best 5wt in my budget.
 

Hey guys. I was wondering what the best all around 5 wt in my 120$ budget would be. I fish rivers, ponds, and lakes. I am able to get a st. croix imperial for 125$ and a tfo casting for recovery rod for 100$. which rods in my range are the best and would be better for me?

Re: best 5wt in my budget.
 

I have one you can throw into your consideration. I have a TFO Finesse 8'9" 5 wt that I could sell you for $120. It's brand new, handle still wrapped up in the plastic. Don't forget TFO's UNCONDITIONAL NO FAULT warranty, it puts them a step ahead of every other rod of the same price IMO. PM me if you are interested; or Ill check back on the thread. I am in OHIO (CLE AKRON arel) also, not sure how close you are.

Re: best 5wt in my budget.
 

hmm ill think about it thanks, i saw you live in ohio, so do i. where at? could you give a brief review of the tfo pro?

Re: best 5wt in my budget.
 

The rod that I offered is the FINESSE series; however I have fished with both. My first real fly rod was the TFO PRO 9' 5wt. It is a great all-purpose fly rod with a medium-fast action. I picked it up as a pretty inexperienced caster and found that it did everything very naturally for me. It was soft enough to feel it load, and stout enough to throw some pretty large streamers without giving out on me. I would call it VERY all purpose, and beginner friendly. It is NOT a rod that you will outgrow anytime soon. Unless you just get the itch to switch gear, you can fish with the rod for years and be happy with it. I used mine for 3-4 years before I ended up getting a second rod.

The finesse is a little slower action rod than the PRO. In my opinion, it also is very easy to feel load and is a pleasure to cast. It really excells at nice finesse casting for a 5 wt. Roll casts great. It will throw some bigger streamers, but it is not a rocket launcher; won't easily throw size 2's into the wind, neither will the PRO for that matter. Both of these TFO's will throw size 20's up to size 6 with ease.

I'm in Portage county...Kent/Ravenna area.

Re: best 5wt in my budget.
 

PM sent. i live in Springfield, the miami river runs right near my house and the mad river is just around the corner.

Re: best 5wt in my budget.
 

Hi Christian,
Reelflyrod is a brick and mortar store in Dayton, as well as a sponsor to the website. From what I understand, Dayton is not too far from Springfield. Give the guys there a shout. They should be able to help you out. They may let you cast a few rods, too.

At the price point, take a hard look at the Redington Pursuit and the Ross Essence FS.

Dennis

Re: best 5wt in my budget.
 

You can find the Redington Classic Trout for $129 through various online vendors. I've been eyeballing one for quite a while now, and am committed to finally getting it with my next paycheck (being a college student sucks). All the reviews I've read have been absolutely glowing. It's a medium action, so it won't be as snappy as some of the faster rods in this price range.

I went and handled one at a local shop and gave it a waggle, and the build quality is very, very nice for the price. On par with some of the higher end makers mid-range rods. Cork had very little filler and the reelseat felt quality. The blank has a really nice color to it as well. Also, keep in mind that few of the other rods in this price range come with rodtubes.