Looking into buying a Saltwater rod and reel(8-9 wt) Looked at Orvis BK Max reel with Saltwater Allround Redfish line. The jury is out on the rod still. Any suggestions. Also want to use it for fresh water to.

TFO makes some great rods, well worth a look. Good bang for the buck.

I own alot of high end rods, but I recently purchased an 8wt from Temple Fork Outfitters. I have been VERY pleased with it. I bought the TiCRx Lefty Creh, it looks great and is really well constructed. Definatly holds up nicely to saltwater! I don't know about the other TFO rods, as this one is their top of the line, but a couple friends I fish with who are new to fly casting don't like it at all. Seems to be very difficult for them to cast compared to the Sage rods i usually let them use. For me, (& I do have ALOT of experience) I can cast it further than most of my rods, including some of my very favorite Sage rods that are easily 3 or 4 times as expensive as the TFO. However, the sage rods I am loaning to the newbies are beginner rods designed for newbies. I am sure that TFO offers the same. Also, TFO is based here in Dallas, so service is easy.

other nice rods to consider in the same price range as the TFO are the:
Orvis TLS
Sage FLi or VT2 (these are those beginner rods, but have a really nice feel)
Personally, I think the TFO TiCRx is nicer than all three of these and still cheaper! It is super sensitive too.

THE ORVIS REDFISH WONDERLINE IS AWESOME!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT!!! When you tie it on, use a bimini loop knot, if you don't know how to do it well (IT'S A TOUGH KNOT TO TIE) have someone at the flyshop do it for you. I recommend this knot for fly line to backing because if you hook into a large salt fish, they can strip your line right off the backing and there went alot of $$ with your fish ): no good

For the reel, not sure what the BK max is, but I have been using the battenkill for years, and the battenkill big game is Orvis newest rendition. It is a great reel, you won't be disappointed. the large arbour is nice too, brings in alot of line faster. I love my Billy Pate Bonefish reel made by Tibor, these are world record holding reels and are a work of art. Pricey though. The billy Pate is probably overkill for freshwater, the battenkill is time tested and hard to go wrong with. I use mine at the gulf, for striper, largemouths, really it is all i use around here. love it! So easy to maintain too.

I have to agree that the TFO TiCRx is probably the best entry level rod you can buy for the buck. I am not a big fan of Orvis rods. The one I do own has a reel seat that doesn't set well with my reels.
The Orvis Battinkill is a good reel albiet a bit heavy. They are practically indestructable and that's important in the saltwater enviroment. (I've been using one in the bays for 15 years.) I have heard some good things about Okuma reels but don't have any personal experiance with them.

Go with the TFO TiCrx. Very good rod for the flats. I like Jim Teeny's Phlip Pallot Professional Series line. Great for those quick 40-50 casts you need on the flats.

spiny norman
Which orvis rod do you own? I haven't experienced that problem with the reels on any one of the 15 orvis rods I own.

The new Zero G rods are receiving alot of praise by expert reviewers and professional flyfishers alike. field and stream gave it a "best of the best" for 2007. I own a saltwater zero g and will say it is an incredible rod to cast.

If the rod you own is too valuable to you to just sell, there are a number of custom rod builders (and even orvis will do this sometimes) that will fix up that reel seat so your reel will fit better.

Which brings me to my next point, why blame the rod and not the reel? Just because you have a problem with ONE rod, I don't believe that is reason to dislike all orvis rods.

Also, I wouldn't consider the tfo ticrx an "entry level" rod. It just comes at a great price like all tfo rods. It's actually one of the highest end rods they make. It is comparable to the high end rods alot of other companies are making and selling for much more. TFO is cheaper because the graphite they use is cheaper. Not lower quality, just cheaper. Also, they are not giving their rods the ridiculas mark up alot of other companies have.

Just B,

It's an Orvis PM-10 9 ft 11wt. I bought it new (on clearance) around 1996 (I think). The problem is that it digs into the reel's feet taking off the finish. I've taken a close look at it and it's a design issue. It's not the reels as this has happened to both a Tibor and a Bauer reel. Never had this problem with my other offshore rods. (Mostly G Loomis). Don't get me wrong, Orvis makes some good equipment (Waders, Battenkill reels etc), and maybe this was just a bad year for them, but after that experiance, I'm not willing to take another chance on their rods. Too many other good builders out there.

i might have a orvis 9ft 8wt for sale .

Spiny,
hmmm...

sometimes when orvis puts things on clearance or the warehouse sale, it is damaged or factory error. sorry, it's like the stuff you get at an outlet mall. If you like the rod, you can have the seat replaced. Take it to an Orvis store or contact them online and they'll take care of it. Explain to them that it isn't a problem with the reel as this happens with all of them. They might even do it for free (:

btw I get really defensive for Orvis, some very close friends are Orvis Pro Staff, and a couple of company execs. are long time family friends. I don't blame ya though for not wanting to invest in another rod, when you spend a lot of money on a rod it's very disappointing when it doesn't work out. Give them a shot again, it's been over a decade and the rods they are making now are tip top!

WEST TEXAS FLY FISHER
sorry, kinda hijacked your post.
Take Artan up on that offer, might be a good deal on a classy rod.

For the price, TFO TiCrX is the best fast action rod...but only for the price. But if you are a beginner on the fly i wouldnt recomend such a fast action rod. But, if you have the experience, definately go for it. As for my personal favorite is the new sage Xi2. Granted they are nearly 700 dollars, but worth every penny. I was looking at a 10wt and a 12wt for fishing Alaska king salmon and Texas offshore and i've never casted anything like it. I've only been fly fishing for 16 years and i could throw every last bit of 10wt of that high end SA line out of it up to the backing, it was amazing! So if you got some cash and the experience, i've never seen such a fast line speed generated by a rod.

As for the reel, spend the money, get a Ross Momentum! They seem about perfect in every way and made for the salt water abuse.

Is a 7wt rod too light for inshore fishing?

Are there no Scott guys here? I would agree with ya'll about the TFO and Sage rods but would have to add Scott rods to the list. 7wt is a good inshore choice, it all depends on the rest of your arsenal and how you want to go. Ex 3wt, 5wt, 7wt, 9wt or 4wt, 6wt, 8wt, 10wt. Or you could just get all the rods =) so that you don't have to make a decision.

I haven't seen a lot of Scott users in Texas. For me, I didn't like the action of the Scott 7 wt rod that I tried, just didn't fit my casting style. However, I fell in love with a couple of their lighter wt rods that I cast at one of the shows last year. I don't even know any Scott dealers around here. The shortage of dealers may be the cause of the lack of popularity.

My vote for the best Salt Water Rod is to cast one before you buy it. Then buy the one you are most comfortable casting. For me, that was the TFO Teeny rod. I liked the 7 wt rod with a 7 wt line, I liked the 7 wt TiCrX too, but I liked it with an 8 wt line. There are A LOT of very good rods out there, so get one that you are comfortable with. You'll be the one that has to cast it all day.


Good luck with the rod seach,
Rex

I like the Scott Rods and Tailwaters in dallas carries them. They are very light and fast action. I am a sage man though and want the Xi2 8wt but am looking into the new TFO Axiom rods in 8wt

I'm fairly new to fly fishing, but when it was time to buy a rod for the flats, I got the TFO TiCrX 8wt, and love it.

I have a TFO TiCr 8wt and it's a great rod I can cast 70- 80 feet of 8wt fly line fits me great...

TFOs are great rods, and built tough, since they are warrantied and at the prices you pay for them the manufacturer would go broke if they needed much warranty service. That said, they are also heavier than the higher end saltwater rods like the Sage Xi2s and the extra weight will take its toll over the course of a long day's fishing.

scott STS with an orvis battenkill large arbor, awesome set up, i love mine

Hey Rex,
I got he TFO Teeny 8 wt. Love it. Much lighter and faster than my other 8 wt. Was able to spend 3 consecutive days fishin lower Laguna Madre, last August, without killing myself. So, it definitely gets a thumb, way up, from me.