St Croix Avid 7ft 9in?

[Theo]

Hi guys -

I'm new to this forum (tho' an old timer on the UK equivalent Fly Fishing Forums) and was hoping that someone could offer me some guidance on the current St Croix Avid 793-4 and / or 794-4?

Background: I'm casting around for a rod to target above-average sized trout and chub (16"+) in small overgrown urban chalkstreams (spring creeks) here in the UK. My go-to small stream rod is a 7ft 6in 1wt Orvis Superfine Trout Bum, which really is capable of a lot but can feel a little like carrying a knife to a gunfight for some of these fish I want to target...

I'm looking for a difficult combination of UL line stealth, delicacy to set but not ping off little dry flies, and then enough backbone to fight big nasty fish with some confidence at pretty close quarters. Not demanding at all, then

St Croix has occurred to me because I love my big old Legend Ultra 9ft 6wt for long-range stillwater work, which I almost never do anymore, but for which it seemed to have some of that magic combination. I've seen a mixture of comments about Avids across the internet - some complimentary, some not so - and wondered what the current consensus might sound like.

All thoughts much appreciated!

Theo

 

[markfrid]

First, I don't have an Avid in the #3 or #4, but I do have one in #6 and I love it. The reason I'm responding to your UL question is this: I think the Avid is one of the more under-appreciated rod series out there. To me they have a great combination of finesse and strength. My #6 9' is quite light, but has a lot of strength in the lower part for fighting fish or casting heavy rigs. It has a nice soft tip and a sweet progressive action to about 2/3 of the way down the rod, then it has a very strong butt. If the lighter line wt rods have the same kind of action I think you'll be in business. I would definitely try to cast the Avid in your UL weights, see if it has a strong enough butt for your application. The Avid has a slower graphite than some of the other rods out there, which makes it a very smooth, but capable caster and a fun rod to catch fish on.

 

[dhaynes]

I have an Avid 7'9" 3wt and like it a lot. I think it will prove to have the extra backbone you want without giving up a soft cast. It casts well close in but has enough moxie to throw 30 - 40 foot casts. I've cast a four wt superfine and I think the avid has a similar action. A nice thing about the avid is that they have been around a while and you can often find an excellent deal on ebay or other auction sites.

 

[Ard]

Hi Theo,

Welcome

I'll let the fellows handle the issue but will say I fish these sort of places and use rods 6'6" - 7'9" but they are 5 weights. Have landed some monster fish on the 5's.

Glad to have you posting with us,

Ard

 

[comeonavs]

I had a 379-3 and regret selling it. It to me was a great dry fly rod. I sold it at a time I had way to many 3wts. I had gotten in to "faster" 3wts like the sage launch and sage TXL series. Now that I am in to "slower" rods like the ZXL and circa I regret selling it. I got a steal on a 376-4 ZXL or I would have grabbed another 379-4 Avid.

 

[Theo]

All, very many thanks for the warm welcome and this well-thought-out advice.

Definitely helps to persuade me I'm thinking in the right direction... just wish St Croix had been able to sort out a sustainable UK dealership which might make it easier to try before buying, rather than import sight unseen via the auction site or similar.

Naturally, if anyone else has any more insights, I'll drop in periodically to find out (luckily it's still some time till trout season starts again). This feels like a friendly, well-informed site where I could feel quite at home

Thanks again all!

Theo

 

[stl_geoff]

I have an Avid 3wt in the 7' 2 piece flavor. I haven't used it much of late, but I can tell you I will never part with it. Its such a wonderful rod. Im planning to pick up a 4wt over Christmas to ad to the collection.

 

[jeep.ster]

I have an avid 3wt six foot for bushwhacking. It's black. It's a two piece rod. Works great for bushy streams. I wouldn't mind having the avid 3wt 6'6" 4 piece for a backup rod.

 

[Waterborne]

The only thing I don't like about my 7'9" 3wt Avid is that the grip is really skinny and tapered. I have owned two 7'6" 3 weights, an Orvis SFT 7'6" 1wt, and a TFO Finesse 1wt. None of those rods had a grip as small as the Avid.

Here are my thoughts on the Avid...

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/fly-rods/291066-st-croix-avid-79-3-wt-your-thoughts-2.html