TFO's Axiom rods

[Fly Guyusa]

Has anyone tried them?

[headhunter]

just gave them a test this past weekend at the flyfishing show held in Marlborough Mass.

Components looked solid, cast fine...just not for me. I like a little slower action overall for my casting ability. shoots line very well indoors

[Muti88]

Any other opinions about this rod? Especially 8wt.
I think about buying it.

[woodfordna]

Just got mine in the mail from Bass Pro; fantastic price $250.

Will be spooling up a reel with 8wt pike line this weekend and giving it a test run, but aesthetically it looks and handles nicely.

[Guy]

TFO makes great fly rods. I have a dozen TFO rods altogether encompassing the Signature, Pro, TiCR, TiCr-X, Bluewater and the Axiom series. I haven't found a dog in that line up yet. (I wish I could say the thing about their spinning rods!!!)

I used the 8 wt Axiom for four weeks of flat fishing this past season and had lots of opprtunity to try it out in some very trying conditiuons (as in 20 mph plus winds). Normally when the wind starts howling like that, I grab the 9wt rod, but I found the 8wt Axiom up lined to a 9wt line was the ticket.

The finish and components on the Axiom are as good as you will find on rods priced two and three times more. The rod is an "easy smooth rod" to cast with either an 8 or 9 wt line. I suspect this rod will be a favorite for many casters.

Guy

[Frank Whiton]

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

Has anyone tried them?

Hi Fly Guy,

If you buy an Axiom please give us a report on how it works for you.

Frank

[steely]

Originally Posted by Fly Guy

Has anyone tried them?

I own a 5 wt. I have found it very difficult to cast with a 5 wt sharkskin line. I wanted it for practicing for my certification, and found that you really need a 6.0 line or 5.5 line to cast decent distances. Personally I really like Great Bay Rods EMG for $300, which is a made in the USA rod. I have tfo, Sage z axis, and even a winston and like this the best. With my z axis 6 weight I can only cast a 6 weight sharkskin about 70-75 feet (you need to be able to cast 75 feet for the FFF certification, plus a bunch of other skills and a ton of knowledge). I went out with my 7 weight EMG and 7 weight sharkskin and was able to cast just a few feet shy of 90 feet!! They also have a Isinglas which is a tad bit lighter and a bit faster, and supposedly casts very similiar to a xp.

A con of TFO is the rods are made overseas, and with these economic times you (hopefully) want to support a company who makes their products in the USA, and for $300-$350 these rods cast....well cast one for yourself and make up your own mind.

Another thing about TFO is Rick Pope is a part owner and he is one of the nicest guys in the business, plus their customer service CANNOT BE beat. They will send you out a NEW rod within a day or two of receiving your rod. They will even give you a different rod, I have had a 5 weight ticr x, accidentally broke it, and put a note with my $25 asking them to please send a ticr x of another weight and they did so.

[Jackster]

TFO makes me feel rod building really isn't rocket science.
Their first rods were ugly, thunky things that were cheap. Just like Kia and HYundai, the price keeps creaping up though. All you need to do that is get market share.
They hired Lefty and even before he had a hand in any design they became THE rod to own (especially for the price (you always have to state something like this when mentioning TFO rods by-the-way))
TFO markets even better that Sage.
IMHO, they'll just keep pumping out rods and new series built by people who have no idea what they are used for and will always do well because they are run by marketing geniuses.
Even though there are real dogs in the line-up no one dares say so for some reason. I think it's because they are percieved as being so cheap that the owners have no right to gripe.

[BigCliff]

I've not cast one yet, only given them a shop-wiggle, and I'll say they're much prettier and lighter feeling than TFO's normal offerings.

I think the main thing that sets TFO apart from the competition is the combination of price point and excellent customer service. This creates word of mouth that has more innate credibility than any of Sage's prettiest ads.

They, like St. Croix, use a shipping carrier that gives them faster transit times and less damage than their competitors' carriers, for nearly the same price or cheaper. There's more than one way a rod co can do things differently to pull ahead of the pack.

[Guy]

Originally Posted by Jackster

TFO makes me feel rod building really isn't rocket science.
I think it's because they are percieved as being so cheap that the owners have no right to gripe.

I think you can change the word "cheap" to "expensive" and you might describe Sage instead!!

TFO has really caught on with the saltwater / big fly / big fish fraternity more so than the the freshwater trout crowd. Honestly, ask about TFO rods on Dan Blanton's board Dan Blanton's Guestbook and you will get numerous positive reports from some of the most respected and experienced names in the flyfishing world.

For the record, I own fly rods from several other companies as well including some high end Sage and loomis rods. At one time or another, I have cast many of the top end rods from most of the major and some not so major builders. If pushed "under normal conditions", I can toss a whole fly line if the rod was designed to deliver that kind of performance. Some rods just seem easier than others to do so. All of my TFO rods will easily cast the whole flyline for me.

90 feet for $250? Or 90 feet for $750? It's your money, but I will tell you the fish can't tell the difference.

Guy