Taylor Phenom Fly Rod Deal - 45% Off

[tjc032]

Fly Rod Deal

It looks like Taylor Fly Fishing is having a 30% off sale on some of their reels and their Phenom fly rod. I just picked up a 10' 4 wt for an additional 25% off using the code "PHENOM25" -- bringing the cost down 45% from an original price of $360 to $197 including shipping. I haven't received the rod yet, nor have I tested any of the Phenom rods before placing my order (or any other Taylor Fly Fishing product for that matter), and there aren't many reviews online, but $197 seems like a good enough deal to give it a try.

Does anyone have any experience with the Phenom? I'm hoping it's a good rod. I like giving the startups a chance, and if they work out, I'll be a great customer and advocate going forward. I have a number of friends that have now bought Dryft waders after I bought my first pair in 2013. A question for the forum--what are some of the small(er)/startup/newer gear companies that we should consider for future purchases?

 

[reels]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

Can't speak to Taylor FF's rods, but I own 3 of their reel models and each is high quality IMO.
I'd hope that's an indication of their rods as well.
Note that I do think their reels are made in China, but not sure on the rods.

Would be interested in your feedback on the rod once you get a chance to bend it a bit.

 

[tjc032]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

It arrived about 30 minutes ago. Made in Korea.

It will be a few weeks before I get to use it, but I'll report back once I do.

 

[scotty macfly]

Since you asked what other small companies are out there, here's one I have mentioned before, and I am very impressed. They actually have some new up graded versions of their older rods for sale.

Fly Shop Loveland, CO

 

[smoke33]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

I will add a small company as well, Hans made in the USA. Walton Rods. I own the 5 wt. Sully and it has served me well. I wasn’t sure which weight I wanted to go with and had an extensive email conversation on a Saturday and Sunday with the owner. I really wasn’t expecting a response until Monday but he kept responding within a short time of me sending my emails. Your not going to get that kind of service from too many companies. I was sold.
Home - Walton Rods


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tjc032]

I have an Elkhorn rod/reel combo that I bought a few years ago. I really like it. I'd be curious to try their upgraded models.

I'll have to check Walton out next time I'm in the market for a rod. Their specs look solid on their website. Being made in the USA is always a plus.

 

[taylorreels]

Hey Everyone,

We have our Enigma, Revolution, and Phenom currently on sale for 30% off. They are being discontinued to make room for some products! Inventory is getting pretty low on the rods and we are sold out of several sizes and color of the reels.

 

[JDR]

My wife received an Elkhorn rod and reel through Casting for Recovery. It is an excellent setup. Had a slight issue and they were also excellent in response. Definitely worth your consideration.

 

[sweetandsalt]

I had a salt size Elkhorn reel which is one of the very few reels I've experienced catastrophic clutch bearing failure with. I sent it back to them and they charged me to fix it. I donated the repaired reel to a fund raising raffle where it went for about $5, more than it was worth.

 

[sparsegraystubble]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

It arrived about 30 minutes ago. Made in Korea.

It will be a few weeks before I get to use it, but I'll report back once I do.

Just ran across this and was curious how that 10’ 4 wt Phenom worked for you?

They stil have a few left at 40 percent off. I am particularly curious about how it did for general fishing other than euro nymphing.

Thanks for any feedback,

Don

 

[tjc032]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

Sorry for the slow reply. I haven't been on here in some time. My response is probably irrelevant at this point, but in case anyone is interested...

Honestly, I've been fly fishing for about 10 years--but I only get out 4 or 5 times a year, so I'm not sure I can really notice all of the differences between a good rod and an average rod. I've fished with the Phenom three times now. It's a great looking rod. The fit and finish is definitely in-line with its competitors at the same price point, if not slightly nicer. It casts well and has good feel. The medium-fast action description is accurate, though I think it's probably more on the medium side of things. I might not have paired with the the best line for the rod, so it could just be my fault. The stripping guides are pretty high quality. I took it out with a buddy that spends 30+ days on the water each year. He spent some time with it and liked it, though it certainly isn't in the same class as his Scott, which is over twice the price of the Phenom. It is heavier than I was expecting. It looks like the new Phenom model is 20% lighter, so that is an obvious improvement.

Taylor has a number of models that I'd like to try. Yellowstone Angler was pretty complimentary about their Truth #4 rod, though it's a bit more expensive. It seems Taylor has been moving into the higher-price market a bit. I'd be interested to see how it (the Truth) stacks up against other rods at the same price-point. For example, the Hardy Zephrus FWS is roughly the same price as the Truth (I've been trying to decide if I want to buy the Hardy...). I think the Phenom performs well for its price-point (under $400) compared to some of the other rods I've tried that cost about the same (Redington, TFO, Mystic). Hopefully the higher-priced rods offer similar value.

Did you end up purchasing the rod? If so, what do you think?

 

[sparsegraystubble]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

Thanks for the reply. I had forgotten that I had asked the question. I ended up buying the 9’ 9” Zephrus Ultralite 4 wt.

So far I am quite happy with it, but haven’t fished it as much as I would have liked because of my wife’s illness. I’m hoping to remedy that next summer.

If you are considering the regular Zephrus, you might want to test cast the Ultralite model for a comparison.

Best wishes,

Don

 

[sweetandsalt]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

sparse, Sorry to hear about your wife's illness, I hope for a complete and speedy recovery.

tjc, I got the 9'/#5 Truth this past spring and have about 35 days on the water with it now. I have reviewed it in the Review section above so all I'll say here is if you had this beauty and showed it to your friend who has the Scott R (and I fish and love Scott rods too), he'd be running out to buy one.

 

[tjc032]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

Sparse--Thanks for the advice. I'll check-out the Ultralite. I hope your wife is on the mend and well on her way to recovery. Priorities...

Sweetandsalt--That's good to know. I would imagine the Truth matches up better with a Scott R. The Phenom is a sub $400 rod, so I doubt the folks at Taylor intended it to be a competitor to Scott. The Truth is in the $600 plus range, which is much closer to Scott's price point. I like that Taylor is providing a superior product for the price. It's smart, and it's really the only way to be competitive. If I buy a Scott rod, I'm buying a known product with an established standard of craftsmanship. I will have handled it before buying and likely know a number of people that have fished with it. I also have a high degree of confidence that the company will be around in 5 years to honor its warranty. With Taylor, I'm buying a rod sight-unseen with no guarantee that the company will be around to honor its warranty (though I certainly hope they are). I like supporting smaller companies like Taylor, and I hope they keep putting out good rods that impress us all.

 

[falcon53]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

Sparse, Hope your wife gets well soon.

 

[sparsegraystubble]

Re: Fly Rod Deal

Thanks for the good wishes. Her long Chemotherapy took care of her lymphoma (so far). But then she was diagnosed with some small cell lung cancer. They wanted to do both Chemo and radiation, but she couldn’t handle the side effects of more chemo so they went with daily radiation treatments.

Those have been over for several weeks and in about 3 more weeks she has a Cat Scan to see how things are going. The nasty thing is that small cell lung cancer tends to spread more that others, but we will see.

Thanks again for your concerns and good wishes.

Don