With forum input from DublHaul, Bernard, and FightonUCLA
, I purchased the Redington Classic Trout Flyrod in 2wt, 7'6". (paired with a used Orvis Battenkill I and Rio 2wt WF line. ). I paid $122 delivered and yesterday saw it on eBay for $117... great, great buy at $130 or less. It has been very windy and cold on west side of Reno . I am 5 mi from CA border, so have not tried it much, but last 4 days I have gotten out in am to avoid the afternoon winds off the east side of Sierras.
Observations:
1) this stick has guts- I was worried about it being too delicate because it is sold as a moderate fast action- well action is moderate-fast (Winston-like?) and it is delicate but with an inside strength when you really throttle a cast. It does not do well in the wind-- as FIGHTONUSC (Jeff) posted, wind makes the line look like a spider's web. This is the only 2wt I have cast in wind, so they may all be the same-- not what they were designed to do.
2) I cast & fished on the Truckee River near Verdi, so 45ft is usually a long cast. Practicing on a pond, I felt that 45ft is the rod's longest practical fishing distance. I was not expecting it to be so accurate- it puts the fly exactly where you throw it. I threw mainly dry flies and the rod is spectacular-- but fishing subsurface, the weight of the line in water made this 2wt a chore to fish-- so I'd say dry flies and if you go subsurface, do so only on small streams. I tried throwing a #6 Woolly Bugger and spent too much time worrying about the back of my head... so I'd stick to #8 and below. 14-18 flies cast like a dream.
3) Quality- normal Redington/Sage quality- perfect finish and spots align perfectly.
OVERALL- I recommend this 7'6", 2wt to anyone who wants to fish very small dry flies. It compares to much more expensive rods. Easy to cast all-day long.
Jim
