Intermediate fly rod

[sndmn11]

I am surprised that people are recommending blindly with no idea HOW you like to fish. Dries, streamers, nymphs? At what distances?

For instance, I euro-nymph and fish lakes Loch style. I have four 3 weights from 9' 6" to 12', and one 10' 7 weight. My wife fishes a team of nymphs under an indicator and she has only 10' 5 weights. There is a reason why there are so many different lengths and line weights, and the standard 9' 5wt response is seldom good at anything.

So how are you fishing?

PS the first thing I would do with a TFO is donate it to anywhere.

 

[Mac7]

Can you get somewhere and get your hands on some different brands? I think fly rods like bows/rifles need to feel good in the hand that holds it. Lots of good options out there. I would find one that feels good and has a good warranty and go catch some fish with it.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

TFO gives you pretty good bank for your buck. As others have mentioned though, it really comes down to the type of water, preference in action stiffness, etc.

If you want a fast-action rod for chucking streamers and large dries, TFO BVK in a 6 or 7 wt would be a good option.

If you are fishing smaller streams, small flies, etc a 4 wt 8.5 ft would be a good way to go. The TFO Pro's action is not as stiff as the BVK and would be a better option here.

10 footer if your want a dedicated rod for multiple nymphs.

 

[eamyrick]

Buy a used Orvis 5 or 6 weight access on eBay. They warranty is solid and I have caught a ton of trout and bass on both.

 

[theleo91386]

Like others said part of the answer will have to do with how you like to fish. Personally for a general use trout rod for small rivers I've got an 9' #4 Echo Carbon XL. It's actually a little under your budget but it's a very pleasent rod for the money. If you like fishing streamers a lot you'd probably want to go with a #5 or #6. The #4 is good for the dries, nymphs, and smaller streamers I use. For a more technique specific rod there are some 10'-11' euro nymph rods out there for around that price range.

 

[Jebuwh]

I am surprised that people are recommending blindly with no idea HOW you like to fish. Dries, streamers, nymphs? At what distances?

For instance, I euro-nymph and fish lakes Loch style. I have four 3 weights from 9' 6" to 12', and one 10' 7 weight. My wife fishes a team of nymphs under an indicator and she has only 10' 5 weights. There is a reason why there are so many different lengths and line weights, and the standard 9' 5wt response is seldom good at anything.

So how are you fishing?

PS the first thing I would do with a TFO is donate it to anywhere.

Please enlighten us with your rod choice that is so far and above the lowly TFO. I love comments like that. I'm sure you've tested every one of their models.

9' 5 weight can nymph, streamer, and dry just fine.

If you're going to be on the US pro team, then sure go wild, most beginning to intermediate anglers will be just fine with a TFO or any other 200-400 dollar rod.

 

[DBird]

TFO has great rods and customer service if you break one.

 

[sndmn11]

Please enlighten us with your rod choice that is so far and above the lowly TFO. I love comments like that.

If you're going to be on the US pro team, then sure go wild, most beginning to intermediate anglers will be just fine with a TFO or any other 200-400 dollar rod.

You bet. I should start by saying that I don't think a person's skill level should dictate the quality of equipment they use. There is no reason why a beginner or intermediate angler should settle for "just fine" with poor equipment. The quality of graphite that TFO uses was bottom of the barrel two decades ago, and hasn't magically gotten better. High resin blanks result in inconsistencies in taper, weak spots, higher mass, and heavy oscillation. None of those characteristics will aid a beginning or intermediate angler. If you look through voiced issues and complaints throughout their lines, you will see evidence of all of those. I think one would also find a tiny amount of reputable shops still carrying rods from TFO. Sticking someone who is trying to learn their timing and stroke, with an inconsistent tool is a hindrance. We don't hunt with inconsistent arrows or bullets, why would we have an acceptance on the water? If you took a rifle that shot 3moa in the hands of an excellent shooter, and handed it to someone learning, you'd likely see much worse results.

I don't own any factory rods, any in the pat that I owned were all under the $400 you mentioned. I also don't know many Team USA guys fishing expensive rods either, that whole arrow and Indian thing applies.

There are some fantastic rods available in that price range from Douglas, Orvis, Fenwick, and St Croix that would help an angler a long their progression of learning.

 

[dtrkyman]

St croix as well.

Fantastic rods and warranty!


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[Dos Perros]

TFO is just fine. I can throw a line with one of those nearly as easily as with any one of my Sage XP's, and I preferred the TFO to more expensive BIIX's and whatever it was Sage came out with after the XP. The rod doesn't matter near as much as people make it seem. Put the bugs in front of the fish and they will eat. And if economics were an issue I'd trade all of my XP's to get more fishing time with some crappy Walmart flyrod.

 

[Wrathchild]

TFO you get great quality for the money, excellent warranty, and they’re big supporters of Project Healing Waters. If you’re looking for something Made in the USA look at the St Croix Imperial series. Imperial’s a more of a medium fast action and are more forgiving than all these fancy ultra fast rods for folks still dialing their cast. You can also change a rods feel dramatically based upon what line you run. So be mindful of that as well.

 

[MrMogollon]

I want to also recommend TFO for a great intermediate rig. Excellent customer service and warranty. I once broke the tip off my 7wt rod after a little spill and sent it in for them to repair. Instead, they sent me a brand new rod and a TFO hat, free of charge.

 

[wytx]

You might find a rod builder to make you one at your specs for the price of an off the shelf rod. I found a local guy that made me a nice rod with very good components for the price of a higher end rod. They will know their materials and can make recomm. for your style of fishing. Most of our fishing is small streams and alpine lakes, except for the rivers, the rod builder made some recomm. based on what others locals were using and what he has worked with.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

Buy a used Orvis 5 or 6 weight access on eBay. They warranty is solid and I have caught a ton of trout and bass on both.

Orvis is known for having a good warranty, but I don't believe it is transferrable beyond the original owner. The same goes for all of the well known rod manufacturers, to my knowledge. Something to consider when buying used.

 

[bracer40]

I have a Sage collecting dust if you’re interested. I’d have to go out to look at the specs. Let me know if you’re interested.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Orvis is known for having a good warranty, but I don't believe it is transferrable beyond the original owner. The same goes for all of the well known rod manufacturers, to my knowledge. Something to consider when buying used.

Good point. Buying used rods can be a gamble especially online where you cant inspect them in person. Rods, especially graphite, can have hairline cracks in the ferrules that the original owner may not even know about, and just needs the right cast or hook set to break on you.

If you have been happy with your ol' bass pro rod, and looking for an upgrade, you could do worse than St. Croix whose rods offer good quality made in the U.S.A (Wisconsin) craftsmanship at solid pricepoints. The Imperial line is well within your stated price range.

 

[GordonFreeman]

Been very happy with my Moonshine Rod. 9' 5wt Drifter

 

[sndmn11]

TFO you get great quality for the money, excellent warranty, and they’re big supporters of Project Healing Waters. If you’re looking for something Made in the USA look at the St Croix Imperial series. Imperial’s a more of a medium fast action and are more forgiving than all these fancy ultra fast rods for folks still dialing their cast. You can also change a rods feel dramatically based upon what line you run. So be mindful of that as well.

This is why I don't have any factory rods. It usually takes me a day to build on a blank, my tool investment is about $40, and the finished rod can have whatever components on it that are desired. Usually the cost comes in substantially lower than a factory rod.

 

[Salmonchaser]

The most fun I have as a guide is taking a rookie armed with a relatively inexpensive 5wt to a remote stream and having them catch nearly as many fish a boastful died in the wool fly guy.
There are certainly decisions to be made, something in the 4-5-6 range can cover a lot of water/fish. A decent but affordable rod will let you get your feet wet (sorry) see how serious you want to be. Yes you’ll probably need to change rigs if you want to Czek nymph or throw six inch long streamers. That’s part of the game.
Casting a fly rod is an athletic skill, not unlike throwing a football, making a jump shot or any other endeavor. I have 12 guests a week from June through September. Lots of fly guys. From my experience learning to fish is more important than learning to cast. I see a lot of great casters who, most of the time, are casting over the fish.
I also have guys who can hardly make it into the boat in the morning with out tripping, can barely cast 40 feet catch fish seemingly at will.
Buy a decent rod and reel, spend money on a good floating line, learn to cast accurately to forty or fifty feet then learn how to fish what you have. You may have the ability to throw 90 feet, great.

 

[eamyrick]

Orvis is known for having a good warranty, but I don't believe it is transferrable beyond the original owner. The same goes for all of the well known rod manufacturers, to my knowledge. Something to consider when buying used.

Orvis doesn’t seem to care. Scott can be picky about used rods. Snapped two I bought used and they wouldn’t work with me.