# stirring a hornets nest



## jeubank3 (Oct 2, 2007)

my valentines present today was a promise i could get whatever fly rod i want, which right now is a top end 9wt. stuff like a loomis crosscurrent glx, wintson biix, orvis zg helios, etc. are on the shortlist so far. i am going to cast at least 4 rods before making the choice, but want to get some unbiased opinions while narrowing it down.i know people get attached to the rod that they have, but what i would like to know is: have you cast multiple top-end rods from different companies? what characteristics were better on different products? (flex in casting, power, fighting backbone, etc.) thanks in advance guys

james


----------



## Flymastershane (Dec 9, 2009)

I can't be unbiased, but I will say the Helios is an excellent rod, although I would like to give a Sage Xi2 a few casts.


----------



## Stuart H. Brown (Oct 4, 2007)

I've been happy with my Temple Fork. Easy to cast with decent response. Get one with a good warranty. Good luck withyour choice. SHB


----------



## captken (Feb 24, 2008)

I tried a Helios a while back and fell in love with it. Unfortunately it is about $600 too much for me. It was definitely better than the $80 Courtland and $100 St Croix I use but these high end rods are a heck of a lot more fragile than the lower tech rods. 

If you are a high roller, and a fisherman who is so far into fly fishing that you forsake all other forms of fishing, you might consider a high end rod. You will notice the weight difference more than anything else. 

Honestly, I can't imagine me ever paying that much for a rod, even if I hit the lottery. Check out the higher end Bass Pro Shop Gold Cup rods. I was pleasantly surprised. My son boughta GC 9wtand it is an absolute rocket launcher in his hands, especially with a supersink shooting head.

As far as reels go, it is a crime what they charge for fly reels. For the most part, fly reels are about 1/100 as complicated as a spinning or bait casting reel. I honestly do not see why they cost so dang much.

I think a lot of the reason folks pay so much for fly rods is a lot like the old locker room thing, "Mine is longer than yours."

About 10 years ago, I went to opening day on a Trout stream in NC. It was cold as whiz, snowing like a bi---and all of the so-called "Fly Fishermen" were standing around their Eddie Bauer Edition trucks comparing $500 fly rods. I spent the day on the creek and caught (AND KEPT) a limit of very nice Trout. Every body was fishing tiny flies that I could hardly see while I fished a size 4 brown stinky Wooly Bugger on my $50 Kunan 5wt. I did not see another fish nearly as big as my smallest. I also kept a 6# Redhorse that day, something that made some of the hotshot flyfishermen cringe.

It dang sure is not the high dollar tackle that makes the fisherman. (IMHO)


----------



## jeubank3 (Oct 2, 2007)

i have an okuma 8wt guide select rod and helios reel that i like, but i want something a lot more powerful and faster for a 9wt and want something very light, that's the reasoning behind going high-end, that and it is a gift. i'm thinking about just getting another helios for the reel. i've pulled in some decent sized fish on it and the drag has been smooth and consistent. plus, at 6.2oz it is very lightweight.


----------



## Russian (Jan 13, 2009)

I have always been too cheap to spend a ton of money on rods and reels so have always gone with the cheaper $100 rods. I have a 9wt redington redfly $99 that has a killer back bone, works great, and a great warranty. Most of the fancy gear I have was given to me as gifts or I won it fishing various fun tournaments. This past year I was given a 9wt Helios as a wedding gift from the groomsmen. I have used other peoples Helios' before and thought they were great. I dont have a ton of experience with high end rods, but this Helios has to be the best rod I have ever used, light as a feather and casts like a charm. Not saying there arent other comparable rods out there, but there is my $.02.

Hope you get something you really like and catch lots of fish with it.


----------



## dan (Oct 10, 2007)

There was a recent article were some guides took the sage, loomis, winston biimx, and the orvis on a bone fish trip and compared them on accuracy, distance, etc. The lomis, and sage were 1 and 2 (not sure of the order)the winston was a very close third. The orvis was a disapointing 4th. Search the web and check Salt Water Fly fishing product reviews. These are all good rods (Loomis has been bought by Shimano- the factory is about 40miles from my house-watch the warrentee Loomis has changed some pollicies on that) I have a couple of loomis drift rods that are well made (for steelhead). I also have the following winstons: a 12wt BIIx for the off shore stuff when visiting the inlaws in Pensacola -a 8wtBIIMx (faster than a BIIx), a 8wt LT-a softer 8 wt that is a blast on bones when the wind is moderate, a 5wt BIIx - about as good a trout rod (rainbow) as they make, a 5wt LTX a faster 5, a 4wt LT (soft) for the size18 and smaller also for trout. I like Winstons. The best thing is to cast all the rods that you can. If your technique is great, go for the faster rods (more potential for distance and punching into the wind), a softer rod can be more forgving. The best money I have spent on fly fishing, was on a lesson from the Tim Rajeff (google rajeff). Having your form tuned up will help you make a choice based on your abilities, be able to distinguish the differencesin the blanks, and your personal preferences. Take the lesson first if possible. They are all great rods and 1 persons favorite may not be yours. Check warrentees, those weighted salt water flies can be deadly on graphite. As noted above you don't have to buy the high end rods to enjoy flyfishing there are a lot of very good options and plenty of guys that will make you look bad with whatever rod they pick up. Check out the Nautilus NV for a great reel for a great rod (made in Florida-formally Old Florida I think). Careful you are approaching a slippery slope. I am looking forward to coming down in June to work on the local fauna.Good luck


----------



## jeubank3 (Oct 2, 2007)

i pulled the trigger on a sage xi2 demo rod. i liked the way it casted actually better than the xi3, but not as much as the tcx. hard to part with 800 though when it got down to crunch time. half the price of the new sticks and still get the warranty


----------



## timeflies (Oct 3, 2007)

Helios is bad-***, but it is hard to beat the feel of a one piece g loomis, and those recoil guides are fine! I have no experience with the sage or winston though. I will say that orvis customer service is the best I have ever dealt with. It amazes me that the phone rings twice and a person picks up and solves your problem. I had a tls 8 wt that I broke a few years back. I never registered the rod when I bought it. I called customer service and she knew who I was, where I lived etc. (I bought the rod online, so I am sure she just looked up billing info). They offered to send me a new one. I asked if I could get a tip flex instead of the mid flex that I originally bought, no problem. Could you engrave my name on the rod case? no problem. Could I send in the reel with the rod and have it serviced too? No problem. Turn around time was within 2 weeks.


----------



## ldw (Aug 30, 2009)

you chose wisely. I sold fly rods for three years in a shop in birmingham and guided for a year in st. john. at the time i could get any rod at cost, and i choose sage rods. i've owned and fished Penn, St Croix, Thomas and Thomas, orvis, winston and loomis. The sage company in WA and their R&D department is what sets them apart, and the end product shows. Sage is also incredibly easy to deal with regarding warranties. i've broken my Sage's about 6 times and never paid a dime. by the way, i've never broken one on a fish (car doors, stepping on them, etc...) i have, however, broken Loomis rods on fish and know others that have had that happen.


----------

