[Matt Henderson]

All,

I wasn't entirely sure where to post this.  But my trusty fly rod that I've had since I was about 10 departed the other week after I got stuck in a tree tried to pull free and it came apart just above the handle. 

So I'm in the market for a new rod.  The departed rod was a shakespeare 8.5ft 5wt.  I have a 15ft double hander, and a 10ft 7wt so want a lighter wand to complete the set.  Preferably a 5wt so that I don't need to buy new lines and reels and preferably around the £200 mark.  I would use this rod for either fisheries or trout on the Don.

I quite like the look of the Greys stremflex rods and was tempted by the either the 9 or 10ft five weight.

What would the forum recommend?

Cheers

Matt

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Matt

Good question ....... It is very difficult to recommend a fly rod to somebody, because we all like different things. My best advice would be to make sure that you "try before you buy"!

Personally, I prefer a 9 ft rod, but I'm sure you'll find others have different preferences

The Orvis Clearwater II comes in at about £150 for the 4pce and you could try the mid & tip actions?

Let's see what suggestions the others come up with ..........

Best wishes
Mike

[Kev Danby]

Hi mdh I would get in contact with Ben and try the rod Mike sugested or the Western 3 you will be able to take your lines and try them on the rods. I was looking for a 7wt rod for sea trout and ended up with a different rod from the one i was initially thinking about. in the long run this probably has saved me money because if I had not tried them i would have ended up buying another rod at a later date and as I have saved money I feel justified going out and buying a new reel

Seems logical to me

[Rob Brownfield]

Echo what Mike says...try the mid flex and the tip flex...I bet you like the mid flex more

Most important thing to remember above all else is to try the rod before parting with your cash!

Some companies, such as Sonik, offer a 28 day return policy..buy the rod (Sonik can be bought direct), try it out in the garden...if you dont like it, send it back

On a slightly different note, I dont think there are any bad rods at that sort of price range, but this sector is extremely competitive, so just be aware of all the marketing speil.

[Barry Robertson]

Why does everyone rate Orvis so high  
I know Ben works in an Orvis shop   but surely for a rod in the 5wt range i would of thought Sage Xp's , greys streamflex, Hardy demons and Scierra Hm3's would get a mention.
I would be hunting on Ebay personally and getting a good second hand 5wt Xp for around £200-£250,
Buying a new rod is like buying a new car , not worth losing all the money on being the first owner in my honest opinion!
I think there is probably plenty differant rod owners on here so just ask what rod you would like to try and i am sure someone will volunteer to share a boat with you and let you try there rod
Just my thoughts anyway  

[Rob Brownfield]

Why does everyone rate Orvis so high  

Backup service for starters. No other manufacturer wil allow you to return a rod you have bought and decided that actually, thats not the one for me.

As far as I know, they are also the only company that offers different flex ratings for the same rod, and also 2 and 4 piece of the same model.

A proper warrenty!!! Not one of these "oh, yes, you have a lifetime warrenty, but need to pay us £25 for a claim for "Administration" and you can only make one claim!"

I have said many times that I think the finish on some Orvis rods leaves a lot to be desired, they are not perfect by a long way..but they do produce a very wide range or rods, actions and configurations and will sort any issues free of charge and instantly!

[Barry Robertson]

Good answer Rob 
But.........................
How can the same rod have two different flex ratings , thats surely just 2 rods with the same paint job but diff blanks , which in turn is 2 different rods!

I have had both Sage and Scierra warranty's come good and replace rods and tip sections on more than 1 occassion and so be it there was a £25 charge but thats fair in my opinion.
I believe Greys are also good with warranty issues 

[Rob Brownfield]

Good answer Rob  
But.........................
How can the same rod have two different flex ratings , thats surely just 2 rods with the same paint job but diff blanks , which in turn is 2 different rods!

Take the Helios 5 weight.. It comes with a mid or a tip flex. Yes its two different rods in that they are "different", but they are the same rod as in they are both Helios 5 weights from the same range. Its the same materials, construction, fittings, colour schemes etc. So "I want a Helios, but not too tippy"! and I can have one

Other companies offer a bigger range, which in my mind, just confuses things. Take Sage...I se a rod I like, but instead of a tippy one, I want a slightly softer one, but I have to go to a different model. 99 times out of 100 it will have a differnet construction, be a different colour, maybe, well, more than likely made from different materials so I have to buy a rod that I did not actually want in the first place..."I want an XP, but not so tippy"! but i cant have one

Its all about matching the anglers requirements and casting styles to the rod.

As for warranties...I have had the misfortune to have to use the Greys warrenty. The rod is only 2 years old, but now "discontinued". They did not have spares, so offered me a replacement rod...but remember, they no longer make the one I broke..so it was not the same rod, infact, it was no where near the same rod, and at around half the price of the rod that broke, I was not too chuffed. I was then asked for £25 plus another £11 postage.

Only other warrenty I had to use was Daiwa..who does not offer one (above the statory one). I smashed a tip on a lamp shade   and they replaced it free of charge within 3 days  

I have to say though, that I have also heard good experiences with Greys, and they sometimes drop the charge depending on circumstances  

[Cameron deBoth]

After 1 outing with my Greys GRXi the cork handle came apart, they did this for free so im chuffed.

To be honest tho, I wish I knew the people on this forum when I was getting my new rod. As I would have (as previously suggested) gone to Orvis Banchory and had a good chat over things with Ben and tried out the rods before I bought it.

Saying that tho, I do get on with my GRXi its a good rod but think I may have been able to get better maybe.

[Kev Danby]

It was not the make of rod for me. As Bigtroot suggests in that price range there are plenty of good quality rods. For me it was the ability to have a cast and try several rods of differing length and no hard sell.