A Good 4 Weight Fly Rod?

[VanIsl Flyfisher]

Well so far i own a 9 weight as me chum/spring/coho rod, and a 6 weight for pinks and probably steelhead, now, i think im going to want a 4 weight for cutthroat and as my all round trout rod. Any thoughts on a good 4 weight in the 200 - 350 price rang? i fish the campbell river a lot, so it is a bigger river and i think its going to have to a 9 footer, i understand a 5 weight might be better, but i have a 6 weight and want something smaller. i don't think i want a switch rod, i have been looking at the sage vantage, and the cheaper G.Loomis rods, but i have no first hand experience with either of them.
so, can anyone recommend a good 4 weight rod preferably

- 4 weight
- 9 foot
- 2 piece is preferable
- $200 - $350

Thanks for any help.

On a side note, has anyone ever ordered fly tying material from The Canadian Llama company? if so how long am i looking at?

[btree]

Regarding your side note - I have, and it was not too long - couple weeks at most, usual ground shipping. But that was a while ago. I'm sure other's are able to chime in with more recent experiences.

As for your rod, I assume that you will be chasing cutties, browns and other stream fishes on the Island, and that this rod might see a fair bit of bush bashing. I'm sure that you will not be dissapointed with a Sage or G.Loomis, but have you considered taking it down a price point and looking at one of those TFO's? Particularly the Finess or the Signature series - you probably don't need the BVK... But any way, I have had a9ft #5 TFO signature sereis 4 piece for more than a decade now, and I've put it through it's paces for sure -plenty of cutties on the island plus bulls from the Peace River and trout action all over the kootenays and okanogan. While it's not going to shoot 100+ ft of line with my abilities, it is more than serviceable for my needs. I've only had to use the waranty once to replace a broken tip (my fault) - no hassles, just a shipping and handling fee. I'd get that rod over and over again (I had two, but I sold the 2 piece because I rarely used it - hard to cast 2 rods at the same time). I assume that the #4 is similar in action and durability to the #5.

That being said, I too have been dreaming about a #4, though probalby an 8 footer, and I've found rod building a sinch, so I'm thinking of a lamiglass fibreglass blank and doing it that way, though I am considering a blank from TFO, probably the finesse, though I am hankering for some soft glass action when battling cutties and dollies up Island.

If you look at some rod building sites, you will find plenty of super reasonable blanks where with the eyes, cork and seat, you can put together a sweet rod for ~100 bucks, and you get all the custom wrap colours and fancy feather inlays you can shake a stick at. I recently built a quickline switch rod and was really happy with what is only my second build.

[BCBound]

I've placed a few orders with Canadian Llama in the past month. They more recently relocated to Maderia Park on the Sunshine Coast, so orders don't take that long to arrive. Price point is good, service is good, I'm already thinking ahead to what hooks I'll need now, and in the near future, so I can save on the shipping and get them all sent out that the same time.

I can't answer any questions about the rods, but I like where you're going with the 4 weight. I've been thinking about getting into a 4 weight switch rod for trout, but need to finish setting up my spey first. I hate having to save for things, but can't have it all at once I suppose.

[canoehead]

I know quite a few people who are happy with their St. Croix rods that come in that price range; however, lately, some have started to complain about the customer service they are getting from St. Croix. Our local fly shop has a line of of Winston rods--the Ascent series--that are excellent quality with a more reasonable wallet hit. My understanding is that these rods are factory assembled in Korea on the same or similar blanks as the higher end rods that are assembled in the States.

[canoehead]

I know quite a few people who are happy with their St. Croix rods that come in that price range; however, lately, some have started to complain about the customer service they are getting from St. Croix. Our local fly shop has a line of of Winston rods--the Ascent series--that are excellent quality with a more reasonable wallet hit. My understanding is that these rods are factory assembled in Korea on the same or similar blanks as the higher end rods that are assembled in the States.

[count]

I know quite a few people who are happy with their St. Croix rods that come in that price range; however, lately, some have started to complain about the customer service they are getting from St. Croix. Our local fly shop has a line of of Winston rods--the Ascent series--that are excellent quality with a more reasonable wallet hit. My understanding is that these rods are factory assembled in Korea on the same or similar blanks as the higher end rods that are assembled in the States.

I have a Winston Vapour in a 4 weight (which is one model up from the Ascent, and I think it usually goes for around $300 - $350. Its been replaced by the VSL model now) I've been happy with it. And I fish it alot. The one thing I've noticed is that the components like the reel seat hardware aren't the same quality as the my higher end Winstons. But thats to be expected, there is a reason why they are less money. I still would recomend it though, like I said I fish it alot and have alot of fun with it. It still has the same warranty as the more expensive Winstons as well.

Have you looked at used rods on places like E-bay? I've probably posted about this before but there are some great deals out there on used rods. For 300-350 bucks you could get a pretty nice used rod, lots of them still under warranty or with blank warranty cards. I've bought rods that retail for over 700 dollars on ebay used for 300 bucks. Lots of fly shops in the states take rods on trade in and then turn around and sell them online on ebay. Some of them have hardly been used.

[rapman]

I have a Vantage 5 wt. Very nice stick for the price. I also have a couple BVKs - a factory 7 wt and a 4 wt I put together. I'd give them the edge over the Vantage. Very light, responsive, super-sensitive but lots of backbone to get the line out when required. I've landed quite a few big carp and drum on the 7 wt and it handled them like a champ. And you won't find better customer service or warranty than TFO.

[professori]

I have the TFO Signture series 4wt and couldn't be happier. It has been my standard rod for stream fishing across the province. Just curious, why would you want a 2 piece rod over a 4 piece? There is no real difference in action, and the 4 pce just packs down nicer.

[johndeep]

I agree with your topic weigth rode .

[VanIsl Flyfisher]

I have the TFO Signture series 4wt and couldn't be happier. It has been my standard rod for stream fishing across the province. Just curious, why would you want a 2 piece rod over a 4 piece? There is no real difference in action, and the 4 pce just packs down nicer.

I think it was because i was a beginner, but back then i had a issue where i actually lost the top part of my rod in a cast, i am MUCH more experience (still have lots to learn though) and can cast way better and more smoother, i felt the 4 piece would just be a nightmare, now that i have advanced some more, i would not hesitate to buy a 4 piece, before too long i will be in the market for maybe a 7 weight, or 8 weight, and might consider a 4 piece.