weirdnjfly
New member
I have been doing some research on American Fly Rods and I was wondering what company and why you perfer it?
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Your Fly Rod
- Thread starter weirdnjfly
- Start date
Trouser Trout
Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?
I prefer Orvis, I love their warranty, their rods are of the highest quality, and Orvis supports many issues that are in the fisherman's best interest.
NJTroutbum
NJTroutbum
I am partial to the older unsanded Superfines. More for the action than the warranty, but it's defeintely a nice plus. I've got a 7'9" 5wt Far-and-Fine, a 4wt 7/11, and an 8' 6wt Trout. My favorite is the 7/11 4wt. The 6wt Trout is at Orvis right now getting the cork replaced. The rear cork ring cracked & began to peel away. Bought in 1995...and being repaired for free.
But when looking to buy, I don't buy new. I look for one of the older models like I have and hold off until I find a near mint model that I don't have yet. 1/3 the price of a new one, and in mind a better rod overall than anything offered today. But that's strictly presonal preferance. :^)
Add to that, what TT said about the company.
But when looking to buy, I don't buy new. I look for one of the older models like I have and hold off until I find a near mint model that I don't have yet. 1/3 the price of a new one, and in mind a better rod overall than anything offered today. But that's strictly presonal preferance. :^)
Add to that, what TT said about the company.
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Trout Nazi
And...Boom goes the dynamite.
Sage and Winston. Jus go cast a Z-Axis, and you'll see why. The Winston BIIx is really nice also, more of a medium action than a fast action. Both have their place, both kick ass, both have a life-time warranty.
mbwmn
“Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?”
Scott.
A 9' 4wt S4 is my go-to.
I have a G2 3wt that offers a more relaxed casting style, but i a 5 wt i think i would be limited to dries only...
My love affair w/ Orvis has almost ended,. I hated the 5wt tip-flex ZeroG i had (it was short), and bought a 9' 5wt Helios tip-flex. I can throw it a mile, but anything shorter than that is a struggle...wife loves it until she gets it o the water...I suspect it may get traded for a ZXL after I win the lottery...
A 9' 4wt S4 is my go-to.
I have a G2 3wt that offers a more relaxed casting style, but i a 5 wt i think i would be limited to dries only...
My love affair w/ Orvis has almost ended,. I hated the 5wt tip-flex ZeroG i had (it was short), and bought a 9' 5wt Helios tip-flex. I can throw it a mile, but anything shorter than that is a struggle...wife loves it until she gets it o the water...I suspect it may get traded for a ZXL after I win the lottery...
PRomano
Fishizzle, I never use worms!
I purchased a ZXL 8 1/2 ' 4 weight a few months ago and I must say it's the best casting 4 weight I ever had the pleasure of owning.
Bamboozle
Smoking & drinking at a creek near you!
Rod action is the single most important thing I consider when I'm buying a rod. Everything else is secondary so if you are talking American made graphite which I assume you are, I prefer Winston because for the most part, they come closest to the action I like which is medium. Unfortunately even Winston has dropped most of the rods I loved from their line-up.
IMHO all of the rod companies out there today make excellent products that appeal to most anglers. If you prefer to buy American there are lots of choices although most are higher priced than comparable off-shore rods. You can't go wrong with Orvis, Winston, Sage, Scott, St. Croix, T&T or any of the other American manufacturers I forgot.
If you are on a budget I'd say with almost no reservation that what's out there from off-shore around $100+ is WAY better component-wise and performance-wise than what I had to choose from @ $100 many moons ago; keeping in mind that a $100 rod in those days would have been the $700 rod of today!
Warranties are nice but many if not most rod companies are charging a fee for a warranty repair. If you aren't a clumsy klutz you may never need a warranty, (I have never broken a graphite rod, YET!). When you consider even a unconditional warranty repair may set you back close to $75 PLUS freight; paying the full price for a repair you may need on a non-warranty used rod, may make more sense financially.
For example, replacing a broken section on a $600 American top-of-the-line warrantied rod may cost you $25 to ship to the factory and $50-$75 for the "warranty fee". That same repair on a used non-warranty rod may cost you $150-$200 + freight BUT, you may have bought that $600 rod used for $300! Of course if you bust it again the savings is about gone but if you NEVER need a repair; in the case of the new rod you wasted $300; in the case of the used rod you SAVED $300!
Fish or cut bait...?
A big advantage to a warranty is if the rod is NOT repairable, you will get a replacement although that may involve a fee as well. The only down side to a replacement is if the rod you killed is no longer available to offer as a replacement. In those cases you may end up with a replacement rod that you don't like which kinda makes the whole warranty thing lose some of it's value. That's where I'm at. If some of my warrantied rods were beyond repair and parts were not available; the current replacement options don't appeal to me. For those reasons the used market is getting more appealing.
Finally DON'T overlook custom builders. Almost 100% of the time they build on factory blanks that still have the manufacturer's warranty on the BLANK. For everything else the builder will back-up his work and in most cases you end up with a rod that costs less than a factory rod, with better fit & finish and made the way YOU like it. I guess the only down side to a custom rod is that in almost all cases it will have a lower resale value than the same factory rod. But if it is PERFECT and you love it, you won't sell it anyway!
Have fun!
IMHO all of the rod companies out there today make excellent products that appeal to most anglers. If you prefer to buy American there are lots of choices although most are higher priced than comparable off-shore rods. You can't go wrong with Orvis, Winston, Sage, Scott, St. Croix, T&T or any of the other American manufacturers I forgot.
If you are on a budget I'd say with almost no reservation that what's out there from off-shore around $100+ is WAY better component-wise and performance-wise than what I had to choose from @ $100 many moons ago; keeping in mind that a $100 rod in those days would have been the $700 rod of today!
Warranties are nice but many if not most rod companies are charging a fee for a warranty repair. If you aren't a clumsy klutz you may never need a warranty, (I have never broken a graphite rod, YET!). When you consider even a unconditional warranty repair may set you back close to $75 PLUS freight; paying the full price for a repair you may need on a non-warranty used rod, may make more sense financially.
For example, replacing a broken section on a $600 American top-of-the-line warrantied rod may cost you $25 to ship to the factory and $50-$75 for the "warranty fee". That same repair on a used non-warranty rod may cost you $150-$200 + freight BUT, you may have bought that $600 rod used for $300! Of course if you bust it again the savings is about gone but if you NEVER need a repair; in the case of the new rod you wasted $300; in the case of the used rod you SAVED $300!
Fish or cut bait...?
A big advantage to a warranty is if the rod is NOT repairable, you will get a replacement although that may involve a fee as well. The only down side to a replacement is if the rod you killed is no longer available to offer as a replacement. In those cases you may end up with a replacement rod that you don't like which kinda makes the whole warranty thing lose some of it's value. That's where I'm at. If some of my warrantied rods were beyond repair and parts were not available; the current replacement options don't appeal to me. For those reasons the used market is getting more appealing.
Finally DON'T overlook custom builders. Almost 100% of the time they build on factory blanks that still have the manufacturer's warranty on the BLANK. For everything else the builder will back-up his work and in most cases you end up with a rod that costs less than a factory rod, with better fit & finish and made the way YOU like it. I guess the only down side to a custom rod is that in almost all cases it will have a lower resale value than the same factory rod. But if it is PERFECT and you love it, you won't sell it anyway!
Have fun!
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WBDluver
Official NEFF pot stirrer
Sage Z axis, and my Winston in IM6. I was about to trade the Winston until i fished it on the Lackawaxen again this year. My heavier lined rods are Loomis's. I dont know what it is with Loomis and me but for some strange reason i can feel takes under water real well with their rods.
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