Next Gen Fly Rods – Did they Underwhelm
- This topic has 25 replies, 15 voices, and was last updated Mar 16, 2012 at 2:45 pm by
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I’ve always been a gear junkine, needing the latest and so called greatest rods offered by Sage, Scott, Winston, Loomis, etc.
Except this year.
Fly rod technology is so advanced I don’t see how fly rods can be improved. I have many top-of-the-line rods, and they don’t cast any better than my mid-priced ones. I believe for fishing and casting purposes, there’s only so far you can take a fly rod. I remember when the Sage XP came out. Everyone raved about it so I bought one. It’s a nice rod, but one day I went to the park with my Sage and my Cabela’s old FT. I cast about the same distance with both rods. My two cents.
Randy
My best casting has been with the new Winston BIIIX (borrowed) and the Sage One (bought). I notice the advantages of new rod technology for distance-casting applications (with accuracy, too), at least in my own mind if not in fact. The tape measure seems to support my view. In fact, I am toying with getting another Sage One (10 foot 8 wt) and getting a BIIIx (9 ft 5 wt (for a 3rd in that category but I won’t tell my wife).
Admittedly, however, the thing that holds me back more than anything is me, rather than my rod.
For small stream fishing, I love old and new bamboo and old and new fiberglass. Also excited about an old-school Winston LT pack rod that I just bought used ($150 for rod, line and a very nice Teton reel :D) but have not yet fished. And for value, the next-to-last generation of rods was already amazing. I saw some good deals the other day on the Winston BIIX, which is the dream rod I never bought from years past. For that matter, some of the value-priced high-performance rods (TFO, for example) are everything someone ever needs.
I have not tested the Winston BIIx side-by-side with the BIIIx. (In fact, I have not casted the BIIx in several years). That would be an interesting experiment.
Yes, new fly rods can get expensive. But I am committed to sticking with my same lovely wife (cheaper than chasing the newer models), I don’t like golf, and I have cut back on bourbon as I try to stay fit. I don’t plan to buy a Ranger bass boat. A new rod every now and then occupies my mind and my imagination. So they are a value, even if they seem expensive.
My friend Bo’s philosophy of rods captures my own views on the topic:
“Life is short.
If you are truly and passionately serious about this sport and feeling a finely tuned fly rod unload its line after a well timed cast, buying a top grade Winston is cheap. It is not like you are purchasing a Ranger Bass Boat, 200 HP Mercury motor that costs as much as your first house, and a Suburban to pull it all with. You are just buying a fly rod for a few hundred dollars that should be with you and a part of you for the rest of your life, with an unlimited life warranty backed by people that do not want you to be unhappy. When personal fishing, I fish the best rods and reels. This is not because I am a show-off but those rods have a different feel and I cannot ever get enough of it. Fishing the best brings me personal pleasure and I also know that I do not have to question whether I should have looked at another brand or a cheaper model. I cannot place a monetary value on that feeling.
Life is short.” (http://tablerockangler.com/FlyFishingHelp/Tip.cfm?iTip_ID=42)
I don’t have much time with the BIIIx but the time I did have with it made me think I’m okay with the ‘old fashioned’ BIIx.
Now the Sage One… this is the first Sage that ever blew me away with its range and accuracy.
Still, I’ll just have to slum it with my old rods. The new prices have priced me out of the high end market. The big rod companies have to be reaching a point of diminishing returns.
It might be time they get creative with their marketing. If they offered the same rod at different price points depending on warranty they might win back the love of people like me.
I don’t need a no-fault, no-questions-asked warranty and don’t like paying for them. Just a warranty against materials and workmanship. These items are completely out of my control.
… and price the rod accordingly.It might be time they get creative with their marketing. If they offered the same rod at different price points depending on warranty they might win back the love of people like me.
I don’t need a no-fault, no-questions-asked warranty and don’t like paying for them. Just a warranty against materials and workmanship.
… and price the rod accordingly.That’s a good idea.
My take on rods in general is that they are like wine, they are all basically made of the same stuff, can be generally made to perform the same way, but as you go up the price scale they’re more aesthetically pleasing in feel and looks,
I can remember when I was on the Beaverkill with my Sage XP, back then one of the hottest fly rods out there. Another angler wanted to try my XP, so we switched fly rods. I cast his Avid, and I was amazed at how much I loved the rod (granted the action was a bit different.)
I have the Loomis GLX Crosscurrent and a St. Crioix Ultra (saltwater rods). If I cast blindfolded I’m not sure I could tell them apart.
Yes, the Loomis certainly looks much better, but is that worth the $300 difference?
If I wanted to invest in a rod that will hold its value I go with bamboo.
Randy
I personally like having the same rod year after year. It feels more familiar and sort of takes on the role of a fishing companion. Each year that I change lines, its like seeing an old friend with a new story to tell. I guess I’m odd that way.
You’re not saying that about your casting too are you? If so, for your safety, I’ll take all high end rods you have off your hands. For your safety that is.
A lot of the same rules should be applied. Plus you may learn something even more interesting than what rod to buy next.
JC
http://mobile.slate.com/articles/life/drink/2011/11/why_you_should_be_drinking_cheap_wine.htmlI think it is true with many things in life that once you get to a certain level of quality or performance, a small gain can often be very expensive. How much better is a BMW or Mercedes than the latest offerings from say, Hyundai? If you use and like tools, are Snap On tools that much better than Mac or even Craftsman? Those are only two examples, yet people are more than willing in many cases to pay the extra $$. Why should fly rods be any different?
Or coolers and ice chests for example…
I am inclined to buy good equipment and keep it for a long time, I am by no means a tackle junkie…however last year after reading the results of the Yellowstone shootout.
I tested out a Hardy Zenith (Sintrix Nano) rod.
I tend to take all that info with a grain of salt but in this case I wanted a 6wt to take to Chile. I haven’t owned a 6wt for years but wanted one with balls for the winds of Patagonia + the ability to cast long for the once every few years that I do go for bones or beach snook. I also wanted it to be rediculously light to balace a Waterworks ULA force.I did not want to like the Hardy, I have liked a few of their reels but NEVER one of their rods. I cast it beside 5 other rods (all on this list) before I bought it.
It is very light and casts to within a few wraps of the backing with a single haul. (For my arm that’s good) Above all it cast a nice loop throughout all distances and had nice feel. I do think that the nano rods are worth checking out. This Hardy has recoil guides too.
I think 5 or 6 out of this list are nano.
Zenith, Legend Elite, NRX, and BVK. Pardon if I left one out.
Take a look at the price of the TFO BVK!An added bonus is that they purport not to break easily. Hopefully that is the case because I left it in Chile because my buddy broke the S4 I bought him last year. >:( So I brought his S4 home so I could send it back to Scott for repair.
As a rod junkie I have cast them all and settled on a BIIIX 5 weight as my wading rod and a new Sage One six weight as my drift boat rod. I think both of these rods are at the cutting edge of technology bewing super light and as Zack described they bend very deeply but recover very fast. I picked up an old CP after casting the One and it was like using a cell phone from 1990.
Perhaps most casters cannot take advantage of the technology but that is the same as every industry.
I used to work for one of the large fly shop/rod makers (sorry can’t say which one). I know from the inside that the new mid-price rods completely out-competed their 2-year old top of the line models. The middies cast further easier, were lighter in most cases even. It was impossible to sell the top of the line models to anyone on a budget. I personally even bought the mid range before I left because it was just as good as the top of the line rods and cost $300 less.
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