The Hunt For Big Fish with Larry Dahlberg

Hi H,
Agreed!
L

Hi larry-I was wondering what your opinion on some of these high priced fly rods ($675!) and whether there is really that big of difference between a lower priced rod that warrants a $300 difference. I don't know if anyone else shares this opinion, but to me, it seems the casting action of premium fly rods has only a negligable difference from its lower priced cousins.

Sixteen years ago I paid $300 for a Sage Light Line 5 weight trout rod. Later I bought one of their 9 weight rods. A little later I bought one of their 7 weight rods. Each rod cost right around $300. Somehow, as cheap as I am about most things, I do not regret these purchases. They're kind of like jewelry to me. And as much as I use them, they are holding up beautifully.

Back then I really did believe it was worth spending more for one of these premium rods. The gap in performance and quality between the premium rods and the decent quality lower cost rods has shrunk. Meanwhile the gap in price is greater than ever. Today I don't think it's worth spending more than $150 for a fly rod unless there is some aesthetic reason for doing so, or if some special purpose is being addressed.

I own a two other fly rods that were less expensive. Both are Cortlands. They cost about $60 a piece many years ago. These are also excellent rods. They're not as aesthetically pleasing as the Sages, but they do get the job done. Today I keep them for my kids and for guests. They are not aging as gracefully as the Sages, and I expect the heavier of the two to need replacement before my kids leave home.

Last year a good friend dropped the angling version of the atomic bomb on my solace by giving me a very fine bamboo rod blank. I finished it and fish it. It's a 7.5 foot 4-weight. As much as I'd like to say bad things against it, I can't. It really is a superb trout rod for the small streams I fish. It is also very beautiful. I used to think that guys who wrote lavish praise of their bamboo trout rods were just peddling elitism, now I have lavish praise for one of my own. A comparable new one costs about $1000 to $1500. Keep in mind that my ego is not at stake here because all I had to pay for was the stuff to finish it. What should I recommend to those who inquire about mine and say they're thinking about buying a bamboo rod? I can't really discourage them.

One of the dangers of buying rods at the mid-price level is that there are pretend rod companies out there with products in that price range. Fenwick comes very readily to mind (we do not discuss mine and it was a horrible mistake yielding the most vile casting instrument yet devised by man). It's always important to research the maker.

There is a DVD available from www.thenewflyfisher.com , episode #325-Anatomy of a Fly Rod. They show why Winston, Sage, and Loomis cost what they do - essentially hand made in the U.S., warrented for life.....