best bang/buck ex-fast 6wt ... your opinion?

Most of my fishing demands a rod that can cast little more than a 12ft
leader and I love my new little 8.5ft 4wt Sage XP or my 9ft 5wt Scott for
most days

but

a few days each year I fish where long casts, holding a long line in the
air, and picking up lots of line off the water and putting it down again in
a new direction, quickly, are all required constantly .... I don't have a
rod that will meet these needs extremely well, so,

I'm thinking of getting a rod for these rare days and believe a very fast
6wt is what makes sense

I don't want to spend too much as this rod will be little used each season

suggestions?



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Larry L wrote:


a few days each year I fish where long casts, holding a long line in the
air, and picking up lots of line off the water and putting it down again in
a new direction, quickly, are all required constantly .... I don't have a
rod that will meet these needs extremely well, so,

I'm thinking of getting a rod for these rare days and believe a very fast
6wt is what makes sense

I don't want to spend too much as this rod will be little used each season

Might still be more than you want to spend but Sage is discontinuing
the XP series and shops are starting to discount them. You like your 4
wt so why not a 6? The fastest rod I ever cast was the old sage SP+
series but it sucked as a fish fighting tool.

Larry L wrote:
I don't want to spend too much as this rod will be little used each season

"Too much" is a subjective quantity, but I'll offer my experience as a
cheapskate. I've always been pleased with my St. Croix blanks. Their
Legend and later their Legend Ultra series were reasonably fast,
powerful rods; and their finishes and hardware were nothing to be
ashamed of, based on what I saw in the shops. I never actually bought
a finished St. Croix, only the blanks, but I was always pleased with
the action. I still have my first rod project, a 9' St. Croix 6 wt.,
and it's still a fine, fast rod. I've been out of the market for a
while, so I don't know what their present rod line looks like.

An even lower price alternative would be the famous KPOS rods from
Cabelas & Bass Pro Shops. I can't offer a personal opinion thereof,
but much has been discussed here previously. For a once or
twice-a-year use, they might be the ticket for functionality vs. price.
No doubt others can offer their testimonials on these.

Joe F.

Wayne Knight wrote:
The fastest rod I ever cast was the old sage SP+
series but it sucked as a fish fighting tool.

While not necessarily relevent to small stream trout fishing, I had the
chance to experience an interesting comparison between two rods this
past weekend. After shattering my big St. Croix 8 wt stick a couple
years ago, I bought a lighter, somewhat slower action 8 wt. Scott as a
replacement. I typically fished with that while Son fished with an
older St. Croix 9 wt.

Through my role as dad/guide/tie-this-on-for-me person, I occasionally
swapped rods with my son and had the chance to fight fish with both
rods. I was amazed at the difference. While I definitely like the
Scott better for casting & mending, I thought the faster St. Croix gave
me far more control over these big fish, well beyond the mere
difference in rod weights.

Joe F.

"Wayne Knight" wrote

Might still be more than you want to spend but Sage is discontinuing
the XP series and shops are starting to discount them. You like your 4
wt so why not a 6? The fastest rod I ever cast was the old sage SP+
series but it sucked as a fish fighting tool.


Well, good idea and I called my buddy that gave me a great deal on the 4wt
but he has already cleared out all his old XP rods ... I'd get the 9.5ft 6Wt
they made if I could get the same kind of deal, somewhere



anybody know if the TFO TiCr X 6wt without fighting butt for $225.00 is a
decent stick ? .... it doesn't have any special appeal, just happens to have
the right words in the adman write-up and a price I'm worth ( b-day this
weekend and I do deserve a rod, but I ain't really been that good a boy, so
I should stay under $300, if possible and still get the job done ... ugly is
fine, if it will cast :-)



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"Steve" wrote



Can you build, Larry?
If you want something to do this winter instead of just hangin' with
the dogs try a Dan Craft FT. Amazing blanks and easily under your
budget with better components then a Sage, etc.

I tried it once and must answer ...no .... I can't I'm not too concerned
with "pretty" but my efforts were SO very ugly that it indirectly scared the
fish. You see, other anglers would see the rod and break into laughing so
hard that the ground shock all around and the trout went to security lies.




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On Wed, 18 Oct 2006 14:47:18 -0700, "Larry L"
wrote:


"Wayne Knight" wrote

Might still be more than you want to spend but Sage is discontinuing
the XP series and shops are starting to discount them. You like your 4
wt so why not a 6? The fastest rod I ever cast was the old sage SP+
series but it sucked as a fish fighting tool.


Well, good idea and I called my buddy that gave me a great deal on the 4wt
but he has already cleared out all his old XP rods ... I'd get the 9.5ft 6Wt
they made if I could get the same kind of deal, somewhere



anybody know if the TFO TiCr X 6wt without fighting butt for $225.00 is a
decent stick ? .... it doesn't have any special appeal, just happens to have
the right words in the adman write-up and a price I'm worth ( b-day this
weekend and I do deserve a rod, but I ain't really been that good a boy, so
I should stay under $300, if possible and still get the job done ... ugly is
fine, if it will cast :-)

Can't speak to that rod in particular (and even if I or another could,
it wouldn't mean much as to what you might "like"/"dislike"), but any
TFO, if you "like" it, is among the best bang for the buck rods out
there. Now, if what you mean by "decent" is "a quality rod from a
decent manufacturer who stands behind the gear," I'd say that applies to
all TFOs. I've never seen or heard a single outstanding complaint about
the quality or company.

TC,
R

Larry L wrote:
"Wayne Knight" wrote


Might still be more than you want to spend but Sage is discontinuing
the XP series and shops are starting to discount them. You like your 4
wt so why not a 6? The fastest rod I ever cast was the old sage SP+
series but it sucked as a fish fighting tool.



Well, good idea and I called my buddy that gave me a great deal on the 4wt
but he has already cleared out all his old XP rods ... I'd get the 9.5ft 6Wt
they made if I could get the same kind of deal, somewhere



anybody know if the TFO TiCr X 6wt without fighting butt for $225.00 is a
decent stick ? .... it doesn't have any special appeal, just happens to have
the right words in the adman write-up and a price I'm worth ( b-day this
weekend and I do deserve a rod, but I ain't really been that good a boy, so
I should stay under $300, if possible and still get the job done ... ugly is
fine, if it will cast :-)

Larry,

I'd continue to shop around for the 6wt XP. I've got a few TFOs, and use
them, but....... The 6wt XP I own get's used a lot. Very nice casting
tool, for bigger water, or heavier/bigger bugs and streamers. It's also
light.

brians

"briansfly" wrote

Larry,

I'd continue to shop around for the 6wt XP.

I was going to town to have lunch with my bride, so I stopped to
chat with my fly shop buddy. Turns out he had still had a "demo" 9.5 ft
6wt XP that is now in my truck and will visit Lake Alpine in the AM to
catch some of those big Alper's planters up there.

Assuming I like the rod, in real world use, I'll buy it for a price that
makes even me grin.

Note: It casts well in my yard, but, alas, I fear that I am the weak link
not my rod. My arms and hands stop doing the "right stuff at the right
time" before the rod seems over burdened. I'm not sure any price is a
good one if just casting poorly but with a different rod is all I'm buying.












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