Diamondback Clout Rods

[joeinpa]

Has anyone used or purchased a Clout from Diamondback Rods? I like the idea of the Link Grip handle and the quality of components used.

 

[moon1284]

I casted one, mostly because of the grip. I wasn't a fan of the grip or the rod. In all fairness I went into it not wanting to like the rod. There are a lot of rods I'd buy before I spent 400 bucks on that.

With that being said, if you cast it and you like it by all means get one.

 

[mcwillja]

I just saw these in my local fly shop in syracuse today. I picked one up and i personally wasn't comfortable with the grip.

 

[717BrownTown]

I built a 10" 3 Wt for my son and he wanted a grip similar to the link grip. So I agreed to try it. It turned out to be his favorite rod. Personally I like it. I like that I can put a finger directly on the blank. I think I can feel strikes and the nymph on the bottom better.
The Grip is relatively long so I can adjust my grip up or down the blank depending on how I am fishing. It works well when high sticking. My one complaint is he wanted darker cork and the cork I and was coarse So it feel a little rough to me. My son doesn't mind it.

I am building one for myself this winter and I am using fine cork.
The few times I was able to get that rod out of his hands to fish with it I enjoyed it.

 

[moon1284]

mcwillja wrote:
I just saw these in my local fly shop in syracuse today. I picked one up and i personally wasn't comfortable with the grip.

Troutfitter? Great shop. That's where I tried it as well.

 

[PennKev]

717BrownTown wrote:
I built a 10" 3 Wt for my son and he wanted a grip similar to the link grip. So I agreed to try it. It turned out to be his favorite rod. Personally I like it. I like that I can put a finger directly on the blank. I think I can feel strikes and the nymph on the bottom better.
The Grip is relatively long so I can adjust my grip up or down the blank depending on how I am fishing. It works well when high sticking. My one complaint is he wanted darker cork and the cork I and was coarse So it feel a little rough to me. My son doesn't mind it.

I am building one for myself this winter and I am using fine cork.
The few times I was able to get that rod out of his hands to fish with it I enjoyed it.

Speaking of cork, that would be a big concern for me on a factory rod with this style of grip. The $400 price range rods can still have crummy cork and with this sort of grip, it could get pretty gnarly once the filler falls out.

 

[Skook]

FWIW, these DB Clout rods are getting blown out on Diamondback's website for $62.50 plus $15 shipping. The only two available at the time of me posting this are the 8' 4wt and 8'6" 5wt and only with the weird Link Grip cork handle.

The first price you'll see is a $208 sale price, but if you scroll down to the "Add to Cart" button, the price is $62.50 plus shipping. You'll need to scroll through the pics to get a look at the Link Grip model. Somewhat surprisingly, there are 23 reviews posted on the Diamondback website, and the rod receives 4.9/5 stars, if you can believe them.

At that price, you might be able to replace the handle with something more traditional if it's a bother. Some of the reviewers really like the handle once they get used to it. Somebody must've thought it was an improvement at some point in order to actually get the go-ahead to put such an ugly handle on what was once a $400+ rod. Here is a link (no pun intended):

Diamondback Clout Rod