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Post by radioflyer on Feb 7, 2012 19:08:59 GMT -5
Just FYI, St. Croix is discontinuing the beloved Legend Ultras (sniff sniff)... Good news is they have a few left at their factory website. If you love them like I do but have money like I don't, you can go to the St. Croix website, go to Shop and to the far right click on Bargain Room. They have a lot at discounted prices...
your mileage may vary...
rf
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Post by fatliner on Feb 8, 2012 1:50:30 GMT -5
Thanks for the tip. I'm going to Montana This summer, and have been looking at getting a 4wt for casting dries for cutthroat.
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Post by barryl on Feb 8, 2012 19:08:43 GMT -5
Fatliner if you don't see what you want at St Croix let me suggest that you look at the new Temple Forks BVK. Just bought one at the Denver Fly show. Never had a TFO before but this rod is great, very light, very responsive. I don't mean to take anything away from the legend I have one of those as well, one of my favorite rods. Just saying if they don't have what you are looking for at $250.00 the TFO BVK is a very nice rod. The 4wt 10ft I just bought only weighs 2.9 oz and the 8'6" comes in at only 2.7 oz all new guides from previous models. The only bad thing is it doesn't come with a rod case at that price. Just one more thing the St. Croix is made in the U.S. the TFO's are made overseas if that makes a difference to you and the price is close it's something to consider.
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Post by solomogo on Feb 9, 2012 15:44:28 GMT -5
Hey Radio, or anyone who cares to answer.
How much difference is there between the Ultra and the Elite? Just curious!
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Post by radioflyer on Feb 9, 2012 18:39:47 GMT -5
I own several of both tho I own the older Legend Elite. And I've built rods on both blanks. The biggest difference will be action...the Elite is a lot faster than the Ultra. The 'new' Elites are impregnated with the new 3M Nano-whatever so they're lighter and stronger. The Ultra (tho marketed as a 'fast' rod) is a bit more medium-fast than fast. It's a great rod. I'll fish them forever...great rods. Like I said, I love my 'older' Elites...they're canons. The Ultras are a pleasure to cast but a bit slower. With the new 3M nano-whatevers out now, everyone's coming out with new rods that are lighter and stronger. You'll see them across almost all the brands now...Loomis, Sage, St. Croix, TFO, etc. So all of everyone's older models will be cleared out over time. This is a major milestone in rod development...at least until the next one next year... rf Oh, and I'll gladly let you cast/fish either of the two whenever you'd like to.
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Post by solomogo on Feb 11, 2012 10:40:43 GMT -5
Please excuse my ignorance, but I have never completely understood the term "action" in regards to a rod. If you are fishing in the way a lot of us do around here, throwing heavy streamers and bulky Krebs poppers, what kind of action is preferred and what do the different actions feel like? How is that different to, say, dry fly fishing on a freestone stream in the Smokies? Hope you don't mind. I'm trying to take advantage of the educational benefits of the club here and most of you guys know a lot more and have a lot more experience than I do.
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Post by radioflyer on Feb 11, 2012 12:25:41 GMT -5
I'm sure there's better ways to verbalize the difference so I'll just put it this way: slow action vs fast action = whippy vs stiff. It's how far down the blank the rod flexes. I like fast rods (reaaallllyyyy fast rods) meaning, very stiff. Of course I'm a streamer swinger with heavy flies. If you're dry fly fishing then you want a softer, slower (ie, whippier) rod action. There's countless rods between the two extremes: noodle vs pool cue. Your style of casting will determine what action of rod you favor. As your skills progress your preference will change...and in either direction...so that's the fun (and expensive) part of this passion. All this make sence? When we get together Ill bring a few examples of both sides of the spectrum so you can feel the differences.
rf
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Post by rstaight on Feb 11, 2012 14:48:04 GMT -5
If you checkout an Orvis catalog you can see how in depth you can get when it comes to rod actions. But here is how I look at it. Remember, this is just my opinon, and we all know what can be said about opinons.
Most commonly you will see the basic actions as moderate, moderate-fast, and fast. If you waggle a rod and watch where it flexes from the tip. You will see a fast rod flex about 1/3 of the way down, a moderate-fast about 2/3 down, and a moderate you may even feel flex in the handle.
A fast rod has power for heavy and wind resistant flies as well as distance. But not that forgiving if you have an inconsistent casting stroke. They also like a fast stroke to load.
A moderate rod gives up a lot in power but is great for delicate presentations such as small dry flies. Plus these rods are very forgiving. They like a slow casting stroke to allow the rod to load on the backcast.
Moderate-fast as the name implies is in the middle. These rods, at least for our area, have adequate power to cast wind resistent streamers and poppers as well as weighted flies such as a Clouser Minnow. They can also be used for a somewhat delicate presentation. They are also somewhat forgiving.
But what Radio says is also very true.
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Post by barryl on Feb 15, 2012 0:20:10 GMT -5
Rick and Radio I hope you don't mind if I chime in on this one just a little. What my esteemed colleagues have stated is the mechanics of rods as presented to us by the manufacturer's(except maybe the term wimpy, they may say forgiving) When it comes to personal use the rod makers have given us a wide variety of choices to conform to our personal needs and abilities. Not all of use can make a 70 or 90ft+ back cast with great accuracy, no matter what rod we use (Krebs). But with practice we can find which rod loads best for our abilities and applications. This summer I fished with someone who had more money than experience. He had a very expensive fast action rod that exceeded his abilities. He was very frustrated with the fact that he could not place the fly where it need to be. I lent him the moderate (forgiving) much less expensive rod I was using and he was ready to trade me even up. I didn't do it, and explained that he just needed to slow down his cast (thanks Gary lesson well leaned). In time he will find the rhythm of that rod but for now it just wasn't right. In short cast before you buy, consider the use. Example long cast, light presentation, good lift for nyphing, or large heavy flies. The best thing to do is cast a rod before you buy or try a friends. Most of the clubs members are more than happy to help you with this. After all they don't refer fly fishing to the thinking persons fishing with out reason. One more thing if you think rod selection is hard wait till you get to hook selections for tying (truth is it's not rocket science) Most of all if your not having fun just take a different tack.
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