£1000 Trout rods

[sagecirca]

Have to say that no other rod I have owned comes close  to my Sage ZXL #4,  9 foot for sheer joy of use. It is a delight to wield.

£650 when new, my copy cost £220 from Mark Rods, Carnwath.   It still had the shrink wrap on the cork. :lol:

My 'go-to' trout rod during prime time Fred.  Have you tried the Circas? A fair bit slower than the ZXL but equally as nice IMO.

[Wildfisher]

Have not tried the Circa yet David. I also use a 9 foot #4 Z Axis (£250 Ebay) and a Scott S4 9 foot #4 (£200 from Carnwath Fly Rods) when I want something beefier. I'm not a good enough caster for very fast rods. Had a 9 foot #5 Sage ZXL but sold it. I lost amazing numbers of fish on that rod (due to its stiffness I'm sure) including the biggest trout I ever hooked on The Don; to say I was sick would be an understatement. I much prefer mid auctioned rods like the ZXL. It is a delight to fish with.

[haresear]

A genralised observation, but has anyone else noticed that most of the purchasers of very expensive rods are unable to use them properly. 

I think that might be a big part of the reason why so many people think budget rods are just as good at casting as premium rods. They can't get the rod to load properly, or they struggle to maintain loop control.

None of that means the premium rods aren't overpriced of course. They are in my opinion generally speaking better rods than cheaper rods, but not 4 or 5 times better.

One thing about having a cheaper rod is that you aren't scared to use them in a boat or when you are casting heavy tungsten or the likes. I must confess I live in terror if I find myself fishing from a boat with a Sage and will usually use something more expendable.. 

Alex

[arawa]

I was not going to contribute to this thread given the emotions the topic can generate but whatever :crap :crap

My first fly rod was a gift of an ancient greenheart one. The second (which I still have) was less than £1 over 50 years ago.
I have not done the math but I suspect I paid the equivalent of £1000 today for my first "expensive" rod; a Sage RPL+ in about 1994. And perhaps again for a Helios in 2005. Both rods have given me an enormous amount of pleasure and landed me lots of trout. Would I have caught fewer fish with cheaper rods? Probably perhaps certainly not, but I have really enjoyed using these rods and do not begrudge a penny of the cost.
As it happens, a few months ago (despite this season being completely in love with a Hardy Demon Smuggler that was a present) I got as far as discussing delivery options with Matt Barber of Tom Morgan to mark a significant birthday but some family matters distracted me. But Christmas beckons! 

Let's to each his own. And without those prepared to pay exorbitant sums for these exotica when new where would the cheap second-hand ones come from??

[Sean Freeman]

I fish some nice fly rods for the joy it brings me, they're usually lighter with a finer finish and in the case of my latest Sage unbelievably accurate both off the tip and at a very long distance but to be honest I just like fishing with good gear and don't see any reason not to, we're here for a good time not a long time after all.

I also put a hell of a lot of hours/days in on the river so I justify the prices per trip. I've been out probably near 100 times this season and I'll put a good few more on that for grayling. Honestly if anyone has access to an Orvis store or dealer try the new Helios 3F in a 9' 4wt with a Rio Gold, I had a go with Don Stazikers and it's sublime.

Sean

[Laxdale]

I think that might be a big part of the reason why so many people think budget rods are just as good at casting as premium rods. They can't get the rod to load properly, or they struggle to maintain loop control.

None of that means the premium rods aren't overpriced of course. They are in my opinion generally speaking better rods than cheaper rods, but not 4 or 5 times better.

One thing about having a cheaper rod is that you aren't scared to use them in a boat or when you are casting heavy tungsten or the likes. I must confess I live in terror if I find myself fishing from a boat with a Sage and will usually use something more expendable.. 

Alex

Cannot load the rod usually means the wrong line is being used, and tight loops usually means a casting stick as opposed to a fishing rod!
I can understand paying more for a rod that will be more robust and lighter, as well as having better quality fittings. But rod action can be exactly the same on a cheap stick and a very expensive rod.

[Bobfly]

I probably have too many rods but they are shared and I shy away from using my 8.5 foot Sage XP from the float tube because of the scrabbling about on rocky shores getting in and out in windy weather. Instead we have 2 Lpxe 9 footers and these are very good. Quick and accurate. Out on the heather and on rough ground I use a Scierra 9 footer and an old Marksman Drifter 10ft 5wt from the boat or the old Scierra if the weather is rough. Keeps from despair if I had broken a good rod ... Perverse logic I know.

[Wildfisher]

I have 30 + rods in the loft ranging from light fly rods to beachcasters. That's after selling quite a few 2 years ago.  :lol:
Bottom line is this -you spend your money on what you choose and what gives you pleasure. I know a lot of folk who happily spend a small fortune on hangovers - that's up to them.

If someone gets pleasure from spending £1000 on a plastic stick with a cork handle then good for them.

If you think fly rods are expensive try professional quality cameras and lenses.   :shock:

[bibio1]

Have to say that no other rod I have owned comes close  to my Sage ZXL #4,  9 foot for sheer joy of use. It is a delight to wield.

£650 when new, my copy cost £220 from Mark Rods, Carnwath.   It still had the shrink wrap on the cork. :lol:

I've tried the zxl but in my view the winston 904WT is the best. Bought the blank for £100 and got it made up. It's not a distance caster but as a dry fly rod it's superb. There are bargains if you look. eBay in particular is good for rod blanks but unfortunately we're going through an ultra expensive Cycle  abroad.

[Lochan_load]

Fred's right, I think spending what is a fairly obscene amount of money on the rod is part of the thril, part of the excitement " I know I shouldn't but I really want another 5 weight!" And splashing money on it, probably akin to a woman buying shoes  :roll: men like accessory hobbies cos when they're not doing it (most of the time  ) they can obsess about the gear.......and as Fred also says it could be a lot worse, my brothers into mountain biking and spent 5grand on a bike  :shock: and he still needs to peddle it!