7 feet fly rod

[db cooper]

To be candid...of the rods you mentioned i think the Orvis is better. Better warranty, better company, better casting rod. My opinion

A 4wt is the better choice for what you want. A 3 is pretty specialized and offers you no advantage vs. a 4wt in the real world...again...opinion.

Riptide is absolutely correct in my opinion. For what you are looking at, fiberglass is better. I might suggest the Cabelas CGT. Is nicer than either rod you are looking at by a good margin, and fiberglass outperforms graphite every time for short, small stream rods.

Opinions are like...well you know. My advice is good for the price!

[lightline]

Of the two, get the 4 wt. Clearwater. Get it in the softest (lowest) flex that you can. If you're only going to be casting short, on small streams, you could always get the 3 and put a 4 line on it. I do this regularly with some of my rods, and they're all softer/slower than these two. It makes them feel and cast great at short distances. The line ratings on rods are only a suggestion from the maker, not law or fact.

[amateurforever]

You're right, thanks and sorry, did not mean to offend anybody...

Originally Posted by Rip Tide

Maybe there's a reason for that....
You did say "Any comment would be appreciated"

---------- Post added at 02:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:58 PM ----------

I'm sure is a great rod and I heard Vantage has a very similar feeling. ZXL isout of my budget, though...

Originally Posted by comeonavs

I had the Vantage but sold it. Rod was fine but I had 5 different 3wts so some had to go. You mentioned the Avid, I had one of those too and it is much more medium action than the Vantage, therefore IMHO made it a better pure dry fly rod.

I dont know what your budget is but I got a 7'6" ZXL on a good deal and is is super sweet

---------- Post added at 02:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 PM ----------

You know what? I like your opinions, but not 100% of it is applicable for me. The reason I started this thread and similar ones is that I do not have the chance to try many of the rods on the market, and the same is true for the fiberglass ones. But there's one difference: I'm happy with graphite and would like to get what has already worked for me, which makes me exclude fiberglass...

Tight lines!

Originally Posted by db cooper

To be candid...of the rods you mentioned i think the Orvis is better. Better warranty, better company, better casting rod. My opinion

A 4wt is the better choice for what you want. A 3 is pretty specialized and offers you no advantage vs. a 4wt in the real world...again...opinion.

Riptide is absolutely correct in my opinion. For what you are looking at, fiberglass is better. I might suggest the Cabelas CGT. Is nicer than either rod you are looking at by a good margin, and fiberglass outperforms graphite every time for short, small stream rods.

Opinions are like...well you know. My advice is good for the price!

---------- Post added at 02:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:09 PM ----------

I emailed Orvis to ask the action of the new Clearwater series and they replied all of them have mid-tip action, which I like. In case I can take your advice and overline the rod...

Best

Originally Posted by lightline

Of the two, get the 4 wt. Clearwater. Get it in the softest (lowest) flex that you can. If you're only going to be casting short, on small streams, you could always get the 3 and put a 4 line on it. I do this regularly with some of my rods, and they're all softer/slower than these two. It makes them feel and cast great at short distances. The line ratings on rods are only a suggestion from the maker, not law or fact.

[Joni]

Originally Posted by Rip Tide

When it come to a small stream rod, you can't beat fiberglass


Cabela
The Fiberglass Manifesto: First Look - Cabela's CGt Series
Cabela's CGT Fiberglass Fly Rods

RIGHT ON! I agree totally. But I do the the mixed blends like the Cabela's. I have two 7' 4 wt. bamboo, a 7' 4wt Lamiglass, a 7'9" (custom made) T.L.Johnson a 5' 3" 5 wt Fenwick.

My favorite right now is my 7' Hardy Test and my 6'6" - 4 wt. Cabela's glass (and by the way, I can cast bigger flies 60' easily with this rod and roll cast 50' with ease).

In Graphite I have the Trout Bum and the One Ounce both 7' four.

[amateurforever]

Thank you guys for all the advice. I ended up with Clearwater rod. Can't wait to give it a try, but it's a shame that will have to wait for some months...

[Hardyreels]

You will need to get yourself a vintage (or new) fiber glass rod in 6'6" or 7' before you discount the rods. I have some and most of us started with them because there were no graphite when we were young. New rods are cool, I understand the excitement of owning 'cutting edge' tackle, but those old rods are way cool when it comes to casting flies.

Glad you got yourself a new rod,

Ard