Fly Rod Recommendations

[bmachale]

Hello All,

I wish to pick up a good quality fly rod. I will admit up front that I do not want to spend 400.00 or above to purchase a rod. I am just getting started. Sort of. But it has been a long while since a did it and was not really all that good at it when I did. But I am not opposed to buying a used rod that might fall into this category.

Most of the fishing would be in small water like walker river, owens river (upper and lower) and on lakes. Crowley, South lake, Sabrina, and backpacking lakes in the Eastern Sierras. Nymphing and dry and emergers.

I don't see how I would need a rod that is capable of truly long casts at this time. I do want to have a rod that loads up nicely and makes a smooth fluid cast. Just because I am a "beginner" does not mean I want to struggle with a rod that makes learning a ***** and unenjoyable.

There are so many high quality rods. Sage, Scott, Reddington, St Croix. And the different actions are pretty over wheming. My friend like a 9' 4wt for those types of waters. And he prefers medium action so he can feel the load.

So please give me your recommendations so I can try and narrow things down. Thank you in advance.

[Viejo]

Here are some suggestions. http://sportingclassicsdaily.com/eig...reak-the-bank/

I have another company or two I will research. There are some great 4/5 weight combos for under 250 that will carry you into more advanced fly fishing and casting. One recommendation...take the fly casting course at the Long Beach Casting club. They have beginner and advanced....it's free and in the evenings and it will give you the skills to put your fly where ever you need to. It's a game changer. Trying to learn on your own is an invitation to learning bad habits.

[shinbob]

My first overall suggestion is to go to a local fly shop -- you will be able to see, feel, and cast different rods to see which one you like best. And they are usually very helpful, especially for beginners, as we've all been there at one time.

Second, in my opinion, a 8.5 or 9 foot 4 weight is a great overall rod for the sierras. That's the rod that I use 90% of the time when I'm up there. A 5wt is just overkill for the smaller trout in the creeks and high altitude lakes, but a 2wt or 3wt can be harder to cast when the wind is whipping down the canyons. My favorite rod is a 9' 4wt 4-piece I built using an IM6 blank, so it's medium-fast. Don't go too moderate in action, my first fly rod was too much of a noodle and it hindered my advancement when I got past the basics.

Third, I'd spend more of my budget on a good reel and line, and spend comparably less on a rod. If you have 400 to spend, I'd use 200 or so for a decent reel, and 60 for a good line, then the rest on the rod. You can use a good reel forever, even as you switch rods around as you get more experience. People say that fly reels for mountain trout are just to hold line, which is true to some extent, but there's something very satisfying in using a well-crafted reel. I like Ross reels, but there's plenty of good ones out there. Again the key is to get your hands on one and try them out.

Fourth, consider TFO rods as well. I have rods from Sage, G Loomis, St. Croix, Scott, etc..., but the rod that was the biggest bang for the buck (besides my self-built one) are my TFO BVKs. Very impressed with the quality and castabilty. You can probably get a decent TFO 4-piece rod for $150 or thereabouts.

Good luck!

[bmachale]

Thanks to you both. Long way to go to figure this out. What do you think about the Sage A4 rod http://www.ebay.com/itm/172374293455...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.vailvalleyanglers.com/blo...fly-rod-review

[bmachale]

used at 219.00

[shinbob]

Thanks to you both. Long way to go to figure this out. What do you think about the Sage A4 rod http://www.ebay.com/itm/172374293455...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

http://www.vailvalleyanglers.com/blo...fly-rod-review

I have a 5wt Scott V2, which is the series below the A series, and it's a decent rod. Bought it in Colorado when my main rod broke, as an emergency replacement. Nice finish and components. If you buy it off ebay, you won't get the warranty, if that matters to you. Whack it once with a tungsten bead head and you could ruin it. You'll also want a rod tube, which doesn't seem to be included. Good price though...

[DarkShadow]

My first combo was Sage's low end Vantage in the 4 weight.

I soon realized that as a beginner, I definitely should've casted it more, other than the 4 minute casting lesson at the local fly shop. Then i would've realized that since my casting wasn't as developed, feeling the rod load up would be more beneficial to me than these new fangled fast action rods to shoot a 60 foot cast, thus why medium action rods were my first choice.

As I began to learn my casting stroke, I fell in love with the Hardy Zeniths in 4 and 5 weights (fast action, yes i know, but those were purchased 4 years after I started fly fishing) and am currently loving my Loop OptiStream for nymphing. I have a 2 low end Echo Carbons in a 3 weight and 4 weight that double as my machetes when bush wacking small streams. I picked up a Redington Classic Trout 5 weight that is a pretty good bang for the buck and comes recommended in fly fishing circles who don't suffer from unlimited budget syndrome. Cabelas had a few on sale a few months ago in their Bargain Cave, don't know if they are still available.

Now, as far as rods that I haven't been able to grab and molest, the Loomis Pro 4X LP is under $400 and I hear good things about the new Douglas DXF at $325. For less impact on your wallet, I'm hearing great things about the Echo Base for something under $100. Fenwick is back in the game with their Aetos model which comes in at right under $200 but good luck sourcing it locally. The Mystic Reaper is about $230.

Get some quality line, and perhaps look into 1/2 higher size up lines, such as Scientific Angler's MPX (which replaced their ever popular GPX) to assist in the rod loading as well. And learn to cast, first and foremost. Much of fly fishing is getting the perfect cast the first time, because many times than not, you don't get a second chance.

[RiverWalker]

Hello. As most have already mentioned, it's best that you pay a visit to a local Fly shop to test cast a few different rods so you could see how they match up with your casting stroke/style. (While using different types of lines as well.) Especially for your first rod. What works for some might not work well for you. I learned that the hard way. Example being that DS said that he's currently loving his Loop Opti stream rod but I've owned one in the 6wt class for a few years now and I don't really like it at all. To me, the rod has no feel and is like casting with a broom stick. Luckily with experience, I have learned to adjust my casting stroke enough where I feel comfortable casting any of my rods that I own but I still have much better options in the 6wt class so I never even pick up my Loop Opti anymore. If you really get into FF, you'll soon realize that you probably would want more than 1 ‘all around’ rod for fishing dries, nymphing, and streamer fishing. Plus different types of lines like floating, sink tips, full sinking, intermediate, etc. Then if you get into sinking lines they come in different sink rates too. It never ends...
I have about 12 rods now, both high end models and lower to mid range models and I could honestly tell you that the price of a rod has no bearing on if you'll like how it casts for you or not. My favorite rod to cast dries is my G Loomis NRX LP 4wt but my 2nd favorite rod for dries is my entry level TFO Lefty Kreh Sig professional series 4wt rod. I prefer casting that TFO rod over my high end SAGE TXL and SAGE ZXL rods. When fishing in still waters that are known to have nice size fish like Crowley, I use 6 wt rods that have more backbone and are fast action since I'm throwing out bigger streamers with sinking line. My 2 go to rods are a SAGE XP and a TFO BVK. Both are at the opposite ends of the price range but I love them equally. Could I land a Crowley fish with a 3,4, or 5 wt rod...yes but I prefer to have some more muscle so I could bring them to the net faster and get them back on their way. Less stress on the fish. That kind of falls back to my comment on eventually adding more rods to your collection. As Shinbob recommended, for your price range you should really check out TFO rods. Can't go wrong with a TFO BVK in my opinion. I own a 9'0 6wt for big streamers and a 10'0 4wt that I used for midging. The only negative part of buying a TFO BVK is that it doesn’t come with a rod tube like other companies. Just my 2 cents to help lead you in the right direction but you’ll soon find out that regardless of what people recommend to you or reviews that you’ve read online, the only way you’ll find what feels or works best for you is through personal trials and experience. It’s actually an aspect of fly fishing that I enjoy greatly. Good Luck!

[DarkShadow]

Example being that DS said that he's currently loving his Loop Opti stream rod but I've owned one in the 6wt class for a few years now and I don't really like it at all. To me, the rod has no feel and is like casting with a broom stick.

The OptiStream definitely gets broken out when chucking a small indicator and running a 2 nymph rig. As far as delicately casting dries? As you said, it's like a broom stick. I definitely swing more with the Loop than actual casting. If I need to put out a tiny dry on a delicate cast, the Zeniths are dreams.

If you indicator nymph, what rod do you use?

[RiverWalker]

Hey DS. I don't utilize tandem nymph rigs too often but when I have in the past, I mostly just used my Loomis NRX LP 4wt. It's not ideal but works fine since like you mentioned, we don't really cast a rig like that. Plus most of my fishing on the fly has been done in the Eastern and Western Sierras where the majority of the creeks/streams are fairly small. Most of the time I just use a semi roll cast or flick to cast out my offerings. If I'm on a little bigger water like the East or West Walker, UO, MO, I'll bust out my old SAGE RPL 5wt which works perfectly for tandem setups. I just don't like using any of my 5wt's on smaller waters. A little overkill if you know what I mean. I've heard good things about your Zenith but sadly I've never had an opportunity to get one in hand to try. It's probably a good thing though. I have enough rods and would have a hard time putting down my NRX for another rod for small stream fishing. As it is, I've been neglecting my NRX enough lately since I've been spending the majority of my time streamer fishing at Crowley with my 6wt's. When trying to determine where to hit it's been really hard to pass up the quality and quantity that Crowley has to offer. To me, nothing compares to a Crowley fish hitting a streamer like a freight train! Speaking of which....I'll be heading up Thursday night. Can't wait!


Adding to the original subject....

Bmachale,

Bob Marriott's in Fullerton is having a Fly Rod shootout on November 12th from 10:00 am till 3:00 pm. The Reps will be there to pitch their rods, answer questions, and will allow you to test cast out in the back casting area. You could also ask to test out the other rods that Bob Marriott's carries as well so I think think would be a good opportunity for you.

The OptiStream definitely gets broken out when chucking a small indicator and running a 2 nymph rig. As far as delicately casting dries? As you said, it's like a broom stick. I definitely swing more with the Loop than actual casting. If I need to put out a tiny dry on a delicate cast, the Zeniths are dreams.

If you indicator nymph, what rod do you use?