I'll second the praise for the Axiom. I have the 6-wt though I generally throw a 7-wt line on it.

Let me put it to you this way: this rod is so good that last weekend 9 guys went fishing together out in East Texas, and that Axiom was one of two rods that actually produced fish.

Need I say more?

Yeah rods dont catch fish they just help you land them. What kind of fly was that JM? SteveN shared his selection.

Hey, just trying to have a little fun... at everyone else's expense. These opportunities come around so rarely for me that I feel I have to take advantage of them.

The fly was something I call the "AB." Barbell eyes, pearl chenille wound halfway down the shank, red bucktail wing, white bucktail belly, red holo flash, pearl holo flash, and a little red flash "gill" to make it pretty. Oh... and a chartreuse bunny-strip "tail," I guess you'd call it.

Basically, just a big, flashy, ugly thing that ran hook-up and looked reasonably swimmy. The AB.

Just giving you a hard time man you did catch ALL the fish.










-2

....should be in his signature, "JM65 catches all the fish" all pondbasses grandpas grandkids use it.

One in every weight, action and length.



For the most part, I skip sizes. (There are a few exception in my quiver.)

4wt 6wt 8wt 10wt 12wt

I have some oddballs in there that have more specific applications. A 7'6" 4 weight for tight streams, a 10' 7 wt for float tube and yakkin. I have come across some deals too good to resist which explains the 11 and 15 weights.

Really, A standard length 4wt, 6wt and 8wt will cover most situations from the rockies to the coast.

well, GLoomis replaced my 5 weight Adventure with the nicer 5 weight Xperience (That is about my reach on price, but it's free). This will be a nice upgrade.

Now I just need to decide on a 3 or 4 weight around 8ft. and a 7 or 8 for bigger rivers, lakes, and streamers in out of a boat.

If you want a good rod that will cast just about anything with feathers or fur on it, the Mini Mag is hard to beat. There are actually two different sizes of Mini Mag, a 6-8wt and an 8-10wt. I will however correct Ken on the price. The Mini Mag has an MSRP of $200, but the Mini Mag kit with rod, reel, and line is $300.

One caveat on the Mini Mag is that it is only an 8 foot rod, if that makes any difference to you.

Who sells this mini mag kit and is it worth it?

http://www.templeforkflyrods.com/products/rods/mini-mag-series.html
at the top of the page there is a "find a dealer " link

I really don't know if it is worth it or not, Derek. I've got the older model of the CLA reel in the 7/8 size and it seems like a solid piece of equipment. I don't know what kind of line they're sending with it, but you could probably call them and ask them. They didn't have the kits when I bought mine.

The kits look like a good deal to me. You get the rod, the Prism model reel, a WF floating line, and rod/reel style case. The reels are $95 for the small one and $100 for the large reel by themselves. When you buy the kit, you basically, get the line and case for free.

George will probably hop in on this topic with more info, but this is the rod and reel combination that he has been using. I have cast his rod and this is a nice rod and reel combination. The kit is worth taking a look at.

Any TFO dealer should be able to get the kit for you.

Have fun,
Rex

Here is how I think I am going to do it:

Cortland Ultra Thin Fly Line Backing 300yds 50#
Scientific Anglers Mastery� Fly Lines bass taper SIZE: 10
Cabela's RLS Fly Reel 9/10 (i have the 7/8 and am impressed)
8-10 mini mag

*the RLS is on a one shot deal at Cabelas right now for $95 so thats a major selling point*

aw, put some Sage 330 LM line on, go big or go home.

300 yards? Really?