Mid-level fly rod

[Laurel Fork]

I'm considering the purchase of a mid-level fly rod (~$300) in a 4 or 5 wt with a medium-medium/fast action. As of now, I am looking at a Scott A3 and St Croix Avid. Does anyone know how these rods compare to each other in action and between line weights?

 

[Frank Whiton]

HLaurel Fork,

You don't say what you will be fishing for and what type of flies you fish the most. Are you looking for a dry fly rod or a more all around rod? Are you looking at 2 piece or 4 piece rods?

The Avid is more of a medium action and the A3 is more of a medium fast action. The Avid would be a very good choice for a dry fly rod and the A3 is probably a little more all around rod.

If you are looking at the 4 piece A3 rod then you should also consider the Sage Flight rod in your search. The Scott A3 and the Sage Flight are similarly priced but more than your $300 budget.

Frank

 

[cattech89]

Personally I like the Avid. Probably leans more to the medium side of things than med/fast. I kniw its a little bit of a price difference but the Legend Ultra is more like a med/fast action.
Cant comment much on the Scott. Good company from what I hear so I dont see how you could go wrong with either rod.
Just my half-nickel......

 

[crittergetter]

I somewhat a "used" Scott rod fan from Ebay.. and bought several the last was an SAS for my wife.

However, I think what Frank says $300 might be tough. as great advice as allways.. what are your fishing requirements. If it is warm water fish you might get buy cheaper.

I personally for the money have fallen in love with Grey's. The are very sensitve and "Connected" to you for under $300. I do admit I nymph fish almost 100% and have my Grey's 10' as a back nymph rod now. This Winter I bought a Helios on Ebay for $400 after watching them for months on end sell used at $500 to $600. This was one was lucky and is new. Nobody bid on it. I lucked out.

 

[FrankB2]

My 9' 5wt Avid was a fine rod, but I prefer 8 1/2' rods, so I sold it a year after buying it. I like the Sage Vantage in that price range. I've only cast the 9' 6wt, but I can only imagine the 4 and 5wt models would be very nice. The angler that allowed me to try his Vantage told me it was a beginner's rod, but I don't use such classifications.

Here's a Sage Vantage being used in a casting demo:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFDPIn0L0Uw&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube - Fly casting ROLL CAST / Switch Cast Excerpt from 'Casts that Catch Fish'[/ame]

 

[Laurel Fork]

The rod will be used mainly for trout with dry flies and nymphs so leaning to a 5 wt. Is the Avid softer than the A2 and more problematic with beaded nymphs/split shot? I have a Scott V2 4 wt as my dry fly rod but it is too soft to throw heavier rigs. Thank you all for your input.

 

[fireroad]

I have, and still am, looking at the rods in your price range: mainly the Avid, A2/A3, and the Vantage....one for lakes and one for streams. All of the rods have a slightly different feel and speed, but all were easy to cast. I ended up with an Avid 6wt for bass and lake stuff because, while not the softest or most powerful, it was pretty darn forgiving with my poor casting skills and would make a great backup trout rod on mid-size streams on windy days. In a 6wt the Avid is not as soft as the A2 so I'm guessing the Avid 4wt will hold up well to heavy beaded nymphs.

For my primary rod I was going for a more delicate 4wt and had settled on the A3 but never actually got to cast it on a river. Never bought the A3 because I got to cast a Sage Vantage 5wt on the river first and had to have it. Just a great all around rod and the most well-rounded of the group in 5wt.

To your original question of the Avid vs the A3: I believe the A3 is slightly faster, but not by much....not enough to through me off when I was lawn casting the two (again, I stink). You really have to just cast both of them if you can.

One final note: It is rare to find a Scott A3 for less then MSRP of $330, but easy to find an Avid for way less then $270 MSRP (I think I paid $150 for mine). You could buy the Avid on fleabay, spend the extra dough on a good line and/or lessons. That's how I ended up with a Vantage.

 

[Cool Hand Hodge]

Sage, St. Croix, Scott...with the st. croix and scott a dead tie. I may be alone, but i definitly like a slower action...and im a pretty decent caster. I dont think the scott is much faster than the other two though. I would test drive the rods of course, but anyone who tells you a sage vantage is for beginers should be ignored. Its a matter preferance. How many experts use bamboo...and we all know how slow they can be.

 

[BigCliff]

I had a 5wt Avid for a coupla years and fished it quite a few times. I sold it because while perfectly decent, I was never wild about it. Besides being a bit too slow, it was mushy if you tried to really zing a cast. I don't mind slow rods at all (I fish glass and a Sage LL regularly), but the mushy feeling really turns me off. I replaced my Avid with a Redington Classic Trout The North American Fly Fishing Forum Fishing Tackle Store, and I'm much happier with it. (it selling for less than half what the Avid does ain't bad either)

The TFO Finesse series is another worth considering. They're on the medium side of medium-fast and not mushy.

I like Scott rods quite well, and a buddy of mine that has much more expensive sticks raves about his 9' 5wt A3. The Sage Flight rods are also quite nice, but on the fast side of medium-fast. I really love the 7wt, but I'd sooner have something a bit slower for trout and rivers.