Rod and Reel Brands

I'm more like Sandfly but will add I am loyal to customer service than brand name.
 
When I spin fished I loved St Croix rods. I also had some nice Cabelas and Bass Pro rods.

When I started fly fishing I went with St Croix but I'm not brand loyal. My current favorite rod is an Orvis Clearwater 10' 5 wt. I've owned several brands. Orvis and St Croix are my favorites although I also have a Gary Borger Targus Light Touch 4 wt I'll probably never part with.
 
I'm loyal - rods - Greys, Redington, Echo, T&T; reels - Hardy, Orvis, LOOP.

Lines I like Rio, waders I go for Orvis.

But I also have a Bamboo rod and just got a glass 7/8 wt for steelhead & float tubing.

Never cast a loomis or st croix I liked. Sage is too fast for me.
 
Just maintain them. Had to replace a broken guide on one. Need t strip the line bad backing of of all of mine and check the lines for nicks. Oil. Reels after Cleaning. I always back the drags off any reel when I'm done using it. GG
 
i will use any brand as long as it is not orvis. the only orvis product i will use,and i try not to,is their tippet.

i am not a fan of modern reels that look like the rims on gangsta rap mobiles.

my favorite brands in reels are shakespeare, eagle claws,martin ,cortland(BFR) any click and pawl really.i like hardy,but don't own.

my favorite brand of rod is old yankee rodsmith.

however,i will use any brand as long as it is not orvis.
 

300 dollar fiberglass fly rod and 625 dollar clickers now available your local orvis store!
 
I think the orvis battenkills are pretty much the perfect blende of old school look and modern technology. They look good on just about any rod and they handle steelhead pretty well when I first started fishing for em. I would buy an orvis gear again cause I know if I was wronged the guys at volant would prob make it right.
 
I'm a fan of Orvis just because of how much they stand behind their products. But due to lack of funds recently, my arsenal has quite a few TFO's and Echo's in it now.
 
I'm always on the lookout for "best in class" equipment. When it comes to rods, I'm typically looking for different characteristics in, say, a 2wt than an 8wt, so I will probably have 2 different brands for those rods.

When it comes to reels, I'm a bit more loyal, as there isn't really a "character" to a reel's performance.
 
Sure is a lot of hate for Orvis here. It seems nobody thinks twice about dropping $800 on a Sage, but the second somebody mentions Orvis, they're an idiot for spending that kind of money. If someone chooses to spend their money on high end equipment, why should it matter what they're buying.
 
Hmm. I thought Orvis was getting a lot of free publicity and mostly positive.
 
I wonder why the h8 for them. I wouldn't dump that much money on a Sage (though I do have a Sage that was given to me), and I certainly wouldn't shell out $300 for a new Orvis glass rod and $600 for a click pawl reel, but if I could get my hands on some first generation Orvis glass I'd shoot for it!
 
Sorry, Jack. You're always right. We bow to thee.
 
Not sure what that means, but all you have to do is read the comments and count.
 
I can only speak for myself. But I was attempting to make it clear that while, to date, I haven't found an Orvis rod I actually liked, I DO NOT HATE Orvis. I like most of their products, and I actually want to like their rods too. And I'm not sure whether there's something innate about their taper philosophy, or if my sample size is just too small regarding which models I've tried.

I will continue to like the company and keep an open mind about liking their rods. At the next jam, someone hand me something from Orvis' faster end of the spectrum, please.
 
JackM wrote:
Hmm. I thought Orvis was getting a lot of free publicity and mostly positive.
Click to expand...

+1...I counted.

17 posters expressed a brand preference, and 12 of the 17 expressed a preference for Orvis among other brands.

People seem to love or hate things based on their perception of a Company or Brand. I guess the old adage "perception is reality" rings true for many folks.

I tend to be a lot more pragmatic when I plan to purchase something. I try to judge things based on what's in front of me, what the features and benefits are, and how that fits what I need or prefer rather than just judging it by the label alone. I will never buy this or always buy that is kinda irrational, IMHO.

 
I've always been partial to Hardy reels and also a fan of T&T bamboo rods, but the quiver is filled with plenty of different makers.

When it comes to the mass produced stuff; graphite rods, 'modern' reels, soft goods, etc I just try to get the best bang for the buck when in the market to replace something.
 
I used to be a Sage/Orvis devotee. Then I got married. Had kids. And became a "value conscious" buyer. (i.e cheapskate)

And I found something out along the way;
With today's advanced carbon technology, plethora of equipment, and availability of used stuff via sites like ebay, Craigs List, etc, you can find good and sometimes exceptional rods and reels for relatively little money. You need to shop around but they are out there.

Example: My favorite small stream outfit is a Cortland GRX 4wt 7.5' rod -- paid $59 new -- with a used Orvis Battenkill reel I picked up at a yard sale for $20. It casts better than my Sage VPS.

I also have a cheap striper outfit a Redington 8wt 9' with a Pflueger reel I modified for fast running fish. Great blank and it casts better than my Sage FLI ever did.

Point is, if you want to be brand loyal that's fine, but with everything available in today's market, the opportunity to be thrifty without sacrificing performance is there.
 
Jack, my point was why bash one high end company but not others. Especially when it's all a matter of preference. It seems that buying anything Orvis immediately turn you into a "fan boy" or elitest on this forum. I completely agree about being able to find better outfits used on eBay or Craigslist without spending a whole pay check. PCray, that wasn't directed at you. I know from previous posts that you dislike Orvis, but you do not discount them as a company. That just seems to be the trend here.
 
Railking wrote:
Sure is a lot of hate for Orvis here. It seems nobody thinks twice about dropping $800 on a Sage, but the second somebody mentions Orvis, they're an idiot for spending that kind of money.
Click to expand...

Demographics.

Orvis is the Oldsmobile of fly fishing. Relegated to old man status and "special editions" with inflated price tags meant to market to old people iwth disposible income.

Like Olds at the end of the marque's history, they're trying to remain relevant by re-focusing their branding, and plenty of new technology (the current push to ape Fishpond designs and things like the Helios rods), however, I think that alot of the problem is over all perception.

Sage still has a lock on being new, technology forward, and designed for the "modern fly fisher." YMMV.

Anyways, did I mention $625 clickers? Which has nothing on Abel who'll fart out "collector edition" reels with four digit hang tags.
 
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