an excellent warranty service. I have broken a couple …”
“i used the tfo bvk 8wt for 3 years… amazing casting rod… only problem is they are prone to breakage…”
“I have broke the 8wt once and the 5wt twice. They are thin walled rods which you will see if you break one. 2 breaks happend fighting fish.,…1 broke trying a hero double haul cast of 100’… litterally broke from the big bend in the rod.
I have 12 other rods and have never broke another in these ways.”
“I have heard numerous reports of breakage of the 5 and 8 weight BVKs, I have personally witnessed a 5wt break in normal use (not my rod but it was a bummer for the guy who broke it because he was 4-5 miles from his car and no spare). I have not heard about breakage problems with the 9wt and above. Could be a matter of thin walled construction (generally); a fundamental design issue in the 5 (and 8) weights; or a batch of bad blanks.”
http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/topic/618031-any-reviews-on-the-tfo-bvk-9wt-0r-8wt-rod/
Thanks deathb4disco. The more input I get the better. I’m going to the local fly shop Weds and see what they might have to say. There is another shop I’ll check with also.
Thanks,
Mike
Have the BVK in 5wt. Haven’t broken it yet, but all the guides worked loose and had to have them re-wrapped. Didn’t send it in to have it done as I have a buddy that does great work that is doing it for me. With that being said, it is a nice casting rod with the GPX line I put on it, but I like my Scott rods more.
:shock:
How in the world does this happen on a rod that retails for $260?
Doggone If I know. But they all worked loose. And it is odd that they did that. Maybe whoever was wrapping the rod that day was having a bad day or got in a rush. And as far as the price, I got it on a pro form from Bass Pro when I worked there. Got it for a lot less than retail.
Although I like the rod, don’t think I would pay retail for it.