Loop fly rods?

[James W]

Thinking about yet another rod, for streams and creeks. Maybe a nice 2 or 3 wt.
Has anyone here any experience with the Loop Opti Creek, or the Cross S-1?
Thanks!

[aaron]

Thinking about yet another rod, for streams and creeks. Maybe a nice 2 or 3 wt.
Has anyone here any experience with the Loop Opti Creek, or the Cross S-1?
Thanks!

You can do much much better.

[James W]

You can do much much better.

Please, help! Any and all advice and suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Specifically will be fishing the small streams of the higher parts of the Sierras.

[Mark Kranhold]

First off , what's your budget? Lots of great stix on the market.

[TonyMuljat]

First off , what's your budget? Lots of great stix on the market.

Looks like the Opti Creek #3 is about $532.00 purchased online. That's a pretty nice chunk of change. You could almost purchase a pretty nice vintage bamboo rod for that price (maybe not quite).

Sure is a nice "looking" product. I'm drooling at their website.

[James W]

First off , what's your budget? Lots of great stix on the market.
I'd like to keep it under 600, but I could squeeze out a few more bucks for something that wows me.

[Dan LeCount]

Id be tempted to get a little glass rod if you're fishing short casts in a little creek. They're tough and they load very smooth at short distances.

[aaron]

Sage Circa is the sweetest small stream rod I've fished.

[TaylerW]

++ for the circa. Glass feel with the control and response of a graphite rod. Very fun to cast and forgiving. Im also a huge fan of the txl-f series. I fish one quite often on the upper american when im home during the summer months, the 1wt is a blast.

[TonyMuljat]

Looks like the Sage Circa is $775.00...

[Wanderingblues]

The TXL-F would garner my vote. I have the 7'10" 1wt and it's been a blast. They also go 6'10" as well. If budget is an issue, I would not hesitate to endorse the Echo Carbon's or the Glass's. Both, for the price, are legit.

[Dan LeCount]

Let me ask you...


Do you fish a lot and are you hard on your rods?

How experienced of a caster are you?

The trout rods that you have cast, which ones do you like or use regularly?

Do you want the rod to pack down small for a backpack, or is a 2 piece you can store in the back of your car more your style?

Do you have any issues with the rod being made overseas vs in the US?

Do cosmetics hold much weight for you?

You're fishing small streams, thats a given, but are the fish small too? Big guys in small water or just little brookies and such?


Answers to some of these questions will help a lot for getting you pointed in the right way.

As of now, you basically walked into a room full of fat kids and asked "Whats your favorite ice cream?" You're going to get a lot of different answers for different reasons.

[MickeyFinn]

Dan

Great questions for the OP. That's how you choose the right fly rod. As for Loop, I don't know much about the lighter line Opti rods but the Cross S1 is one of the most efficient rods I've ever cast. This pertains to the 9' 6-weight and 7-weight switch.

OP, if you're looking for a "fun" rod you might want to consider a fiberglass rod as they are generally a bit cheaper than graphite, however if you're looking for a performance rod, then stick with medium to medium-fast action graphite. Shorter rods are more accurate, but longer rods give you more line control on the water for high sticking both dries and nymphs.

As for me the Circa is a little to niche' of a rod for most, the TXL-F is the performance small stream rod.

Back to glass, if you're in the market for a 2 or 3-weight in graphite you can probably get away with a 3 or 4-weight glass rod to give you power yet feel on those little feisty trout.

[TonyMuljat]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Bamboo-Fly-Fishing-Rod-66-2-2-2-3-wt-Payne-96-Modified-Tapers-Sack-Tube-/131119535146?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item1e8755542a

[BS720]

I have a Hardy Stream 7' 3wt glass rod that I love. Picked it up barely used for $250, but they are $375 new. Match that to an Orvis Battenkill reel and you still can get a Rio Gold line on there for less than your $600 budget. The only disadvantage is all the rods in the lineup are two piece, so not ideal for long hikes.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I don't think I would ever buy a fly rod without casting it.

[James W]

I don't think I would ever buy a fly rod without casting it.

Wow, zombie thread, back walking with the living!
Well Bill, I'm the OP and that's what I did, starting with the suggestions made here.
There is absolutely no substitute for casting a bunch of rods to make an informed decision.
I thank any and all shops that do this . . . like, say, Kiene's!

[mems]

Aloha, I don't have much experience with Loop rods and reels. My friends who own them like them. For me, my favorite small stream rod/reel is the BVK 1/2 wt rod. Only 5 feet in length and a click and pawl BVK reel match this out fit. On the small streams in Montana this is the one I like to fish. It makes a 14inch cutt seem like an ahi. It is great for bushy streams and is tons of fun wet wading upstream with dry flies. The Finesse and BVK line are great for trout, variety of weights and lengths. I also have a 4wt bamboo rod that I love, but am very careful when I fish that rod. I like rods I can abuse and not worry too much about. I also like TFO and am a sales rep for them, so my opinion is biased. Good luck, try them all then you will enjoy shopping for the rod that best fits your style and needs, Mems.