Discount Fly Rods
by
Gene Macri

Discount fly rods are everywhere and one of the questions I often get asked is, "How Good Are These Discounted Fly Rods.?" Well it really depends upon what you mean by "good."  I have very expensive fly fishing equipment and I have some of these discounted rods.  To be truthful most fly anglers including most so called experts wouldn't be able to tell these rods apart from their higher priced counterparts.

What's the difference between these and higher priced rods?  It often depends on the manufacturer.  Higher priced rods have better quality fitting in most cases.  However, I have discounted rods from Okuma, Powell, Pleuger, and others and the fittings and rod wraps are fine. 

Remember you do pay for the name just like anything else in the world and at one time most fly anglers go through the stage when they want to look like something out of a catalog. The discounted rods I own I fish on some of the toughest spring creeks in the world. Streams like Falling Spring Run, Letort Spring Run, Big Spring Creek, Green Spring and others.  They have served me well and they cast very well.

So how do you tell the difference between manufacturers' rods?  That's the problem.  The biggest thing I have noticed is the way each fly rod manufacturer describes their action.  One company's fast is another company's medium fast and so forth.  Many of the rods are sold by large outdoor outfitters like Sierra Trading Post, Cabelas, and others.  Make sure that you can return the rod if you are not satisfied with it.  Most of these companies will allow that.

Some of these rods are priced below $150.00 and will fish just as good as the $600 rods.  What you should realize is that these discounted models are often last year's graphite.  There seem to be about 3 million different graphites on the market now including IM6, IM8, as well as combinations of boron, graphite and God knows what else. Because something is newer it doesn't necessarily make it better.

There reaches a point of diminishing returns on some of these materials and if there are advantages they are subtle, and they surely may not be worth $400 more to most fly anglers.  One of the great things about these deals is that you can equip yourself nicely for a number of types of fishing without selling your house and car and third child.

Furthermore, many of these rods are 4 piece models which are great for hiking in, travel, or everyday fishing.  I now prefer most 4 piece models over 2 piece models. Also, you can get into saltwater fly fishing and bass fly fishing rather cheaply. You don't need a $600 fly rod to fish in inlets, bays, surf etc.  These heavy duty rods which cast larger lines (8,9, 10 weights and so forth) can be had for $100 or less and they work absolutely fine. The same can be said for Steelhead fishing when casting lots of weight and big flies.  Why do you need an expensive rod to do that!

Do your homework and make sure you can send the rod back if you don't like it.  Get yourself a variety of rods and you'll fish better and still have some money to fishing when you are done.  Check out fly fishing rod on this site for our recommendations on picking out fly rods.