Fly Rod Recommendation

Zak Flaps

My brother's birthday soon,may get him a fly rod.
He used to do a lot of fly fishing when he was young. Just started again
so he has a bit of experience. Was thinking of the Sage Launch series?
Would that be good for someone ranked a bit better than a beginner?

Z.

stylie

Where and what does he fish for ?

Bog standard set up would be a 10ft 6wt outfit.
For rivers maybe 9/10ft 5wt.
For lakes you could go 10/11ft 6/7wt.
For a starter your are looking for a medium action rod.

coolwings

Above post is spot on. Couldn't have said it better.

Zak Flaps

hi guys,(and thanks for the posts)

well, at the moment we've been doing lake fishing from the shore...
but next year we'll be doing both lake and river fishing...

i saw the sage launch range for a good price online but they all seem to be 9ft rods...so i may get him one of them for river fishing next year...

they seem to be a well regarded brand...you agree?
someone told a friend of mine that for river fishing,we'd need a 9ft rod wt 4/5...Stylie,you said pretty much the same yourself(WT5)...

so to me,the Sage Launch in WT 5 would seem a good choice?
only £94 from Glasgow Angling Centre...

Z.

PS: is there much of a performance difference between 2 and 4 piece rods?

SeaFields

Hi Zak,

I have retired my Sage Launch this year - it was a 9ft 6wt - as I didnt think it was up to scratch. Lost a few fish on it, and with a fair bit of fly fishing experience, i put it down to the rod. (others may beg to differ and blame me! ). The other lad I know with one thought it was average and I haven't seen him with a bit so not sure if he is still using his.

Sage is a top of the line brand but these are the budget range of their gear. They have a lifetime guarantee tho which is a plus.

I have heard good things about the Greys series of fly rods and was given an early Christmas present of one only yesterday!! Cant give you a definitive opinion on that til next March . Maybe worth a look tho.

And Stylie is bang on with his advice in the earlier post.

Good luck

stylie

Zak Flaps wrote: »

Z.

PS: is there much of a performance difference between 2 and 4 piece rods?

Years ago when the quality of the blanks were poor you were better of with a 2 piece as it was a much truer rod, I used to make a lot of rods and the feel and action of the 2 piece was usually superior. Nowadays even budget rods have pretty advanced material in the blanks so there is no problem with a 3/4 piece. To be honest they are much handier to have as they take up so little space in the car/house. Having them in the boot will helps avoid break ins to the car aswell.

stevenmu

SeaFields wrote: »

I have heard good things about the Greys series of fly rods

I got a Greys GRXi at the start of the season and I love it to bits. I did a fair bit of research before buying it too and everyone who'd tried it seemed to love it, and what really clinched it for me was that it had a good reputation as a starter rod, and one that experienced fly-fishers were very happy with too, whereas with some beginners rods people would grow out of them after a year or two, people would keep using the GRXi for ever. After a seasons use I certainly feel the only thing holding me back with it is my lack of proper casting lessons.

I haven't really used anything else, so I'm afraid I can't compare it to the Sage Launch rods. I do know that Sage have an excellent reputation for very high end rods, but don't know anything about the launch series.

Zak Flaps

stevenmu wrote: »

I got a Greys GRXi at the start of the season and I love it to bits. I did a fair bit of research before buying it too and everyone who'd tried it seemed to love it, and what really clinched it for me was that it had a good reputation as a starter rod, and one that experienced fly-fishers were very happy with too, whereas with some beginners rods people would grow out of them after a year or two, people would keep using the GRXi for ever. After a seasons use I certainly feel the only thing holding me back with it is my lack of proper casting lessons.

I haven't really used anything else, so I'm afraid I can't compare it to the Sage Launch rods. I do know that Sage have an excellent reputation for very high end rods, but don't know anything about the launch series.

i've just spotted on Gary Evans (UK) site a Greys GRXi Fly Rod sale for this week...

an 8ft6" #4/5 3 piece rod for £59.99
a 9ft #5/6 3 piece rod for £64.99

that seems like a good deal to me....
would there be much difference between the 2 rods?
for someone who doesn't have too much experience,which would be better?
and how would either compare to the Sage Launch?

Z.

stylie

The first rod is ideal for small rivers where you never have to cast far and the trout average a couple of ounces. The second is a step up, where you have to cast far, turn over flies into a breeze and deal with fish over a pound. However i dont like the length. I prefer my 5/6wt rods to be 10ft or 11ft as they are more suitable for lakes/loughs.
I personally because I fish a lot of small rivers would get the 8ft6 Greys, that a good price for a nice rod. The money saved can go towards a reel and line. Pitsfordpirate on flyfishingforums will sell ya a good double taper 5wt for less than 20e

Zak Flaps

stylie wrote: »

The first rod is ideal for small rivers where you never have to cast far and the trout average a couple of ounces. The second is a step up, where you have to cast far, turn over flies into a breeze and deal with fish over a pound. However i dont like the length. I prefer my 5/6wt rods to be 10ft or 11ft as they are more suitable for lakes/loughs.
I personally because I fish a lot of small rivers would get the 8ft6 Greys, that a good price for a nice rod. The money saved can go towards a reel and line. Pitsfordpirate on flyfishingforums will sell ya a good double taper 5wt for less than 20e

hey stylie, it's a present for my brother. I think his wife may be getting him a bigger lake rod. But i was going to get him a smaller rod as we're planning on doing some river fishing next year. One of those rivers being the Moy. He fished a lot when he was in his teens/early 20's,but he's over 40 now and wants to get back into it. The Greys rod looked like a good price for a pretty good rod. So for river fishing,would you not recommend the 9ft #5/6 ??? Should I go for a 9ft # 4/5 instead?
Yes,I've heard all about the Pirate. Stewart gets great reviews from people on the forums. His lines are obviously good so and at reasonable prices. I've been in touch with him and will be ringing him tomorrow. Maybe he can give me some good advice too.
Have you had dealings with him?

Z.

stylie

I think I get all my lines from Pirate now. Budget ones for rods I hardly use and higher end ones for rods I use most often.
If you are on the flyfishingforum have a look at Grommits reviews, and his tackle shop http://www.ian-woods.co.uk/ ..There is no better online retailer. For example, only last week he tempted me with a 9ft 8wt pike fly rod, down from 199 to 99 pounds, I couldnt resist it so I bought it Tuesday evening and was blanking with it by Friday incredible customer care .
The Moy is a big river, I fish a similar size river with the Munster Blackwater and to be honest I dont think the 9ft 4wt I used this year was up to the task. While ideal for small stream I had a lot of difficulty with it on the Blackwater. For a xmas present I will be getting a 10ft 5wt, which will be for the Blackwater and for dry fly fishing the Loughs.

So if the Moy will be the river you fish more often for trout, then a 10ft 5wt is ideal, 9ft is ok but the extra foot will help on the larger river and also double a delicate presentation rod for lakes, which surround the Moy too.