Review on Equipment Part 2: Rods

For the second part of my equipment review series, it only makes sense to review rods second (especially if you happened to go buy a new reel after my last review and now need a rod for it...doubtful). The purpose of these reviews are not only to help people on the fence decide which products to consider but also to help everyone stretch their dollar the furthest. So without further adieu...


I'll start with my smallest rod...my 5 weight. Its a 8'6" 3-piece White River Hobbs Creek. I bought it as my second rod, one that again, didn't cost much but was slightly above the baseline, beginners rod, the Dogwood Canyon. Its a great rod and has served me great for the past 4 years. I love it but may soon replace it with one of the new 2011 G. Loomis or St. Croix rods. It has great action, sturdy build and makes for a great fight with trout and panfish alike. Heres the info from the website: "Hobbs Creek fly rods strike a fine balance between attractive, high quality components, and a pleasing price. Designed around our own easy casting IM-6 blank, these rods feature a components package normally found on much higher priced rods. Walnut reel seat inserts, aluminum alloy fittings, oversized stainless steel snake guides, and a high grade cork grip are standard. Rods measuring 8' and over are equipped with dual stripping guides. 4 through 6 weight rods feature a Western-style reversed half wells grip." Its a great rod and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to start out or for a great priced rod starting at around $90. 

My second rod is my 8'6" 6 weight, 3-peice Pflueger PFY. It was my beginner rod and honestly, I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It has terrible action and is made of cheap material. I used it for about 2 weeks before I got my WR 5 wt. Enough said. 


My third rod which has recently moved into the spot of "favorite rod" is my 9' 4-piece St. Croix Legend Elite Ultra 8 weight, awesome rod, amazing action, great strength, beautiful build, all built by a great company. I use this rod for steelhead, salmon, and Bay fish. Heres the info from the website: "It’s not enough to have a silky smooth backcast, you must be equally adept at turning a phrase as well. As astute at recognizing a touchy situation as you are at identifying a hatch. Master that and you can successfully navigate through fly fishing’s trickiest moments thus finding yourself enjoying considerable time with a Legend Ultra® fly rod. Its award-winning design of high-modulus SC^IVgraphite featuring our exclusive ART™ and IPC® technology, combined with slim-profile ferrules and top-grade components, make it the perfect tool for mastering advanced angling arts. And no doubt, sometimes you’re going to need a little art." And here are the specs:

• Integrated Poly Curve® (IPC®) tooling technology.
• Advanced Reinforcing Technology™ (ART™).
• High-modulus/high-strain SC^IV graphite.
• Slim-profile ferrules.
• Fuji® Alconite® stripper guides with chrome frames.
• Hard chrome, single-foot fly guides on 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 wt. models.
• Hard chrome snake guides on 6SW, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12 wt. models.
• REC® nickel-silver reel seat with a stabilized bird's-eye maple insert on freshwater models.
• REC® hard-anodized, aluminum reel seat on heavier-line models.
• Super-grade cork handle.
• Two coats of Flex Coat slow-cure finish.
• Rugged rod case with handle and divided polypropylene liner.
• Lifetime limited warranty backed by
  St. Croix Superstar Service.

My final rod is my Custom-built 9' 12 weight, 4-piece Indigo rod built by long-time Chesapeake Bay fly-fisherman Neil Drumheller. I actually haven't been able to bring any fish in on this rod YET so I'll send you to the website for a review on this one...BOOM

Hope this helps a bit, if you have any questions or suggestions for my search for a new rod...they are certainly welcome!

Tight Lines...Morgan