Time for a new fly rod. What’s everyone’s favorite

[Jigsalot]

My old Daiwa 2 piece is looking beat up. Wondering what is a good rod these day. Only fish trout with a 6 wt line. Keep hearing about TFO rods. Should I look into them or Sage Orvis etc.

[slough shark]

I like the tfo’s they are good rods for their price, if you want to spend more I like sage too.

[orvisman]

Orvis Recon is a great mid-priced rod.

[Mr Flyguy]

You didn't mention budget. Bought two Orvis Clearwater rods (10 ft in both the 4 and 5 wt) a few years ago and very happy with both. But, for a long day of casting and stripping I would use a 9 ft.

You might find a good price at the Fishin Hole when/if they have their August sale coming up soon!

I don't like TFO. Had a tip break at the Bow while just taking it out of the cloth bag!

[Jigsalot]

Some good info guys. Thanks. I don’t want to go more than 4 hundred or so. I’ll keep an eye on the fishing hole for a sale. Actually going Monday to get some leader.

[slingshotz]

Vote for TFO for me, the local service in Calgary is top notch if you have issues or breakage.

Sage is nice too if you want to spend the extra money but my TFO 4wt has easily been the most used and abused rod in my inventory. Use it for pretty much everything except the Bow and pike lakes.

[theduke]

Originally Posted by orvisman

Orvis Recon is a great mid-priced rod.

I second this. Picked one up a few weeks ago and like it better then my Helios H3

[huntsfurfish]

Another vote for TFO.

[Prairiewolf]

Get on ebay and find a Sage Z-Axis. Best they've ever made.

[MrBaseball]

Originally Posted by Jigsalot

My old Daiwa 2 piece is looking beat up. Wondering what is a good rod these day. Only fish trout with a 6 wt line. Keep hearing about TFO rods. Should I look into them or Sage Orvis etc.

Whenever I see people promoting the virtues of TFO rods, I have noticed that almost all of them are from the Calgary area. This is undoubtedly due to TFO being based in Calgary.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't buy a rod based on how quickly you can get repair work done. Take your reel/line with you and test cast several types of rods in your price range. Who knows, you may find a rod you cast beautifully that is well within your budget.

You don't have to spend a fortune on a fly rod, but you also don' have to settle on one that fits your budget, but you end up feeling like you "settled".

[Outbound]

Originally Posted by MrBaseball

Whenever I see people promoting the virtues of TFO rods, I have noticed that almost all of them are from the Calgary area. This is undoubtedly due to TFO being based in Calgary.

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't buy a rod based on how quickly you can get repair work done. Take your reel/line with you and test cast several types of rods in your price range. Who knows, you may find a rod you cast beautifully that is well within your budget.

You don't have to spend a fortune on a fly rod, but you also don' have to settle on one that fits your budget, but you end up feeling like you "settled".

For whatever it's worth, I'm in Grande Prairie and have been using TFO rods since before moving to AB from BC. I managed a fishing store in BC and dealt with hundreds of warranty claims, from most brands (Sage and TFO actually being the least common;y broken). Sage rods have to be sent to the US and their turnaround time after they received the rods was over double what TFO's was. Their website actually says 10 - 12 weeks right now...after they get the rod. Much easier, cheaper and faster ship to Calgary than Washington State.

Loomis and Loop would be 6 months turn around on average back then. I have no idea what they're like now. Reddington just never wanted to warranty anything and it was like pulling teeth having them honor their warranty. Orvis was hit and miss, also had to ship to the US. Same with St Croix. Amundsen was an over the counter exchange at the time but given how often we did those exchanges, I wouldn't recommend them. We didn't sell Daiwa or Shakespeare, we left those for Canadian Tire.

That said, I do very much agree with you that the OP should cast a variety of rods and find one that he likes. Doesn't matter what name is on the rod, as long as it feels right and casts well in his hand.

[morinj]

I’ve had experience with, G-Loomis, St. Croix, Sage, and Hardy. Caught lots of fish on all of them, but my sage TLX takes the cake, casts beautifully, any which way you go, be it TFO to Sage, pair it with a nice real and a good DT line, and you will have a great fishing experience, at the TFO price point tho, I would definitely look at the St. Croix’s!

[Mr Flyguy]

Originally Posted by morinj

I’ve had experience with, G-Loomis, St. Croix, Sage, and Hardy. Caught lots of fish on all of them, but my sage TLX takes the cake, casts beautifully, any which way you go, be it TFO to Sage, pair it with a nice real and a good DT line, and you will have a great fishing experience, at the TFO price point tho, I would definitely look at the St. Croix’s!

A DT line??? Nobody uses double taper any more, don't even know if they are made now.

[spurly]

For your price range I would go TFO, or another great rod for the money
Is Fenwick Aetos.

[Jigsalot]

Thanks everyone for all your good points. I will be taking my reel with me and trying a few rods when the sales show up. Looks like 3 brands to check out.

[morinj]

Rio trout LT DT excellent line still available along with several other DT lines, in event your fishing large water like the Bow, you would probably consider a WF, either way unless your fishing beyond 40-50 ft there isn’t a whole lot of difference, if you have experience!

[MrBaseball]

Originally Posted by Mr Flyguy

A DT line??? Nobody uses double taper any more, don't even know if they are made now.

I have a couple (Rio Trout LT) 3 wt. and 4 wt. DT lines that I use on my glass rods.
Still used by "skilled" fishermen.

[Dielbo]

Originally Posted by MrBaseball

I guess what I'm trying to say is don't buy a rod based on how quickly you can get repair work done. Take your reel/line with you and test cast several types of rods in your price range.

Right? I've had one rod break in 25 years (Orvis, took awhile but ther store gave me a loaner). I'm way more concerned with how it casts.

I also am leery of just saying a brand. Sage, Orvis, et al, have all put out clunkers amongst their usually good rods.

Lastly, few things are more personal than your cast. Maybe a bamboo or fiberglass noodle would be best. Or maybe a stiff fast graphite. Something in between might be right.

Then it depends on where and how you primarily fish. If Bow is your usual stomping grounds and you tend to nymph, well thats a different set of parameters than presenting tiny dries on Raven or Dogpound.

[Jigsalot]

Originally Posted by Dielbo

Right? I've had one rod break in 25 years (Orvis, took awhile but ther store gave me a loaner). I'm way more concerned with how it casts.

I also am leery of just saying a brand. Sage, Orvis, et al, have all put out clunkers amongst their usually good rods.

Lastly, few things are more personal than your cast. Maybe a bamboo or fiberglass noodle would be best. Or maybe a stiff fast graphite. Something in between might be right.

Then it depends on where and how you primarily fish. If Bow is your usual stomping grounds and you tend to nymph, well thats a different set of parameters than presenting tiny dries on Raven or Dogpound.

Good points there. I’m sure I will find a good stick. I fly fish mostly small streams and rivers around rocky and Nordegg. I also know many lakes and streams in the okanagan area. So most of my trout are small so a 5 or 6 wt is all I need. Thanks for everyone’s input. Great info

[MrBaseball]

"So most of my trout are small so a 5 or 6 wt is all I need."

Then you would be better off with a 4 or 5 wt.
Catching 6-8" trout isn't much fun on a 6wt.
Better yet, a shorter 3wt. and a 5wt.
Hmmmm... if only one rod, probably a 9 foot 5wt.

Eventually, you'll fill your quiver with a multitude of rods of several weights and multiples of each. Hahahahaha! What fun! Enjoy the journey.

[morinj]

Originally Posted by MrBaseball

"So most of my trout are small so a 5 or 6 wt is all I need."

Then you would be better off with a 4 or 5 wt.
Catching 6-8" trout isn't much fun on a 6wt.
Better yet, a shorter 3wt. and a 5wt.
Hmmmm... if only one rod, probably a 9 foot 5wt.

Eventually, you'll fill your quiver with a multitude of rods of several weights and multiples of each. Hahahahaha! What fun! Enjoy the journey.

I also believe your ideal rod for this application would be a 4 wt, that’s just my opinion, and I’ve found for all the smaller streams my 4 wt rods have been able to handle 20”+ rainbows, to 26” bull trout, with the flexibility to set the hooks nicely in the smaller fish, such as Rockies and Shunda brookies, however 5wt is great for your one stop shop!

[graybeard]

I own a a couple of TFO's; I can't comment on the G-Loomis, St. Croix, Sage, Hardy etc.
I can speak to the older 2 piece rods St Croix, Fenwick Redington, when I started out. I will say the 2 piece rods are nice if you have the room to pack them around, and they fish just fine.

I bought one (4 piece) at TFO and the other on Kijiji, that Kijiji deal was amazing. So what I am saying is, there are a number of used TFO's around at great prices, and TFO will tell you that, you don't need the original receipt if you need a repair.

When I bought my TFO at the shop; they allowed me to cast inside the warehouse just to test it out.

TFO all the way for me.
Good luck,

[morinj]

Originally Posted by graybeard

I own a a couple of TFO's; I can't comment on the G-Loomis, St. Croix, Sage, Hardy etc.
I can speak to the older 2 piece rods St Croix, Fenwick Redington, when I started out. I will say the 2 piece rods are nice if you have the room to pack them around, and they fish just fine.

I bought one (4 piece) at TFO and the other on Kijiji, that Kijiji deal was amazing. So what I am saying is, there are a number of used TFO's around at great prices, and TFO will tell you that, you don't need the original receipt if you need a repair.

When I bought my TFO at the shop; they allowed me to cast inside the warehouse just to test it out.

TFO all the way for me.
Good luck,

I don’t mind a two piece either, easier to keep things aligned, and the tube can dub as a walking stick!

[MrBaseball]

Originally Posted by graybeard

I own a a couple of TFO's; I can't comment on the G-Loomis, St. Croix, Sage, Hardy etc.
I can speak to the older 2 piece rods St Croix, Fenwick Redington, when I started out. I will say the 2 piece rods are nice if you have the room to pack them around, and they fish just fine.

I bought one (4 piece) at TFO and the other on Kijiji, that Kijiji deal was amazing. So what I am saying is, there are a number of used TFO's around at great prices, and TFO will tell you that, you don't need the original receipt if you need a repair.

When I bought my TFO at the shop; they allowed me to cast inside the warehouse just to test it out.

TFO all the way for me.
Good luck,

I wonder why that is.

[Scott N]

Originally Posted by MrBaseball

I wonder why that is.

Lots of used Sage, G Loomis, etc. for sale too. What point are you trying to make?

[MrBaseball]

Originally Posted by Scott N

Lots of used Sage, G Loomis, etc. for sale too. What point are you trying to make?

True enough.
I often wonder why some people buy a high end fly rod and sell it a month or two later.

[Bigwoodsman]

Originally Posted by MrBaseball

True enough.
I often wonder why some people buy a high end fly rod and sell it a month or two later.

Because it’s no better then their 200.00 Aetos.

BW

[Billy The Kid]

Can't go wrong with a tfo