I am putting together a 3wt combo for my nephew and I have never fished the TFO Pro series. Anyone have any comments? He will be using it as a stream rod for warmwater species and probably won’t be tossing a lot of tiny Trout flies. I looked at the Sage Launch and the Winston Ascent, but they seemed a lot faster (stiffer) than the TFO. I would probably go with one of those if he was going to use it for Trout.
The TFO is the 8’6" 4 pc model and I’m matching it with an Orvis BBSII and the new Wonderline. Opinions? Thanks.
I could do that! :lol: :lol: :lol: Seriously, I have a BUNCH of rods from $300 to $1,800. and the Pro is my go to rod for sure. The BBS will be NICE on there.
And what foolish mortal would argue with a goddess?! Not this one. Ive fished the TFO Pro series, and you’re right, it’s a little softer than the Winston or the Sage. It would be a great panfish rod or even a trout rod for that matter. If your nephew is just getting started, you’ve picked a great rod to start him out with.
Great choice. Another in the same price range that’s also a very nice rod with a lifetime warranty is the Elkhorn Nomad. The difference is that the TFO Pro is med-fast and mid-flex. The Nomad is full flex and medium action (my opinion…Elkhorn says it’s med-fast, but it slower than the TFO by a noticeable margin). Personally, I think a full flex rod is easier to feel load and more forgiving with timing; and it’s softer on the hook set. So I think it’s a better choice for beginners on trout.
SilverMallard, I will agree totally that a slow action rod is a great choice to learn on. That is why I teach with GLASS. Fast is more forgiving and covers a lot of mistakes where as a slow action teaches you to WAIT and FEEL the action.
On that note, I still like the TFO cause it is a med flex, which allowes the hucking big bugs and windy conditions.
After all these years, I have regressed to SLOW action, but I can still have fun with a tip flex.
GOOD POINT anyway SM. but I don’t think he will be sorry.
Anyone here tried the new ECHO’s…sweeet!
I just bought the 11’ 5wt. TFO pro spey and it’s a blast to use. It comes with the longer, lower handle and a 3/4" fighting butt, so you can use it as a single hander as well. I tried it out this weekend on a local smallie river and it worked great. A 16" fish feels like a salmon on it. lol. It definitely has a more moderate action to it, but it’s fairly stout in the mid to butt section.
I think the 8.5 footer will work fine for your nephew. It’s a pretty forgiving rod and I need all the forgiving I can get. lol.
Flygoddess, i’m guessing you like the new ECHO rods? lol. I was thinking about checking out some of their spey rods. Do they still come with distance and accuracey tips?
Fly Goddess wrote: Anyone here tried the new ECHO’s…sweeet!
My 9’ 4wt is an Echo Classic, and yeah, sweeet is exactly the way I’d describe it. I can drop a tiny trout fly on a dime at sixty feet and still fire smallish poppers and such for bluegills or steamers for whites and crappies. Great rods.
raw69,
When I wound up with my 9’ 4 weight TFO, I too had tried the Launch and Ascent rods. The TFO performed so much better for me and my stroke, that the others didn’t even come close. I liked it so much the first time I fished it that I continued fishing in barren water just because I liked the looks of the loops I was throwing. Didn’t matter much that there weren’t any fish, I was just plain enjoying the casting. I also have a BBS reel and in my dreams I couldn’t invent a better reel for the price. Nothing fancy, just plain exactly what I wanted in a reel. Have fun with it, and you’ll fall in love with it.
Go Fish :lol:
I was able to cast both the Cabela’s and TFO prior to buying. The Cabela’s seemed to have a bit more back bone and suited my casting style better.
I strongly suggest that, if at all possible, you take the lad out and have him test cast the set ups before buying. That will help to find out what works for him. It will help save a lot of potential frustration on his, and your, part.
The TFO is the 8’6" 4 pc model and I’m matching it with an Orvis BBSII and the new Wonderline. Opinions? Thanks.
I have the 7’6" 4 pc 3 wt - and it’s a really good rod
I test cast about 8 or 9 other models - can you guess which manufactureres?
Why spend $600 for about the same performance and feel as the TFO provides @ $ 140.
I’m SURE you’ll be happy with it mated with that reel/line.
MY only complaint is that with ONLY 2 or 3 feet of WF line out of the tip, it doesn’t load the rod very well.
I would rate it as a true medium-fast rod.
Since it’s a pretty light rod ( mine is 3 oz. ) I mated mine with a Sage 3200 ( 3 oz. ) and Rio Selective Trout
( in camo ).
If there is anyway possible you really owe it to yourself/ your nephew to try out the rod before making a selection decision. My son and 3 friends just got back from their first ever Bighorn trip and prior to departure the 3 friends (all neophytes) had to purchase rods. A multi-piece 9’ 5wt was the order of the day for each and I steered one of his friends towards a 9’ 5wt 4-piece TFP Pro over an 8’ 5wt Redington Red Start based solely on length having never casted either rod. One Saturday prior to the trip we had our own mini 9’ 5wt multi-piece shoot-out in the back yard (with my two older multi-piece 5wts included). The contenders were:
Of this group I (suprisingly) found the TFO Pro to be the absolute dog of the bunch. It felt heavy in hand while casting, provided little “feel” and it was a struggle for me to cast 60’ with the rod. With each and every other rod I could cast nearly the entire line without too much effort. Whether or not cost is factored into the equation I would take any of the other rods over the TFO.
Obviously a 5wt will have a different feel than the 3wt you are looking for. And your/your nephew’s casting style will undoubtedly be different, so take my comments simply as what they are, just one man’s opinion.
Did you cast all of them with the same line? What line? TFO Pro rods cast a heavier WF line much better. It’s often wise to even over-line their 5wt with a 6wt WF GPX, Trout, or Bass taper line from SA for a newbie caster. And in my opinion and that of several pro instructors I’ve talked to about this, it’s a hard to beat combo for a “learning rod.”
Did you cast all of them with the same line? What line? TFO Pro rods cast a heavier WF line much better. It’s often wise to even over-line their 5wt with a 6wt WF GPX, Trout, or Bass taper line from SA for a newbie caster. And in my opinion and that of several pro instructors I’ve talked to about this, it’s a hard to beat combo for a “learning rod.”[/quote]
I have cast all of the above and my feelings are the complete opposit, so there you have it…different strokes for different folks. I also have never seen the need to overline or underline a rod. If it doesn’t do what it is suppose to with the recommended line, I don’t buy it! TFO Pro does JUST FINE with a 5wt line, but again different strokes.
Did you cast all of them with the same line? What line? TFO Pro rods cast a heavier WF line much better. It’s often wise to even over-line their 5wt with a 6wt WF GPX, Trout, or Bass taper line from SA for a newbie caster. And in my opinion and that of several pro instructors I’ve talked to about this, it’s a hard to beat combo for a “learning rod.”[/quote]
I have cast all of the above and my feelings are the complete opposit, so there you have it…different strokes for different folks. I also have never seen the need to overline or underline a rod. If it doesn’t do what it is suppose to with the recommended line, I don’t buy it! TFO Pro does JUST FINE with a 5wt line, but again different strokes.[/quote:202e4]
Does that mean you won’t be buying a Gander Mountain Guide Series 9’, 5/6 wt or an Orvis Clearwater 9’, 6.0 midflex, 7/8wt?
It is not a matter of the rod not being capable of doing what it’s supposed to do. It is a matter of personal choice. my 2wt casts just fine with a wf-2 or dt-2 line. However, if I need the finesse of a DT, but want a little more distance than the Dt of my rod’s weight rating, I will over-line by one weight when using a DT line. To me, this is vital when fishing the waters here in the east that see incredible fishing pressure. Presentation and moderate distance is vital for these fish.
Does that mean you won’t be buying a Gander Mountain Guide Series 9’, 5/6 wt or an Orvis Clearwater 9’, 6.0 midflex, 7/8wt?
It is not a matter of the rod not being capable of doing what it’s supposed to do. It is a matter of personal choice. my 2wt casts just fine with a wf-2 or dt-2 line. However, if I need the finesse of a DT, but want a little more distance than the Dt of my rod’s weight rating, I will over-line by one weight when using a DT line. To me, this is vital when fishing the waters here in the east that see incredible fishing pressure. Presentation and moderate distance is vital for these fish.[/quote]
[b]I never said I wouldn’t buy any particular rod, I just said if I buy a 5wt, I use 5wt line be it WF, DT, TT what ever. If I want a slower action, instead of overlining I buy a SLOWER ACTION rod. If I want faster I buy a tip flex. That is just me and I can understand if you can only afford one rod, that you might want to experiment.
I also feel that by learning with a TFO, you will adjust to that rod. If he is new and never done this before, what is wrong with learning with a med action rod like the TFO?
One more note, I have cast rods that are overlined and underlined and yes I can cast them, but I won’t say they cast any better or worse…that is kinda my job.[/b] :lol: