Buying a new stick- Opinions wanted

[Stripa Swipa]

I said earlier in this thread that "quality" can mean a lot of things when you're talking rods. Since I spent some time in the rod manufacturing business and still have several friends that work for the companies that you so blindly admire, I feel pretty comfortable offering my opinion on the subject. I think it's a perspective that most here don't have and it's based on my experiences not only casting and fishing with rods from the companies we've discussed, but breaking, weighing, flexing, measuring them with input from experienced rod designers and composite materials engineers. I've also done business with domestic and foriegn rod manufacturers and will tell you that the better rod manufacturing facilities are stateside. Why do you think Shimano bought G-Loomis? Rod dealers want to make money. Lefty's name will drive the blind to want a Temple Fork over another equally priced rod because everyone assumes he will not put his name on anything that isn't great. Why isn't he pushing Sage rods now? He pushed those for years. The man can cast 90 feet of fly line with his bare hands but he probably doesn't know the ins and outs of producing a high performance blank. Most tackle retailers and famous fisherman know little more than you do about how tackle is manufactured. They do loooooove guys like you, though.

[deadriver]

Sage is the best rod that I have cast on the market. I have not used them all, but alot of them. I can cast a given fly further with a sage than anything else, period.

My dad has a nice GL-3. Best rod for the money I have seen. It is the same weight and length as my Sage RPLX, I cast it 15-20 feet shoter. It also tires my hands after longer use. It is heavier than my Sage, not quite as powerfull, but a really nice rod.

Don't buy anything less than what you really want. Fly rods tend to be addictive and you will end up buying what you really wanted later, and still have the cost of purchasing the half ass rod on top of it.

For the money, Loomis, for the best Sage! and that is comeing from someone who understands how the taper, bending moment applied to the tip of rod, modulus of elasticity, moment of inertia, and vibration all affect the enerfy delivered to the fly line. Some of us loyalist are engineers
But mostly, I cast them further, and their warranty and quality is impeccable. My .02

[Sasha and Abby]

Originally posted by deadriver:
Sage is the best rod that I have cast on the market. and that is comeing from someone who understands how the taper, bending moment applied to the tip of rod, modulus of elasticity, moment of inertia, and vibration all affect the enerfy delivered to the fly line.

Yeah... What he said...

[Stripa Swipa]

Interesting perspective DR. Wouldn't the GLX be more comparable to the RPLX? Fancy engineering terms aside, which blank weighs more and do they have the same power? The higher strength to weight ratio'd blank should be a more efficient caster....everything else being equal (i.e. taper, cleanliness of fly line, guide types and configuration, spine location etc etc). A few years ago, I think Loomis was producing higher strength to weight ratio'd blanks than Sage. This opinion of mine along with the experience of buying a Sage blank that was as straight as a corkscrew and had very uneven wall thickness leads me to "assume" their blank manufacturing operation isn't as good as Loomis. Sage's prettier finish, durability, and better warranty is definitely value to consumers. The results derived from an individual casting two differnt rods has as much to do with their casting style/ability as it does the rod's true potential for qualities like distance. Here's a distance tip.....tape a stripping guide that is slightly larger than the big stripper on your fly rod about 4 inches behind the first guide. Angle it a little to the left if you are right handed. I've seen people get an extra ten feet with this but you'll never see a manufacturer do this because it's ugly. People are buying image as much as anything with the whip stick. I'm just trying to offer a different perspective.

[boondoggle]

Nitz,

I thought there were a couple of shops in the other Charleston... anyway, I've seen way too many people rods without csting them first only to discover it doesn't match their casting stroke. That's how I wound up with a nice Winston and a Loomis. Having said that, I've cast a 10# TFO TiCr and that is a cannon. Handled my LC13 shooting heads like a dream.

[Duck Nitz]

Boondoggle:

THere is but one flyshop in Charleston and it carries a very limited selection of rods. THey are a Sage dealer, but they have gone the mostly-Orvis route which makes them a crappy flyshop in my book. It sure as hell ain't like Foothills Flyshop in ol' Greenville. Anyway, I'll take you at your word about TFO rods, but I am leaning toward the Winston. I have gotten used to my Winston 9 weight and I like the Boron fast action. Sorry, Stripa Swipa. THe search continues for a spring creek rod...

Oh yeah:


[img]graemlins/piss1.gif[/img] ORVIS [img]graemlins/piss2.gif[/img]


[img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img]

[Stripa Swipa]

Winston is a good stick as best I can tell, I just wish there was some truth in advertising with fishing rods. Boron doesn't give the rod it's fast action. When you see materials like Boron and Titanium being touted as rod blank materials....well, it's laughable and can be a platform to raise the price of a rod due to perceived value from the uneducated buyer. Get what you like and are willing to pay for...that's what matters.

[FlyFishNut]

Strip:
I do not have the time nor interest in disecting a rod's molecular makeup.
I look for:
How it cast
Weight of rod
Speed
Feel (very important)
guides
(until Saturday I did't care about strenght b/c I'd never broken a rod; My lami is back at the mfg).

My point is/was: The TFO rods resemble the high priced rods based on my assessment of the above criteria. I don't know what matters to the avg schmuck. I'd be willing to bet that brand name matters to many, but not to me.

[Stripa Swipa]

My sources report that this blank is made in China but is a pretty good stick. Labor costs will significantly change a price point. For whatever it's worth to any other molecular makeup types like myself..... [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[boondoggle]

Nitz,

In spite of all the august opinions bandied about, which rod did YOU decide on?

[Duck Nitz]

Boondoggle:

I am still like the proverbial little bitch...undecided. I have narrowed it down to the WInston Ibis and the Temple Fork. I just need to cast the mofo's and that wil be the deciding moment. I am thinking of heading your way (not Afghanistan!) to visit Harry Murray's flyshop in Edinburgh or possibly to Pittsburgh. They are both equal distant. If I don't like the Ibis well enough will "Order" a TFO and cast it. I just don't wan't to spend the big bucks for a rod I may use 3-4 times a year on Spring Creek trout. Mo Later! By the way, how's the Sandbox? Ya playin' nice with all the towel wearin' mofos?! [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[boondoggle]

If you go to Murray's, ask him if has any demo rods for sale. He's big on Scott rods but a fair selection. If you're that far into VA, swing by Harrisonburg to see Billy at Blue Ridge Angler. Another option would be the Orvis clearance shops in Salem and Roanoke - a bit out of the way but worth the trip.

Afghanistan is more a box of rocks than a sandbox - it's full of ankle breakers. They're hard on boots; I've already walked through one pair.

[Pate]

Duck Nitz,

If accuracy is your main focus, I think you are looking for a softer rod, as they are more accurate than a fast rod. You are up the right tree with the Scott G series- it is the traditional slow rod series. I own a few of the S3 rods, which are Scott's fast action series- for streamer fishing, double or triple nymphing, or hucking stoneflys they are unsurpassed, but if you are looking for delicate accuracy I would say definately go soft- with the G series if Scott floats your boat. Orivis' Trident series is a great medium action accurate rod as well. I also casted their Streamline series at their Guide Rendevous last spring: it retails for less than a $100 and cast INCREDIBLE. A bunch of guys I know down on the Juan are nuts over Temple Fork as well- great rod for the buck.


Good luck in your search!


-Pate

[winyah]

Not sure I would trust some one who cut their teeth catching tity bream off a bridge in Lee County.

Just kidding Pate.

MWD. Like the quote. The first part is true.