Albright EXS 9'-5wt. 4 piece. Cost $395.00

I have had this rod for a couple of weeks, and have only been able to lawn cast it. So, YMMV once on the water (I will report back at the end of June once back from Colorado fishing this rod).

Fit and finish are first rate, great looking deep green blank with excellent reel seat, guides, and cork.

I have been using Rio Grand 5 & 6 wt lines, and a SA Mastery XPS 5 wt.


I really like what I have seen so far. IMHO, the rod loads exceptionally well and you can get some impressive line speeds while "hauling" with all of the lines (I am gong to try a a different 6 wt line, as the grand being a 1/2 line size heavy, seems to be a bit of a brute, and is not as crisp feeling).

With the EXS, I can punch out 60-70 foot casts routinely, but the thing that impresses me the most is it makes the 25-30' casts well also. The EXS loads well at these shorter distances, and provides a lot of feedback during your casting stroke at short and lone distances.

When comparing the EXS to the Scott S3 9'-5 wt. I own, I would say the Scott feels a little faster and firmer than the EXS.

I would never describe myself as a great distance caster by any means, but with the Scott S3 I can get out over 80 feet with good loops consistently, but I like the feel of the EXS better for shorter casts.

All in all, the EXS is seems to be a darn nice rod and represents a pretty good bang for the buck value to boot. If you can cast one, it is well worth a look.


Sincerely,

Rabmen