Your Favorite budget-ish fly rod

[Bachto]

I am looking at upgrading fly rods this year. I currently have a 4Wt 2 piece TFO lefty Kreh that I really like. I want to get a 4 piece for packing easier on backcountry trips and was looking at going with a 8 1/2 or 9 since my current rod is an 8 foot.

I am looking pretty heavy at the TFO NXT or Signature 3.
I have also looked at the Redington Classic and the St. Croix Mojo.

Any others I should be looking at in the $150 - $250 range?

 

[Ferrulewax]

Clearwaters have always been a solid rod. I like the classic trout, but I don’t think I would want one past about a 8’6 4wt. Any longer or larger weights and they get pretty noodly and tip heavy. I also had an NXT (granted it was 10 years ago so the new ones may be pretty different) in 8’6 5wt and it was pretty noodly as well.

Off the top of my head some rods you may want to look at:
Redington Vice
Orvis clearwater
Echo carbon
Echo boost

 

[wyogoat]

Have you checked out the Moonshine rods? They’re flat awesome for the money and the Drifter comes with two tips.
I have a Drifter in 10ft 7wt as a streamer rod and I like it better than my friends Winston in the same dimension and can’t tell a ton of difference in that and my Helios 3 in the same dimensions. I’m not saying the quality is the same and it’s heavier but as far as casting big flies go it’s great. I’ve caught a lot of nice pike (haven’t caught a true 40” yet) and it makes those fish do whatever you want.
I’ve cast their 9/5 rod and it’s a great little rod. Also have a 7’6” 4 wt midnight special that’s nice but they’re a little more.

 

[lelliott8]

I have the orvis clearwater 6 piece. Even easier to pack than a four piece and fits your budget. Ive been thinking about getting the eight foot 4 wt for those remote mountain creeks.

 

[Ecampbell25]

Echo carbon xl

Lamson guru

Orvis Clearwater

 

[el_jefe_pescado]

Can’t really go wrong with a TFO or Clearwater. I would pair with a pre-owned lamson guru and call it a day.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sierracharlie338]

TFO, Clearwater series and Lamsons have all been solid for me over the years. I ran into a new company, whose name escapes me at the minute, but they make a very nice rod as well. I’ll see if I can locate it and add it here later

 

[Austink47]

I second a used Lawson sierra trading post also has some great deals from time to time. My go to is Echo shadow, but I mostly fish a 10ft. TFO makes a good stick for the $. GOne of my favorite rods is a ticrx with the line weight pulsed up one. At the end of the day they make so many different rods because we all like different stuff. Cast as many rods in your price range. Also pay attention to the warranty.

 

[Flyjunky]

Echo Carbon

 

[OXN939]

I am looking at upgrading fly rods this year. I currently have a 4Wt 2 piece TFO lefty Kreh that I really like. I want to get a 4 piece for packing easier on backcountry trips and was looking at going with a 8 1/2 or 9 since my current rod is an 8 foot.

I am looking pretty heavy at the TFO NXT or Signature 3.
I have also looked at the Redington Classic and the St. Croix Mojo.

Any others I should be looking at in the $150 - $250 range?

Taylor Fly fishing Dynamix. Mine's a 3 weight four piece and has been to AK, CO, WY, NV. Great little rod

 

[JGBowman]

I have 4 TFO's. Two of them are the Pro series, which are my favorite. Also, thier warrenty and customer service is great.

All Lamson reels have the same internally sealed ball bearings in the drag system. If you want to pay over $300 for one go for it. I get the liquids or remix for less than $150. Which are on closeout on there website: https://www.lamsonflyfishing.com/

I can horse king salmon all day with my TFO PRO II 9WT!

 

[TaperPin]

Having learned in the windy Wyoming high country, fast action rods seem natural, so if that’s not your preference ignore all this. As our boys are wanting to get into fly fishing I didn’t want to buy them junk, but also didn’t want to spend as much on a rod as a new rifle. I’ve been quite happy with the Reddington Vice rods after watching a distance demonstration from Reds on their YouTube. They cast quite similarly to the old Cabelas FT rods and the price is really hard to beat. For some reason there is a big price gap before getting into a rod with better performance - like twice the price.

Redington Vice Rod // Fast Action Multi-Purpose

Redington Vice Rod

redsflyfishing.com

I’ve caught so many fish in high lakes and streams with wooly buggers, other leach patterns, hoppers and heavily weighted big nymphs dropped into deep turbid rapids that I’ve always used a rod one size too large for the line to have the backbone to chuck moderate sized weighted streamers on light line. It also helps when casting into the wind. Currently I have a 4 pc 9’ 5 weight with 4 wt wf line as my pack rod - we packed into a little Wyoming lake that nobody seems to go to because it only has little rainbows and brookies - just walking the shore with hoppers and just anything with wings we were catching 100 fish a day - the fast taper rod was perfect for all the action and recasting quickly to missed strikes.

 

[WoolyBugger]

Tough to go wrong with a Clearwater... please don't get a moonshine.

 

[300stw]

i have a 10" 5 wt moonshine, lowest end one, dont like it at all, takes a lot of arm strength to cast it , echo xl hands down a better casting rod, for me,,,,,
moonshine is for sale for 100.00

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Big fan of St Croix here. Don't know about the mojo but I have a few 4 piece imperials and a legend elite rod. The imperials are a bit slow but the Legend ultra or elite are much faster but not in the price range you specified. Their rods are actually made in the U.S. if that matters to you.

 

[nobody]

I’m a fan of my TFO Pro III. Picked it up last summer shortly after they came out. I’m relatively new to the fly fishing realm, but it’s got great tip feel, casts easily and naturally, and balances nicely with my Lamson Guru reel.

I’ve heard great things about the Clearwater rods. My dad is an avid fly fisherman and spends lots of time fishing the south fork of the snake river every year, and the guides up there have piles of the Clearwater rods they keep rigged up for the tourists who book with them. Dad has some nice rods, including a full handmade custom, as do the guides he fishes with. But he’s used a Clearwater a couple of times while they’re testing the hatch early in the morning with the guides. He’s been impressed and although he’s not looking to replace his custom expensive rods, he recommends the clearwaters as a good, entry level or extra rod.

That said, the Clearwater reels are a HUGE disappointment. They feel like crap and feel like a very cheaply made reel. So if you do buy a Clearwater rod, buy nothing but a rod. You buy a rod from a rod company and a reel from a reel company. I don’t know of anybody who knocks both out of the park, and it’s likely you’ll end up with a better combo buying them independent of one another.

 

[IdahoBeav]

Another vote for Redington and Echo. If a fighting butt is an available option, get it. I wish all of my rods had them, even the 4 and 5 wts.

 

[Bigborealaska]

The Lamson Guru is a great rod. My Redington Butter Stix rides on hikes with me because I can afford to break it. A few years ago I bought a Winston Air 9' 5wt and a Galvan reel and it flat ruined me on cheaper rods. The quality and the pleasure it is to cast this is phenomenal.

 

[displacedtexan]

Another Clearwater fan here.

 

[wyogoat]

The Lamson Guru is a great rod. My Redington Butter Stix rides on hikes with me because I can afford to break it. A few years ago I bought a Winston Air 9' 5wt and a Galvan reel and it flat ruined me on cheaper rods. The quality and the pleasure it is to cast this is phenomenal.

That Air is the nicest rod I’ve ever cast…a client had one and I knew he was a stick so I had rigged up a few Helios 3s for him. After casting that I saw why he didn’t use my H3s.