Recommend medium grade rod?

W

Wilderness Medic

Smolt
Technically been fly fishing for about 20 years but didn't really get into it until about 5 years ago when I moved to Idaho. In fact I never even caught a keeper trout before then.

I've had the same low end White River rod forever. It took a lot of beating over the years. Last week, it finally met it's end when a buddy slammed his door on it. I went to cabelas and the guy recommended a Lamson Guru rod for my price point.

Well....after a 3.5 hour drive back up the mountains... it immediately snapped. I have no idea why. I was casting and suddenly it felt different and I noticed the tip was hanging down my line.

After that experience I'm hesitant to buy another Lamson. Can someone recommend a good 5wt rod in the 250-350ish price range? I guess I should be concerned with durability the most. I don't know if the more expensive ones are a lot more fragile than my White River, but I do hike a lot with them. I've slipped and sent my rod into the rocks too many times to count. My old rod always held up. If that one broke from casting (too hard?) I can't imagine it surviving a fall.


Thanks.
 
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Buzzy said:
Go to a fly shop and ask for help. Have the shop get a couple of rods out and string them up for you. You won't get this service at Cabelas or Bass Pro or Sportsmans. For what it's worth, the price of a brand name rod at your local fly shop and at one of the aforementioned stores will be the same. The difference will be, at the fly shop, you will get advice from someone who also fly fishes.
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^This

Plus if you have a problem with gear from a true flyshop you'll find most will go out of their way to make it right...unlike the big box stores to whom you're just another random retail customer to handled by a sales person with very little knowledge about flyfishing.

Slightly off tangent but I personally think it's detestable to use a flyshop as a showroom for gear you're intending to buy online to get a lower price.
 
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krusty said:
^This

Plus if you have a problem with gear from a true flyshop you'll find most will go out of their way to make it right...unlike the big box stores to whom you're just another random retail customer to handled by a sales person with very little knowledge about flyfishing.

Slightly off tangent but I personally think it's detestable to use a flyshop as a showroom for gear you're intending to buy online to get a lower price.
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Yeah, that's part of why I said I'd just order the Classic Trout. I don't want to waste their time if I can't even buy it there. It sounds like the CT is a solid choice. I used my buddies Crosswater and liked it. If it's a tried and true I'm sure it will suffice, and I can always upgrade later when I have the money and time to try a bunch of different ones.

I just want to get back on the water :)
 
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Wilderness Medic said:
Quick shout out to Lamson, they contacted me offering a replacement. So if Cabelas didn't honor the warranty they would have.
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Curious, they just reached out out of nowhere or you contacted them first? Wondering if they monitor this board? Wonder if and how much fly companies monitor forums? Regardless it, would behoove them to…
 
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Wilderness Medic said:
Yeah, that's part of why I said I'd just order the Classic Trout. I don't want to waste their time if I can't even buy it there. It sounds like the CT is a solid choice. I used my buddies Crosswater and liked it. If it's a tried and true I'm sure it will suffice, and I can always upgrade later when I have the money and time to try a bunch of different ones.

I just want to get back on the water :)
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That's a solid approach! Like any new activity it's best to acquire fundamentally well-regarded and reasonably priced gear (like a Redington CT) to better develop a personal opinion about what future purchases (if any) will suit your purposes.

At the high end of the flyrod and flyreel price spectrum you find that the much larger expenditure only brings very marginal improvements...and in my case also much greater anxiety about damaging such exotic stuff through actual use.
 
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Personally, not a big Redington fan. Not necessarily against them, but I think you can do better. I would look into Echo or Orvis' entry level ("Clearwater").
 
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krusty said:
^This

Plus if you have a problem with gear from a true flyshop you'll find most will go out of their way to make it right...unlike the big box stores to whom you're just another random retail customer to handled by a sales person with very little knowledge about flyfishing.

Slightly off tangent but I personally think it's detestable to use a flyshop as a showroom for gear you're intending to buy online to get a lower price.
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I bought a rod from that nice shop just off I-90 in your town (The Silverbow) and broke it (my fault, bad bead head) a few months later. They were great to work with and helped me deal with the issue when warranty issues were dragging on.
 
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Buzzy said:
I bought a rod from that nice shop just off I-90 in your town (The Silverbow) and broke it (my fault, bad bead head) a few months later. They were great to work with and helped me deal with the issue when warranty issues were dragging on.
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Remember how I said I have horrible luck?

Well after searching around I only found one CT so I drove 30 minutes away and bought it. Got home to pull it out to practice and one section was jammed into the tip line guide and bent. Whether I bent it while pulling it out or if it was bent from when someone jammed it in the case I do not know... But this is what I was talking about.

I was able to bend it back but I don't know if it's now compromised and should be exchanged. Unbelievable.
 
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Wilderness Medic said:
Remember how I said I have horrible luck?

Well after searching around I only found one CT so I drove 30 minutes away and bought it. Got home to pull it out to practice and one section was jammed into the tip line guide and bent. Whether I bent it while pulling it out or if it was bent from when someone jammed it in the case I do not know... But this is what I was talking about.

I was able to bend it back but I don't know if it's now compromised and should be exchanged. Unbelievable.
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Guides get bent (I mean fly rod guides, fishing guides get bent too), you straightened it out, you are now in business! Go Fishing.
 
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Wilderness Medic said:
So it should be gtg? It's not some type of metal that snaps after getting bent back and forth a little?
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Go fishing, rod guides get bent, straighten them out. It happens. Have fun and watch out for slick rocks.

WARNING: Thread drift - speaking of slick. Years ago Lake Lenore used to be open all year. A couple of times, when the lake wasn't frozen, I'd go up on New Years Day morning. One year I waded into the lake to the small bay on the south side of Damsel Point and fished for a bit and decided to hike around to the point and fish. This meant hiking along the shoulder of the highway about a 100 yards. It was cold, 20F or so. Neoprene wader days with Danner felt soled boots. I climbed over the guard rail and started down the bank (1:1 slope) not realizing the felts had frozen solid. Revers ice skates. Down I went but luck was with me, I didn't break my rod, just bruised my elbow, shoulder and my ego.
 
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Da comrade Sewskivitch!
 
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