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3. Redington CT Rod

Hey folks, been a while since i've posted on here. I've really been looking into a new rod lately, not wanting to spend a fortune either. I've come across the Redington Classic Trout rod. From all the reviews i've read it seems to be a great all around rod. So, I thought i'd bring it to this fishing crowd to see what you all had to say and thoughts on it. I personally would like to get the 8'6 5wt..

Hi Big trout -

Redington, Orvis, Temple Fork, St. Croix (and others that don't come to mind right now) all make rods of excellent quality for the money. The length and weight you mentioned is a fine all-around trout rod, though my preferences go to 9 ft.

We all have opinions, but the truth is the best one for you is the one you like. The key is to try them at your local fly shop. This is a service impossible to duplicate on-line. Personally, I would never buy a rod I haven't put a line in the air with. The only rod I would buy mail order would be one belonging to a friend I've cast before and really liked. Most of them come with good guarantees, so I wouldn't place too much weight on "reviews". Your review is the one that counts.

Regards

Very good advice from Entoman. I will add select the longest rod you can for the places you fish. This puts less line on the water and = more line control for you. Most stream fishing is suited to 8-8.5 feet, but like mt friend above, I prefer at least 9 foot. I'd actually like a 10 footer.

Mark

Howdy BigTrout, and welcome back.

Ditto the above, so I’ll reiterate, and flesh things out a bit.

First, I'll answer your question -even though I haven't actually used a Redington rod. I've liked the Redington rods I've seen though. Many are on the fast side, which I happen to like. I felt I could do very well with those I've looked at in shops.

As to length, although I generally agree with "go as long as you can" – bc reach helps a lot – consider where you fish most, before you decide.

Some considerations are:

1). How much room you have to maneuver a rod. If you are fishing mid to larger creeks, streams, or rivers, which offer a fairly open canopy –then go longer. If you fish mostly smaller creeks with a more closed canopy, go shorter. If you do both, and you'll have only one rod, I'd suggest you not go 9 or 10ft, unless you are planning on adding to your arsenal soon. Owning a shorter (7 to 7-1/2) and a longer (9 to 10) will cover LOTS of trout water.

2). Presentation type: Length is an enormous advantage, but especially so when nymph, wet, and streamer fishing, and somewhat less so for dry fly.

3). Graphite Quality (weight/stiffness): For shorter rods, graphite quality matters less than for long rods bc, as you add length, you add weight and with lower quality graphite it simply takes more of it to get the rigidity needed. I save my pennies and not skimp on long rods, and am willing to “skimp” more on short rods. From what I’ve seen, rods more than 8ft require better graphite. I dunno where the CT fits in this spectrum; If you go long I’d definitely want to see one to know whether it feels “clubby” at longer lengths. If it’s a short rod, I’d mail order it without too much worry.

My rods run from 6 to 9-1/2, and over the course of the season, I end up using them all. My workhorse though, for the small to mid-sized creeks I fish most often, is an 8ft. This is also the length I choose for beginners at the game, so I can introduce them to everything from small to larger waters. An 8fter offers juuuuust enough reach to nymph with (and keep out of sight), yet can be handled reasonably well on a small stream if the canopy is not too tight. I find an 8-1/2 is a bit much on tighter spots and a 7-1/2 a bit short for nymphing where keeping line off the water is at its utmost importance.

Just to put it out there, in thinking ahead to the future… Those that fish a lot end up with multiple rods bc no one rod will do it all. It's like trying to play 18 holes of golf with one club. You can do it, but you won't get the most out of yourself or the water. The problem with a "one size fits all" approach is that, as you add rods to your arsenal, you may find the mid-length rod collects dust as there are simply better tools for, say, small stream closed canopy dry fly fishing, and mid to large stream nymphing. Again, owning a shorter (7 to 7-1/2) and a longer (9 to 10) will cover LOTS of trout water.

Hope this helps. It did me; I feel so much better.

Thanks for all the input guys! It has helped. Colorado you are right there isn't just 1 rod for everything, I like the 18 holes of golf with 1 club example. I personally have tested out the Redington CT 9' and I absolutely loved it! But, I do also like to fish smaller streams that have tighter spots with brush and trees.. So I think I want to go with the 8'6 model..