Thread: Which #6 weight fly rods would you recommend for an intermediate?

Hi guys,

Looking to upgrade from my $150 H & F fly fishing combo to something a little better.

Have been looking at the Airflo Apex Fly rod for $499 from H & F. https://www.huntingandfishing.co.nz/...d-set-9-0.html

What else do people reccomend in that budget range?

Cheers,
Josh

Im guessing your $150 set is a little too flexy/wobbly for your liking????
I kept an eye on trademe and picked up a reasonable 6 piece #6 weight for under a hundy....the tip section had been broken....bugger,2 minutes with cigarette lighter loosened the tip off the thin bit and buggamesideways it fitted neatly on the shorter,slightly fatter remaining section...result a 8'6" 6 piece for a 5th of price otherwise. and it casts like a charm. far better to use than the beginner set we bought for our son in same line weight.
my personal experience with fly rods is that price means NOTHING.....Ive got a 30 year old procaster #9 weight that is a fantastic rod to use....far better to use than many rods 10 times the price.
sorry I dont know brands etc....long time since Ive bought new and cant see me needing to again.

I'd take a look at the air flow nemesis or the primal range.

I run a nemesis currently in 6wt.

It's fantastic but I have my eye on a Scott Radian.

I had the airflo bandit before for my first fly rod.

Also a 6wt.

The nemesis is definitely a more refined nicer rod in my opinion.

I would ring sporting life in Turangi, and have a chat with them, they likely have a much larger selection, than Hunting and fishing, does in the lower north island,
Ask if they have any sales, or used mid grade rods, like temple fork BVX, Hardy demon, sage excel, a mid range balanced set up, moderate to mod fast rod will really boost your enjoyment.
keep an eye on trade me, esp. after Xmass , like a few fly rods bought as presents.

Or phone Kilwell in Rotorua. They make some good stuff and can give good advice.

I run a Sage Z-axis and a 'One'. They are good rods 1k or more new. Airflow used to make rubbish, but in fairness their $500 rods are now very good ( I tried one out of interest) as are the rods that southernman suggests. Rods have really improved over recent times and I would suggest that where you would pick a 6wt in the past a #5wt will now do the job and be easier to use and will load and present a short cast and lift a roll cast better than a #6. Try both weights before buying.

There are regularly good-great rods on Trade Me. Usually very well looked after or just not used.

I picked up a new Sage rod for $499 and it still my favourite rod. Look and then look some more.

If you're interested in "rolling your own" you could have a look at the Swift fly fishing kits. I've got a 690C to be built after Christmas that cost less than your budget (if you dont count a few hours of time). I haven't cast one of these yet, but as people seem to rate them highly even at the ready built price of well over $1000 I'm expecting good things from my <$500 kit.

Originally Posted by PaulNZ

If you're interested in "rolling your own" you could have a look at the Swift fly fishing kits. I've got a 690C to be built after Christmas that cost less than your budget (if you dont count a few hours of time). I haven't cast one of these yet, but as people seem to rate them highly even at the ready built price of well over $1000 I'm expecting good things from my <$500 kit.

Swift/Epic are nice. They used to use a CTS blank which is arguably the best made in NZ. They now use an Asian blank. I'm unsure what they are like but I've always been tempted to build one just to find out. That 690C kit does look pretty sweet. I'd want an electric rod roller though if I was going to build any more.

So you've built a rod before then? First one for me, but looking forward to it. Whipped up a rod turner a couple of days ago actually - really just a microwave turntable motor mounted on my Tipton gun vise so I can use the adjustable height rest. Probably not suitable for wrapping under power but should be good for epoxy drying.

Will be interesting to compare it to my current Kilwell Original 9067.

I take it your rod wrapper is used to apply thread for bindings????? if so do you tie your own flies??? the bobbin you hold your thread with works just fine n dandy.....Ive bought a few rods back to life using that,cotton and nail polish over the years.

Originally Posted by Danny

I picked up a new Sage rod for $499 and it still my favourite rod. Look and then look some more.

It is likely a Z axis Danny or other very good but 'old model' rod. They have the tooling and machinery all set to bang these out cheaply, so just re-name a successful old model and use it to supply the more entry level market. Your rod is probably just as good as the ones that I have that I paid over 1k for. Good on you.

Keep an eye on Ebay also, I bought a Loop Evotec 7 weight 4 piece off there second hand from Germany, cost me $273 landed on my doorstep, $7-800 rod here and it's real nice bit of kit

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

I take it your rod wrapper is used to apply thread for bindings????? if so do you tie your own flies??? the bobbin you hold your thread with works just fine n dandy.....Ive bought a few rods back to life using that,cotton and nail polish over the years.

Thanks for the tip. My understanding (remember, I haven't done any of this yet) is that a rod wrapper is the motor driven jig to rotate the rod blank while you apply the thread using a bobbin. As you say, I'm going to just use my fly tying bobbin. A rod wrapper is optional - you can just rotate the rod blank by hand when applying the wraps. What I've cobbled together is like a rod wrapper, but with only a very light duty drive between motor and rod blank (think strip of masking tape). It's job is to keep the rod constantly rotating as the epoxy dries, so you can build up a good layer of epoxy over the wraps without slumping/dripping.

Anyway, I don't really want to derail the original poster's thread with this, I just wanted to point out another cost effective way to get a high quality rod. Perhaps I'll start my own thread in the new year about how it's working out.