Big-Bass
Member
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2013
- Messages
- 496
As a rather newcomer to this site and rather new to fly fishing, it is not often that I write a full review on a product let alone a company that I have absolutely no affiliation with. As many of you know from my posts and questions, I am sort of a gear junkie that likes to try new stuff in hopes of finding perfection (which we all know does not exist but it is darn fun trying to find it).
Out of curiosity, I contacted the owner of Shadow Fly Fishing via email on their site because the look and weight of their fly rods intrigued me. I got a response back almost immediately and asked if they demo rods simply to test them. Long story short, I had both the Stalker and Warrior 5 weight rods on my doorstep no questions asked within a few days.
In reviewing both rods, here is what I came up with based on my casting ability and enjoyment:
Look: very sleek looking and clean blanks with great looking cork. The grip is like a full wells that has been sanded thinner but it really has an awesome feel that I was skeptical of before I received the rods. The Stalker has a cool looking reel seat like a Scott Radian but with a graphite insert and the Warrior has a skeletonized reel seat like a Cabela's L-Tech rod. Both rods are noticeably light like an H2. Both rods came with an extra tip which is cool in a rod bag and nice looking cordura like rod tube with a shoulder strap. Tie between Stalker and Warrior.
Casting: these rods launch some line but parking lot casting is not really a reflection of fishing. I set up some targets in the yard at various distances and both rods were set up with a Lamson Litespeed 2 with S.A. GPX instead of just launching line for distance. Both rods were super accurate and I liked the Stalker a bit more as a more all around rod up close and at distances to about 60 feet. Both rods were really accurate but I actually like the Stalker better simply because I think I prefer a medium fast rod.
Customer service: emails were answered about products almost immediately and that is important to keep customers in the loop.
Overall, these rods are awesome at this price considering the extra tip, etc. They also have a lifetime warranty I believe.
At the end of the day, I thought that reviewing these rods on here would be a nice thing do to considering how awesome it was for the owner to send me demo rods no questions asked. Now that the demo period is over, the rods are ready to go back, but I believe that a Shadow Stalker will be in my future. It honestly is one of the nicest rods I have casted (besides my Sage ZXL which I also love). The Stalker is very similar to me to casting a between a Legend Elite and B3X. The Warrior is a bit faster, like a Scott S4.
Again, I wish the best for Shadow Fly Fishing as they start off as a company. They are from PA which is cool and more importantly, they offer really nice fly rods with great customer service! Thanks!
Out of curiosity, I contacted the owner of Shadow Fly Fishing via email on their site because the look and weight of their fly rods intrigued me. I got a response back almost immediately and asked if they demo rods simply to test them. Long story short, I had both the Stalker and Warrior 5 weight rods on my doorstep no questions asked within a few days.
In reviewing both rods, here is what I came up with based on my casting ability and enjoyment:
Look: very sleek looking and clean blanks with great looking cork. The grip is like a full wells that has been sanded thinner but it really has an awesome feel that I was skeptical of before I received the rods. The Stalker has a cool looking reel seat like a Scott Radian but with a graphite insert and the Warrior has a skeletonized reel seat like a Cabela's L-Tech rod. Both rods are noticeably light like an H2. Both rods came with an extra tip which is cool in a rod bag and nice looking cordura like rod tube with a shoulder strap. Tie between Stalker and Warrior.
Casting: these rods launch some line but parking lot casting is not really a reflection of fishing. I set up some targets in the yard at various distances and both rods were set up with a Lamson Litespeed 2 with S.A. GPX instead of just launching line for distance. Both rods were super accurate and I liked the Stalker a bit more as a more all around rod up close and at distances to about 60 feet. Both rods were really accurate but I actually like the Stalker better simply because I think I prefer a medium fast rod.
Customer service: emails were answered about products almost immediately and that is important to keep customers in the loop.
Overall, these rods are awesome at this price considering the extra tip, etc. They also have a lifetime warranty I believe.
At the end of the day, I thought that reviewing these rods on here would be a nice thing do to considering how awesome it was for the owner to send me demo rods no questions asked. Now that the demo period is over, the rods are ready to go back, but I believe that a Shadow Stalker will be in my future. It honestly is one of the nicest rods I have casted (besides my Sage ZXL which I also love). The Stalker is very similar to me to casting a between a Legend Elite and B3X. The Warrior is a bit faster, like a Scott S4.
Again, I wish the best for Shadow Fly Fishing as they start off as a company. They are from PA which is cool and more importantly, they offer really nice fly rods with great customer service! Thanks!
