You may say " my rods are my fishing companions and evaluating and ranking them may make them envious if I don´t give them the highest score." :-) (The smilies don´t work for me).

An other objection may be " we do analyze many things each day, thus let fly fishing be a retreat from this."

But of course please feel free to join in this activity. For my part it is rather obvious why I like a certain rod and value it more than another and rather similar rod. This is not a rod test but some subjective reflexions.

I start with my two-handed rods as I´m in a period of practicing a lot with them. In order of appearance highest raked first.

1) Winston BIIx 14´ # 8/9 . Motivation. The rod that I cast the best with. Distinct feel to it and a very "earnest" rod. Casting in the right way is very rewarding. In addition it is rod for both shooting heads and whole lines; "spey lines" . This rod will handle many situations. (No, this isn´t an ad for Winston. I can´t help liking it). BTW I bought it without ever casting one, and it was indeed a bit different than I expected. To me two-handed or spey rods takes a litter longer to get used to compared to single-handed rods.

2) CTS Affinity Double Hand 13´#9/10 . A rather new kid , built it from a blank last spring. It has taken me some time to get used to it and in the beginning I thought it to be a bit softer than I had expected. After some adaptation I now feel the power of it and this is great! Not a beginner´s rod in my opinion, but a nice rod to develop my casting technique with. Effortless casting is the goal. When hitting the spot it is just a bit of magic.

3) David Norwich EV II 12.5´ # 9/10 . My former "go to rod". Built it from a blank about 8 years ago. A fast action rod that is doing the work asked of it without any hesitation. I use it with shooting heads in the Scandinavian stale of casting. I rank it closely to the above rod but after much adaption to the CTS rod the
DN rods scores just behind. A rather easy rod to cast, not without feeling to it but very different to the two above rods. And using different rod for practising makes me concentrate on the feel of the cast and the adaptation to the rod used. This will hopefully make me a better caster.

Magnolia... great thread, man :-)

I have a few rods that I have very real attachment to, and some that have captured my curiosity... and thinking about it I tend to quietly describe them from an emotional perspective to myself... not so much a classification of character, more about the relationship (man, you can tell it's the middle of winter, eh?).

790 SP, my first real love in fly rods, has showed me so many things, and caught so many beautiful fish... my last and only 2pc (graphite anyway), a lifetime rod.

586-4 SLT, my go to, like a best friend who you know so well you never have to think about your interaction, everything is automatic, smooth, it just is... the friend you like to have with you when you have no idea what you might be getting into.

690-4 SLT, another best friend, similar to his little brother but more robust in situations that call for a more bold approach.

8'6"4wt BIIx, a very dynamic and exciting affair, surprising, blows me away every time I use it. Sometimes it feels like I have fished it forever, sometimes it allows me to do things I don't expect to pull off... probably one of the very best all around trout rods every built.

389-5 (and previously a 389-4) SLT, my meditation, my mentor of 'smooth', a bit fickle but gracious beyond any other to date.

376-3 SP, elegant, soft spoken and delicate, but yet dynamic... a strange fit, somewhere in between.

6'6" 3wt Double L, my new curiosity, very three dimensional characteristics for a short light line rod... and the first departure from 'premium' genes in many years.

The rest of the pile in comparison are just some very nice fishing 'poles'.

I look forward to targeting a lot of my time on the water this year to the lighter line rods... and still have to figure out what gaps to explore with my pro form this year (2 rods)... Thinking of giving the Z-Axis another try in a different 5 or 6 wt config., and a ZXL, probably a 480... then there is that whole spey thing... there are much worse things to lose sleep over ;-)

TL's~

Hmmmmm,


1. Sage 389-3 VPS Lite. This wasn't a rod that I had intended to even keep. I got it in a trade from somebody and was going to sell it off. But I took it out fishing a couple times first (hey, you've gotta try every rod) and fell in love with it. Nice slower action, but still a crisp casting stick. You still feel small fish, but it has the strength to handle something a bit larger (I'm talking 12-14" trout, nothing huge). Plus, the length over my shorter 3wt can make it a much easier to mend or make a longer cast if the situation calls for it.

2. Lamiglas 365-3 "Honey". A friend built this up for me because I was curious about what the older slower action fiberglass rods were like. It is a JOY to cast. So relaxing compared to today's faster action rods. Up here on the wet side of the PNW, your trout choices in moving water are limited. Unless, of course, you are the kind of person who can enjoy catching a mess of 8-12" feisty rainbows or cutts all by yourself in absolutely beautiful water. Did I mention they love a dry fly? This rod is absolutely great for that kind of "headwater" fishing.

3. Sage 590-4 VPS. Everyone needs a 5wt (or so I'm told), sadly I don't get to use this rod as much as I'd like, but when I do I really enjoy it. As I mentioned above, the wetside PNW isn't great for what most people think of as "typical" flyfishing. It's either light rod trout or heavy rod salmon/steelhead. While the flex on this rod is somewhat faster than it's 3wt cousin above, it's still not as fast as a lot of rods today, which I think is better for my particular brand of casting (my casting is about as graceful as an octopus falling out of a tree). Plus, if I would ever get interested in lake fishing, this would be a very good rod for our trout lakes. But that's a project I keep putting off.

4. Redington DS 13' 8wt Spey I'm putting this on here because it's a rod I'm having a lot of fun with right now. It's my first spey rod and I'm so mediocre at spey casting that I can't compare it to anything else. But I'm having a great time with it and my beginner spey casts still take less work and go about as far as my single handed 8wt sinking-tip salmon-fly casts.

This is hard to do in some ways. My first rod was a middle of the road, will work for almost all fishing I do, or so I was told. Two years later, I had to get another. Now, another two years, and I have another on order. As I get more, instead of ranking them, I add more catagories...

Light Line: Sage Launch 376- Still on order. I had a hard time working some small streams with a 9 foot rod, so I decided to splurge and get another one.

General duty: St Croix Pro graphite 905- My first rod. I have to say, it may very well be my favorite. I think when someone learns on a rod, they get accustomed to that particular action, and that becomes their default casting stroke. This rod is nice and fairly slow, in my opinion. It is too bad I like slower action rods, as there dont seem to be too many around.

Upper Class: Sage Launch 790-4- I was originally going to get a four piece rod in a 6 wt to take a step up from my St Croix, but when I played around with the 6 weight, I found I didn't really like the action that would replace the St Croix. I started playing with the 7 weight, and decided that the action was ok for it. This also gave me more diversity, allowing me to target species like salmon and some bass, too.


As for reels, I have a Lamson Radius 2 on my St Croix. This is my nicest reel, and a fine piece of machinery.

That is a great rod for it's price. The only reason that I got rid of mine is that it was replaced with the Lamiglas I mention above (and SWMBO wants me to keep the rod collection to rods that I actually use).

I am hoping. The order went in yesterday. I expect it to be here in 2-3 weeks. I will let everyone know how it works, when it gets here.

I'm fond of my Orvis 7'9" 5wt Far and Fine. It's the older unsanded version built in 79.

A nice all around trout rod.

Now, getting back to the thread, for smaller streams/rivers I think my favorite is my Steffan Brothers 3/4 weight I bought a couple years back.
That and I have a One Ounce 4w that I like. And certain times the 4w Penns Creek cane has to come out.
Larger waters the 6w BIIX is the ticket. For smooth casting on medium waters I like the 5w LT.
I got rid of my SP for the BIIX and I haven't regretted it. Just like the way the Winnie fishes.
Now my favorite 5w of all time is my fiberglass McFarland 5w parabolic Spruce Creek model. Pure butter when it comes to casting. It's really a joy to fish with. No offense Pete, but I named it Sneaky Pete-not after you, but one of the pool cues I used to own. A wolf in sheeps clothing.
I'm in the slow process of building a Lami Honey 4w 7'6" glass with a orange agate stripper, orange and black Jasper guide threads (Gudebrod calls it Classic Twist) and Snake brand guides. Not in any hurry so it's taken a while. Small creeks nymphing and dry's.
And that's all I got to say about that.

Hey Goober, I heard you got a heck of a deal on that one brand new... musta been hot! ;-) Man, I wish like anything I had kept that bit together, I would have had you shipping that thing back to me by now! Damn!

I'm considering a 9' 6wt BIIx, you really like it that much, eh?

I have a sneaky pete in my bedroom closet in need of a new tip... bought it off an old timer, ex pro with my xmas $ my first year at school in Rochester, NY... that thing scored me 9X what I paid for it in free pool and pitchers... had three bars I could walk into with just enough to buy my first beer and go at the table... could pretty much always make a night of it from there. Just had to find a dark corner to put it together, pretty much looks like a standard issue bar stick :-) Pool and skeet were my two favorite PE credits! :-)

Greg, I do like it that much, but it's all in your style. I know you're a Sage fan. If you can and I know you can, get and cast or fish with a 6w BIIX give it a shot. It feels like a 4w but with the power of a 6. Some people like the 5w better. This rod just feels good when you cast it. You know the feeling I'm talking about.

Pete, I hope you enjoy the F&F. Don't give it up so easily. Push the rod to the limits. Have fun with it and then get a damn camera and post your waters and fish.

As much as I have always disliked the longwinded post of Magnolia--- this started out as a good thread-right on Mag's
I'll simply add my favorite flyrod is always the one in my hand, if it feels right use it --- in the end it is still just a tool. nuff smoke here

Big Al, I have an 8'6" 4wt BIIx that amazes me every time I fish it... I have heard from some who prefer the 4&5wts that in comparison the 9' 6wt borders on slightly clubby in comparison. The closest Winnie shop is a haul, and is owned by a crooked pr**k who has been trying to leverage the local reps to cut off some of the smaller shops by offering to buy our minimums in exchange for pulling the lines from us... not sure I can set foot in the place without getting in some trouble. I may just look for a no brainer used deal that I can roll out of even if I need to, I just can't find any without the cheesy carbon fiber look spacer (insert puking noise here).

Chief, let us know how Pyramid fished today :-)

Gotta add one to my original list... Lust, went and wet a line with a Scott G2774-4... hubba friggen' hubba, what a sweet little stick. Very versatile rod for having such deep and refined presentation capabilities. It just maybe the right compliment to the BIIx, and I sure do miss having a shorter 4. I've noticed some ebay retailers selling Scott rods for well under MSRP... not sure how they get away with it, but I may be taking advantage of it soon!

TL's~

back to the topic.

I have a collection of rods that I won't list them all as they are not all my favorites.I have all of the rods I ever bought as I can't justify selling them. I have some to loan out to beginners and others I guide with and out of those I have my favorites.

4pc Sage Rods;

SLT 5wt 9ft
Z-Axis 5wt 9ft
ZXL 5wt 9ft
XP 5wt 9ft
Launch 5wt 9ft
TXL 2wt 7'10"
ZXL 3wt 7'6" This is a new one that just arrived today. I am heading off in the morning for 3 days to test it.

I have my days where I fish with whatever rod I feel like. I can change the line to get a different cast then just let the rod dictate the cast. Some days I want speed and punch and others, something slower.

I also have 3 Penn 2wt 7'9" 2pc rods that I love to play with on the smaller streams.

There is my Sage Xi2 9wt 9ft that is a ball on the Tuna, Travelly and Queenfish.

The other rods are a mix of brands that are not as well known,but I still take them out every now and again. They are not my favorites,but I can't bring myself to part with them. I would get very little for the lesser rods and can't see the point in selling them for so little. Therefor I keep them (insert smile here).

Scottie,

How would you describe the action of the ZXL compared to the SLT? I've been wanting to try a ZXL, but none of the shops have one around here.

Steffen Bros 8ft 3/4wt that the best custom rod builder I know, Lanny DeRose, built for me.

Scott F81 that is one of the first 1000 glass rods Harry Wilson built when Scott Rod Company was in the basement of his home.

T&T Special Dry Fly 8ft 4wt Trav'ler. The nicest casting small stream rod I have ever cast(and it's 20 years old, so much for all of the improvements we have been paying 100's of dollars for in graphite technology)

Diamondback Golden Shadow 9ft 5wt. MINT never fished. The Original Diamondback Co. is near to my heart. Being a short drive away. Cortland bought it, ruined it and now ship it off-shore. I am happy that I have the finest fly rod the boys in Stowe ever built.

T&T Horizon 9wt. I bought my first one in 1996. My Striper fishing buddy begged me to sell it to him so I did. I have since purchased 2 more. After fishing with dozens of 7-10wts this taper is simply the best beach fishing rod I have fished with.

Honorable mentions would be all those 5 and 6wt IMXs that I bought and sold over the years. I should have kept a couple of them.

rich

It always amazes me how much people are willing to defend their fly rod choices. Every time a post like this is started here at Flyfish.com, it ends in a pissing contest between members declaring whose rod rains supreme. All the choices listed thus far are great choices and wonderful fly rods. Having said that, I personally feel like there is nothing better than owning and fishing a custom fly rod. As you all know I am a custom rod builder and every fly rod I own and fish was built by myself. I am not looking to get into a pissing contest and declare that my rods are better than anyone else’s, but there is something special to having a one-of-a-kind rod with premium components, custom corkwork, a premium blank, and much needed attention to detail. If you are at all intrigued you can check out some pictures of my fly rods at www.emergefishing.com under the custom rods link. There you will find a photo book showing several that I own and several that I built for others.

-Chad
www.emergefishing.com

Chad,

with all do respect for your fine work and tremendous enthusiasm for the sport, your last post is a blatant plug for your business, and can be easily interpreted as a violation of the 'no pro sellers' rule on this site.

TL's~

GRN,

That is your opinion. I have been a member of this site for a long time (4 years) and I have been building my own rods for a long time, allot longer in fact than I have been selling them. This discussion is asking members to share what rods they prefer with others. I prefer a custom built rod, always have. Having a personal preference shouldn't prevent me from taking part in this discussion. If I were a Sage sales rep and stated that Sage was my rod of choice, you wouldn't hold that against me, so why is this any different. This is an equipment-posting site, the fly rods I build are equipment, and this discussion has asked for MY personal preference in a rod, which I have proudly declared. The fact that my rod of choice come from my company is irrelevant. You can see that my rods offer something that others don’t, so therefore I have a right to side with my rods over any others. I understand that some might feel that just because I own this company that my post is Spam, but this discussion was not titled “Ranking your fly rods (but only if you have a Sage, Winston, or Thomas and Thomas model. All others your opinion doesn’t count and therefore you shouldn’t post here)”. My choice is different than your, I respect your opinion and am happy that you have one, let me have mine.

-Chad

Chad,

I agree with your opinion, I have had a dozen or more customs for the same reason as you, and I have preferences for grip shapes not available off the shelf. That said, the later part of your post directs folks to your business specifically to provide them your services:

"If you are at all intrigued you can check out some pictures of my fly rods at www.emergefishing.com under the custom rods link. There you will find a photo book showing several that I own and several that I built for others."

I work for a Sage dealer, and never direct folks to our business regardless of my opinion... they are different issues. I have even refused to make association to our business when approached by board members without any solicitation.

TL's~

I fish with the cheap stuff...that being said, I live in an area with small spring feed creeks and rivers, so my rod requirements are limited.

I've tried peoples St. Croix and other higher end rods and I always return to ye ole faithful.

Gander Guide Series 4/5, 8' scientific anglers 4 weight float line, cabela's guide reel (80 dollar outfit):
Flexible and short, I like it for our area because of the length and the flexibility, I can easily make roll and side casts without tangling the riparian brush. On open water I can easily empty the reel.

To me it has always been about bonding with your rod, i've seen people catch more fish with a $40 rod and experience than someone with an impatient hand and a 1300 dollar outfit.

I'm a firm believer in the fact that "Equipment doesn't catch fish, people catch fish."

Overall i'd rate the guide series at a 9:
Quality value (40 bucks)
Flexibility while sustaining rigid hook set.
Bend and snap for distant casts.

Ellsworth

JMO---I have wrapped many many rods, from factory rod blanks. You must have a mandrel to build a blank or planing form to build/make a (bamboo) Rod. My point- rod wrapper did not make the rod but a rod maker will sometimes be the one to follow the rods progress from start to finish (Bamboo) rods. Time to go flog my POLE.

Regarding the "no pro sellers" rule. As with most web-forum rules, there are a few grey areas. A long time member mentioning a business that they have is rarely cause for concern. However, if they did it every post that would be a problem to be dealt with.

Someone who just comes to a board to promote their business is not an asset to the community. But on the other hand, a forum like this does not want to have such a hard and fast rule that it chases off industry people who have knowledge that is useful to other members. Like all forum-management, it is a balancing act and issues should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Scottie said, "I have all of the rods I ever bought as I can't justify selling them."

Amen.

Rankings:

Sage XP 9' 4 wt.- Got a great deal on a custom built. I've been fishing larger rivers lately and this baby can throw some line! And it throws it right! Feels like the proverbial arm extension.

"Riffle" 7 1/2' 3 wt.- Deceased. Built from a baby and perfect for the streams I was fishing- another arm extension. Caught a lot of trout. Died a horrible death described in one of my (very) earlier posts. The XP has replaced it for fun to use. (BTW, if anyone knows anything about "Riffle" brand blanks circa 1990, please let me know.)

Sage 383- Nice rod, bought to replace the Riffle. Darn nice rod, but doesn't measure up to the departed.

Sage LE 9' 5'- Brought because. And it was a great price. I couldn't refuse! You guys know the rest of the stories. Surprisingly fast.

Imperial 8 1/5' 4pc 5 wt.-Nice all-around rod.

Orvis TLS 9' 7 wt. "tip action"- Smallie rod. I do like this rod and it does the job, but it feels a little too tip-soft. I will have to remedy that by getting another rod.

There are some more, but I'm tired of typing.

John

Well, I own two fly rods.

First, I have a St. Croix 806 8ft 5/6 2pc. This rod is a second from the factory I picked up brand new with a St. Croix tube for $20!! Great rod for the money! I've had it since I was in my teens and it has been great. Last summer, though my girlfriend closed it in the door of my van...I was @$#@!!!! Luckily it broke just above the ferrel. My uncle builds icefishing rods out of fly rod tips and he had a Fennwick tip that actually matches up quite well. It's alittle stiffer so I can get more distance now. All and all not a bad trade off. Works well for larger flies. Kinda funny lookin now that it is different colors. Owell, it catches fish just the same.

Second, is the replacement she bought me. A Gander Mountain Frontier 3wt 7'6" 2pc. Nice Rod! Picked it up for 30 bucks on a close out moving sale they were having. It has a great finish. Hardwood reel seat with a chrome reel lock. Great flex in the blank and a soft cork handle that melts into your hand. It casts effortlessly.

My single-handed rods:

Number one and still "the champion" the David Norwich EV5 9.5´#7 4-piece rod I built from a blank some years ago. An unknown rod to most of you. I like it because it is a very "honest" rod; it tells you immediately if you made your cast the right way. A rod like this is almost mandatory if you want to improve on your casting technique. Made of very high-modulus graphite and no longer in production I think. Not a beginners rod; only one of the not so skilled casters that have tried it approved to it. But casting the whole line out with just one back-cast is gratifying for a skilled caster. I was about to cancel the order of the blank from mr Norwich because of much delay with delivery, now I´m glad I didn´t do this.

Next: a bunch of 6-weight rods such as Winston Boron II , Sage SP, Powell Legacy Light. Should I keep just one of them it would probably be the Boron II. But the others are close enough in performance and some young people that have tried the Powell rod can´t believe it´s more than 15 years old. One person said he wanted to buy it.

Third place: Scott Eclipce 9´#5 3-piece and Winston LT-5 8´3" #4 . The Scott rod; a good fast-actioned primary dry-fly rod. An easy rod to make accurate casts with. How does it compare to the latest offerings?
Maybe almost as good or a tiny bit behind?
The LT rod. Nice rod for small waters and a sensitive rod and do find a suitable line to the purpose. It wasn´t a good match with the otherwise very good Triangle Taper line when it came to fish our "private" small trout stream. Making mainly short casts the rod feels like it has no load to it. Thus a standard DT or WF line perhaps one line class up and a long poly leader makes a better set-up.

I have some more rods and at the age of 57 I hardly believe there will be a need for another rod. But I will go to the Stockholm Fly fishing fair at the coming weekend and then I will probably be unable to enforce enough resistance to the temptation of casting the latest incarnations of rods. Just for the fun of it... :-)

In retrospect I can notice a tendency for me to seek efficiency in rods especially in the upper AFTM classes. A lot of false casting has its drawbacks in my opinion. Doing it the wrong way bring about increased risks such as scaring the fish, the fly being caught in a tree or other obstacle, and when it comes to salmon fishing; you may as well become exhausted.

I saw a very young fly fisher in Norway who tried the hard way to gain some more feet by repeatedly casting again and again (laying the line on the water in between) until he finally delivered the cast. I didn´t realize how young he was until he came up of the water. The two adult men in his company should have advised the boy to be satisfied with the length of casts he readily could achieve. Casting a long line comes with practice and experience and laying down the line several times on the water in front of you may very well spook salmon. The fish may not move away but it will not take your fly. Some adult fishermen has this nasty habit as well.

You can watch some efficient cast here (as well as some not so efficient ones). Rio´s Modern Spey Casting DVD trailer. Please note that it is possible to spey cast with a single handed rod as well.

(Efficiency; definition=the resource(s) put into a process compared to the wanted other resource(s) coming out of the process). If you want to dry your dry fly, false casting can be an efficient way to do it but not necessarily the most efficient one; i.e. it can be time consuming.
A rather common fault is when the caster makes some false cast that are clearly OK but then puts some more effort into the last one which ruins the cast. Remedy: have a person standing beside you and shout "NOW" just as one of your forward casts have started. "Now" means you have to deliver the cast and most likely you do not have the time to do this last forward cast differently. So it will probably be OK.

http://www.speyborn.com/speyborn_004.htm

I want to include this one as well:

http://www.questoutdoors.net/skills/spey/video/

Some may say it is the caster who does it all, but without proper and balanced equipment: rod, line, reel, leader and more you will not get the inspiration to practice a lot. Some days practicing is nice and easy but not every day. The reward coming to you in the long run however is amazing in my experience. And I´m sure that many of you are very good casters so I don´t have to tell you.

A 4-weight CTS Affinity One 9´#4 3-piece blank is on its way. I tried a CTS Affinity One 7.5´#5 that I´m building for a client and really liked it. Thus I could not resist to participate in a new group buy from CTS. I´m no custom builder. The two rods I building for a client is an exception.

Rods? Rods? We don't need no stinkin rods! I got dynamite!

Dynamite and down riggers, doesn't get any better than that!

You guys in VT will do anything to fill your damned net! ;-)

Dynamite!? Nah, C-4! You can shape it like a fish, and when a bigger fish eats it, you don't have to clean that particular fish. Of course, that particular fish is always the hardest one to find. (Actually, in past practice in the service, we never couldfind that one.)

Boy, this thread sure went off on a couple of different tangents.

John

It was better before I deleted all my posts.

Quote;"1) Winston BIIx 14´ # 8/9 . Motivation. The rod that I cast the best with........

2) CTS Affinity Double Hand 13´#9/10....."

Done a lot of practicing and while fishing in the North of Sweden recently I was ready to reverse the order for these two rods. Maybe just better technique or a different style of casting. I have concentrated on; what makes the difference between a "perfect" cast and a merely good one ?(forget about the bad ones, they are pretty obvious ).

Conclusion made and lesson learned, everything is dynamic. Some old favorites remain as such, some new may come may way. But in a way " a satisfying rod don´t have to be replaced in my opinion and the news of the day seems more irrelevant than ever before. It so much up to your skills. You can hire a guide that fishes for you and hands over the rod when a fish takes but....I would never do this.

About a year ago I counted the good casts out of 10 made. 7-8 good casts was a common result. By accepting this level and making a rather hard exercise program, I now starting to count the "perfect" ones. What´s a perfect cast? You feel it and you see it!! Hopefully you say "wow" to yourself or just feel some plain satisfaction....

But I´m not raving about being a particularly talented caster, it´s down to hard work and a determined mind. Understanding the plain mechanics of the cast and deliver it i. Done! Some people may be impressed by the simplicity or elegance of a cast done right. Justified by countless hours of practicing there is more about being proud of your skills and knowledge than just an expensive rod you can´t handle in a proper way. And I envy the super casters that sometimes show up at the water and yes I try to find out what rods they use and occasionally I reconsider it and find the question not too important....

BTW the single handed rod that benefited the most from the new Rio Gold line was in fact my old Sage SP. When it comes to other 6-weight rods e.g. Winston BIIx, difference was significant from the SA GPX used earlier but not drastic.