I've been very impressed with the TFO rods. Their deer creek switch rods are awesome, and at a price point that is affordable. I run a few Sage rods, they are gorgeous, but at 800-1000 dollars a pop, not entry level rods at all. The action and sensitivity of a rod makes a big deal, especially when you're dealing with finesse techniques requiring light line and tiny weights. Reddington makes some sweet stuff too, as for Lami's, I personally will not fish them anymore. I know a lot of guys have had great luck with them, but every Lami I've owned has broken on the first time out, the first fish hooked. I've run through the NW SPecial, 1000 series and XMG's and they come pre-packaged with dings and weak spots.Bodofish wrote:I don't really care how much Loomis is involved with the project, it's not really about him. TFO makes some great rods and gear. They started out with award winning fly gear and in my opinion that’s where most of the rod companies should be looking for advice on construction. If you want a nice spinning or casting rod, take a hard look at good fly blank and make it or have someone make it for you. Right now my absolute favorite spinning rod is a Reddington, straight out of the fly world, extremely light weight and with being rated for up to 8# line, I've had no trouble controlling fish close to twice that size. I've got to hand it to Loomis though, he does make a mean fly rod though I’ve never been a real fan of his HW and bait gear, it just doesn't feel right to me. Now as far as TFO is concerned, they've looked to more legends than just Loomis for advice, how could you possibly go wrong with "Lefty" Kreh?
When you're picking out an entry level rod, you'll want to find the happy medium between performance and price. I recommend the TFO series for just that. Once you get the taste, you can really appreciate the IMX Loomis rods. But if you want the top of the line, go with Edge rods, they are fishing machines! The 13 foot three piece float rod is sooooo sweet.
