CZN nymph rod

[Troutmeister]

Just wanted opinions on Cabela's CZN Nymphing rod. I've never owned a dedicated nymphing rod. Saw these at Cabela's yesterday and wondering how versatile they are for nymphs, dry flies and small streamers. Was looking at the 10' 4 wt.

 

[Nocktavius]

Cabelas sells mostly junk and now that they’ve been bought by bass pro it’s even worse. If that stick were 75$ I’d say go for it but at 199$ you’re getting into a whole lot of reputable rod builders territories.

10’ 4 wt isn’t really a dedicated nymphing rod either. It’s the jack of all trades, master of none that allows you to fish all day through different styles and not have to change rods- and it’s a great solution for that. It’s also the most popular size and weight right now for rod makers so you definitely have lots of options.

If you really want a dedicated nymph rod I’d be looking at 10’-11’ 3 wts depending on the size of water you fish.

 

[Tups]

I have had two of these rods over the past ten years or so. Both 10‘ 4 WTs. First one I fished regularly for maybe five years until I broke off the tip in a car window. BP/Cabelas replaced the rod no questions asked free of charge. But they warned that the replacement rod no longer carried a lifetime guarantee. New corporation/new policy. I had no issues with the original rod.

I have now been fishing the second one for five years or so as my regular everyday rod, same as the first one. I fish it about 50 days per year. Again, no issues. I fish a team of wet flies almost exclusively, and the rod is very efficient with a soft tip and a fairly stout butt. I don’t do any mono type fishing, but use a DT fly line and ten foot leader.

It handles tungsten bead head soft hackles well. Roll casts nicely. I would buy another without hesitation.

I also have other Cabelas rods that I like, but don’t fish as much. They are the Synch and the Bighorn models, both 9’ 5 WT. My family members fish these rods more than I do. They are excellent value and useful rods. I also have an 11’ 6 WT Cabelas rod called the Float Tuber. Great rod when I need a 6 weight for big creeks/high waters. They haven’t made that rod or maybe 15-20 years, but I would grab a second one if I could find one.

 

[Troutmeister]

"Cabelas sells mostly junk and now that they’ve been bought by bass pro it’s even worse. If that stick were 75$ I’d say go for it but at 199$ you’re getting into a whole lot of reputable rod builders territories."

"10’ 4 wt isn’t really a dedicated nymphing rod either. It’s the jack of all trades, master of none that allows you to fish all day through different styles and not have to change rods- and it’s a great solution for that. It’s also the most popular size and weight right now for rod makers so you definitely have lots of options."

That's exactly what I'm looking for, a rod that I can use for Nymphing, dries, and maybe chucking some small streamers and will give me a little more reach for high sticking.

If you have any other suggestions let me have em.

Thanks Tups, sounds like you like yours. I have a Bighorn also that I fished a lot. Was my go to for 3 yrs. or so

 

[Tigereye]

They are decent rods on my opinion. Wait till they are on sale you could get one for about 169. If you have points apply them and you could be in a rod for <150.

I had the 11' 4 wt. I would characterize it a bit stiff but used it primarily on large waters with an indicator. It fit that purposes well. It lacked the "feel" of a true Euro rod. May be the weight, maybe the length, maybe me?

In all i would give it a "C" grade. You could do worse. Do any of you friends have one? Ask around and test drive one if you can

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I have a fishing partner who has fished the 10' 4wt as his primary nymphing rod for a few years now. He is very happy with it. It was bought before the merger with BPS, however, so no longer the same warranty as in the past. A good rod, but better when it had the old Cabela's warranty.... There is something to be said for a jack of all trades rod too. An Orvis Clearwater fits that same bill.

 

[fcarp]

I have a clearwater 10’ 3wt and it’s pretty nice. A little closer to a 4wt but handles most techniques well. As with any other ‘lower end’ graphite, they can have durability issues but it just depends on which you get. Mine has been great so far (and mostly a backup). Echo carbons are a good price too.

I regularly fish the 10’ 3 wt recon and am a big fan of that rod. Yes it’s more expensive but it’s a good fishing rod for everything (keeping in mind it’s a 3wt). I like a 3wt DT on it and just switch out leaders to do what I want to do.

Edit to add. I also have an older 9.5’ 3wt czn. I think it’s a really good rod for the price but I’m also a big fan of warranties (and am fine with paying a reasonable price for the repair) so I tend to favor companies with good warranties like orvis and echo.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I have a clearwater 10’ 3wt and it’s pretty nice. A little closer to a 4wt but handles most techniques well. As with any other ‘lower end’ graphite, they can have durability issues but it just depends on which you get. Mine has been great so far (and mostly a backup). Echo carbons are a good price too.

I regularly fish the 10’ 3 wt recon and am a big fan of that rod. Yes it’s more expensive but it’s a good fishing rod for everything (keeping in mind it’s a 3wt). I like a 3wt DT on it and just switch out leaders to do what I want to do.

Edit to add. I also have an older 9.5’ 3wt czn. I think it’s a really good rod for the price but I’m also a big fan of warranties (and am fine with paying a reasonable price for the repair) so I tend to favor companies with good warranties like orvis and echo.

I would second the Echo rods too. I use a 10' 6" 4wt Shadow II on bigger water, and it performs well for the money.

 

[czechmate18]

I have an older Cabela's 10' 4wt I would be willing to sell. I have not really fished it since I got into making my own rods.

 

[gibsygoldtop]

I really like my Cabela's CZN rods - I have the 10' 4wt and the 9'6" 3 wt. Both have fished pretty well for me and are of good quality in my opinion. For a while, I was using the 4wt for everything and it did ok, even when I needed to throw dries it did the job.

I know they are now labeled under BP, so I don't if that has changed anything about the rods.