what are you looking for? Is there a series of little tests you put it through when you are casting it? I am not looking right now but I have an arsenal of rods that price wise would be considered on the low end ($200 and under) happy with them but always am thinking about another (does it ever end?). But I bought most of them on a whim and didn’t test some of them before…I ended up adapting to them. Next time I buy a rod I might just go for it and plan a bigger budget so I have more options. When I first started my main test was distance…how far can I cast with it? But now I realize that that as important as it once seemed. So I am posting to see what qualities you look for in a rod before you drop some serious bread on it. By bread I mean money in a 70’s sort of way.By serious I mean alot in an '08 sort of way.
Janus
Janus…whether you agree with the conclusions or not you may find the things they used to compare the rods useful.
Janus -
The first thing I would look for is a Fly Shop that will let me take a rod out on the water and fish it the way I plan on fishing it.
If the shop you want to buy from won’t accomodate you on that approach, look for another Fly Shop !!
I went down the same road you did for the first several rods I bought, and happily, ended up with rods that worked for me, a couple better than the others. But the last rod I bought, a Sage Fli 9’ for 7 wt 4 piece, which is not a really high end rod at $325, I fished for a whole day before I made the decision to buy it. Before that one, I had demo’d a Sage TCR 9’6" for 6 wt 4 piece overlined with a WF7F for an entire day - that was definitely “high end” at $760, that just did not work for me.
From my point of view, the only worthwhile test is fishing the rod on the kind of water you plan to fish with the range of flies you like to use on that water. Anything less than that and you are short changing yourself for the long term.
John
Hi Janus
Those are interesting posts
Another thing to consider along the same lines as John’s post is what are you going to use the rod for? You live by me and i know there are some warmwater species you’ll be fishing. Blind casting for silver bullets with sinking lines in Lake Erie? Smallies? Gills?
Pure distance isnt the primary concern but how does the rod load for your style, your average casting distance and the size fly that you will cast. Will the rod have the lifting power needed for tuna or amberjack? Or big guides for passing loop to loop connections?
Your choice might be influenced by a particular stream as in short rod for freestone trout streams or possibly pure distance as in blind casting a half a chicken for tarpon.
The best scenario that I have is to charter a few guys and use thier stuff—I bought my scott s3s 10wt that way—i used the rod for a day and knew i liked it!
hope it helps
mike
Thanks for all the tips. I’ve covered myself from 3 to 8wt from 9’ down to 7’ graphite and glass…I’ve built a few (4 and 6wt)…Just maybe need to figure out which one I use the most and why and that might narrow down my search a bit. Not ready until the summer so I’ll fish a bit and see what keeps ending up in my hand. I am going to Mexico in August think I might be covered for fishing there…
Thanks again,
Janus
- Wander through flyshop (alternatively, catalog).
- Pick up rod. Wiggle (alternatively, see something so silly I have to have it).
- “Ooooh I need one of these!”
- Buy rod.
- Fish with rod.
- Fish with one or two rods all of the time and store rest of rods on the off chance I will need them at some point.
- Realize how many rods I own.
- Eventually give rods away or sell them at fish-in.
- Repeat.
So far, all that has mattered to me in picking a rod is that I don’t already have one (unless I am replacing one I broke or wore out) or have anything too similar, I have identified a need to have that particular weight or length of rod (as in, “I fish with a 3wt all the time, but I really NEED a 1wt for that little creek…”). I am not brand loyal or source loyal. I get the rod that feels best in my hand.
Realizing that any casting issues or limitations isn’t due to modern day rods, I basically just look at it, wiggle it and then buy it if it looks and wiggles nice.
And I believe in not being tied down by material possessions. If a lost/broken rod would cause too much grief then that rod costs too much. Only buy what you would not miss.
I posted this once.
Godspeed,
Bob
I had an old Orvis Clearwater 5wt which is a fairly soft or slow rod. I was doing okay, but just was not happy with my casting and my ability to toss heavier flies. One day I just happened to see on my local flyshop site that they were closing out the Winston Joan Wulff series and they had one 5wt left at 50% off. I went over to see it and they had me cast it - no pun, but I was hooked. It just felt right - I don’t know how else to put it.
Last year, I was looking for something lighter than my 8wt to toss SM flies and Steelhead with when the Scott S3 series was closed out. The flyshop allowed me to cast the Scott, a TFO Pro Series, and a Winston B2X side-by-side. Again, the Scott just felt right.
When I had a chance to buy a 3wt from somone on FAOL, I again went to my flyshop. I told them that I wanted to test a rod with them, but I would be buying it on the web. I promised to buy the fly line from them and they were more than happy to help. A great shop sure helps.