I just bought the Echo Lift. First Fly Rod that I've purchased. I looked and looked for videos about Echo, and found an expert that was in love with the Traverse package. So I went for the Echo Lift. I don't know what I'm looking at, or what I'm doing. So my opinion would be garbage. But I'm excited to learn on it.
I've been fly fishing for a long time, and i still prefer a softer, slower action rods. Especially if i am dry fly fishing in smaller creeks. Id recommend a fiberglass rod for beginners they are easy to cast and ate very durable
Explain your casting accuracy and consistency part... Did the eyelets create friction on the line? What exactly made casting inconsistent or inaccurate?
This was my first tenkara rod ru-vid.comUgkxQr1yd4Zc6qJF-scTB6Zb9dQbVpviuRxB recommend and being new to the tenkara territory of fishing I didn't know what to expect. The rod seems to be made of high quality materials and feels sturdy yet is light weight. The cork handle is nice and doesn't have an abundance of filler. The tube and sleeve are also a nice addition.
Enjoyed hearing your thoughts. One thing I think would be necessary: to do an accurate comparison of how rods cast, you should have the same fly line in each. Conversely, different fly lines on the same model rod would give you different results. The line is key.
Just bought the path 2 combo because it’s on sale for $109. At that price, I was able to get fully kitted out for just under $200. That to me is great since I’m just trying out the sport. If I don’t like it, I saved money. If I end up loving it, it’s not like I was going to try to reuse stuff from these budget rods anyways.
Meh... Hard to take this as "unbiased" off the start with the build quality ratings. Best feeling cork, double reel lock, aluminum reel seat, straight eyelets but no alignment dots (like the TFO), but the cheapest of the 4 and the Orvis gets a 1 while the rest get a 2? And then not giving the Orvis a point for the one-time replacement policy? Something seems "fishy" to me...
My brother and I are Orvis and Loomis guys…they both have really consistent high quality and you know what you’re getting from tier to tier, from stuff like the encounter, all the way up to my beloved NRXs. I think it’s a good thing to be somewhat “brand loyal” with fly rods once you find a brand or two that you like. You’ll learn the quirks, the feel and the adjustments from weight to weight. It’s still good to branch out and have a few different things…I have a custom small stream 3wt, some st croixs that I love, etc. But my MAIN rods are the NRXs simply because they’re light, powerful and I know them so well. All of these are good companies. Even the lowest “scoring” here…that’s a FARRRR better rod than the huge, clunky Martin I started with in the 90s. Brand loyalty and fanboying are two differing concepts…the former is good for consistency, the latter only leads to RU-vid/Reddit arguments over “which is the best” 🙄. Anyone watching this…don’t worry about that. They’re all great. Just find what appeals most to you and go from there.
Dont get hung up on alignment dots. I have found you still need to eyeball your alignment. They are quick reference only. This even on more expensive rods.
Orvis not only offers a 25 year warranty (minus the enounter) but the warranty is better than the others because it's a "no fault warranty" the others don't have that. Break your rod in a car door and the warranty still stands. Aside from loomis with their xpediter warranty program, not many offer coverage for anything other than manufacturing defects.
I have the orvis and redington, I have to say I fish in my budget. My first combo came from Academy sports for $35 and honestly I almost gave up on fly fishing because of it. Then I got the Orvis and it was so much better than my 1st rod that it restored my hopes in fly fishing. The Redington I got on a whim because my points for donating blood were about to expire so I loaded them up on my Amazonm account. I then watched a review on beginner combos from Mad River Outfitters. He seemed very happy with the Redington Path II and the Rio gear it came with. I honestly don't know which I like best because I bought them in 2 different weights. The Orvis is s 6wt and the Redington is a 4. I know there are tons of much nicer rods out there. Some even cheaper. But I am disabled combat vet on limited income, and to quote a friend of mine, "these rods are good enough for the chicks we date" lol
Honestly, you’re fine with those for the rest of your fishing “career” if you so choose. Diminishing returns start showing up pretty quickly above this price point. Modern rods are so different than they were 30 years ago. You can get a $200 kit nowadays and be just as well-equipped as the next guy.
Great video, and great objective for your review. However, when I watched the most important part (to me), the casting portion, the veracity of this review went poof. You didn't have one decent caster in the group. Sorry, but not one could single haul and they were very stiff. So, this video is a perfect example of why a buyer should cast rods in which they have interest to see which fits best their casting style. Thanks for putting together this video!
This is a great video! Well thought out and thorough. Thank you, this is helpful. I'm trying to steer a couple of people in the right direction with new 9ft 5wts.
Been watching your videos. Not sure you mentioned the two versions I see 5 and 8 weight. Actually not sure what those mean. What version would I be wanting for doing trout fishing in streams and lakes in eastern Sierras here in Ca
Good question! I have another video that describes the differences in weights and will go more in depth for you but you’ll definitely be looking at a 5wt for that type of fishing.
Exactly I've had a few cheapo rods like sub 80 bucks rods and reels my best feeling rod for me is my Shakespeare rod you can feel the bounce and rebound clearly it and the balance point is easy to find compared to the others.
Thanks for this video. I’ve never used waders before this year. Figured I’d look around for some tips to help mine last longer. Great video. I’m sure this will buy me a little extra time with mine!
You seem to equate slower rod action with beginning casters and fast with more experienced casters. Why? Rod action has far more to do with how it is being used than the caster's ability. Would you want a 7.5' 3 wt. small stream rod to have a fast action? I sure wouldn't. But if I was using a 9' 9wt. pike rod, give me the fast action. It all boils down to the type of fishing being done.
Why are all your lines coming off the top of the reel? Do you reel backwards?😂 you do know you can change the bearing around and switch them to right hand retrieve right? I cant take you videos seriously if thats the case.
Awesome review - appreciate the dedication of buying all of these and reviewing them! I think the most important thing to note is that ALL of these combos are going to catch fish! The quality of the fly line is very important, and you can't expect a quality fly line on a value outfit under $200. I've used the Redington Path II combo for about two years, and I just bought the TFO black label combo for my dad. While the Redington Path II combo comes with Rio branded fly line, it does not have a welded front loop for easily changing out your leaders. These loops are much easier for beginning anglers to change out leaders quickly and easily. I agree that it doesn't have a very nice feel to it either. The trout don't seem to care, though. The line on the TFO combo, while of the mystery unbranded variety, comes with a welded front loop. The line on the TFO combo is sized up by one size to help beginning anglers feel the rod load when casting. This is likely why you felt the action to be slower. The rod would feel a bit faster with a 5wt line strung to it. If you're in the market for a value combo, you can fish all of them out of the box. You'll need to replace your line anyway at some point, and that would be a fantastic upgrade for any of these combos when the time comes.
Spoiler alert. Buy a Sage or a Loop rod… hahaha! It’s surprising how the TFO crushed it in build quality but did poorly in the casting arena. If a rod doesn’t cast well, the build quality is lacking, imo. Fun vid tho.
I have to say reddington who is also owned by the company for sage by farrrr is the best bang for your buck amazing rods I have used almost every rod they sell and have been very impressed even there fast action crosswater cast better than some more expensive fast actions I own.
3:47 I’ve used both the redington path 2 and the orvis encounter and I honestly can’t believe the way this was graded, the path has cheaper cork and a cheaper more brittle build and when it really comes down to it that’s so much more important then a wooden reel seat or alignment dots
The path 2 feels like a sub 200 dollar rod “being it’s price point” while I often will choose my encounter over a 400-500 dollar rod and I know it won’t break
