I need a 2nd rod...looking for opinions

[todd13]

I am getting close to 'hooking' my wife into this FF thing.   Hence, I will "need" a 2nd rod maybe this fall.  Like how it's not 'me', but 'her' causing me to get a new rod?  This is my frist hobby I can do that trick with.

I just returned from CO and saw the need for a shorter rod in some of the streams due to trees and willows.  I will return to CO next summer.

I am thinking I want a 7'6" 3 wt to go with my 9-5 that I use today.    Maybe I will use the short one for dries and the longer one for nymph-type fishing.  

Am I on track with my logic/selection?  I am new, so I was going to go with a slow or moderate action rod.  Prob slow action would be best.

Locally I fish panfish, wish I knew where to fish some bass.   3 wt seems like it would be a hoot to fish at LMFR.




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[mirvc17]

I would recommend and Echo Base. They make a 7'6" 3 wt and it sells for 89.99. Unfortunately they don't make a kit for this rod with a reel and line. The price may sound ultra cheap, but the rod was designed by Tim Rajeff and it casts very, very nicely.

I bought a 5 wt for my brother but had to try it out before I gave it to him--effortless loops. When he went to Alaska for a work related trip, he was able to fish for grayling. The guide was really impressed with the rod and said it cast as nice as his G. Loomis (not sure what model).

Its medium-fast action.

[golferjeff]

Bass Pro White River makes a nice 7' 3/4 weight kit for about $100. Great for sunfish, stocked trout, and tight quarters. I take it to CO every year in the summer. Great for bow and arrow casting as well. Not made for throwing 50 foot casts, but it can. Great for backcountry guerilla fishing. The only drawback is it is a two-piece, you can't really pack it in.

Echo's are good too. Match the rod with a simple orvis or lamson reel and a floating line.

TFO makes a good product for a little more money, great warranty, local company.

[hankinsfly]

I like the Echo company and agree with Mirv. I own a Echo 3 5-wt and enjoy it. I also like fishing my wife's 7'6" 3-wt, Cabela's Three Forks combo. The reel is quality, the rod casts nicely. I think it's under 100 for the whole combo, or close to it. I was throwing hoppers to bedding bluegills at my bass pond and caught some really large, tough bass on the 3-wt. It was mostly a matter of just having the drag set right, holding on, and being pulled around in the canoe. I wouldn't recommend you fish for large bass with. 3-wt on purpose though. I would like to do some soft-hacklin' with the 3-wt, and some light-line midging at my honey hole below Bull Shoals Dam.

[kingnothing]

I don't know how much you want to spend on this, but I bought an Orvis Superfine Glass 6'6" 3 wt. outfit to use on some of the tighter streams in RMNP. Last years trip got cancelled due to a death in the family, but I plan to use it when we go up there at the end of this month. It is a sweet little rod, I can cast 50' easily with it, and have caught a few small browns and rainbows with it at the LMF. The reel is adequate for smaller fish, and it comes with a Hydros line of your choice. If you are near to an Orvis Store, they will set it up for you, and load the backing and line of your choice.

[blove]

I will throw an option out there that has not let me down in many situations, though it is a little pricey for a TFO Rod.  I have the TFO BVK 3 Wt. 8' along with the 10' conversion kit.  I mainly use the the 10' rod with the conversion kit on many of that waters that I fish while nymphing because of the length.  I have even used it on the LMF and caught some 20"+ fish on it there, so handling big fish is not bad, but practice is needed.  I also have used it on small streams like the Davidson River in NC in the 8' setup with dry flies and it is a laser with an impressive presentation.  This rod with the conversion kit is my favorite to fish in the arsenal of rod that I own and it gets used the most. Whether i am fishing from a boat on the White or Norfork, wade fishing the LMF or Davidson, etc.  I use a different reel with different lines based on what I am doing (the 10' is much slower than the 8' with the same line), but it's always a blast to fish in either configuration!  I know everyone has there own opinions on gear and I would say go with what best fits your budget and style of fishing. if would definitely at least find somewhere that has this setup and try it out.  if you're interested in the reels/lines for each set up, pm me and i can give you that info.  Best of all is that you can start off with the 8' for fishing drys and switch to the 10' for high sticking on the same stream or vice versa without carrying "two" rods.

[hankinsfly]

I came very close to buying this setup, blove. That BVK 3wt is pretty sweet. I ended up just using my 4-wt's and bought a separate 10'er. But I agree with this conversion kit.

[todd13]

Thanks guys....I don't know what I will spend. My son in law mentioned Echo also.....I have some good choices now. I have a Redington entry rod and was leaning that way (Classic Trout), but will try several out before I buy. Just as Jeff described, you have to use guerrilla tactics in some of those CO streams around South Fork.

Thanks fellas.

[turfdawg]

That BVK with the extension kit is a very nice rod. I was going to get one until I found a good deal on another Euro rod.

Please don't rule out 7' glass rods for small creek fishing. A 4/5 wt glass will be similar to the flex of a 3wt graphite.

[jonbo]

I have a Sage TXL-F (F, for finesse), 7'9" 4 wt'. It's a sweet, sweet rod. They've stopped making them so you can only buy one used, as I did. I kind of impulse bought it in an eBay auction a couple of years ago for $250. I do not regret it at all. You can cast quite delicately with it, but also pretty far. I am not a good caster, but I laid a 40 ft quartering downstream cast with an Adams right in front of where I saw a fish rise. He took it! This was at "The Islands". I could not have done that so effectively with any other rod I've handled.

[hankinsfly]

I was wondering what the F stood for, jonbo. 😁

[jonbo]

Hey Todd, Here's someone selling the rod I was telling you about. I just now saw it advertised on another FF site some of us frequent. It's a very sweet rod! I'd definitely take mine to a small creek. You can only buy them used now. However, note, by buying it 2nd hand I believe you void the warrantee, which can be substantial on high-end rods. Also note he wants $350 for it. I gave $250 for mine. It was in primo shape. I believe the loss of value on 2nd hand rods is a large part because of losing the warrantee. If you're interested you might consider offering him $250 and see if he will take it.

Sage TXL-F for sale

[todd13]

Aug 12, 2017 4:48:24 GMT -6 jonbo said:

Hey Todd, Here's someone selling the rod I was telling you about. I just now saw it advertised on another FF site some of us frequent. It's a very sweet rod! I'd definitely take mine to a small creek. You can only buy them used now. However, note, by buying it 2nd hand I believe you void the warrantee, which can be substantial on high-end rods. Also note he wants $350 for it. I gave $250 for mine. It was in primo shape. I believe the loss of value on 2nd hand rods is a large part because of losing the warrantee. If you're interested you might consider offering him $250 and see if he will take it.

Sage TXL-F for sale

Thanks Jonbo, I will check it out.  Not sure exactly what I am wanting, but seems to be in the ballpark.  

Meh......looks to be almost 8'.   I am wanting to get closer to 7' for some of those tight creeks in CO.  I have a decent (maybe?) 9' now.  My son in law is coming to town a couple of weeks and I think we are going rod shopping together. 
Thanks for posting the link.   I will start to hit that site now that I know about it.

[finny76]

Go with SAGE, quality product & would last a lifetime!

[turfdawg]

Sept 13, 2017 15:58:18 GMT -6 finny76 said:

Go with SAGE, quality product & would last a lifetime!

In case you haven't noticed but some of our pockets aren't very deep.

[breeden3]

I would always go with a rod from R.L. Winston. Without a doubt the best rod on the market, and I have had experiences with almost all of the various rod companies. Every reputable rod company offers a lifetime warranty so price shouldn't be a top consideration. Even if you break it 20 years from now, they would upgrade it to the newest comparable model. May as well invest in great rods to start with. And you will not beat a Winston. Period.

[texanfisherman]

Aug 7, 2017 1:03:32 GMT -6 todd13 said:

Am I on track with my logic/selection?  I am new, so I was going to go with a slow or moderate action rod.  Prob slow action would be best.

Locally I fish panfish, wish I knew where to fish some bass.   3 wt seems like it would be a hoot to fish at LMFR.




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Well you could always go heavier as well...grab a 7 or 8 weight and use it for large bass, carp, and stripers for some fun action locally.  Where can you fish for bass?  Pretty much anywhere...almost every lake and pond has largemouths and carp.  You can get good striper and white bass action in the tailwaters of the larger reservoirs around here.

And for the rods - I have 2 5wt sages and a 2wt TFO.  The 2wt TFO is OK, but the sages really do cast easier.   I used the 2wt on the Cimmarron in NM - it fit the bill nicely for squeezing in up in the brush.

[hankinsfly]

I have 2 5wt sages and a 2wt TFO.  The 2wt TFO is OK, but the sages really do cast easier.   I used the 2wt on the Cimmarron in NM - it fit the bill nicely for squeezing in up in the brush.[/quote][

I'd say in this case, it's not the brand but the difference in rod/line weight that makes the 5-wt Sages easier to cast.

[texanfisherman]

Sept 14, 2017 8:17:32 GMT -6 hankinsfly said:

I'd say in this case, it's not the brand but the difference in rod/line weight that makes the 5-wt Sages easier to cast.

I like their feel better than the guide's rods I've used from TFO and Orvis.

[texasflycaster]

Certainly agree with line choice as a priority. Unless you are throwing dainty drys, I like the SA-GPX on my BVK 3 and BVK 4 rods.

[todd13]

putting my new 7'6" Classic Trout together this weekend with Rio Grand line....thanks for the advice and thread. Cost was my number 1 determining factor it turned out. When I upgrade, this rod will be my rod for visiting family or my wife. I have a plan....

I know it is not the ideal set up, but it gets me going and set up for small, brushy creeks.

How long will line last? 1 yr? 2 yrs?

If I had extra money, I would have gone with a little better rod. I want to learn more about line this fall and will upgrade my line next go round. And I have to replace the line on my 9' rod as well.

[mirvc17]

Why Rio Grand? Unless you want the extra bend in your rod for really slow action, the Rio Grand is a full line size heavier than standard. It will load the road easier with less line out, but I would say probably wouldn't be as delicate for presentation as a standard line like the Gold. The Grand is really designed for fast action rods.

The line can last years, it all depends on usage and storage. Store in cool, dark place.

[hankinsfly]

Agree with MIRV, don't put the Grand on a Redington CT. I'm a fan of Rio Trout LT and Rio Gold. The gold is 1/2 size heavier. I matched up a SA Frequency with my bamboo rod. The frequency doesn't have an aggressive taper and I think it casts very well on the cane. The Redington CT has a slower action and you might want to consider the frequency. It's high quality and not the $70 - $100 of the upper end lines.I think it's around $50. Like MIRV said, lines last a long time, way more than a couple of years, if you take care of it and clean it regularly. Some folks cl an their lines after every trip. I would like to get to that point, but it's really more like a few times year. Which doesn't bode well for fishing dirty bass ponds.

[troutbum54]

Airflo super dry elite! The best line I’ve ever owned and the coating is crazy resistant to breaking down

[mirvc17]

The Airflow Super Dri Elite is a good line, I agree. Unfortunately that deer (that was shot I believe) chewed through my first line. Then I accidentally cut the 2nd with some tippet or leader material or something... I went back to an InTouch Rio Gold ... (my first line for my NRX LP was the original Rio Gold which I still have).

The Super Dri E and Rio Gold are pretty similar lines. Airflow's head is 40 ft and weighs 190 grains. Rio's is 47 feet and weighs 208 grains.

AFTMA standard for a 5 wt line is 145 grains for the first 30 feet. Rio is 146 grains for the first 30 feet. Airflow does not list the 30 foot grain weight.

Both lines overhand cast and double haul just fine with my rod... Roll casting is great with both as well. The Airflow line did take up a tad more space on the reel than my Rio line with the same amount of backing FWIW.