I have a few fly rods but the one I cherish the most is an old two piece true temper carbaloy (steel) that I restored about two years ago. Found it in the closet of a house that we bought from my wife's grandmother. I thought it was a curtain rod but low and behold I took it out of an old burlap bag and it was a beat up no guides, reel seat was rotten, fly rod. It's a little on the heavy side. But it's old. It looks like the ones they called the "professional" series or something like that. It has really slow action but it's almost indestructible. I only use 5 weight line on it and small flies
Brian it is so refreshing to hear someone tell the truth these days than to hear someone BS you. I applaud you for your honesty and will continue to be a MRO customer.
An expensive fly rod may not catch more fish than a budget rod (and I think that is debatable contrary to what Brian says) but it absolutely can make fly casting more enjoyable. Anyone who has cast a premium fly rod such as a Sage, G.Loomis or Winston can attest to the absolute pleasure they are to cast and would have a very hard time going back to a cheap fly rod afterwards. Does that mean you have to buy an expensive fly rod to enjoy the sport of fly fishing and have success? No. Brian is absolutely correct about that. Get the best rod and line you can afford and then go practice and have fun. If you need to cut corners on cost do it with the reel. Unless you are going after big game like salmon or salt water you don’t need an expensive reel with a sophisticated drag.
And ladies and gentleman, that honesty, that openness, that transparency, is why I love Brian and Mad River Outfitters. Love the channel, love the shop, love the website. In short, I have grown to love all you guys. Blessings to you.
One of your best episodes yet. Don’t have a bamboo rod but made a few casts with my son-in-laws bamboo rod he inherited from his grandfather. Held my breath- no accidents and you are not kidding- SLOW. It is now hung up as a conversation piece in his office.
The plague (at least the famous Bubonic plague of medieval times) was never eradicated but, antibiotics are effective in treating it now. There are cases every year on multiple continents, to sometimes include North America but, are easily treated if diagnosed quickly & not allowed to progress to end stage. It's just mid 2020 now and in some 3rd world countries people have already died from Bubonic plague due to no speedy diagnosis and lack of antibiotics. Sadly, it is usually children.
@@omnivorouscarbon4234 , at least 2 cases of bubonic plague in the Western USA so far just since my post a month ago. I think 1 of the people died from it. Maybe New Mexico or Nevada if I remember right.
Appreciate the honesty from this channel and Brian. Best fly fishing channel on RU-vid...i will spend money with Mad River in the future. You guys seem like good people.
Thanks for doing this video. I must say I just bought a $600 Orvis Recon 7wt.. (Made in America) I used to build rods 35 years ago. Either things have changed a LOT or Orvis does not know how to build rods. The spline is way off on all 4 sections. I have not used it yet but no second chance for a first impression. Thanks again for your videos and knowledge.
I hear you. I used to build my own rods, starting with a kit from Herters. I could make just what I desired. Ever hear of a 10' 2wt combo fly/spin combo? It worked well for canoe fly fishing and for crappie spinning. I use FG for general fishing, for spey graphite.
Ive been fly fishing for the last 28 years and as I didn't have anybody to teach me and I'm a self learner, I'm finally starting to learn a bit about it. Thanks for the valuable information in your video. (From Québec city, PQ, Canada)
I love how you give no BS answers that help the customer and not just say what sells products. Keep up the great work. I personally use a few different rods. I have my vintage Horrocks Ibbotson bamboo, a Wright McGill Granger Special bamboo, a 8Rivers Cranberry Special 9’ -5wt, and a MaxCatch 7’ -3wt. They are all very nice rods but my two favorites that I love and use the most are the Wright McGill bamboo mainly for stock trout of various species but I do Native Brook fish with it some. And the 3 wt MaxCatch graphite even though it’s a cheap $80 combo is my favorite for catching Native brook trout. Which are my favorite fish to fly fish for. It cast great in these extremely tiny streams and makes these tiny fish so much fun. And it also has enough power for that occasional big fish. One day after I came out of a Native stream into the main river I made a few cast and caught a 17” rainbow on it. Now that was a fun fight 😂. Keep up the great work. I love the videos.
Brian, thanks for the honest answer on $$$$ fly rods. As a local Orvis guy told me, it’s all marketing driven, and that’s the way the world works. If you have the money, fine, you’ll enjoy having a top tier rod. I COULD get one, but I’m not going there. BTW, you forgot to mention that a handmade bamboo can run $2,500. Ouch!
Brian, I’ve changed my perception of high-end rods after talking to a guy here in Dallas that I trust. He said that the accuracy of some is just incredible, so I’m going to make it a goal to look more seriously at investing in one. Keep up the great videos!
I have my great grandfather's bamboo fly rod. We used to keep it above the fire place. It's still got silk line on it. Has it's original cardboard tube case and is now in storage.
Thank you very much for the honest answers on expensive flyrods. I have nice 4 and 6 wt TFO BVK rods I love (not inexpensive) and thought about a high dollar Sage. I’m gonna use that savings to buy some other gear from you guys🙂. You’ll be getting an order soon. Y’all are the Best! Thanks for all your help with Flyfishing🎣 👍👍
I went went to a local fly shop a few yrs back and I was looking at the new sage spey rods. The owner came over and we talked rods, river systems, patterns and technique. In the end, he told me one of his all time favs is the echo swing switch, because he's caught more steelhead and large trout on that rod than any other. It happened to be the one I purchased, and saved me almost 700 bucks. To this day, I now own a lot of sage rods, but that "cheaper" rod, has still landed more steelhead and lake browns than anything in my fishing kit. I was thankful for the honesty, and it is still one of my best go to rods.
And that folks is exactly why I shop at Mad river outfitters, would be easy for them to sell you a high priced item just to make$$$$ , but they aren't that type of company, great dudes !!!!
Thanks for being here Steve. We are in business to serve and educate. That leads to profitability but that is not the mission statement of the company.....as you obviously understand. Stay tuned and stay in touch.
Great respect to you Mr.Brian Flechsig for your GENUINE & HONEST answer {regarding the question for 50 $ or 1000 $ rod which ones will make you catch more fish} 👍
I really appreciate your honesty. I have Scientific Anglers rods and an Orvis combo and I catch equal amounts of fish on both. The more I learn and the more I fish the more and bigger fish I catch. This is why I watch your videos. Thank You so much for your knowledge you share with us.
A huge thank you for those questions! And especially for such to the point answers! I’ve been fishing for a while and those questions run my mind as well
Hi Brian Lindsay from New Zealand. I have come across a couple of your Mad River presentations and find interesting them very informative.I have recently retired and switched from saltwater boating and lake spinning, to fly fishing our NZ rivers and lakes. Never been the greatest fisherman, but joined a club, put aside an old 2 piece NZ fiberglass rod for a moderate priced carbon #8 4 piece and had some success. Wish I had done it sooner.
So dang refreshing to hear the truth for a change. I subscribe, of course, so I get to catch them all. Thanks so much for the time you put in on the videos, I’m sure you’d rather be fishin!
Brain I can’t say enough what you do for the fly fishing industry. With the honest info you and your crew putout. The thing I think would also help with a decision on rod purchase. Is going to a shop like yours asking for help choosing a rod. With someone like you that can help with the person mechanics to match the rod. There was no You Tube when I started. I was frustrated trying to learn on my own. Went to a shop named Kaufman’s fly shop. No longer open. No high pressure sales. Out back casting some rods. Purchased a rod and signed up for their class. Tight Line.
No better resource than an actual fly fishing pro shop to help you make the right decision and get you the right rod for what you need/want. Thanks for being here and please stay tuned.
Had a lot of luck with my TFO rod and it wasn’t overly expensive. Wish it wasn’t a 5/6 wt though. Makes it kinda confusing in which it is. But it works for what i use it for. Great video as always!
I found the tfo 5/6 is closer to a 6/7. I catch silver and pink salmon on it. 🤷♂️ and 6-7wt casts better in it than a 5. That fast action is what I think it is. But get the right line and it’s a rocket. I had to switch around till I found what worked best with mine. But ive found that with other rods also. Weight forward also. Send it!
A great and informative video. I use 4 piece rods in part because I travel on motorcycles to fishing spots. The 4 piece is the only rod I can carry easily on a motorcycle.
@11:00 , Love the honesty. I have played paintball for 30+years and my favorite eliminations were with my cheapest ($30) markers vs my more expensive ($600+) markers. If you master your technique, you can use almost any tools.
Thanks a lot for all details about fly fishing . I’m new in fly fishing with Cabelas 9/6/4 rod so far watching this guy videos he helping me a lot . Thanks again.!
Luv the straight forward answers, and honesty, and its true I saltwater fish all the time my set up cost was under $150 bucks, but I find deals on fly rods and reels at garage sales, second hand stores, even pawn shops I got a Berkeley 8wt rod for $12 bucks had to put a Forward tip on it $5 bucks total $17 brand new still had the labels and stickers on it ! , so I have the deepest admiration bro you live the dream that most of us would love to have , to be able to fish , enjoy , and get paid to do it ! Keep up the great videos 👍🏼.
To BRIAN and ALEX: Brian, I really appreciate your refreshing honesty. Generally I don’t trust salesmen but I’d buy from you based on your advice any day of the week! Wish I lived closer, I’d drop in to meet you and see your store. Love the videos. Alex, Brian is right. My first fly rod was around $50.00. I was perfectly happy with it until I tied a hopeless wind knot one day. A friend I was fishing with handed me a $500.00 rod and I finished the evening fishing with it. I could tell the difference right away but didn’t fully appreciate it until the next day when I went back to my $50.00 rod. Suddenly I felt I was casting with a baseball bat. It was Soooo heavy compared to the nice rod. I now own several rods in the $150 to $300 range and will never go back. I still own the $50.00 rod. It comes in handy as a spare or for young anglers but I’ve nicknamed it “the club” because it will wear you out over the course of a day. To me that’s the difference between a cheap rod and an expensive rod. So butter up your wife and put a nicer rod on your Christmas list. And you don’t have to spend $1,000. Look around Mad River Outfitters web site. They have lots of rods in the $90 to $200 range. Get their guidance and I promise you will be glad you did. Tight lines and stay off the couch :). PS, if you buy a rod of the same weight as your $50.00 rod you can use the same reel and line that you already own. -Scott from Maine
Thanks Scott! Appreciate the kind words. Our employees are fist and foremost fly anglers. Second, they are customer service representatives. When you sell great products, at a variety of price levels, you don't need to be a salesman.
I appreciate your honesty! I recently bought an entry level fly rod setup to give fly fishing a try, and see how it goes. What I’ll learn from this setup should help me moving forward or heck I might love the rod setup and keep fishing with it regardless of the $100 dollar price tag I paid 👍🏽
Love your videos, your honesty and all the time and effort you take to make these videos! Keeps me entertained and increases my knowledge base for a newbie into the wonderful world of fly fishing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
I dont have a lot of money bought me a $60 fly rod/reel combo and I've caught sunfish and bass so far I love it, yes i would like to be able to buy the high end names but for now i really enjoy what i have. Love the videos lots of info.
I have a few fly rods. All pretty budget models but my favorite is my orvis starter rod/reel. I got it as a kit when I first started and it splits the middle in length/weight. It is perfect for steelhead and large mouth bass.
I think you dismissed bamboo for big fish to soon there are a good amount of people who fish bamboo for steelhead same thing with Fiberglas I saw a guy who was fishing a bamboo Spey rod with a skagit head and a fifteen foot piece of t14 and it was casting fine but aside that great video keep up the great work
Lots of people do lots of things but it does not mean it is the ideal tool for the job. Just like older cars there are other reasons to do things other than purely buying the best most fitting specialist tool for each endeavor.
I'm from Illinois ben a catfisher, man my whole life I'm 50 however years ago I quit after are river got polluted when a railcars, came off tracks and whatever was dumped into my river looked like a war zone with dead fish every foot floating on surface. Started watching your videos 2 days ago feel a light starting to burn in my heart when I get the chance to start this I will come to your place the miles are not going to matter thank you.
Brian also touches on this in episode four of the intro to fly fishing series where basically some people just want to cast slow and some want to cast fast. For myself I like having the extra time in between my my casting strokes, it just feels more natural.
Just ordered my first correct fly rod set from you this week! Can't wait to put your teachings to work and catch some trout! Thanks for your very informative videos! I hope to continue learning about the sport!!
I love the action of fiberglass . It is as I call it a modern bamboo imposter in it's action . What I have waited to see is a monocoque design composite .
Late to the game here, I just recently started fly fishing after many years of large mouth fishing heavy tackle . You got my sub the second you started speaking truth about the high end fly rods. I am sure they are very nice, but I have had some of my best days fishing on Walmart specials . Great video, great info, keep up the good work.
Hey Guys, Can you please do a video on what the basics of nymph fishing is and how to set up your line, flies, and split shot. Im new to fly fishing and I've tried to find a good video but I'm still confused on what to do. If you have a good video about that can you send me the link. From Ryan up in the great white north
Brian, you are my favorite RU-vidr. You’re just straightforward and knowledgeable. It’s like getting advice from a family member of very good friend. I have signed up to Mad River’s email list, subscribed to the channel and have items in my cart although I haven’t taken the plunge as of yet, mostly because I won’t be fly fishing until next summer. I look forward to watching more of your videos. ✌🏽🙏🏽🤙🏽🐟🎣
Watch your videos and they've been very informative. I've gone out of my way to order from you guys on a couple occasions. It's the right thing to do! Keep doing what you're doing!
As of now I have 3 rods. The Orvis Renegade 5wt, Orvis Clearwater 5wt, and a Redington 7wt, my favorite… the Clearwater, but I use the 7wt most to turn over those big ole Game Changers for large mouth and snakehead.
Thank you everybody at Mad River Outfitters for these great videos. They are an absolute pleasure to watch and just pure gold for beginners. That being said, I was wondering what you think about 6 piece rods. Will that affect the action in a negative way?
Thanks for watching and we appreciate the kind words. As Brian states here though, please send any and all questions to the shop via e-mail. admin@madriveroutfitters.com
I've Fallin in love with fiber glass rods, I had two graphite rods that were ok but I broke then easily ( I run a surface drive out board because I tore up a regular out board). Anyways I use two fiberglass rods right now and love them, the shorter length is nice were I fish, most cast are under 40 feet for me and they are a joy to fish. And I'm catching bass and pike and bowfin on them ones an 8 wt and ones a 10 wt.
Brian, Great info as always, and I do love my Butterstick, but I also have graphite rods as well. But I’m guessing your gonna hear it from the purists on both of these questions, especially on the cheap verses expensive rods. How can expensive not be better ? Personally, I prefer middle of the road, where you can get good quality at a decent price. Keep the videos coming. I always look forward to learning something new.
That's why we offer a variety of rods....brands....materials.....actions etc. Something for everyone here at MRO. We'll keep doing them as long as folks keep supporting the shop.
Interesting. Moving from an inexpensive fiberglass rod to a moderately priced graphite got me more fish. The number of strikes might be the same, but the increase in the number of hookups was noticeable.
Great to hear about the price difference although I do fish with more expensive fly rods. It’s a personal choice. Spend what you need to get you fishing, just as long as we get more anglers then it’s all good.
Awesome video & information, glad to see an honest opinion on cost & material,if you're getting started in fly fishing, I always say go to a fly shop & explain what your fishing for,a good fly shop will guide & help you buy the proper gear & your time on the water will be far more enjoyable,tight lines & screaming reels 🤟
I have a true temper carboloy fly rod that I found and kind of restored. It's a little on the heavy side. I think it's a sportsman or something like that. The ones I researched online look like they're from the late 40s maybe early 50s. It's reeeeeally slow action and I only use 5 weight line on it and only small flies
If fishing is your passion I’d say the money is worth it. Some guys buy $20,000 motorcycles. Some people take bong hits from $10,000 bongs lol . I’d never spend more than $1,000 bong and 500$ fishing rod and reel 🤣😂
Thank you for your honesty regarding expensive vs cheap fly rods. I'm from the cheap side and fully believe if you are fishing around 7'-6" 3wt and shorter where the majority of your casts are
@@Madriveroutfitters Fair enough. It would be cool if you could do a segment/demonstration for us beginners who may want to upgrade one day on why a $700 7 foot or 7-6 foot 3wt rod is worthwhile over a
@@soundbwoikilla764 i would never spend more then $600 aud on a rod unless it was bamboo ofc i think you get diminishing returns on performance to dollar after that $300 - $600 is the sweet spot i think
Regarding the question of world hunger, I'm thinking more $50 rods would make fly fishing accessible to more people, who could catch more fish, and therefore be less hungry? I've really been enjoying your videos as I learn this new to me sport, thank for the great content!
I love the rod price talk. Like catching more fish with a $40 spinning combo than a $600 tournament angler setup... it happens. Location is more important than equipment 364 days of the year.
For 6 years I tied flies for a living and many times I "tied" some top shelf and "budget" Orvis and Sage fly rods because the wife didn't know (no large bank withdrawals). My favorite for small trout streams got broken (didn't have the 25 yr warranty...Green Mountain...it was early 90s) and within weeks a buddy was going out West, was running out of money and wanted some flies and offered a cheap Cortland for barter. That cheap fly rod became my fave for years. However, first chance I got to get an Orvis Superfine "expensive Top Shelf" Brook Trout 7-9 4 wt, I bought it. Brian is right, cheap rods can work and work very well but the "top shelf" rods are a little better...but that only counts when you fish a LOT. And yes, they are all 2pc and I'm planning a Bahamas bonefish trip and got to buy a 4pc now. LOL. Brian is giving good advice here.
