I am deliberating on a new 5wt fly rod. A general purpose rod for lake/pond fishing.
(Note: I already have an 8wt rod.)

I have been reading a lot of good things about the Fenwick Aetos rods. Feed back??

What about the Orvis Clearwater?? Good, bad, indifferent?

I do not need or want �the best,� I am just looking for something respectable that I can use for a long time.

Other options?


DH

TFO Profesional II 8 1/2, 9 or 10� versions. Can�t beat tire warranty.

Good warranty�s are a great thing.

I have only heard of TFO, I will go look at their professional rod.

THANKS!!!!

DH

Awesome.

After a PM and a post here, that is two in favor of the TFO Pro.

DH

What�s the difference between the TFO Professional and the TFO Lefty Kreh Professional??

I just didn�t want to assume it was the same rod.

It's the same rod. The full name include's Lefty Kreh's name. The Pro series rods are 4 pc rods and they are nice rods. I have some that I bought for student rods, but I often grab one to fish with.

Awesome and thank you!



That right there is golden information!!

This is just as much as a �which 5wt rod do you like fishing with� question as it is anything.

Duane

Big fan of Fenwick here. I have Fenwick Aetos fly rods in 3 and 8 wt. I also have a 5 wt Fenwick HMG rod which is considered to be similar in performance to the Aetos line. I did not know much about fly rods when getting started, so I just went with Fenwick because I like their conventional fishing rods. Turns out the Aetos is considered to be an excellent fly rod in it's price range.

While I think the TFO warranty is outstanding and that its great to support local companies, there is no doubt in my mind that mid line Sage rods like the Pulse and the new Foundation outperform the top line TFO rods by a mile. Then if you have the dough to find a used Sage One or buy the new X, it's a different ballgame altogether.

Sage, Winston and Scott rods as a whole build better performance rods than TFO. Bottom line.

4W

I have to agree with this. If I remember they are a medium fast action rod. I picked up a series one last year and use it as my lake/pod rod. But my go to rod is a 5/6wt 7' Academy All Star. We can all make suggestions on what we like but in the end what's good for one of us is the worst rod ever for another. I would see if you can find a place and test the rods before you go and buy one.

You said a mouth full!!

I complete understand. I have a degree in Tuba performance. I understand how giving advice on a fly rod could be like telling someone what type of horn to buy. The parallelisms can be made more than your could fathom. LOL

But, there are always those gems that just stand out.

To further agree with your point, just reading over the judges notes on the Yellow Stone Angler shootout. You can plainly see different nuances that are focused on in each of the judges notes. These inflections also bring out the judges strong points. Just saying.

PS,

THANK YOU FOE THE COMMENTS!!!!!!

Duane.

I've got a 6 weight TFO Clouser. I am not crazy about the way it casts (may just not fit my casting style) so I don't take it out much. My main issue is the reel seat has always given me trouble with the nut locking up and getting stuck. I have sent it back to TFO twice to be replaced (for free) and it keeps locking up, so I am not going to waste time trying to get it fixed again.

Overall, if I was going to buy another $200 rod, I would go with an Orvis Clearwater. I have a Clearwater 4 weight and it has worked flawlessly for four years. My dad has one in 5 weight and my brother has a Clearwater 8 weight and none of us have anything negative to say about them. Now, they don't cast like an $800-$1,000 rod, but for what they cost, they can't be beat in my opinion.

For what it's worth, I prefer faster rods. I have TFO Pro IIs in 2, 7, and 10 weights. I absolutely love my Pro II 2 weight, but the 7 and 10 -- both medium fast actions -- take a back seat to my Orvis Clearwaters -- tip flex -- (5, 8, & 12 weights). The Clearwater is an awful lot of rod for the money. They have a great warranty, too. But my casting preferences and yours may not be the same, and you really need to test cast them to determine which rods work best for your preferences. Either rod is a great value, and the Orvis rods are, or at least were when I bought them, available in tip flex (fast) actions or mid flex (medium) actions. As a generalization, the faster rods will deliver more power and distance, while the slower rods will deliver more accuracy. But each of us has his / her own preferences.

Last week I played with a 6 weight Orvis H3 D, with a Hydros Redfish line. That thing was a cannon!!! I felt like I could have shot the line and half of the backing. If I had the money......

Those are such sweet rods. Even the H3F rods shoot line like a rocket. Fished a 10ft 7wt H3F for carp the other day and it was a transcendent experience.

Gentleman, Thank you for your time and comments!!!

I think the Helios might be a little out of my price range. LOL.

Jim, I did not know that I could purchase a fast or medium Clearwater, thank you!!


I am going to have to start taking lessons. Maybe I can start planning on making it to Cabelas in Allen on Saturday. If my memory serves me correctly, the gentleman from the Dallas fly fishing club are there on Saturday mornings promoting fly fishing and tying flies.

I can purchase the finest rod in the world, however, the tool is only as good as the skill level of the person using it.


Dune.