What are some good fly rod brands, my old bamboo one got snapped. I've heard that the big names in this category are st. croix, g loomis and sage.

Have any of you had experience with these rods or others. If so what would you recommend (and what weight...i fish for bass, muskie, and trout so i'm thinking either a 6 or 7)? feel free to throw in extra tips about good fly fishing products that you have used before. I'm willing to spend around $200 on a   rod.

Sorry to hear about the old grass stick,love mine and would be bummed.I think you might look at a fiberglass fly rod ie. Lami-glass,Fenwick or even a Eagle Claw,I say that because of what you are used to casting(slower) that said maybe look at a TFO Iv'e heard good things about them and if you break one just gather up the pieces and send them back and they ship you a new rod.You want to fish for bass and trout maybe look at a 5-6wt. for trout and an 8wt. for bass.....Good Luck,Alan

Flyrods are a personnal thing,do you like faster action rods?medium or slower actions rods,

what size flies will you use,will it be mostly used for bass,trout?A six is a good rod for smallies,

largemouth,bream and should throw to a size 2 with no problem and as small as a size 14.

In that range if i were to spend 200.00 it would be a sage in there lowest price range,a loomis

gl2,st croix avid,might want to look at cabelas rods,the top one or the pt i believe it is,scott makes

a nice rod the v2 in that price line.Look on flyfishing websites theres always someone selling one

or look here www.tradenstuff.com

Having said all that,Yes a good 7wt would be a great rod to fit all the fishing you want to do....Alan

for the most part i like fast action rods better...thanks for all the help guys

I use a TFO TiCr rod in fast action 7wt paired with a Battenkill LA reel and it is sweet for smallies. If you did not want to spend that kind of money I would look at the Gander Mountain Guide Series. I looked at them the other week and they look pretty good for 199.00. Have fun and good luck.

I just purchased a fly rod setup not to long ago and got some great info on the boards here.  

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1177538443/0

I looked at St. Croix, G loomis, and some other brands.  The St. Croix had the fastest action of them all.  G Loomis has a lot slower action but casted really smooth.  I finally settled in on a Temple Fork Outfitters (TFO)  TiCrX.  It has a faster action than the G loomis's I tried but not as stiff as the St. Croix.  I also liked that they had a no fault warranty on the rod.  Any damaged part can be sent in and repaired for 25$.

Vic

Temple Fork Outfitters... is a must on your list of rods to test cast.

thanks a lot guys, gonna make my choice in the morning when i'm well rested...thanks again

I was forced to go into Dick's today and saw a St. Croix 9', two peice, 7 wt. for 79.99.  That is a steal.  The 7wt. is too heavy for your trout fishing but you can always get another small 3-4 weight for trout. ;D  

Check out your local Dick's, if you want the rod.  If I had 80 bucks to spare, I would do it.

great website: www.byrdultrafly.com .....

Here's what I fish or owned and fished in the past: All are a slow action other than the 6' 2wt and the 8wt....Sage and GLoomis, and Orvis even there low end rods are great, biggest thing is the warrenty you get as far as these type rods go. A 8'6 to 9ft 4,5,or 6 weight will be perfect for bass and trout depending on where you are fishing. I use a 3 for everything now but small stream trout and heavy cover bass. Get a decent reel with a smooth drag most are $50 and up. Worth it Imho, a good reel pays off when you get a big one....

Rods:

9ft 3wt Lamiglass custom, forget exact blank....slow action, sweet rod

6ft 2wt custom built on a shikari blank..... Orvis rocky mountain reel on both, both have ceramic guides and cast like a dream....

9ft TFO 8wt, one of the first TFO rods....use it for stripers- Orvis rocky mountain LA

7'9" Orvis clearwater 5wt, w/ rocky mountain reel for a 5-6wt

9' St.croix pro graphite 5wt

9' 6wt and 7 wt. BPS hobbs creek rod are pretty good too.

and my most used, favorite production rod-

8'6" Orvis clearwater classic 3wt.....

Also buy a good line, you dont need a $50-$100 specialty line, but get a good slick quality one like courtland or similar. Weight forward floating cover everything I have done other than saltwater or deep in heavy current and that is all dont with my 8wt.