TFO Rods

[jayL]

Too heavy is way better than too light, IMO.

Lots of old timers fished 6wts on BFC long before we were around. I'd say that if it's pumping at a good flow, a 6wt will be fine. Lots of these super fast action 5wts out there are practically 6wts anyway.

 

[jdaddy]

8' 4wt and 10' 8wt

St Croix

 

[franklin]

I have a number of TCO rods. All trout weights, 3 through 6. They range from what I call average to very fast action depending on the model. If I did go for steelhead I don't think I would want something as fast as their upper end models.

I'll add that the cork on most of their models is not first class.

 

[Heritage-Angler]

franklin wrote:
I have a number of TCO rods.

Franklin - It's TFO, FWIW. Although you can buy TFO at TCO, IMHO. :lol:

TFO = Temple Fork Outfitters

TCO = Tulpehocken Creek Outfitters

 

[afishinado]

As always, don't buy any rod without casting it. Cast as many brands, lengths, weights, actions as you can get your hands on before you make a choice. TFO make decent rods for a decent price, but there's a lot of rod choices out there.

 

[wsender]

There are a lot of choices, it's overwhelming!

 

[gfen]

FWIW, whheff has a complete 2wt system posted to the swap forum for a very reasonable price. Its not gonna be good for big water, but I'm become more and more of a fan of light stuff, and would consider it if I didn't already have 1 and 3 covered "good enough."

 

[scotto]

I have the TFO TiCrX in 7 & 9 weights. Both rods are 9'. They are VERY fast action rods. I have them both over-lined by one weight. The 7 has a Rio VersiTip and the 9 has an Orvis shooting head system. They will throw a bunch of line & heavy flies, even in the wind, with relative ease. If you don't like a very fast action these are NOT the rod for you. BTW I like the rods very much.

 

[franklin]

Heritage-Angler wrote:

franklin wrote:
I have a number of TCO rods.

Franklin - It's TFO, FWIW. Although you can buy TFO at TCO, IMHO. :lol:

TFO = Temple Fork Outfitters

TCO = Tulpehocken Creek Outfitters

Yea didn't pick up the typo!

 

[ryguyfi]

I'll be the first to give you a real report on TFO rods. I own a 9'8wt TICR rod that I bought maybe 3 years ago. It's paired up with a Cabela's SR reel that isn't made anymore. I LOVE this setup. First off, TFO rods are known for being a bit on the stiff side vs other rods. They will punch out line a mile if you try hard enough. I use mine for bass fishing in lakes, so I like being able to cast it a good distance. The 8wt is more than enough for steelhead. I like the extra muscle to be able to show them who's boss. You don't need anything really fancy as far as rods go for steelhead, except that there's a good chance you'll break a rod eventually, so that leads to 2 ways of thinking... buy a REALLY cheap rod and just deal with it, or get one with a warranty. TFO has a lifetime warranty and great customer service. I snapped about 2 inches off of my rod while trying to clear ice off the tip top, and they repaired it and had it back to me in 10 days, which is fantastic. They have a lifetime warranty and it just costs $25 for any repairs, which mainly covers shipping. I would back TFO and will look their way when I look into a new rod.


Ryan

 

[jayL]

My first rod was a TFO lefty kreh professional. I still use it for 4wt duty. It is one of my favorite rods, and I have cashed in on the warranty a few times.

It is not a high performance rod, nor is it marketed as one. It's the honda civic of fly rods IMO. It runs slightly better than average, but does it well. It's a moderate-fast action, and has decent feel. For the price, it's tough to beat.

 

[goodfortune]

I have the TFO Lefty Kreh Professional 5 wt. that is my "workhorse" rod. At first, I found it a bit stiff in comparison to my old rod, but the faster action has really grown on me.

Though I have never used or casted one, you might want to look at Echo Rods as well. They are in the same price range as the TFOs, and I hear a lot of good things about them.

 

[GreenWeenie]

The TFO TiCr series (and especially the TiCrx series) are not trout rods and I wouldn’t get anything in either series under 7wt. They are excessively stiff, have fat tips, and are made for throwing heavier flies and lots of line. I have the 9’, 8wt TiCr and it is a nice bass, light salt, and salmon/steelhead rod.

The best trout rod in the TFO lineup is the Finesse series. It has a nice medium-fast action and is an excellent all around trout rod. It has feel and you can fish the rod up close and it can reach out 50 feet with ease. You’re not going to make 70 foot long casts heaving a Clouser with the Finesse but for normal trout fishing conditions, for the price, this rod is tough to beat.

The Professional series is also a really nice rod for the money. It’s a stiffer action rod but because the rod’s diameter is rather thin (especially at the tip, not broomstick like the TiCr series), it has good feel and you can actually fish the rod in close quarters. I have an 8’, 3wt as a spare and it is a very fishable rod and a much better rod than many other rods twice the price.

As for Echo, I’ve cast a few (don’t remember the series) and was impressed. The series I cast was very much like the Finesse series – a nice medium-fast action.

Most importantly, cast as many as you can because what feels nice to me may feel like crap to you. And when you test cast the rod, test cast it in situations of how you will be fishing it.

 

[gfen]

To add to the above, if you can test on teh water, do so. The lawn doesn't always tell teh whole story.

I've had more than a few rods that felt OK on the lawn, but transformed on the water, including a TCO that went BACK to the store and the one that replaced it... the difference was adding some water. Complete transformation, one went from OK to blah, and the other went from OK to sublime.

 

[afishinado]

GreenWeenie wrote:
The TFO TiCr series (and especially the TiCrx series) are not trout rods and I wouldn’t get anything in either series under 7wt. They are excessively stiff, have fat tips, and are made for throwing heavier flies and lots of line. I have the 9’, 8wt TiCr and it is a nice bass, light salt, and salmon/steelhead rod.

The best trout rod in the TFO lineup is the Finesse series. It has a nice medium-fast action and is an excellent all around trout rod. It has feel and you can fish the rod up close and it can reach out 50 feet with ease. You’re not going to make 70 foot long casts heaving a Clouser with the Finesse but for normal trout fishing conditions, for the price, this rod is tough to beat.

The Professional series is also a really nice rod for the money. It’s a stiffer action rod but because the rod’s diameter is rather thin (especially at the tip, not broomstick like the TiCr series), it has good feel and you can actually fish the rod in close quarters. I have an 8’, 3wt as a spare and it is a very fishable rod and a much better rod than many other rods twice the price.

As for Echo, I’ve cast a few (don’t remember the series) and was impressed. The series I cast was very much like the Finesse series – a nice medium-fast action.

Most importantly, cast as many as you can because what feels nice to me may feel like crap to you. And when you test cast the rod, test cast it in situations of how you will be fishing it.

Great evaluation by GW. I agree completely, but everyone is not the same when it comes to evaluating a (casting & fishing) a fly rod. Use any analysis as a basis for choosing the rods you would like to cast. The best rod for you will become apparent.

 

[scotto]

Ry,

mine was not a real report why?

Scott

just kidding, I'm sure you didn't see it!

 

[ryguyfi]

Yours was a real report scotto, just a little jabbing about the layers of crappy posts in this thread. It's that time of the year when everyone gets bored lol.

 

[scotto]

I know Ry, just a little jab at you for the same reason.

Scott

 

[jayL]

ryguyfi wrote:
Yours was a real report scotto, just a little jabbing about the layers of crappy posts in this thread. It's that time of the year when everyone gets bored lol.

Since when are you going to criticize the way every PAFF thread is going to go, including ones you've participated in? The OP was driving the conversation in multiple directions.

 

[ryguyfi]

I don't know what you're talking about Jay. I've never diverted conversations and am the poster child for how every member should participate on this board!!! :-D