Rod Question

[mas5588]

I love to fish and get out as much as I can (about 66 times so far this year) but have yet to get into fly fishing. I've decided that I'm going to pick it up. I'll probably fish local ponds and resevoirs for bass and occasionally hit up some small rivers for smallies and trout. I think I've settled on a 9ft 6wt since I will be primarily bass fishing.

I enjoy quality stuff, but have been a little surprised that the $120 that gets you a good casting rod doesn't get you much in the way of a fly rod. I've upped my budget and I'm looking at the following two rods:

GLoomis Classic GL3 9ft 6wt $275
Sage FLi 9ft 6wt $275

I've got a couple of Loomis' GL3 casting rods and love them. I've heard awesome stuff about Sage as well. My only concern is that I'm kind of scraping the bottom of the Loomis and Sage barrell. For the money I want to spend, does anyone here have any suggestions?

Also, what are your thoughts on a decent reel? I know Loomis has a line out that look pretty decent for the money.

Thanks!

 

[tie one on]

I have a Sage 9' 4wt & love it for trout.

If you are not afraid to spend $275 for a lifetime warranty rod,
then why not buy a lifetime reel as well ?

This will all depend on whether or not you are planning on using
the reel drag to fight the fish ? What I mean is : Once you hook
that Smallie will you let the fish take up the line & use the reel
to land them, or just hold the line & pull them in by hand.

I might suggest a Ross Cimmarron Reel. I have two & have never
had a problem.

Tie one On

 

[TheFlyMaster]

Bottom of the Loomis barrell? I beg to differ. The very first quality fly rod I bought was a GL3 5wt which was a big chunk of change for a college student. I still have the rod and use it as part of my guide service. The thing is a workhorse. I usually bring my Loomis 5wt and Scott S3 5wt, and most novice clients prefer the slower medium/fast action of my Loomis. It does a little bit more of the work during casting and more foregiving then the fast action S3.

Now I bought this rod before Shimano came into the picture. I've used newer GL3 casting rods and like them alot, but my coin goes into fly rods

mas5588, I have a used GLoomis Venture (Adventure) 5 reel for sale that I bought about 3 years ago, I'm asking $35 for it. I was just about to take pics and post it in classified section on my website. It's been a great reel, have never had a problem with it, show some normal wear. I also have a Pflueger President Fly Reel 5/6 for $50. I've switched all my reels to Nautilus for my guiding now. I wanted to keep it for my son, but I figured he could work for his own gear like I did :tongue: I just hate seeing stuff sit around when someone else could make use of it.

 

[troutbum]

Personaly I would opt for the Loomis.Although the Sage is a fine rod as well.I just happpen to more of a Loomis or Scott guy.

 

[mas5588]

Bottom of the Loomis barrell? I beg to differ.

Sorry, I guess that comment didn't really come out the way it was supposed to. I know they are very nice rods, but when you can easliy spend $600 -$700 on a fly rod, I was wondering if they put the same thought into building them. It sounds like they do. I love the two GL3 rods I have. I've had one for about 10 years and the other for about 2 (so I think the second one is post-Shimano).

As for the reel question, I was under the impression that a fly reel wasn't nearly as important as the rod. What do you need to spend to get a "lifetime reel"? Is it as easy to blow up a reel as it is to break a rod? I've yet to break any of my casting/spinning rods (knock on wood) and I've never had a problem with any of the Shimano reels I own. Hey, does Shimano make a fly reel?

I know that most small fish can be landed without even putting them on the reel, but I suppose it would suck if the reel didn't perform when I needed it to (big fish). I'd been looking at the Venture from Loomis actually.

I'm trying to convince my wife to get me the rod for xmas, so I'd probably be in the reel market after then (just in case she doesn't get it :icon_cry: )

Lastly, thank you to everyone that has replied. I appreciate the insights.

 

[Randy Ratliff]

Don't forget about the new Orvis Clearwater II 908-4 TipFlex, light & very responsive, deep blue color with a matching graphite reelseat. I cast it and it will do well with bigger poppers and streamers.

I also like the Winston Accent, I have an 8wt for warmwater fishing and it really throws line well and gives you great accuracy with the bigger bugs and poppers. One of my recent clients was Captain Jack Brown who guides out of Charleston for redfish and such, threw this rod most of the day and really loved it.

 

[Flyrodder]

I agree with Randy. To throw the bigger Flies, Poppers and Streamers needed for Largemouth Bass, you need an 8wt rod. A 6wt rod will handle the fish but you can't throw the bigger hooks normally used for largemouth bass as well as you can with an 8wt. Flyrodder

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi mas5588,

Both Sage and Loomis have a line of rods below the two you are looking at. At the $300 level you also have the Scott A2 at $265 and the St Croix Ultra at $310. The Scott A2 is a medium action. Both of these rods are American made with lifetime warranty.

Since you are a beginner you will be able to cast with a slow to medium action rod better than a fast action rod. The Loomis Classic is a two piece rod. They are not as popular as the 4 piece rods. It won't be a problem unless you fly somewhere to fish.

As to reels, the lower price reels are all made overseas, mostly china. You will find the same reel in some instances with different brand names. The low priced reel construction will be stamped, cast or cast/machined. The higher priced and better reels are machined from bar-stock. The best drags and workmanship are on the more expensive reels. The Loomis reels seem to have a good reputation for their price. You should consider that because one company makes very good equipment for bass fishing there may be better choices in fly fishing. You will find in fly fishing some of the very best equipment is made by somebody you may have never heard of.

The rod makers offer lower cost rods by cutting corners. The use cheaper hardware, lower quality cork, different graphite and the rods are usually heavier. You have seen the same thing with bass rods. The cheaper Bass rods are always heavier and lack the sensitivity of some more expensive rods.

Frank

 

[Ard]

I love to fish and get out as much as I can (about 66 times so far this year) but have yet to get into fly fishing. I've decided that I'm going to pick it up. I'll probably fish local ponds and resevoirs for bass and occasionally hit up some small rivers for smallies and trout. I think I've settled on a 9ft 6wt since I will be primarily bass fishing.

I enjoy quality stuff, but have been a little surprised that the $120 that gets you a good casting rod doesn't get you much in the way of a fly rod. I've upped my budget and I'm looking at the following two rods:

GLoomis Classic GL3 9ft 6wt $275
Sage FLi 9ft 6wt $275

I've got a couple of Loomis' GL3 casting rods and love them. I've heard awesome stuff about Sage as well. My only concern is that I'm kind of scraping the bottom of the Loomis and Sage barrell. For the money I want to spend, does anyone here have any suggestions?

Also, what are your thoughts on a decent reel? I know Loomis has a line out that look pretty decent for the money.

Thanks!

Frank,

Check out eBay and type in Quarrow Fly Rod. I bought one of these to replace a Greys 9'6" Platinum X, the Greys is a British made job that sells for around $480, the 9' 7wt. Quarrow Drake 3 pc. is just as good as the high end British rod!

I'm 52 years old and have been using fly rods since I was 13, I own many high priced rods including some good cane rods. I live in Alaska and use the Quarrow for Sockeye, Silver, Trout and Char. It has proven to be a great rod.

If your going to go with a six wt. you might as well get the 9' 7wt. they sell for around $68. That is as good as it gets Frank. Don't get caught up in the lable thing. I'm not saying that the high end rods are not good equipment, just that there are some good preformers out there at a real value!

If you want to spend some dough, get a good disc drag reel. I bought one of of these for my wife too, I like them. Oh yeah, I own mostly Orvis rods, some St Croix, and the Greys of England along with several Lami Flex.

Don't break the bank Frank.

 

[bonefish41]

Buy what you can afford and what works in your hand anticipating that your skills will increase...however, on the water you only have one rod in your hand so let it be the best you can afford that works for you...try them at your fly shop take a 6 or an 8 from $150 to $700 in winston, sage, scott, st croix, loomis, orvis and chinese...cast see if it makes a difference to you... IMHO with a 6, 8, and a saltwater 10...your set for 90% fresh and salt...for me primarily salt 8,9,10,11,12 sage and winston...I'll pack them... take them...rig them...put them.. in the boat and usually use only one either the 10 wt TCR or the 11 wt XTR...

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Hardyreels,

Welcome to the forum. Looking forward to your post. Where do you live in Alaska?

Frank