Why the TFO Blitz in a 6wt:
Long story short, the color and hardware pulled me in. I just had a good feeling about it the minute I saw a picture on TFO’s site. I moved a couple years ago and now I’m surrounded by coastal cutthroat here in Alaska. A 7wt was too big for it to be fun and a 5wt is hard to find with saltwater friendly components, hence the need for a saltwater 6wt. The value was there and I love the teal blank with blue wraps.
What I use it for:
The 6wt Blitz has easily become my go to fly rod for trout since I started using it in March of 2024. It’s caught many coastal cutthroat out of logjams, stillwater, the ocean, and in creeks of all sizes. I’ve fished poppers, dries, nymphs, and streamers from Alaska all the way down to TX. I’ve caught trout, panfish, bass, and pink salmon with it so far! Flies have ranged from small poppers and dries all the way to weighted size 6 streamers.
Casting Notes:
A “Blitz” is a rapid attack, however I don’t see anything about this rod being as aggressive as its name. Is that a bad thing? Being a 6wt, the Blitz is very pleasant to cast. The industry has left the mega fast actions in favor of medium-fast actions and the Blitz follows suit. My first time out with the Blitz was my first time casting for the year. I felt like an absolute pro on the lake that day with an SA hover tip fly line. The Blitz loads nicely making it very easy for perfectly timing your casts up to 60 feet. The rod has some back bone, but you can feel it load deep into the blank. It’s also a very serviceable roll casting rod when I’m creek fishing. Accuracy is a hard quality to judge, but I was able to pinpoint where poppers needed to go on my recent TX float trip. Delicate presentations with a dry fly are possible, but maybe not with the lines I’m currently using. As for wind, the 6wt Blitz has its limits. I can get away with a small breeze, but anything beyond that limits me with my 6wt model.
Line pairings:
The number one thing to know about the Blitz is that it does not like heavy and aggressive shooting head fly lines. The S6 Sonar Titan I bought made this rod feel like a wet noodle. I have yet to find the perfect sinking line, but I will after another fishing season. My favorite line to pair with this rod is the Airflo Ridge 2.0 Power Taper. It’s a friendly weight forward floating line that gets along very well with the Blitz. It’ll turn over size 6 weighted streamers with ease. It can deliver a dry fly, but it takes skill to make it delicate. The SA hover tip line (basically an SA MPX taper), also did very well with this rod in lakes and the ocean. Its thinner diameter cuts through the air and wind better than an average floating line.
Craftsmanship of the Blitz:
The Blitz has terrific recoil guides and a very nice reel seat that features a hidden hook keeper. The reel seat’s hardware and cork handle are more sound than other rods at this price point. The gun metal grey reel seat is almost the same shade as my Danielsson reel. The blue wraps on the blank aren’t perfectly straight, but they do the job. There are a few small spots where the blank didn’t get completely sanded down before paint was applied. The rod isn’t a masterpiece, but it’s built to perform above its price point. After a season of fishing, the only wear is some chipped cork filler on the handle. In case you’d like to compare it to another rod, I weighed my 6wt Blitz at 124 grams on my non-certified scale.
How I outfitted my 6wt Blitz:
- Reel: Danielsson L5W 6nine (I prefer a slightly heavy reel)
- Lines: Airflo Ridge 2.0 Superflo Power Taper, SA Stillwater hover tip, SA Sonar Titan S6
Final notes:
For my needs, the 6wt Blitz is perfect with its very versatile medium-fast action, saltwater hardware, and durable fighting butt. The overall value at $450 is there as the mid-price tier has evolved. If you’re looking for similar performance, then the Echo Boost Blue could be an alternative for $150 less. I’ll likely make a review comparing the two models after I spend time with the Boost I recently purchased. The only thing I’d change about the Blitz is more quality control for the couple of unsanded spots. Other than that, I can’t complain! I hope this helps make up the mind of anyone eyeing the Blitz.
About the author:
I’ve been fly fishing since I took a college course on the subject at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Since then, I’ve assimilated myself with the ways of fishing the Pacific Northwest while pulling inspirations from the worldly anglers I meet. I used to have plans to become a fly fishing guide, but 2020 had a different idea. Thankfully, I’ve been able to fund my hobby through the telecommunications trade. I might not give away all my secrets, but I’m happy to share some thoughts and opinions on the internet.
