What's your Favorite rod, and why?

[Cliff Hilbert]

Ok this is just for fun, what's your favorite rod and why?

 

[BigCliff]

Sage 9' 4wt VPS Light. I think its the perfect example of a "progressive" action rod that can throw 5' of line plus leader well, and also can throw 70' when I need it to. I normally like faster rods, but not when making super short casts for trout.

I've also got a 10' 5wt TFO pro I'm beginning to like real well. I was up to my chest last Sat and it allowed me to still make 60'+ casts from there.

 

[fshfanatic]

I must say that I love my Sage VPS 9-4-2 as well.. It handles everything from tiny dries to large streamers with ease..

 

[Chris Hewett]

Lamiglass graphite 8' 6wt purchased in 1979.
Why? Because I can't even calculate the number of hours I have spent fishing with it. My hand has worn the grip so that it fits my hand specifically.

 

[BigCliff]

Hey Mike,
Is yours the VPS or the VPS Light? I recall the VPS is the reincarnation of the RPL and the VPS Light that of the LL series.

The RPL is the rod that made Sage who they are, but I'll keep my ugly LL.

 

[fshfanatic]

It is a VPS, and I love it

 

[Tangle]

I would have to say it is my Orvis 2wt at the moment. :icon_wink I have been having too much fun with the big gills on the lakes, and trout on some smaller streams. What a hoot!

 

[fshfanatic]

Which Orvis rod are you throwing?

 

[Tangle]

It's the superfine 6' 6", two piece and I'm very pleased with it. I just bought a trident TLS 1wt about a month ago. It was 1/2 off at Orvis and I had a $25 coupon that I also used. :thumbsup:

 

[fshfanatic]

Nice sticks.. I worked for Orvis when they opened a store in Utah. They are now in the midst of closing it. 3 yrs later. bummer.. Spencer and Scott were real nice people. They were the managers.

 

[Curtis]

I have two rods that are my favorite. Funny thing is that they both are sub-$100 rods and most would consider them value or beginner rods.

One is my Albright GP 8' 5/6 weight. Just a great stick. Smoother casting then rods costing 5-600$$ but only costs $95.

The other is my Cortland GRF-1000. This rod is as smooth and accurate as ANY rod I have ever had my hands on. It is a slow action that would be closest to the Superfine by Orvis or the G series by Scott but IMO, smoother and better casting then both. I have the 8.5 foot 5/6 weight. The bad part is that in this day and age of everyone wanting a fast action, Cortland is discontinuing this series. I am going to buy a few of them up. Funny thing is that most people think that a rod that is not super fast is a beginner rod and hey, that is alright with me. I for one like a rod that does it's job without too much input from me. I don't like rods that you have to always be paying attention to the right timing and perfect stroke. That is what this rod does. Hey, the cool part too is that now you can pick them up for about $35. I grab this rod long before any of my other rods. I have fished this thing on teeny creeks and it is super sensitive but it will also chuck a bugger into the wind. I just do not have enough good to say about it. The other thing I like about it is that it is not a super pretty rod. Hey, it is actually kind of ugly.

 

[bbanking]

I want to qualify by stating that, living in Mexico, I fish saltwater 99.99 % of the time. My favorite rods fall in three areas (light, medium & Medium+). For Yucatan flats fishing in low wind situations, I have found the FlyLogic 6X-3 to be a fantistic rod. It has large guides, a fighting butt and tons of backbone. The fit and finish are exceptional. When the wind picks up, I immediately turn to my G Loomis Mega-3 8/9. This is a rod that never quits giving and at 8'6", can deliver a large fly with ease. When fishing the Yucatan mangroves, my "go to" rod is an old G Loomis Premier 2 piece, 8 foot 9/10 weight rod that weighs less that most 6 weights. Coupled with a Waterworks ULA 3XLT, Spectra 40# backing and Cortland Saltwater 8 WT SL line, you can cast all day without fatigue. I do not know why more companies do not make 8 foot rods in 7-10 weights. I am by no means a pro but I have no trouble laying our 75-80 feet of line with the 8 footer, and slightly more with the Megataper. I read about 100 foot casts in the Flyfishing Magazines and I guess if you can do it why not tell the world but I have found that if you know what your limitations are, you can usually work within them.

 

[PhilipRispin]

Hi Folks,

I make rods and the combination of pieces that seem to produce the best "Trout" rods for me, (and again this is personal preference), are the Loomis GL3 2 piece 9' blanks in either 5 or 6 weight with Fuji guides. I like to put Full Wells grips on these with a nice expensive real seet featuring some kind of exotic wood. These rods are light and they cast beautifully short range all the way out to 70'. I don't seem to tail my loops nearly as much with these rods either. They just work really well.

Phil Rispin

 

[BigCliff]

Bbanking I am right there with you on not understanding why there aren't more short stout rods. I've got a 7'6" 8/9/10 wt that i built up from a loomis gl2 popping rod blank. I bet you'd love it for the mangrove work as well. I call it a 8/9/10 wt because I can barely even make it work for medium-to-short casts with an 8wt line. It would still be super fast with a nine and fast with a ten. I also can cast farther with it than with any other of my rods. (This probably has alot to do with the fact that it has spinning guides on it, as it has sliding rings on the grip which allow that too.)

I think part of the reason they don't make heavier rods that short is that it throws off the whole reel-size-to-hold-a-given-line-and-balance-the-rod rule system. Although the abovementioned rod could cast a ten just fine, the typical ten weight reel wouldn't balance it well at all.

 

[bbanking]

It is my understanding that G Loomis still makes an 8 foot salt water rod in the Crosscurrent GLX series. They do not advertise it and I have not found one in any fly shop I have contacted in the states, but it is listed in their catalogue. An 8 foot 8 or 9 weight makes a perfect rod for mangrove fishing and works expecially well on windy days. I cannot tell you why but it just works better in the wind. Where I fish, accuracy and presentation are just as important if not more so than distance. I can control my accuracy much better with the 8 foot rod. Cliff, you are probably right. Todays saltwater reel sizes and weights do not balance with an 8 foot rod. My Waterworks ULA 3XLT with gel spin backing and Cortland 8wt Saltwater SL line balance my rod perfectly. The entire outfit (rod, reel, backing and line) weigh less than my my Tibor Riptide reel alone. When you are working the flats in the Yucatan sun, weight savings is the name of the game and can make the difference in going back to the landing at noon or 4:00PM. I admit that I am partial to G Loomis and FlyLogic rods. The reason is I use a fly rod for a living and my clients love these rods. Unfortunately, FlyLogic does not make a short rod suitable for flats fishing. The G Loomis 8 footer I own has been out of production for over 12 years. I have only seen 2...mine and the one I bought for Doug Macnair. It was either find one for Doug or he was going to borrow mine and not return it. It is an old Premier 9/10 weight. Both rods I found were new/old stock and appeard to have never been out of the case. If you can find one, buy it. It has the weight of a 6 wt, the backbone of a good 10 wt, cast like a dream and the fit and finish are exceptional. What else could you ask for in a fly rod? Thanks, Tom Martin www.pescamexicana.com

 

[phiten]

Anyone uses a Thomas Thomas?
They are some neat rods!

 

[mudbug]

Anyone uses a Thomas Thomas?
They are some neat rods!

this is some serious necroposting.

 

[wannafish]

"necroposting" There's a new word for me; '05 does seem far away now. Can't comment on the T&T rods but some do love them.