20 Best Fly Rods For Trout (2023 Updated)

An excellent affordable fly rod. Fishing distances with perfect control: up to 45 feet (with 12 leader max , tippet included); beyond, accuracy fluctuates. Works a treat with dry flies and wet flies.

Not a streamer rod. Medium action. True to its indicated line weight. Do not use a half size heavier line. A light #5 line with a progressive taper works best. A #4 line works just fine too. I would say the rod is a #4.

5. Do not force the rod, adapt to its tempo. You wont get ultra fast line speed nor extremely tight loops, so avoid windy situations or shorten the leader. Light tippet friendly. Cosmetics are excellent.

Shapes of guides and alignement are impeccable for a rod assembled in China. Fairly light weight and good balance. One con: the tube with integrated sheath. I wish they had used a classic cloth sleeve which, to my mind, protects the rod way better than those compartimented tubes where the pieces rattle somewhat loosely.

But it would increase the price a little. So, an excellent rod for dry fly, wet fly, and greased leader light nymph fishing.

I have two of these rods, a 7 1/2 foot 3 weight and a 9 foot five weight. The 3 weight is my favorite rod for fishing small, brushy creeks. It is true to line weight and casts very accurately at close distances, even with little or no fly line out the rod tip, yet has enough power to buck the wind a bit and to cast across bigger pools or runs with ease.

It balances great with a light click pawl reel. I really love this rod and find it a blast to fish with and aesthetically pleasing too. I’m not so thrilled with the nine foot five weight. This rod is easy to cast, mainly because it is really a lighter, softer four weight rod (I did a “deflection” test on it) and will cast an average four weight line just fine.

The flip side of this is that an average sized trout can put a decent bend in the rod and feel a little big sometimes! Although it has worked well for me in fishing dry flies and lighter nymphs rigs, it lacks the backbone to effectively fish heavier indicator rigs and I find it harder to cast in the wind when compared to my other rods.

For me, this rod is just rather tip heavy unless you hang a reel with an unloaded weight of about six ounces off the back end. Also, the cork on this rod is a poorer grade than the cork on my three weight and has developed some voids with minimal use.

I probably won’t fish the five weight much any more, but I heartily recommend the shorter rods, especially in three and four weight.

Tried the 6 and 7 wt, both very nice rods but the 6 wt suited my usage better. I was looking for a rod that could double as my practice rod for the FFI Casting Instructor’s certification. Needed a rod that was pin-point accurate in close and still able to hit a target at 75 ft.

Not a lot of rods can do both well. This one can! Very similar action to the Scott Centric but manged to save $400 with the Sonic which makes me happy. Stillwater was great in returning the 7 wt Sonic I tested and making this transaction easy.

Great job folks, will buy from you again.

This rod balances very well and is so light in hand that it feels like a 9 foot. I purchased it specifically for a return trip to the Bighorn river. There is a great review on telluride anglers highlighting this particular model.

I have lawn cast it with everything from 175 gr SA amplitude Infinity (6wt) and Rio big nasty (6 wt) to Airflo river and stream (5 wt gr wt 155) So far the best baance has been with. 168 gr Rio Lumalux (168 gr) but I suspect for dry fly fishing a SA amplitutde trout (6wt-160 gr) will be ideal.

The heavier lines will work well for nymph rigs.

I bought the 596 for float tube fishing as my secondary rod. When I tube I have 2 rods with me, one with a sinking line and one with a floater. I have Sage X 10′ 6 wt I love but bought the Sonic to use as a dry dropper or indicator rod.

I absolutly love it for this application. It will handle to rungsten bead nymphs and an indicator with ease and it will cast a mile. I will say it is very fast and maybe not the best for small drys and light tippets but I have a sage X 4 wt for that.

Love Love Love this rod out of a tube with nymphs.

I have the 7’0″ 3 weight and 9’0″ 7 weights and found them to be excellent values and solid performers. The 3 weight is a great small water rod for close casting. The medium-fast blank is very thin and the rod feels super lightweight in hand.

The 7 weight’s faster action is very capable at casting streamers in the wind and doesn’t have a heavy swing weight. I didn’t feel any need to over-line the rod at all. The cork and components seem decent enough and work just fine.

Very satisfying rods for the money.

This rod is amazing value even when compared with the best, for casts up to about 60 feet. It has a soft feel to me reminiscent of the great Sage SLT. It is not fast enough for casts from 70 to 90 or 100 feet, which I’ve come to expect from 8 wt rods.

The fit and finish is impressive for the price. A little stiffer belly and mid and it would be five stars.

I now have two of these rods, a 5 & a 6wt. They are GREAT! So they don’t have fancy reel seats, and only mid. grade cork (fish won’t know the difference). Blanks are a beautiful semi-translucent blue.

They cast like high grade (expensive) rods. Don’t be turned off by the Fenwick name. Pure Fishing Co. bought Hardy & Greys (part of Hardy)companies. These are essentially Grey’s rods with different cosmetics.

I would check them out before the word gets out, they sell like crazy, and the price doubles. I have Sage, Loomis, Scott top of the line rods that I paid big bucks for. Seems pretty stupid now! Only negative I can think of is they have only limited models.

Maybe they we add more.

I have casted and fished with all of the 3, 4, and 5 wt models, and the 386 and 486 are the only two models I consider good for beginners (there are other Vice models not sold by Cabelas). The 586 and 9 ft.

models 490, 590 and 690 are too stiff, the heavy blank weight can’t be supported very well by the skinny handle grip (cork is too small in diameter), and these rods must be overlined more than one line size to cast with enough flex to fish them well at normal fishing distances.

This is not surprising, since the path II and crosswater rods are the same, and probably made in same factory in china. You can fish the 386 and 486 with one line size heavier than the rating, to alleviate the stiffness and handle grip problems, and make it flex like a fly rod is supposed to do while casting and fishing.

This 8 ½ ft fly rod length is better for beginners than the 9-foot length, but only if you put the right line on it. Fit and finish is not too bad, although the tip top guide is made of thin wire that is easy to get bent out of shape and is not very durable – no fly rod maker should ever skimp on this part! You can buy other chinese-made fly rods with the same or better quality from the big auction site, for one third as much as a Vice.

For comparison, the mojo trout rods are made in North America and the 8 ½’ models have better flex action and handle comfort for about the same amount as the Vice. Cabelas has the 486-4 and if you fish it as a 5-weight, it does well in-close with a Rio Gold 5 wt.

line, and longer casts with a standard trout tapered 5 wt. line, and it generates ample power and good line speed. The 376 and 386 also fish OK as a 4-weight but won’t perform as well in the wind. Otherwise, I would ignore the other models, unless you want sore hands from over-clutching the skinny grip and you want distance casting instead of real fishing.

I agree the green color is attractive, but to ensure that beginners will stay with the sport, it is more important to have a well-balanced rod with good handle comfort and enough flex at short, practical fishing distances.

With the Vice, the 486-4 fished as a 5-weight is the closest you will get to that.

The Redington Vice is an excellent rod for all types of species. I’ve been Fly Fishing for 38 years. The new technology and materials are great! This is a very affordable rod with high end performance.

I have a 6 weight and a 7 weight Vice and they are both awesome to fish with. Very fast and plenty of backbone for larger fish. Very accurate for finess casts at spooky fish. I highly recommend this model!.

I like this rod. It casts well for the price. I have an 8wt for smallmouth fishing. Used it 3 times (plus practice yard casting) and a ferrule started cracking. Clearly a warranty issue. The warranty polocy is you pay for shipping and repair ($80) and they repair it and refund $50 if they decide it is a warranty issue.

I didn’t want to pay $80 for a repair on a month old $120 rod but they would not evaluate warranty eligibility prior to sending (took 3 emails and a call to get a responce). They have had my rod for a couple months.

I sent an inquiry and after a few weeks recieved a form letter talking about summer hours and initial covid response. The rod was good until it broke. The warranty looks good when you buy,, but it is only as good as the customer service.

I won’t buy redington again. I work in fisheries and have a lot of experience with other brands with excellent customer service and warrenties.

used off the coast of Okinawa Japan with octo jigs and reg jigs and even with bait, caught tuna up to 60 pounds along with rainbow runners, yellow tail, amber jack and many others,,,, it reacted great all the time.

Looking forward on salmon here in Alaska where I live and liong cod this summer.

I have made custom rods for years. These are every bit as good. A great addition to my new collection.

Reel seat to far forward for a 7ft rod. expected a stiffer rod for a cobia rating.

If you want a modern rod that behaves like top shelf pre-World War II bamboo, then this is the rod for you. I have a number of pre-World War II Grangers and Philipsons and a Heddon Black Beauty. They really give you a fuller insight to the origins of the sport which is all about the casting.

This is the second one I have bought, simply because I wanted a back up in case they go out of production.

The extra rod sections with the 6 piece rod really add to the swing weight and dampen the wonderful lively feeling which is typical of the Classic Trout 4 piece rods. It just doesn’t feel like a light weight rod.

If you really need the convenience of being able to slip the rod in a suit case, it’s a good choice. For backpacking, I would prefer to strap a 4 piece rod to my backpack. I think the production quality of the Classic Trout rods is excellent, especially for the price.

I have owned a half dozen of these 4 piece Redington Classic Trout rods and I feel they excel in the 3 and 4 weight models.

Like most of the negative reviews I have broken 5 Clearwater rods (7’5” 4W, 9′ 5W, 10′ 3W X2) in about 18 months. The rod tips are of poor quality and I even had a 5-weight break while casting just above the cork – a tell tale sign of poor graphite.

I’ve been a long time supporter of all-things Orvis and when you include in-store purchases I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on their products. Within this same 2 year period I have gone through TWO pairs of Clearwater Waders and the sole of my Clearwater Boots popped right off in the middle of the stream.

Clearwater products are not the representation of the Orvis that I grew up with and it’s incredibly disappointing; especially with the global Supply Chain problems we are all experiencing. Virtually everything outdoorsy has been sold out everywhere since COVID and I didn’t even bother trying to replace rods/waders/boots after I broke the last one and was told that just the tip section of one of the rods was “delayed several months” and that the best option would be to just order a new rod that could be overnighted.

I’ve moved on to Patagonia waders and I really don’t see myself ever buying a rod or boots from Orvis again. Maybe this is isolated to the Clearwater line of products, but as others mentioned I would look to other brands – especially when looking at rods that wont break the bank.

Buying any “entry-level” fly-fishing gear certainly comes with some quality risks, but to see a personal investment in my beloved hobbies turn out to be a complete waste of time and money is the most disappointing part.

I have owned a Clearwater 3-wt 10-ft rod for just over a year. It gets heavy use once a week or so. The rod is used exclusively for Euronymphing. The rod is nice enough for a low end low price offering.

After 10 months I noticed the reel seat ring did not hold. It has to be tightened every few minutes or the reel will drop off. My fishing buddy with the same rod also has the exact same problem. I contacted Orvis to suggest there was a design flaw or manufacturing defect, but was told that Orvis does extensive product field testing and they look for this kind of issue during their product tests.

I don’t believe they have sufficiently tested the ring. Anyway my Clearwater rod (and my friend’s rod) has ring seat issues that I have not experienced with my Recon and Helios rods. Bottom line from me is you get what you pay for.

Don’t buy this rod if you intend to submit it to heavy use.

I was thrilled to receive this Reddington trout field kit. It is by far the best combo package out there. Each component is of the highest quality including line and leader. Can’t wait to get it to the water.

Haven’t used this yet but I got a great deal on it and have thus far had great customer service! Moose Jaw sells some nice stuff and I appeciate the frequent sales.

The Clearwater line of rods is typically a phenomenal value, and I have recommend them to all my clients. As a guide and lodge manager, Orvis has been my rod choice for over 15 years. Within the Clearwater series, I have extensively used the 10’ 3# for Euro Nymphing.

I’ve been very impressed with the finishing of the rod, sensitivity, and utility. The 6pc. 8# Clearwater, however, should be avoided at all costs. This rod broke on its very first cast. No exaggeration.

No damage had occurred to the blank, as it was just removed from the rod tube that morning. The ferrules were all properly seated (using ferrule wax). The rod was properly loaded with an 8wt line. One double haul with a size 2 gurgler, and the blank snapped.

Unfortunately I did not heed the advice of fellow guides who told me the 6pc rods had a notorious history of breaking. I know Orvis customer service and warranty will correct the issue, but I will revert back to using 4 piece rods for travel, and believe that the 6 piece should be retired from the lineup.

I bought this 8wt 6 piece travel rod to take fishing in Iceland. First time I used it, literally the first fish I caught, the tip broke where it joins the second piece. Luckily, I was able to hand line the fish in, but was without a rod for the rest of the day.

In rural Iceland. I have had other Orvis products over the years and they have held up quite a bit longer than one fish. I have to echo other’s sentiments in some of these reviews and not recommend this rod to anyone.

It is unfortunate that they continue to sell this defective equipment, as it is really giving Orvis a bad reputation. After the warranty fee, I have a very expensive paperweight on my hands now, used once, with no expectations to take it anywhere else in the world due to reliability.

I bought an NRX+ 10’ 4wt new and the tip was bent. The dealer checked their remaining 2 in stock & each had a bent tip. They told me these rods had some ‘character’ in the tip. Sorry, a fly rod has to be straight.

Loomis sent me a replacement – with a bent tip. Four new rods, four bent tips. Check yours carefully. Looks like Loomis perhaps has / had an issue rolling these, maybe it affects them all, I don’t know.

I have purchased a few of the G Loomis Asquith’s but this last one was a 9wt and I think I found the sweet spot in rods. It seems so effortless and simply comfortable to cast. I have purchase from a few fly shops but the inventory at Fin & Fire is wonderful.

I was told the rod was not available until I called them and they seemed to have a large inventory. They were effortless to deal with and performed perfectly! Thank you Fin & Fire.

This rod casts nice, but it took a heavier reel than expected to balance it right. If you don’t do this, it will be noticeably tip-heavy. It has more flex in the middle of the blank than some other 9′ 4 weights, but thats good – makes it more forgiving when casting.

Handle grip is right length, good diameter and contour, not too short or too thin like some other rods. But, I don’t understand what happened with the alignment dots on the sections – they put them on the opposite side of the blank (not on the guide side) and the dot between the two lower sections is missing.

Plus, the hook keeper is off to one side, rather than positioned underneath where it should be. Also, sections will come loose during casting unless wax is used – must use ferrule wax for sure, otherwise sections loosen-up during fishing (makes me wonder if they got the taper of the ferrules wrong).

I have several fly rods that are lighter and/or cost less money – but at least I got it on a close-out sale, otherwise it really would not have been worth it. This review is based on comparison of 5 other 9′ 4 wt fly rods I own, most of them being comparable in price or cheaper.

If this is your only rod, maybe you wouldn’t notice these details, but I do.

This rod casts nicely. It’s probably the best rod I’ve owned. It’s smooth and it casts effortlessly. I like the color and alignment dots. I caught a trout on my very first cast, which I think is a good sign.

Solid rod at a great price. Got it for my wife’s first 3-wt with a Lamson Liquid reel. Pretty to look at. More experienced anglers would like a rod that loads better. Nice reel seat and hardware. Grip had minor damage, but not worth the time to return it.

Good buy overall.

I recently purchased a 9′ 7wt Pro ll as a replacement for an old Sage that I’d had for 30 years. I was headed to Pyramid Lake and have been dreaming of Jurrasic Lake in Argentina, so I needed a quality 7wt (I recently purchased a TFO 9′ 8wt BVK and it is a jewel-effortlessly casting heavy flies on sink tip shooting head) so I knew that purchasing another (I own a TFO 5 wt also) Temple Fork Outfitters fly rod was a wise investment.

It was a very windy week at Pyramid in early March but my 7wt TFO performed flawlessly-driving two flies and an indicator thru 40 mph winds and landing plenty of big fish-the largest almost 22 lbs! For all its backbone it is a very sensitive rod, also.

Stripping buggers and beatles at Pyramid is very productive and the bite can be very subtle. This rod allows you to feel even the softest take! Buy it-TFO makes a really QUALITY rod that most of us blue collar guys can afford.

I purchased this Redington Path II 5wt combo for my oldest daughter’s first fly rod and reel. I personally have experience with a handful of different Redington fly rods and, after some research, thought this combo would be the best choice for someone starting out.

The Redington Path rod is very similar to the entry level Redington Crosswater rod as far as the action and weight are concerned but my daughter really liked the classic colors of the Path blank and wrapping as well as the lifetime warranty that Redington offers on this rod.

The Crosswater reel that comes with this combo leaves a lot to be desired due to the plastic construction, but the drag system feels worthy of handling any freshwater fish we will be targeting on a 5wt fly rod.

Overall, I believe this Path combo is a better choice than the Crosswater combo for someone just starting out due to the warranty alone. I would not recommend this to someone looking to upgrade from an entry level fly rod and/or reel.

This is the fourth item I have ordered from Madison River. I ordered this combo doe my brother who is just getting into fly fishing. Every time I deal with MRFC, they are very helpful. Orders are placed and shipped next day.

In September, I finally had the opportunity to go fish Montana. I had to make a stop at MRFC for some advice and fishing g locations. They did not disappoint. Super friendly and knowledgeable and got us on some great fish below Three Dollar Bridge.

Work with MRFC and you won’t be disappointed !.

I purchased this combo to replace a starter combo from a no name brand. I can deffinetly feel the difference. The Reddington path casts smoothly and effortlessly. I went with the 5 wt for creek and small river trout fishing and it is durable enough to handle good sized bass at the same time.

I haven’t caught anything over 3 lbs yet, but I feel like it could handle that.

I had this rod for, not even, 6 months. It was well cared for and always properly stored after fishing. The rod completely snapped in the middle of the handle section on a simple cast. Orvis wants to charge me 1/4 of what I payed for the entire rod just to fix it? VERY DISAPPOINTING.

What warranty is there exactly?! My money would be better spent simply investing in a new rod. a SAGE perhaps?! Never had problems with their rods or their customer service. What’s even more disappointing is the exact same situation happen to a good friend of mine just last year.

He will never buy Orvis rods again and I am now with him on that! Should have learned from his experience and NOT purchased this rod, or any rod from Orvis perhaps! If after reading this you still happen to purchase this rod, make sure you always carry a back-up with you! (and perhaps not another Orvis!) With how easily these seem to snap, your day on the water is also easily ruined.

Rod is brand new! It casts beautifully! Only one concern and that is the tip section (4 pc rod) has a slight curve in it. When you put all 4 pieces together and line guides up perfectly straight the tip section has a slight curve to one side.

I dont see that it effects rod performance, but havent seen a curved section from a new GLoomis rod before.

This Loomis NRX LP 9′ 4weight is a great fly rod with excellent tip flex action and with light swing weight. It is great at short and medium distances for exact presentation with dry flies and still has the backbone for nymphing.

I also have the 9′ 5 weight for larger streams which I love. Both rods are wonderful. Thanks.

I cant say enough good things about this rod. I have owned G Loomis spinning rods for years and they have never let me down. This fly rod is no exception. It works like it supposed to and it just feels good in my hand.

In my opinion I think its the best value out there.

Too be honest, I bought this rod for a trip that has not happened yet. But, I have mounted my reel and got it loaded up and have been practicasting with it in my yard. The action seems great paired with my Reddington reel.

This is a solid looking rod with a nice travel case. An extra nice touch that I have not seen before is the inclusion of a spare rod tip. I really look forward to my trip and days on the water with this rod.

I live in the Piedmont area of SC now but got relocated from the Charleston area so an especially appreciative of their oyster replenishment mission. If they had included a Toadfish decal, it would definitely be on my hard cooler or truck! (note to Toadfish marketing team).

Cancun: Tarpon, Snook & Permit Fellow Ladies- Get your Fly on and lets slam some fish with the Toadfish FlyRod. 4. 5 out of 5. Worth buying and trying. I have 2 other ToadFish Spinning rods, love them! This one isn’t my favorite but deff puts up a good fight to my Sage Rod.

The reason why I say that is because its heavier and takes a bit getting used to as my other rods are cork. It looks great, feels great, is responsive but if you’ve got small paws like me, maybe stick with a smaller cork rod.

Pratice before you go out slamming for fish- learn the weight and understand the way the rod works- it will make the experience better- thats true for any big fishing day!.

Everything about this fly rod is perfect. The look, the feel, the weight, the action, and even the case. I love that it comes with an extra tip section and so will anyone who has broken a rod on the water.

The versatility of this thing is impressive. I’ve used mine in salt flats, lakes, ponds and deeper water off the coast. I’ve underlined to a 7wt and overlined to a 9wt line and it’s handled both beautifully.

As my catch list continues to grow with this rod, so does my appreciation of it. When making a trip it always makes the pack list.

I tell you what. $998 almost broke the bank. After talking to my banker, putting a second mortgage on the house and pawning my kids’ ps5, I could finally swing it. I had to hitchhike to the river, but boy way a fishing tool.

I was binging 69’ reach casts into the stiff western Montana wind to pods of selectively sipping 16”-22” rainbows with ease. Numerous guides anchored up with their clients just for me to show them how it was done.

The 5wt H3D would pick up 60’ of line and Kay it right back down in a dime. Actually had a few shop owners ask if I wanted a job teaching rich yuppies from out of state how to cast. Probably should have taken them up on it since I was digging through the dumpster behind Isaac’s to eat since I was broke after buying it.

Anyways, great rod. Pretty much have owned most brands. This so far out performs them all. Super light in the hand, accurate and fast as hell. Probably need to wrap this up since my battery’s about dead.

Thinking about breaking into headhunters to try and find a place to plug it in. There aren’t any power outlets under the bridge in Craig. Tomorrow it’s back north. I’ll have plenty of time to think of a good way to explain the new house payment to the wife and make up some story about the ps5.

We’ll fine Orvis.

I own two Helios rods (the other being a 9′ 5wt 3F) and my 3D (9′ 6wt) is absolutely the most versatile rod in my quiver. Need to combat wind while floating big water and want the flexibility to delicately place a dry-dropper rig? Helios 3D.

See a deep flat pool just begging for a Game Changer to be stripped through? Helios 3D. Hell, want to catch pan fish at your local pond and then go nab a late-October lake-run rainbow? You guessed it.

3D. This rod has done it all and I don’t expect that to change any time soon. If I’m exploring medium-to-large water and aren’t sure what rod to bring, this is the one you’ll find in my hand. It’s accurate, powerful, balanced, and light.

Paired with the Mirage LT reel, you’re really unlocking the true potential for a setup with a ton of versatility. If you’re considering a high-end workhorse, the Helios 3D will not disappoint.

The problem with this rod is the tip section is very fragile, especially for a STREAMER ROD. I purchased the H3 #7 on the recommendation of Alvin Dedeaux. When the rod arrived the tip section was split so I sent the rod back to Orvis.

I did a little research (my bad, after the fact) and found people are complaining about the tip section breaking. After talking with the folks at Orvis I decided to get a refund. I have to say that Orvis was very good about honoring my request.

I will continue to be an Orivis customer. Orivs’ heart is IN the right place.