Should You Spend BIG $$$ On a Fly Rod?

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Title	:	Should You Spend BIG $$$ On a Fly Rod?
Lasting	:	9.28
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Views	:	37 rb

I'll throw my opinion here too I don't believe you HAVE to spend huge money, you will run into the law of diminishing returns However the more you spend the lighter the weight of the rod That doesn't mean much for most people most of the time, but my shoulder and elbow hurt I can swing my little 3 weight all day with no issue, but if I move up to my 5's I have to pay for it later Will a thousand dollar rod be better in that respect? Maybe But I also believe I can buy a smaller brands top of the line rod for less than some other brands entry level That Axiom is less than a Sage Foundation and I'd bet money swings a lot lighter too A Redington Path may not compare but I'll bet a Crux will If you spend a little time researching I think you can buy an extraordinary rod for a good value And when you look at even how today's cheapest rods compare to a top of the line model from 20 years ago, I think we'd all agree we're just spoiled now
Comment from : Jasons Fishing Again?

I learned on a reddington path 5wt used it for 3 years ( still have and use it) and caught tons of fish even a few 3 pound bass and some big chain pickerel The best investment a new fly caster can make is spend the money on great fly line that matches the rod well That made the biggest difference to me I just bought a new tfo mangrove coast for 285 and I can't see spending anymore than that on a rod Now reels while not nearly as important to fly fishing, I justify spending more money because they can last so long, my ross Animas will be my 5wt reel no matter what rod I break and replace the reel should last a long time Just my two cents Sometimes i tie a wooly bugger on a 10 dollar cane pole from Walmart and have a great time challenging my ability to read a river and get close to spots without spooking fish
Comment from : Hobbyoftheday

I hate how unexcited this guy seems to be about the “lower end” rods Come on dude My experience with the redington path is that if you’re looking for something in the slower mod-fast action it stacks up incredibly well It IS fully anodized on the reel seat, and using it compared to my higher end med-fast actions it performs amazingly Its very similar to something like a Sage Graphite III which was top of the line 10+ years ago Bit of a snobbish outlook over here from the fly guys
Comment from : Alex Socci

Like fine cigars or great whiskey, Unless You can experience them side by side You will never know the difference For at least 25 years before Hurricane Katrina I owned some very expensive gear Now I am just as happy and successful fishing without any of it A simple 4wt,7wt ,11wt setup with floating and sinking lines for each is enough Happy fishing friends Joyeaux de chasse une poissons Bonjour de Louisiane Mes amis partout
Comment from : Vieux Acadian

I love all my rods I have a $150 Reddington Classic Trout to a $1195 Winston Air 2 and many in between They all catch fish and I use em all I just love fishing but I must say my Scott & Winston are super nice I just rotate em so I don’t get tired of 1 rod
Comment from : Alfie in Montana

Weird how fast action became synonymous with high quality It is literally just a design decision
Comment from : UP

This video seemed mostly geared towards salt I agree that it's better to go for quality if you're dealing with saltwater, wind and larger fish You're going to have a miserable time with a cheap rod in that situation That said, if you're fishing for trout in smaller rivers, don't waste your money unless you're looking for a status symbol
Comment from : scott campbell

I think orvis and sage and all the big names are just bullshiting us just got a Okuma Slv 6wt and it has carbon fiber reel seat and fugi guides costs around 100 dollars I guess and casts accurate as shit so if you want that 90 dollar line clipper or those 1200 dollar reels or rods you're the dumb one not the brand because it's their job to steal I guess
Comment from : Sahil Shabir

good video, shows he big differences for the price All these rods can catch fish, butt there are advantages if you're willing to spend more money To me the best move has always been to keep an eye out for sales on the mid tier stuff It gives you lots of the nicer features at a good price I also am eyeing that axiom 2 for my 8 weight salt rod
Comment from : Prof Pigeon

Cool video A outfit video would be cool From low to hi For salwater
Comment from : Daniel

How about casting the 4 of them at 40 and 60 feet for us?
Comment from : bill K

As Chuck Yeager said it's the pilot not the plane Some will get what I'm saying
Comment from : Steve Gregg

G LOOMIS ASQUITH FLY ROD 7wt i got onewas looking at a 945$ so i was just like might as well lol
Comment from : JDM

Just buy TFO Tight lines everyone!
Comment from : oh yeah!

I own 14 flys rod , 2wts to 10 wts!!
Comment from : Stephen Kittle

I LOVE ECHO fly rods, I own 7 of them! Everyone has cost less than $200, I have been fly fishing for 52 yrs!! I might have a clue how to cast a fly rod! DON'T STOP CASTING!! That's my ADVISE!! If it works for you to spend alot of money on a fly rod that's fine with me! GOOD LUCK and GOOD FISHING!!
Comment from : Stephen Kittle

My eternal question about expensive, high end rods is: will it catch more fish? The answer seems to be: maybe From what I can gather from talking to multiple fly shops is that they will sometimes cast farther and more accurately What is farther? Here in Virginia the typical trout stream runs from maybe 10ft to 20ft across so maybe your cast upstream is at most 30ft If a high end maker/seller claims that it will cast the entire line, my response is: why? I will agree with increased accuracy, but if I miss a target by a foot and the target was six inches, does that mean it was a bad cast? Bottom line: I am not convinced that I need to spend $1,000 for a 3 or 4wt rod to hunt trout
Comment from : Phil Stevens

I have one Sage XP left Probably one of the best 8 wt fly rods ever Was a sad day when they were discontinued
Comment from : H Stetser

My favorite rod today is my Or is Helios coverte
Comment from : Danik Dancause

I love the Hardy Zane Pro I have used TFO for years and stepped up to a Hardy 9wt and absolutely loved it I now have the Zane Pro model in 7wt up to 10wt
Comment from : Strip Strike Fly Fishing

no question at all that technology gets better all the time, but at over a few hundred dollars, half the price is for the name brand sticker on it 95 of fishermen will NEVER be able to realize the so-called "advantages" of such an expensive rod Put my old, heavy ass on a $12K road bike, and I'll still be the old, heavy, slow guy on a bike I guess we should believe that Lefty Kreh and all the true masters of fly fishing never caught shit because all their equipment obviously sucked Today's "mid-range" rods (and fly hooks, hackle, tying materials, waders, you-name-it) are spectacularly advanced compared to the high end equipment of a few decades ago, but so many people caught so many fish because they were truly better anglers than most of us will ever be They WORKED for it
Comment from : Joel Szymczyk

All I can say is that the fish don't give a shit what you use Presentation is everything
Comment from : HelloGeno

My streamer rod/ first fly rod is a 25+ year old Pflueger 5/6 wt $6995 cheap kit I still use it often Never tried 5wt line I have caught bass, bluegill trout and one catfish with it Upgraded to an 8 wt for bass Scientific Anglers I have a Sage Discovery (going out of business sale 20+ years ago ) 8' 5 wt Does great for dry flies Finally bought a new rod a 4 piece 9' 5wt TFO don't know the model Much lighter and better components but under $250 ( I had a gift card) I buy what feels right or good enough for the price
Comment from : Mr Negative

All the rods will have what carbon is used IM6, IM8, IM10 that is the modulus count So IM10 is IM10 no matter who makes it brI don't live near salt water so anodized isn't important
Comment from : Mr Negative

People also spend $650 on reels with the best “drag” to fish 6x tippets! 😂😂 My guess is most people buying $1000 rods won’t catch 150 fish on them
Comment from : GEORGE TULLIS

Listen If you are buying $650 rods as back ups, you’re operating at different level than be $1000 fly rods? I just don’t feel it But hey I won’t spent 89,000 on and SUV either
Comment from : GEORGE TULLIS

Just learn to cast and fish and all modern rods are good
Comment from : mike okeefe

Most fly rods are capable of casting a long line providing it has a good fly line on it, the fly line is the most important part of the combination
Comment from : David Truran

I have a few 90$ + rods … for instructional use My favorite rods are my Thomas and Thomas And of course Scott rods Years ago … the only 2 rods that ever broke wet both Sage rods both broke while play a trout ( brown ) The 1 st was a 4wt I only cast drys and small terrestrials The 2nd was a 6wt broke while nymphing the guide let me use it as comparison to my rod Both Sage rods broke at the tip What annoyed me was the customer service at Sage … Very rude !! The rods were broken probably 4 years apart So it wasn’t as if it was the same day same customer person Sage can suck it as far as I’m concerned 👎🏾👎🏾👎🏾👇🏿
Comment from : Leonard A Zaragoza

I can see spending some dollars on saltwater rods going for big fish, needing to cast into big winds brbrWhat I don’t see is why you’d buy high end rods for small streams for trout I bet I catch as many big trout on my $250 4wt as someone would on a rod that is much more expensive (Caught a 21” cutthroat on a minnow pattern yesterday!!)
Comment from : K Bosch

Buy the best that you can afford You won't regret it Go cheap and you get cheapand little to no warranty
Comment from : lonewizzard

9:27 of sales BS!
Comment from : René Arestrup

I have a Path that I’ve caught hundreds of trout on It’s not the rod
Comment from : R S

Nice overviewThanks for the insight!
Comment from : REEL Estate Jeremy

มาชมครับผม+1ครับ
Comment from : บุญเลิศ ฟิสชิ่ง

Bought a new never used custom built 9' 5wt with an Okuma reel for 30 bucks at the thrift storebrMy 500 dollar St Croix is now a backup rod
Comment from : Glade Goodrich

Nice review, but how do they cast? Casting and feel is very individual but I'd get more value by adding a blindfolded casting evaluation by a half dozen decent castersbrWho cares how long they last if they don't cast well
Comment from : Bill Hegberg

I guess for me it boils down to 2 questions, if it breaks can I afford to replace it immediately? I only imaging a warrantee claim will take time 2 Will the rod stand up to my use? I take care of my equipment and fish 2-3X a week; yes I'm retired, and my rods last for 5-20+ years My rods are lower to mid-priced and I mostly fish fresh water I have one rod & 2 reels specific to salt water and the reels cost more than the rod To me the reel is the weak link in salt water Thanks for the review
Comment from : Pete vonSchondorf

A very subjective subject but good I own over 40 + rods and have been fly fishing since 1959 and had averaged around 60 days a year and in the past 10 years 120 days a year both fresh and salt So my take on this is I own Sage , Winston , Scott , Loomis , Hardy all of these I have paid $800 to $1,100 each , They are great rods But I also own Maxcatch, Echo , Edge , TFO and CD rods and payed as little as $120 to as much as $400 and they are also great rods I base this on how they perform not necessarily how they look or if they have the best components Having the lightest rod is nice but when you add a reel and line that changes everything sure some of the lower priced rods may weigh more but in the end I have never had to set one down because I couldn’t cast anymore because it was to heavy With the availability of new technology and rod designers now designing rod for these lower priced rod companies it’s hard not to purchase them My only suggestion is no matter what your going to buy go out and cast it and see if it fits what your looking for , the most expensive is not necessarily the best when it comes to fly rods Oh and warranty all the lower price rods I mentioned have great warranties Now it your turn , go fish :-)
Comment from : Mike Kuczynski

Nowadays there is no need to buy very expensive rods if you know what you are doing and are experienced with makes and trying rods out I've had all the price points and owned expensives rods and in the UK I can get a Shakespeare Agility 2 fly rod for £100 that is almost the quality of a £600 rod in casting No need at all to buy anything over £300 at tte very max Been fishing for nearly 40 years and a past qualified instructor
Comment from : Matt Wright

Sage r8 690
Comment from : Chaz Bickel

I would take the sage over all of them, Hardy sucks now that pure fishing owns them, plus the cork is shit on Hardy rods My favorite rods right now is the Sage R8 690 and the Gloomis NRX+ 788 SF
Comment from : Fish4Life

Rod technology has improved a lot over recent times Also, most rods have good warranties You can get some great mid priced rods that will give you years of good service In the wash up, you get what you pay for
Comment from : Ian Atkins

I've been flyfishing 30+ years and I can honestly say that some of the 250€ rods are better than many of the 800-900€ rods from 5-7 years ago in terms of casting, feel and lightness (but not craftsmanship obviously) The market has gone more from "save your money for that one really good expensive rod" to "buy many cheaper specialised rods" For the retailer it doesn't make much of a difference, the fisherman spends as much money as they have always done Perhaps even more, since many cheaper things is a bit deceiving compared to that one really expensive one I have some of the best rods that were available (sage one, Radian, Winstons) but nowadays I often prefer fishing with eg a Guide Line Elevation (best price to quality ration out there, in my opinion) One thing you have to expect though, is that the cheaper one is more likely to brake and more difficult to get related/replaced compared to an expensive one, that often comes with a lifetime warranty in the sense that you get replacement part very cheap regardless of how you brake it
Comment from : Creative Fly Fishing

Q Should you come into my shop and spend $1000?brbrA Yes, of course you should
Comment from : The Tattooed Angler

I think the expensive rod is worth it, if you fish in saltwater a lot and have the money Personally I don’t fish in saltwater more than a few times a year and there’s no way I’d spend that kind of money (I have an old Sage RPL and a Maxcatch) When we’re talking about trout stream fishing I do that a lot more, but I still can’t see spending $1000 when there are really good options for a lot less, and it’s not as demanding on build and components as salt is Eg, I have a Taylor Dynamix 4wt 8’6, which is a fantastic $200 rod, and high end rods are better but not by so much that I’d really notice the difference
Comment from : AJ27833

Cheap/expensive is relative If you fish 20 times a year, no need for 1k rod If you however fish 100+ days-hell yeah
Comment from : Tony G

I love my Axiom X Best rod for the $ I’ve found TFO makes fantastic mid-priced rods Plus the lifetime warranty and customer service is top notch
Comment from : Feathers, Fur, and Fins

I feel a "mid priced" made in USA rod like a scott flex, wave or sage maverick etc is still a better buy than a flagship level rod from an overseas manufacturer that build in korea or china The attention to detail and level of care i feel are far greater from USA made rod manufactures
Comment from : socalbassmaster

Thanks for taking the time to explain these differences to us I know that fly fishing is a sport that can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it If someone has the money to spend on a rod that gives them confidence, or even just satisfaction, who am I to tell them what to do with their money? I've caught hundreds of fish on cheap rods, but there are definitely times where a feature here or there might be nice to have Can't blame someone with plenty of money to divert to a passion for doing so Thanks again for the video!
Comment from : matt stoddard

You need to do one with fly line
Comment from : Halston Banks

What you mean is the more expensive the rod the more profit you make
Comment from : banjovass007

The answer to your question, which you didn't seem to answer, for me is that cost of the highest-end rod isn't justified Here's why: most anglers aren't going to notice the difference Nor are they going to gain 84 more enjoyment of the sport by getting a 90000 rod versus say a 30000 rod And that's the thing for me about a lot of gear Is getting the 100000 skis versus the 30000 skis going to yield 70 more enjoyment? Not likely When it comes to fishing, it's mostly a status thing to buy the 90000 rod I'm firmly in the camp of not getting junk that will just break, but also not spending for top-of-line because at that level you're getting minimal additional benefit
Comment from : joncolorado

This is excellent info for anglers looking to get into saltwater fly fishing It's such a harsh environment I've only had "cheapies" because of this, but - now you can find rods which are built to withstand the corrosion for a lifetime - I may find myself an nice Hardy
Comment from : Mathew Campbell