20 Best Trout Fly Rod (2022 Updated)

I picked up a 7wt Sonic to add to my lake and inshore arsenal. The Sonic is a relatively light, moderately fast rod. I bought it primarily to cast clousers, streamers and weighted streamers. With SA Amplified Grand Slam, I found the Sonic handled all very well.

An easy caster, the rod loads easy, and shoots line with limited effort. In an inshore wind, it casts well both down wind and cross wind. Into the wind, especially a gusting wind, was a challenge. With fish on, the rod had the backbone to put some pressure on a running red or a diving lake striper.

All-in-all, this is a fun rod and a rod you can cast all day long. I’m very pleased!.

Tried the 6 and 7 wt, both very nice rods but the 6 wt suited my usage better. I was looking for a rod that could double as my practice rod for the FFI Casting Instructor’s certification. Needed a rod that was pin-point accurate in close and still able to hit a target at 75 ft.

Not a lot of rods can do both well. This one can! Very similar action to the Scott Centric but manged to save $400 with the Sonic which makes me happy. Stillwater was great in returning the 7 wt Sonic I tested and making this transaction easy.

Great job folks, will buy from you again.

This rod balances very well and is so light in hand that it feels like a 9 foot. I purchased it specifically for a return trip to the Bighorn river. There is a great review on telluride anglers highlighting this particular model.

I have lawn cast it with everything from 175 gr SA amplitude Infinity (6wt) and Rio big nasty (6 wt) to Airflo river and stream (5 wt gr wt 155) So far the best baance has been with. 168 gr Rio Lumalux (168 gr) but I suspect for dry fly fishing a SA amplitutde trout (6wt-160 gr) will be ideal.

The heavier lines will work well for nymph rigs.

An excellent affordable fly rod. Fishing distances with perfect control: up to 45 feet (with 12 leader max , tippet included); beyond, accuracy fluctuates. Works a treat with dry flies and wet flies.

Not a streamer rod. Medium action. True to its indicated line weight. Do not use a half size heavier line. A light #5 line with a progressive taper works best. A #4 line works just fine too. I would say the rod is a #4.

5. Do not force the rod, adapt to its tempo. You wont get ultra fast line speed nor extremely tight loops, so avoid windy situations or shorten the leader. Light tippet friendly. Cosmetics are excellent.

Shapes of guides and alignement are impeccable for a rod assembled in China. Fairly light weight and good balance. One con: the tube with integrated sheath. I wish they had used a classic cloth sleeve which, to my mind, protects the rod way better than those compartimented tubes where the pieces rattle somewhat loosely.

But it would increase the price a little. So, an excellent rod for dry fly, wet fly, and greased leader light nymph fishing.

I have two of these rods, a 7 1/2 foot 3 weight and a 9 foot five weight. The 3 weight is my favorite rod for fishing small, brushy creeks. It is true to line weight and casts very accurately at close distances, even with little or no fly line out the rod tip, yet has enough power to buck the wind a bit and to cast across bigger pools or runs with ease.

It balances great with a light click pawl reel. I really love this rod and find it a blast to fish with and aesthetically pleasing too. I’m not so thrilled with the nine foot five weight. This rod is easy to cast, mainly because it is really a lighter, softer four weight rod (I did a “deflection” test on it) and will cast an average four weight line just fine.

The flip side of this is that an average sized trout can put a decent bend in the rod and feel a little big sometimes! Although it has worked well for me in fishing dry flies and lighter nymphs rigs, it lacks the backbone to effectively fish heavier indicator rigs and I find it harder to cast in the wind when compared to my other rods.

For me, this rod is just rather tip heavy unless you hang a reel with an unloaded weight of about six ounces off the back end. Also, the cork on this rod is a poorer grade than the cork on my three weight and has developed some voids with minimal use.

I probably won’t fish the five weight much any more, but I heartily recommend the shorter rods, especially in three and four weight.

The Clearwater line of rods is typically a phenomenal value, and I have recommend them to all my clients. As a guide and lodge manager, Orvis has been my rod choice for over 15 years. Within the Clearwater series, I have extensively used the 10’ 3# for Euro Nymphing.

I’ve been very impressed with the finishing of the rod, sensitivity, and utility. The 6pc. 8# Clearwater, however, should be avoided at all costs. This rod broke on its very first cast. No exaggeration.

No damage had occurred to the blank, as it was just removed from the rod tube that morning. The ferrules were all properly seated (using ferrule wax). The rod was properly loaded with an 8wt line. One double haul with a size 2 gurgler, and the blank snapped.

Unfortunately I did not heed the advice of fellow guides who told me the 6pc rods had a notorious history of breaking. I know Orvis customer service and warranty will correct the issue, but I will revert back to using 4 piece rods for travel, and believe that the 6 piece should be retired from the lineup.

I bought this 8wt 6 piece travel rod to take fishing in Iceland. First time I used it, literally the first fish I caught, the tip broke where it joins the second piece. Luckily, I was able to hand line the fish in, but was without a rod for the rest of the day.

In rural Iceland. I have had other Orvis products over the years and they have held up quite a bit longer than one fish. I have to echo other’s sentiments in some of these reviews and not recommend this rod to anyone.

It is unfortunate that they continue to sell this defective equipment, as it is really giving Orvis a bad reputation. After the warranty fee, I have a very expensive paperweight on my hands now, used once, with no expectations to take it anywhere else in the world due to reliability.

My dad bought this setup for me for Christmas. THE ROD: For what you pay, it’s a great way to get started on the basics of fly fishing. It’s tuned for the beginner, which means it’s pretty easy to get the hang of, but can be a bit frustrating to use if you are doing more technical kinds of fishing.

It’s also been pretty durable. The only thing on the rod that’s broken so far is the little metal hook keeper, which I’ve stuck back onto the rod with a piece of duct tape. THE REEL: The reel in this package is very basic, but well suited to the beginner.

It’s made of sturdy polymer, which keeps it fairly lightweight. However, you do lose some durability with the plastic. Over 10 years I’ve put a lot of scratches on the reel, none of which affect the function.

It should be fine as long as you don’t drop it off a cliff or step on it or something. I’ve never had any jamming or gritty-ness with this reel, despite how often I’ve dropped it in mud or sand. No problems with the tension control either–overall, it’s just a basic reel, but for the price I’d say it’s excellent.

THE LINE: The line in this package is just okay. It’s nothing special, but it does have a taper on it, which is a plus compared to some other cheap lines. It floats well enough, although sometimes I notice the tip of the line sinking.

Mending this line on the water is also kind of tedious. But when the whole package costs less than some high-quality line, it’s hard to complain. This setup will serve you well if you’re just getting into the sport.

If you’re fishing for less discerning trout, this rod will put fish in your net. If you’re going after fish that require a little more finesse, you may struggle on this rod. Overall 4/5 as a great rod to get into fly fishing on.

The rod is a rod. What I’m upset about is they separated the rod from the reel???? Why? I peddled my bike in pouring rain just to realize I forgot the reel. Yeah. my problem. Most others have the reel case attached to the rod case.

big brains over there at scientific anglers. Last time I’m buying from them for this simple reason. They don’t really care about you or my convenience.

If your looking to get started in fly fishing I would recommend this outfit. You won’t break the bank to test out this new sport, comes with everything you need just add flies. It was nice to go out, set up the rod/reel and start learning how to cast and present the fly.

I recently purchased a Sage X 590-4 rod from Tom’s and the process from go to whoa was genuinely well expedited. The company is terrific to deal with – especially their handling of phone orders. I’m a returning customer having previously bought a couple of pairs of waders, boots and bits of miscellaneous fly fishing kit.

So, that wasn’t a surprise. The Sage X is a marvellous rod and didn’t disappoint on its initiation at Bronte Lagoon in January. Great piece of kit and looking forward to many years of using it.

I purchased this Redington Path II 5wt combo for my oldest daughter’s first fly rod and reel. I personally have experience with a handful of different Redington fly rods and, after some research, thought this combo would be the best choice for someone starting out.

The Redington Path rod is very similar to the entry level Redington Crosswater rod as far as the action and weight are concerned but my daughter really liked the classic colors of the Path blank and wrapping as well as the lifetime warranty that Redington offers on this rod.

The Crosswater reel that comes with this combo leaves a lot to be desired due to the plastic construction, but the drag system feels worthy of handling any freshwater fish we will be targeting on a 5wt fly rod.

Overall, I believe this Path combo is a better choice than the Crosswater combo for someone just starting out due to the warranty alone. I would not recommend this to someone looking to upgrade from an entry level fly rod and/or reel.

This is the fourth item I have ordered from Madison River. I ordered this combo doe my brother who is just getting into fly fishing. Every time I deal with MRFC, they are very helpful. Orders are placed and shipped next day.

In September, I finally had the opportunity to go fish Montana. I had to make a stop at MRFC for some advice and fishing g locations. They did not disappoint. Super friendly and knowledgeable and got us on some great fish below Three Dollar Bridge.

Work with MRFC and you won’t be disappointed !.

I purchased this combo to replace a starter combo from a no name brand. I can deffinetly feel the difference. The Reddington path casts smoothly and effortlessly. I went with the 5 wt for creek and small river trout fishing and it is durable enough to handle good sized bass at the same time.

I haven’t caught anything over 3 lbs yet, but I feel like it could handle that.

I thought it had an aluminum reel but unfortunately it was plastic. Hard to believe a $200 outfit would come with a plastic reel. The reel seat looks nice but it doesn’t seem to hold the reel securely.

The rod looked nice though. I’m sure it would be great for a beginner but it just wasn’t what I was looking for so I returned without ever actually using it. It was nice that it came with a rod carry case but this setup just wasn’t for me unfortunately.

I bought an NRX+ 10’ 4wt new and the tip was bent. The dealer checked their remaining 2 in stock & each had a bent tip. They told me these rods had some ‘character’ in the tip. Sorry, a fly rod has to be straight.

Loomis sent me a replacement – with a bent tip. Four new rods, four bent tips. Check yours carefully. Looks like Loomis perhaps has / had an issue rolling these, maybe it affects them all, I don’t know.

I have purchased a few of the G Loomis Asquith’s but this last one was a 9wt and I think I found the sweet spot in rods. It seems so effortless and simply comfortable to cast. I have purchase from a few fly shops but the inventory at Fin & Fire is wonderful.

I was told the rod was not available until I called them and they seemed to have a large inventory. They were effortless to deal with and performed perfectly! Thank you Fin & Fire.

This rod casts nice, but it took a heavier reel than expected to balance it right. If you don’t do this, it will be noticeably tip-heavy. It has more flex in the middle of the blank than some other 9′ 4 weights, but thats good – makes it more forgiving when casting.

Handle grip is right length, good diameter and contour, not too short or too thin like some other rods. But, I don’t understand what happened with the alignment dots on the sections – they put them on the opposite side of the blank (not on the guide side) and the dot between the two lower sections is missing.

Plus, the hook keeper is off to one side, rather than positioned underneath where it should be. Also, sections will come loose during casting unless wax is used – must use ferrule wax for sure, otherwise sections loosen-up during fishing (makes me wonder if they got the taper of the ferrules wrong).

I have several fly rods that are lighter and/or cost less money – but at least I got it on a close-out sale, otherwise it really would not have been worth it. This review is based on comparison of 5 other 9′ 4 wt fly rods I own, most of them being comparable in price or cheaper.

If this is your only rod, maybe you wouldn’t notice these details, but I do.

I have 2 of these, 9’ 5wt and the 10’6 3wt for euro nymphing. The sensitivity and durability on these rods is unmatched. The 5wt presents the smallest dries with the delicacy and precision of a glass handler but still has the punch to huck a 10 weighted wooly bugger into the exact inch of the hole you need to get it into.

The 3wt is like having eyes under water. When you learn the feelings, you can tell the difference between rocks, sediment, trees/branches, and most importantly a fish. The ability to feel all of this reduces snags and lost flies and greatly increases fish.

I have landed 8lbs+ fish on this rod with ease. If you’re debating a Helios, stop thinking about it and just do it. On top of it all, Orvis has the best warranty in the industry. I never had an issues with the helios’ but I have had to send other rods back and the experience is wonderful.

A brand that truly stands firmly behind its product is hard to find these days.

I tell you what. $998 almost broke the bank. After talking to my banker, putting a second mortgage on the house and pawning my kids’ ps5, I could finally swing it. I had to hitchhike to the river, but boy way a fishing tool.

I was binging 69’ reach casts into the stiff western Montana wind to pods of selectively sipping 16”-22” rainbows with ease. Numerous guides anchored up with their clients just for me to show them how it was done.

The 5wt H3D would pick up 60’ of line and Kay it right back down in a dime. Actually had a few shop owners ask if I wanted a job teaching rich yuppies from out of state how to cast. Probably should have taken them up on it since I was digging through the dumpster behind Isaac’s to eat since I was broke after buying it.

Anyways, great rod. Pretty much have owned most brands. This so far out performs them all. Super light in the hand, accurate and fast as hell. Probably need to wrap this up since my battery’s about dead.

Thinking about breaking into headhunters to try and find a place to plug it in. There aren’t any power outlets under the bridge in Craig. Tomorrow it’s back north. I’ll have plenty of time to think of a good way to explain the new house payment to the wife and make up some story about the ps5.

We’ll fine Orvis.

Best Orvis Rod. I own 12 Orvis rods; Superfine, TL, Trident, Helios 3 D, & now the Blackout 9. 5 5wt. The Blackout 5wt is my absolute favorite Orvis rod. I love the length, action, aesthetics of this rod.

The rod casts great & length allows for line management whether you’re casting from a boat or wading. If I could only have one fly rod- the Blackout 5wt 9. 5ft would be my choice. Thankfully, that’s not the case.

Well Done, now can you please bring back classic fit clothing, with natural fibers, & shirts with traditional collars? You’ve a performed the impossible by creating what may actually be the perfect modern fly rod.

After developing this miraculous rod, bringing back traditional fit clothing sounds like a far less daunting task. The only thing better than this rod – helpful folks at our local Orvis shop!.

I was thrilled to receive this Reddington trout field kit. It is by far the best combo package out there. Each component is of the highest quality including line and leader. Can’t wait to get it to the water.

Like most of the negative reviews I have broken 5 Clearwater rods (7’5” 4W, 9′ 5W, 10′ 3W X2) in about 18 months. The rod tips are of poor quality and I even had a 5-weight break while casting just above the cork – a tell tale sign of poor graphite.

I’ve been a long time supporter of all-things Orvis and when you include in-store purchases I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on their products. Within this same 2 year period I have gone through TWO pairs of Clearwater Waders and the sole of my Clearwater Boots popped right off in the middle of the stream.

Clearwater products are not the representation of the Orvis that I grew up with and it’s incredibly disappointing; especially with the global Supply Chain problems we are all experiencing. Virtually everything outdoorsy has been sold out everywhere since COVID and I didn’t even bother trying to replace rods/waders/boots after I broke the last one and was told that just the tip section of one of the rods was “delayed several months” and that the best option would be to just order a new rod that could be overnighted.

I’ve moved on to Patagonia waders and I really don’t see myself ever buying a rod or boots from Orvis again. Maybe this is isolated to the Clearwater line of products, but as others mentioned I would look to other brands – especially when looking at rods that wont break the bank.

Buying any “entry-level” fly-fishing gear certainly comes with some quality risks, but to see a personal investment in my beloved hobbies turn out to be a complete waste of time and money is the most disappointing part.

I have owned a Clearwater 3-wt 10-ft rod for just over a year. It gets heavy use once a week or so. The rod is used exclusively for Euronymphing. The rod is nice enough for a low end low price offering.

After 10 months I noticed the reel seat ring did not hold. It has to be tightened every few minutes or the reel will drop off. My fishing buddy with the same rod also has the exact same problem. I contacted Orvis to suggest there was a design flaw or manufacturing defect, but was told that Orvis does extensive product field testing and they look for this kind of issue during their product tests.

I don’t believe they have sufficiently tested the ring. Anyway my Clearwater rod (and my friend’s rod) has ring seat issues that I have not experienced with my Recon and Helios rods. Bottom line from me is you get what you pay for.

Don’t buy this rod if you intend to submit it to heavy use.

I’ve enjoyed this rod. I tried this next to the TFO Blue Ribbon. The BR had a wonderful action, flexibility, and feel, but the LK Legacy had a decent more amount of power behind it. The LK has a fast action, slightly stiff feel ala the Pro II, but with a good amount more sensitivity.

Fast and sensitive are the words that come to mind. I both underlined and overlined the rod and both performed well. This thing launched intermediate sinking line like a beast. A very strong and versatile rod, and I still had very good accuracy at long distances.

Used the blue ribbon rod in the 3wt 10 ft ,it was just OK in the small hopper dropper system, was really upset there was no hook keeper on this rod,until I found it integrated into the reel seat. Just to let you know it is a Worthless design as I CAN’T find a way to put my midge or small hooks in this dumb little hole!!.

This is one of the best overall casting rods I have used. The distance it allows me to throw in nothing short of amazing. By far my new favorite rod for everything saltwater!

I’m a single hand fly angler and wanted to get into Steelhead fishing, which means Spey. The reviews of this rod were solid and at the mid $200 range it is half the price of most mid-range rods. Maybe in some distant future day I will be able to cast better than this rod, but it seems a long way off, haha.

Great rod at great price. Packed well and arrived quickly. Great job!

Great Spey fly rod at a great price, well made with features normally found on higher priced Spey fly rods. Gets excellent reviews on You tube, and other blogs. Very pleased with the overall rod!

I bought this for my son as a special gift. I have a few other Winstons and have long loved their quality and “action”. The Air 2 represents the finest tradition of RL Winston with the latest technology in material.

This rod is incredible light and responsive. It is much thinner in diameter than my traditional LT rods. The touch and feel would do well with tight line fishing. The casting is literally “point and shoot”.

It has plenty of power with lightness in the hands, creating the classic Winston action. This is a legacy rod for the company and an heirloom for the owner.

Bought this rod for hucking larger nymphs and streamers on the Deschutes River in Oregon. After a week of fishing I can confidently say that I love this rod! Two evenings last week, the wind picked up to a steady 25 mph with gusts topping 30+ and the rod performed when I otherwise would have called it quit.

Great action, smooth casts, feels great when fighting fish (I landed a 22″ rainbow in the wind!), and beautiful. This rod is a winner in all aspects.

Really like this Winston Rod, I have multiple Winston Rods and I really like the way they cast. I think that this Salt Water Air 7WT is slightly faster than my 6WT Air but I really do not have to modify my cast for this rod.

I had an issue with a 10WT Salt Water Air fishing for Red Fish in LA, I called up Winston and sent a few pictures and they very quickly sent me a replacement rod at no additional cost. So I think they back up there products very well.

I would gladly recommend this rod.

I had this rod for, not even, 6 months. It was well cared for and always properly stored after fishing. The rod completely snapped in the middle of the handle section on a simple cast. Orvis wants to charge me 1/4 of what I payed for the entire rod just to fix it? VERY DISAPPOINTING.

What warranty is there exactly?! My money would be better spent simply investing in a new rod. a SAGE perhaps?! Never had problems with their rods or their customer service. What’s even more disappointing is the exact same situation happen to a good friend of mine just last year.

He will never buy Orvis rods again and I am now with him on that! Should have learned from his experience and NOT purchased this rod, or any rod from Orvis perhaps! If after reading this you still happen to purchase this rod, make sure you always carry a back-up with you! (and perhaps not another Orvis!) With how easily these seem to snap, your day on the water is also easily ruined.

I have an 8 wt 11′ Mission. It casts effortlessly in tight spaces. Makes roll casting significantly easier. It also makes mending line at a distance much easier for a better drift. I have a Lamson Guru +9- HD reel on this rod and I can fish from sunrise to sunset without the fatigue you might get from a one handed rod.

I was a little hesitant to ante up the dough for this rod, but now I’m so glad I did. I had not previously owned a switch rod. I bought this rod and used it on a week-long trip 3 days after purchase.

I landed Kings, Cohos, and steelhead without issue. Very short learning curve. The fit and finish of the rod is top notch. Thanks for a great product.

This rod has a lot of backbone and casts like a dream, the cork and handle is great quality, reflecting great attention to detail, the feel of the rod was like putting on a well worn Wellington boot, everything felt right.

I fished it with an 8/9 Hardy Cascapedia with both the 510 Scandi and the 560 Skagit heads , which balanced it beautifully. The rod really did the work for me and at days end I did not feel the usual aches and pains.

I did find the reel seat to be a bit tight for my Hardy reels, but nevertheless managed to seat them adequately. All in all I would give the rod top marks.

I bought the Orvis Recon 9′ 6wt strictly for throwing streamers on our local river. I was new to the streamer game but would consider myself an advanced intermediate fly fisher overall, with sound casting fundamentals taught to me at an early age.

With that said, this rod is exactly what I was looking for. I took it out last weekend and was amazed at how well it casted. I had looked at the Helios as I am a fan of the fastest actions, but didn’t want to spend that kind of money, I was wondering if i would have wish I had bought the Helios? The answer is NO.

The Recon performed incredibly well, placing the big flys exactly where I was aiming, and at a distance! The “expert” or “extremely advanced” caster may be able to note the difference, but I fish about 30days a year on the river and have been casting flys for over 25 years.

I’m no stranger to what a great rod feels and performs like, but the Recon left nothing to want, it was perfect. If you’re in the market for a lifetime streamer tool, this is it, look no further.

I own two Helios rods (the other being a 9′ 5wt 3F) and my 3D (9′ 6wt) is absolutely the most versatile rod in my quiver. Need to combat wind while floating big water and want the flexibility to delicately place a dry-dropper rig? Helios 3D.

See a deep flat pool just begging for a Game Changer to be stripped through? Helios 3D. Hell, want to catch pan fish at your local pond and then go nab a late-October lake-run rainbow? You guessed it.

3D. This rod has done it all and I don’t expect that to change any time soon. If I’m exploring medium-to-large water and aren’t sure what rod to bring, this is the one you’ll find in my hand. It’s accurate, powerful, balanced, and light.

Paired with the Mirage LT reel, you’re really unlocking the true potential for a setup with a ton of versatility. If you’re considering a high-end workhorse, the Helios 3D will not disappoint.