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I am a gear junkie. My life, since I was a mere sprig of a being, has been directed by the singular guiding principle that anything that can be done can be overdone. And so it is with fly fishing. At the same time, while I love high-dollar, gucci gear, I don't feel the overwhelming need to parade around $700 rods to feel like a man. On the contrary, I buy what I like. Sometimes it's cheap. Sometimes not. Now, I don't by any stretch of the imagination consider myself an expert. But, I do manage to put flies exactly where I want most of the time and I can get a lot of line in the air too, for what that's worth. My rods, reels, lines etc. are a combination of stuff that I've bought because it was a good deal and stuff that I genuinely felt I had to have. Here's what I use... Rods: Since I fish for trout most of the time, most of my rods are 5 weight and under. For what it's worth, I will offer my opinion of each rod I own. I will list them from the lightest up. St. Croix Avid - 7.5 ft. 2 wt. (2 piece) - I love this rod. I find that it is dramatically different than the 3 weight listed next. I honestly haven't cast that many other 2 weights but I use this one every chance I get. It is not a fast action rod and I don't wish it was. The first reaction from everyone who casts it is "wow, this is wierd." But, it isn't wierd. They just usually fish fives and sixes. The thing about the Avid is that it is a true 2 weight. I don't believe that all rods labeled 2 weight really are. A 2 weight rod is supposed to be able to drop the tiniest dry flies without the least disturbance to the water's surface. This one does so with narry a whisper. It also will splat down big, hairy fuzz balls and hoppers if you know how to finesse the line. If I want to splat a hopper into an undercut in an attention-getting way, I watch the line straighten out. When it is just about to turn over the leader, I will haul about 10 inches of line. This increases the line speed just in time to cause a splash at the other end. This works on roll casts, too. Just because this rod is more flexable than your five weight doesn't mean it can't throw line. I routinely make 50 and 60+ foot casts with mine when the wind isn't blowing too hard. It's a timing thing. Since the line speed is much slower than many of us are used to, it takes much longer for the line to straighten out on the back cast. When it does, you really need to accelerate gradually as you make your forward cast or you will over power the rod. I know St. Croix just updated their Avid series rods. I am speaking of the old (charcoal grey) one. I haven't cast the new Avid but I have wiggled it in the store. It feels totally different as far as I can tell. I think they made them faster. It seems like that's what everybody wants but, I think I prefer the old one. St. Croix Avid - 7 ft. 3 wt. (2 piece) - Again, this is the older style Avid. This rod has a lot more backbone than you think when you first cast it. This rod feels completely different than the 2 weight. It should. I think a lot of rod companies are rating the ultra light rods as lighter than they really are. On the other hand, St. Croix rates the Avid series as medium fast action which I believe is a stretch, at least in my estimation. They are more like medium in the light line weights, which they should be. I think the new version is a lot faster action though. In any case, this is usually my "go to" rod, along with my other 3 weight. I love 3 weight rods! I have been scolded by others who insist that it's too light to "pressure large fish," but they're just repeating a load of crap that they heard somewhere along the way. I can fight and land big fish just as quickly as with my 5 weights. And, I have only broken a tippet once with this rod. Even with heavier tippets, I can't say that for the 5 weight. Redington RS3 - 8 ft. 3 wt. (4 piece) - This is my other go to rod. It is A LOT stiffer than the St. Croix, but I can't praise it highly enough. I believe it may be more like a 3 1/2 weight but it still feels light and agile. I can easily manage 70+ feet of line with this rod and have complete confidence in it to take even the largest rainbows. I think it weighs 2.6 ounces and, with my Forbes reel, makes a rig that is under six. To get the most out of this rod, I tend to change my grip continuously. I choke up for touching down dries and grip right around the reel seat for distance. This ads as much as six inches of effective length to the rod. I don't think about it. It's just an automatic adjustment I make to get the most out of the rod. At $195, this rod is, I think, one of the best deals in the industry. I used to be completely put off by rods made in Asia. I would try to hide the label so the fly-snobs wouldn't think I was a dork. In reality, most of the snobs don't have enough casting experience to know what a great rod is. Everybody wants faster, faster, faster (the RS3 is pretty fast), like that's the only thing that matters.
Nowadays, I could care less about brands or what's cool. In fact, I think there's nothing cooler than to run around in shorts with one small box of flies in my back pocket and outfish all the "avid fly anglers" on the stream. I have enough crap to look just as snobby as they do if I want, but it's fishing for Pete's sake! Anyway, if you are thinking of moving down a line weight or two but don't want to drop a fortune, this rod rocks. Redington RS2 - 7 ft. 4 wt. (2 piece) - This rod's pretty nice but I almost never use it. If I need something with more backbone than a 3 weight, I go to the Legend Ultra. If I need something short, I use on of my Avids. Sage LE - 9 ft. 4 wt. (2 piece) - I bought this rod only because I got a deal. I hate to say this but I think it sucks. Maybe that's a little harsh, but it just doesn't cast well at all. It's not fast. It's not slow. It is just this ambiguous thing that I can't seem to find a function for. I am going to try it out at Barney's next time I go there and see if I like it for that since a three's a little too light. Redington RS2 - 8 ft. 5 wt. (2 piece) - More and more, I am using this rod over the St Croix Legend Ultra. I think, I just like shorter rods for my casting stroke. I am not sure though. It might just be that I fish the 3 weights so much that this feels a little closer to them. I actually bought it for 40 bucks brand new as a closeout somewhere. At the time, that was the only reason I bought it. I already had two Redington rods and knew I liked them but didn't need another five weight for anything. In any case, Redington rods cast great and are really well made. With their lifetime warranty, you can't go wrong. St. Croix Legend Ultra - 9 ft. 5 wt. (4 piece) - Simply put, I have landed more trophy sized fish on this rod than any of my others. It casts great and looks cool. I wish it was lighter. Not that it's heavy, but it doesn't have a light feel like the Avids. But that's not fair either since my Avids are completely different. It's pretty fast which is good when the wind is up. I wish my 4 weights were Legen Ultras. When I adjust to this rod after using the light ones a lot, I can cast an entire 90 feet of line if I want to. The key is stopping your back cast like you do with your forward cast and making sure that the line straightens out before changing direction. Sometimes, though, my cast just turns to mush for no reason and I have to cast much less line to get the rhythm back. I don't usually fall apart when I use a shorter rod. Hmm? In the end, I always go to this 5 weight first. I think it's just because it was pretty expensive. The truth be told, I have a buddy who has one of the faster Sages and it really takes the Legend Ultra apart. St. Croix Imperial - 9 ft. 5 wt. (2 piece) - Sage LE - 9 ft. 8 wt. (4 piece) - Reels: I am not a reel snob either. Well, no. I kind of am. I don't care about brands but I do prefer machined, bar stock reels. I also prefer Made in USA or Europe over Asia but I am not always willing to pay for it if I don't see the value. Oh, and I love that Sage 3000 Series reel, but absolutely REFUSE to spend $300 for a click-drag reel made in Korea! For the most part, I choose the lightest reels I can find that are up to the task I want them to perform. Sometimes they can be really light but not always. White River - Classic Ultralight - I think this is one of the best kept secrets in light line fly gear. This is a 2.5 inch, machined bar stock reel that weighs just 2.2 ounces! With this reel, my 2 weight rod, fully rigged, weighs under 5 ounces! I looked at EVERYTHING before I bought this reel. I love the Sage 3000. If it was made here in the good 'ol USA, I'd probably have shelled out the 300 bucks to get one. Then there's the Waterworks ULA (2.6 ounces. Nice!). I want that reel so bad! But again, $300. At least it's made in the US. I will buy one some day; probably when I break down and buy that Sage TXL rod I've been lusting for. But, all this has nothing to do with the Classic Ultralight reel. The deal with the Classic is that it has basically no features other than being a well-built, nice looking reel. It has a click "drag" that is totally non-adjustable. It'll keep you from turning your line into a wad of knots when you pull it off the reel and that's about it. But, how often do you really need a drag on a 2 weight (or lighter) rod? Personally, I have caught a good 150 or so fish on mine and haven't played one on the reel yet. J.Austin Forbes - Avon - I got a deal on this reel and didn't really appreciate it at the time. Like the Classic Ultralight, it is a very basic reel. The click & pawl drag is somewhat adjustable but I don't really care. I have it lined for my 3 weight rods. This is another REALLY light reel. I think it is only 2.6 ounces. I've seen their other reels on some discount websites but never this one. Full price is close to 3 bills, which is too much when you compare it to the Waterworks. But for $89 like I paid a few years ago, it's a steal. I should've bought 3 when I had the chance. Pflueger - Trion 5/6 - I think these are nice reels for the price so I bought one. It is supposed to be a 5/6 weight reel but it's so damn heavy I never use it. I finally lined it up for my 4 weight rods since I almost never fish with them anyway. It's a total mismatch. I plan to get something lighter for my 4 weights if I ever get around to it. I have a buddy wrapping a salt-water 6 weight for me. I think this reel will be a good match for that. Hopefully, it can take the salt. Nautilus - Feather Weight #5 - Buy this reel! Yes, it's pricey, but these reels are just awesome! I don't even know where to start. Yeah, I do. It's LIGHT! I don't remember the actual weight but it's not much. I use mine with my 5 weight rods. Being a light line kind of guy, 5 weight to me is pretty heavy. It is my "go to" rod when the hogs are out. I have caught rainbows over 7 pounds on this reel as well as smallmouth that took me into the backing. The Nautilus (formerly Old Florida) has a bonafide carbon disc drag. It adjusts smoothly and has, as they say, virtually zero startup inertia. It is also tough enough for the salt as are all Nautilus reels and looks bitchin. It's still cheaper than an Abel and 10 times cooler. Orvis - Battenbkill LA IV - This reel is a favorite of so many people it's hard to elaborate on what everybody already seems to know. I bought mine because I wanted a reel that I could use with my 8 weight for everything from bones to carp (yes, carp) to Pyramid Lake cutthroats and San Louis stripers. I have caught smallmouth bass on it as well as surfperch from the beaches in California. But, all in all, I don't get out to fish the big stuff all that often. It's a really nice reel though. Someday, I'd like to get the smallest LA for my 4 weights. Hmm... |
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