Decent low-cost rods

Dear afish,

$ 500.00 is considered low end? My how times have changed.

Call me crazy, but some of the true low-cost rods like the ones from Piscifun and MaxCatch, cast and fish just as well as any rod I've ever used. They cost much less than $100.00 too.

TFO makes many nice rods that retail for under $ 300.00. I got a deal on a TFO Mangrove Coast 9' 6wt for well under the retail price when an on-line dealer offered me a coupon. That's a banging rod for warmwater fishing and even tossing streamers on larger trout rivers.

I'm all for people buying whatever makes them happy. I guess one thing I've learned convincingly in 50 plus years of fishing is that you can still easily enjoy a day's fishing with gear that impresses no one.

Regards,

Tim Murphy ;-)
 
TimMurphy said:
Dear afish,

$ 500.00 is considered low end? My how times have changed.

Call me crazy, but some of the true low-cost rods like the ones from Piscifun and MaxCatch, cast and fish just as well as any rod I've ever used. They cost much less than $100.00 too.

TFO makes many nice rods that retail for under $ 300.00. I got a deal on a TFO Mangrove Coast 9' 6wt for well under the retail price when an on-line dealer offered me a coupon. That's a banging rod for warmwater fishing and even tossing streamers on larger trout rivers.

I'm all for people buying whatever makes them happy. I guess one thing I've learned convincingly in 50 plus years of fishing is that you can still easily enjoy a day's fishing with gear that impresses no one.

Regards,

Tim Murphy ;-)
Click to expand...
Tim,

Sadly $500 is a mid-priced rod nowadays.

But the best choice from the article mentions the Orvis Clearwater rod a $249 as a good rod for a "decent" price when compared to the $1000 top-end rod choices. The new model Clearwater is a great rod at that price point and beats out many other rods for twice that price.
 
They also mentioned Moonshine. I boughtvtheir previous Model of Drifter in a 7ft 10wt and really like it. Casts like crazy.
 
Echo makes some very affordable rods that are worth a look. The company has built a good reputation and the rods are designed by an accomplished caster (Tim Rajeff). The Echo Lift is under $125 and will appeal to anglers who find the Orvis Clearwater too fast or stiff. Some will also prefer it's looks.

Frankly, with the Lift, there is little reason for anyone with a job to waste their time and money taking chances with Maxcatch or Piscifun.
 
I wanted a 3 weight 7 foot glass rod for the blue gills in my farm pond. $70 max catch fiberglass rod fishes awesome. I have spent about 50 hours fishing with it and I only got it a month and a half ago. Have night fished for rock bass and small smallies locally with it. Every fish feels like a runaway dump truck. Casting is very enjoyable as with most fiber glass rods. No need to drop a huge amount of money. Could find a reel at a yard sale its just a line storage device when your fishing small glass. Curious to try max catches graphites and other cheap rods because before this I was usually orvis clearwater $200 price point. I do believe in the saying you get what you pay for in alot of cases but not all cases.
 
afishinado said:
Tim,

Sadly $500 is a mid-priced rod nowadays.

But the best choice from the article mentions the Orvis Clearwater rod a $249 as a good rod for a "decent" price when compared to the $1000 top-end rod choices. The new model Clearwater is a great rod at that price point and beats out many other rods for twice that price.
Click to expand...
Yo afi - I echo (pun!) your comments about Clearwater. At this year's STREAMGirls day, the PA Fish & Boat Commission lent us a couple dozen Clearwater outfits. They got them during COVID so these were brand new (so we had to mount leaders and get them ready to go). I've always been an admirer of certain Orvii rod series, but this new generation Clearwater is mighty impressive.

The 5wt Clearwaters, both 9' and 8 1/2' ft, are not only easy for beginners to learn on, they are also quite capable for expert ffisherpeople.
 
I always wonder how rods I bought in the 1980's would fare in these "blind tests" or "shootouts?"

Back then, $100 was at the top end with equally gushing reviews in magazines and catalogues. I still have a few of those rods and they continue to work just fine for me.

Fast-forward 40 years and if you aren’t prepared to drop a grand, you are fishing a bargain rod with all of the implications that come with the term...

Don’t get me wrong, I own a lot of high end tackle that was tops in its day. However, excluding some new bamboo rods, nothing that I purchased new in the last 10 – 15 years even came close in cost to today’s "non-bargain" rods.

I understand inflation and supposedly "newer/better this, that or the other thing"...

...but I also understand marking and gullibility… ;)
 
Having never actually bought my own flyrod, I don't really know what to add to this conversation. My father-in-law built then gifted nearly all the rods that my boys and I use. I'm getting ready to build one myself and it will "only" cost ~$70 for the blank from Hook & Hackle (Jann's didn't have the one I wanted). Dad already has the guides, reel seats, handles, etc. that I need, so I shouldn't go too far down the rabbit hole - at least with my first attempt. Field & Stream (.com) just had an article about a blind comparison between low vs. high priced flyrods, which only compared casting on a lawn and not how it handles a fish. A couple of the low-end rods ranked among the high-end ones.

www.fieldandstream.com

Our Blind Fly Rod Test Reveals a Pair of Shocking Bargains

Here's what happened when we tested fly rods with their logos covered. If you like a killer bargain, be sure to read the results.
www.fieldandstream.com www.fieldandstream.com
 
I'll second Kev's comments re: Echo rods. My two smallmouth rods, a 9' 6# and a 9' 7# are both the Echo Basic, the predecessor to the current Echo Lift. They were both slightly under $100 when I got them and I'm very happy with both. In terms of bang for the buck, they (IMO) rival my old Lamiglass G1000 rods from the 80's and My Diamondback All-American rods from the 90's. If I ever get another trout rod, I'll take a hard look at the Echo line...
 
I was shocked to see that Scott Rods doesnt sell anything under $875 on their website. I had a repair done and the wait time was so great I thought I would just buy something in addition. Well that was too much for me so I got hit with an ad for Outlaw Rod Company and perused their website. Was able come away with a fairly priced 6 wt 9’ med action rod and mid arbor sealed drag reel (with line) for under $450. Service was great, rod and reel are well balanced and I am very happy.

I will admit that I was surprised to see that their 6wt has a half wells grip. (Unusual in my experience) and it casts/feels more like a five weight but it fits the purpose of my purchase which was to back up my 10’ 4wt clearwater at the Jam. Because my 20 yr old Scott SAS was in the shop. (I think it was right around $300. 20 yrs ago)

Anyway here is a shout out to Outlaw Rod company and Anthony for coming through and creating another happy customer.
 
Bamboozle said:
I always wonder how rods I bought in the 1980's would fare in these "blind tests" or "shootouts?"

Back then, $100 was at the top end with equally gushing reviews in magazines and catalogues. I still have a few of those rods and they continue to work just fine for me.

Fast-forward 40 years and if you aren’t prepared to drop a grand, you are fishing a bargain rod with all of the implications that come with the term...

Don’t get me wrong, I own a lot of high end tackle that was tops in its day. However, excluding some new bamboo rods, nothing that I purchased new in the last 10 – 15 years even came close in cost to today’s "non-bargain" rods.

I understand inflation and supposedly "newer/better this, that or the other thing"...

...but I also understand marking and gullibility… ;)
Click to expand...
Dear Bamboozle,

I'm kind of in the same boat. I remember in the 1980's when I stepped up and bought a Fenwick HMG rod. It was when Jim Green was still at Fenwick. It replaced a Sceptre 7'6" 5-weight glass rod I bought when FFP was the front room at the Lemont PA Post Office. By 1987 the HMG was worthless junk because Jim had moved on, and Sage was the rage.

I fish often with rods that are far older than me, and they still work just like they are supposed to work. I still have both of my first two rods I bought with my own money and use them on occasion. They even still work fine with Cortland 333 fly line too! Imagine that!

Quality well maintained gear will always work.

Regards,

Tim Murphy
 
TimMurphy said:
Dear Bamboozle,

I'm kind of in the same boat. I remember in the 1980's when I stepped up and bought a Fenwick HMG rod. It was when Jim Green was still at Fenwick. It replaced a Sceptre 7'6" 5-weight glass rod I bought when FFP was the front room at the Lemont PA Post Office. By 1987 the HMG was worthless junk because Jim had moved on, and Sage was the rage.

I fish often with rods that are far older than me, and they still work just like they are supposed to work. I still have both of my first two rods I bought with my own money and use them on occasion. They even still work fine with Cortland 333 fly line too! Imagine that!

Quality well maintained gear will always work.

Regards,

Tim Murphy
Click to expand...
I had a 7'6" 5wt HMG as well.

I also bought a graphite Orvis Limestone Special (8'6" 6wt) at a bit of discount thrown in from the dealer a year or two earlier. Those two rods were my entire quiver for a LONG while.

I still have the Limestone Special and it is still in the rotation.
 
There's a ton of rods out there for $200 or less that are more rod than the average caster will ever need. Clearwater and echo base for example. I got a base as a loner rod on my boat.
People I lent it to kept telling me how nice it was so one day after a trip I cast it. I had loaded the rod with six weight GPX to make it easier for them to load. I was able to shoot the whole line and was shocked at the accuracy.

Honestly, when have you been on Spring and needed an ultra fast recovery 3wt to hit a fish at 80'? Never. If by some luck you were able to throw it 80 ft you're going to have an absolutely trash drift is my guess.

If you're fishing giant size trout water or smallmouth water from a boat, sometimes you need to throw it a mile and that's where the higher end rods seem to shine a little more. They typically have a little lower swing weight as well which makes it less exhausting throughout the day. I'm talking a day where you're throwing hundreds of cast over 60 ft. You really don't do that here in PA or very often in general. Most people would be better off buying the less expensive rod and an extra line or two. Swapping lines around can change the performance of your rod tremendously.

Lower price point rods that I've been impressed with:
Clearwater
Echo base
Redington path
Echo ion
TFO Pro 2

All are sufficient tools for 99.9% of your Pennsylvania fly fishing needs IMHO
 
TimMurphy said:
Dear Bamboozle,

I'm kind of in the same boat. I remember in the 1980's when I stepped up and bought a Fenwick HMG rod. It was when Jim Green was still at Fenwick. It replaced a Sceptre 7'6" 5-weight glass rod I bought when FFP was the front room at the Lemont PA Post Office. By 1987 the HMG was worthless junk because Jim had moved on, and Sage was the rage.

I fish often with rods that are far older than me, and they still work just like they are supposed to work. I still have both of my first two rods I bought with my own money and use them on occasion. They even still work fine with Cortland 333 fly line too! Imagine that!

Quality well maintained gear will always work.

Regards,

Tim Murphy
Click to expand...
Tell me you kept that Scepter. Still one of the most versatile rods ever made for casting a variety of line weights.
The 9' ers really shine there.
 
Tom1980 said:
Tell me you kept that Scepter. Still one of the most versatile rods ever made for casting a variety of line weights.
The 9' ers really shine there.
Click to expand...

Dear Tom,

I not only kept it, I still fish it with a Pflueger 1494 and Cortland 333 line just like I did back at Penn State circa 1978-1982. Still works well!

Regards,

Tim Murphy :)
 
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